PLEASE NOTE:
*
Date sent: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 18:30:13 -0800
From: Peter Snow <psnow@esi.co.nz>
Send reply to: psnow@esi.co.nz
To: cambridge-conference@livjm.ac.uk
Subject: Asteroid mini-series
> Peter Snow wrote:
> >
> > Dear All,
>
> I read with interest the critique of the mini-series
"Asteroid". No one
> has as yet suggested that the debris from the disintegrated
asteroid
> would not survive entry into earths atmosphere. My reason
for asking
> this is that I believe a similar scenario in fact occured in
the
> southern part of New Zealand in 1176. I consider that the
maori tribe
> the Waitaha(Moa Hunters) traditions indicate clearly that a
catastrophic
> event destroyed their culture and annihilated their major
food source
> the Moa bird. This event "The mystic fires of Tamaatea
te kohuru"
> (which can be deciphered to the mysterious destroying fires
from
> space)is associated with stories of heated stones being
flung at the moa
> and many dying, hot stones from the sky destroying the
forests, the
> horns of the moon being split and falling to earth causing a
major
> catastrophe along with several other such references.
>
> The chronology indicates that Gervase`s identical Kentish
gentlemens
> 1176 observation of the horns of the moon splitting and the
Moa Hunters
> traditions of the splitting of the horns of the moon are one
and the
> same event. The Moa Hunters experiencing the destruction of
the meteor
> swarm from the ejecta of the 1176 event which created the
crater
> Giordano Bruno(Hartung). I believe the geological evidence
is present
> in the southern part of New Zealands south island which
supports this
> hypothesis. When propounding this hypothesis however a
strong argument
> was made against the possibility because it was claimed that
stones
> would not have survived the entry into earths atmosphere, I
would be
> interested in comment on this aspect of the mini series.
>
> Peter Snow
> 3Norfolk St
> Tapanui
> West Otago
> New Zealand
> psnow@esi.co.nz
>
> Dear All,
>
> I read with interest the critique of the mini-series
"Asteroid". No one
> has as yet suggested that the debris from the disintegrated
asteroid
> would not survive entry into earths atmosphere. My reason
for asking
> this is that I believe a similar scenario in fact occured in
the
> southern part of New Zealand in 1176. I consider that the
maori tribe
> the Waitaha(Moa Hunters) traditions indicate clearly that a
catastrophic
> event destroyed their culture and annihilated their major
food source
> the Moa bird. This event "The mystic fires of Tamaatea
te kohuru"
> (which can be deciphered to the mysterious destroying fires
from
> space)is associated with stories of heated stones being
flung at the moa
> and many dying, hot stones from the sky destroying the
forests, the
> horns of the moon being split and falling to earth causing a
major
> catastrophe along with several other such references.
>
> The chronology indicates that Gervase`s identical Kentish
gentlemens
> 1176 observation of the horns of the moon splitting and the
Moa Hunters
> traditions of the splitting of the horns of the moon are one
and the
> same event. The Moa Hunters experiencing the destruction of
the meteor
> swarm from the ejecta of the 1176 event which created the
crater
> Giordano Bruno(Hartung). I believe the geological evidence
is present
> in the southern part of New Zealands south island which
supports this
> hypothesis. When propounding this hypothesis however a
strong argument
> was made against the possibility because it was claimed that
stones
> would not have survived the entry into earths atmosphere, I
would be
> interested in comment on this aspect of the mini series.
>
> Peter Snow
> 3Norfolk St
> Tapanui
> West Otago
> New Zealand
> psnow@esi.co.nz
*
Date sent: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 13:17:59 -0500 (EST)
From: HUMBPEIS <B.J.PEISER@livjm.ac.uk>
Subject: NEO News (1/25/97)
To: cambridge-conference@livjm.ac.uk
Priority: NORMAL
From dmorrison@mail.arc.nasa.gov Sat Jan 25 10:52:35 1997
Mime-Version: 1.0
Date: Sat, 25 Jan 1997 10:43:09 -0700
To: david.morrison@arc.nasa.gov
From: David Morrison <dmorrison@mail.arc.nasa.gov>
Subject: NEO News (1/25/97)
Status:
NEO News (1/25/97)
Note from Clark Chapman on Timothy Ferris' NEW YORKER
article
The current (Jan. 27th) NEW YORKER carries Timothy
Ferris's lengthy essay "Is this the End?" (under the
category "Annals of Space"), beginning on page 44. It
is
a remarkable piece, wonderful to read and generally
accurate. I found myself laughing many times,
occasionally at the humor, but more often at the cogent
images conjured up by Ferris's prose.
The cast of characters includes Brian Marsden, Paul
Chodas, "astronomer" John Lewis, Tom Gehrels, Edward
Teller, and Carl Sagan (who was interviewed five weeks
before his death). Bit players include Jan Oort, Gerard
Kuiper ("of Yerkes Observatory"), Luis and Walter
Alvarez, the Shoemakers and David Levy, Michelle Knapp
(owner of the red Malibu struck by the Peekskill
meteorite), Jack Hartung, L. G. Jacchia, Don Teomans,
David Morrison, myself, and a few people who had
close-calls with meteorites. I shouldn't leave out Li
Ch'un Feng, Edmond Halley, Jean-Dominique Cassini,
Voltaire, Laplace, and several poets.
Finally, there is a brilliant quote from Kevin Zahnle.
The piece opens with a superb "what if" scenario
starring
Marsden and Chodas and concludes with the contrasting
perspectives of Sagan and Teller. In between there is a
generally good discussion of the scientific and cultural
issues at stake, with a heavy historical slant.
