[meteorite-list] Sochi Olympic Gold Medalists To Get Bonus Chelyabinsk Meteorite Medal

From: Graham Ensor <graham.ensor_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 13:10:24 +0000
Message-ID: <CAJkn+ka8iuahTf4cdEqxG-vrDEi2bHtKN7_uecskOgA5wrrqWQ_at_mail.gmail.com>

Ah! up to now I had thought the actual gold medals on the day had been
adapted to contain a sample of Chelyabinsk. I had not realized that
these medallions were seperate ones being presented in addition to the
main gold medals.

Graham

On Thu, Feb 13, 2014 at 12:32 AM, Ron Baalke <baalke at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov> wrote:
>
>
> http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-021214a-olympics-medals-chelyabinsk-meteorite.html
>
> Sochi Olympic gold medalists to get bonus meteorite medal
> collectspace.com
> February 12, 2014
>
> What is better than winning gold at the Olympics? Winning gold at the
> Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia on Saturday (Feb. 15) - because
> on that day, and that day alone, earning a gold medal also means being
> awarded a piece of a rock that fell from space.
>
> Saturday marks exactly one year since a small near-Earth asteroid entered
> the Earth's atmosphere over Russia and exploded over the Chelyabinsk Oblast
> (region). Regarded as the most widely-witnessed strike in modern history,
> the Chelyabinsk meteor was also the largest recorded natural object to
> have fallen from space since 1908.
>
> The space rock broke into hundreds, if not thousands, of small fragments,
> which rained down over the area's snow-covered fields. Over the past year,
> many fragments of the Chelyabinsk meteorite have been recovered, with
> some of the pieces heading to labs for study, many landing on the collectors'
> market, others going to museums and a small set being placed aside for
> a special set of medallions.
>
> Ten of those medals will be presented to those who place gold at the Sochi
> 2014 Olympics on the anniversary of the Chelyabinsk meteor fall.
>
> [Image]
> Artwork for the meteorite medals to be presented to Sochi 2014 Olympic
> athletes by Chelyabinsk Oblast officials. (Image Grad)
>
> "We will hand out our medals to all the athletes who will win gold on
> that day [Feb. 15], because both the meteorite strike and the Olympic
> Games are global events," Alexei Betekhtin, culture minister for the Chelyabinsk
> region, said in a statement.
>
> In total, 50 of the meteorite-adorned medallions have been minted. In
> addition to the those that will be awarded to the Olympic committees of
> those nations whose athletes win gold medals Saturday, one is being given
> to the regional Chelyabinsk museum, another will stay in Sochi and the
> remainder will be offered to private collections.
>
> The medallions, which were crafted out of gold and silver, feature a design
> that was inspired by the footage of the meteor's fall as captured by car-mounted
> dash cams. The videos from that day quickly went viral, shared across
> the planet by social media.
>
> The meteorite pieces are affixed in a small indentation at the center
> of the medals.
>
> The meteorite medals are not replacing the Olympic gold medals awarded
> to athletes on Saturday, contrary to some media reports. The Chelyabinsk
> medals will be presented to the athletes separately and not as part of
> the traditional podium ceremony.
>
> The ten meteorite-embedded awards will be bestowed to the gold medal athletes
> competing in speedskating (men's 1500), short-track speedskating (women's
> 1000 and men's 1500), cross-country skiing (women's relay), ski jumping
> (men's K-125), Alpine skiing (women's super giant slalom) and skeleton
> (men's) events.
>
> Today, small fragments (2 to 3 grams) of the Chelyabinsk meteorite sell
> for $50 to $75. Larger fragments (between 5 and 10 grams) typically sell
> for $200 and above.
>
> The shock wave from the meteor damaged thousands of buildings in the Chelyabinsk
> Oblast, resulting in more than 1,500 people seeking medical help. Injuries
> ranged from cuts due to shattered glass windows, eye pain due to the brightness
> of the flash, ultraviolet burns and, in one of two serious injuries reported,
> a broken spine.
>
> The damage from the meteor explosion was estimated by the oblast's governor
> to be more than one billion rubles (or about $33 million US).
>
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Received on Thu 13 Feb 2014 08:10:24 AM PST