Wednesday, October 18, 2023

The high-density meteorites near us

I am still avoiding direct Psychepoasting but I did catch, on Jimmy Wales' misinformation emporium, reference to enstatite chondrites, bencubbinites, and mesosiderites. I might be safe if I just look into those.

They have in common that they are denser than stone. But there's a reason they're not classified as the same thing. I don't see how these three could come from the same place.

Bencubbinites form a metallic "CB" group of carbonaceous chondrites; they are associated most with Pallas, possible home of the "CR" group. (Don't confuse them with "Pallasites" plz.) Enstatite chondrites by contrast formed where there wasn't much oxygen - and they're rare. The Enstatites may well have formed with the Vulcanoids (which we can't see in the Solar glare).

Luckily for near-earth asteroid colonists, I don't think Atíra and similar be enstatites. They haven't lost all their oxygen yet. Nitrogen and hydrogen, sure - still a problem. Colonists who want an enstatite rock (because GOLD) will need to get further-in than Venus, with all the delta-V pain that entails.

BACKDATE 10/21: yeah - behind the curve again, here. Busy work week, not much news I cared to report.

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