Ferris gets a lot of things right, not only in technical
detail but also in nuance. But there are a few glaring
exceptions. Things that are wrong or odd include:
* the statement that Mare Orientale's existence was
discovered by a space probe, which Kuiper and Hartmann
would not like to read;
* an uncritical recounting of Jack Hartung's view that
the crater Giordano Bruno was created during the last
millennium;
* a reference to the 1972 atmospheric "skipper" as
being
seen over Zion National Park (rather than in Wyoming,
where it was famously videotaped) -- perhaps it was seen
in southern Utah, as well;
* a statement that it would be necessary to deploy
sensors beyond Jupiter's orbit in order to detect
threatening long-period comets (a particularly odd idea
to come from an astronomer-author); and
* an explanation that an asteroid might be moved away
from Earth impact by a rocket motor if we had a few years
of warning time.
This is the opening salvo in a month of attention to the
impact hazard (Dave's preview omitted a Fox-TV special
that I was involved in).
Many of us have been involved. Robin Canup was recently
filmed here in Boulder as the real-life counterpart to
the fictionalized character in the forthcoming NBC
miniseries. I was contacted by the New York City
NBC-TV outlet concerning a news segment counterpoint to
the mini-series, and they were going to film material in
Arizona. This NEW YORKER article will sensitize the
opinion-makers to what's on the horizon. The impending
arrival of Hale-Bopp (already an easy visual object in
the pre-dawn skies) will only heighten the interest. I
fear that it is likely to go downhill from here. Let's
keep cool.
Clark R. Chapman
Southwest Research Inst.
1050 Walnut, Suite 429
Boulder, Colorado 80302 USA
[Phone: 303-546-9670; FAX: 303-546-9687]
[E-mail: cchapman@swri.edu]; home phone: 303-499-2964
*
Date sent: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 10:12:59 -0500 (EST)
From: HUMBPEIS <B.J.PEISER@livjm.ac.uk>
Subject: GRANTS FOR NEO SEARCH
To: cambridge-conference@livjm.ac.uk
Priority: NORMAL
THE PLANETARY SOCIETY
Announcement of Guidelines for Near-Earth Object
Grant Program
OBJECTIVES
The Planetary Society announces a Near-Earth Object (NEO)
Grant Program which seeks to encourage the discovery
and exploration of NEOs by supporting observation
projects and related research around the world. The
Society intends these grants to accelerate the NEO
discovery rate, to improve and increase observations, and
to encourage international cooperation in this field.
CATEGORIES
The Planetary Society invites applications in one or more
of the following categories:
1. NEO Observational Programs. Projects in this
category could include discovery programs and those
projects that might increase the rate of discovery. For
example, an observation program by an amateur or at a
small observatory could provide follow-up to discoveries,
and thereby free observers at larger telescopes for more
discovery work. Such a program would qualify for a
Planetary Society grant.
2. NEO Research Programs. The category will include
all those fields relating to understanding NEOs and their
roles in the evolution of Earth and the solar system.
Spectroscopy measurements and analysis would be an
example of a project in this category.
3. International Collaboration in NEO Observations.
Projects in this category include those that develop
international collaboration through cooperative
research, or those that enable amateurs and researchers
at smaller observatories to participate in NEO
observations and data analysis.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The selection committee will consider how a project
enables discoveries, advances knowledge, and/or enhances
international scientific collaboration. Projects will
also be judged on their feasibility, creativity,
originality, significance and likelihood of completion.
The committee will give special consideration to "seed"
grants -- where a little help now can generate high
leverage for future work. Amateurs and scientists and
observers from developing countries will be given special
consideration.
AMOUNTS OF GRANTS
The average grant will be $5,000 to $10,000, although the
selection committee will consider a range from $1,000 to
$25,000, depending on need and expected results. The
amount available is made possible by the donations of
Planetary Society members.
ELIGIBILITY
Anyone anywhere may submit an application for a Planetary
Society Near-Earth Object grant. We will accept only one
application per individual or group.
An application submitted on behalf of a group must
clearly indicate the person acting as the group's
representative or principal investigator. That person
must sign the application form. Should a group project
be chosen, the grant will be presented to the group's
representative or principal investigator. The Planetary
Society will have no obligation to any other member of the
group.
APPLICATIONS
Applications may be submitted at anytime. To be
considered, an application must be neatly printed in
English by letter, no more than three pages in length.
Supporting documentation may be submitted or referenced.
Send your application to:
NEO Grant Program
The Planetary Society
65. North Catalina Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91106-2301
USA
Applicants should send copies, not originals, of
supporting documents, figures or photographs.
No applications will be returned. Supporting materials
must arrive with the application form
unless prior arrangements are made.
NOTIFICATION
Grant recipients will be notified of their award as soon
as a decision is made. No other notification will be
sent by The Planetary Society before this date, except
for requests by the selection committee for supplementary
information.
SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The selection advisory committee for the NEO grants will
be composed of internationally renowned scientists. The
final selection will be made by the Board of Directors of
The Planetary Society. The committee's procedures and
deliberations will be kept confidential.
PUBLICATION OF AWARDS
Winners of the Planetary Society NEO grants will be
published in The Planetary Report and The NEO News. The
Society reserves the right to publish summaries of the
most interesting projects in either publication. The
Society also encourages professional publications and
other popular promotion and articles, so long as proper
credit is given for any support.
CONTACT: NEO Grant Program: 818-793-5100; FAX:
818-793-5528
E-MAIL: tps@mars.planetary.org:
WWW: http://planetary.org/tps/