🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <13467@steinmetz.ge.com> davidsen@crdos1.UUCP (bill davidsen) writes:
>In article <296@v7fs1.UUCP> mvp@v7fs1.UUCP (Mike Van Pelt) writes:
>| We *really* need access to the asteriods, which have plenty of platinum-
>| group metals.
>
>  I'm not disagreeing, but what's the source of that info. Some
>meteoriods have been found to contain pgroup metals in iron-nickel
>mixes, but has someone done a reasonable analysis somehow of what's in
>the belt?

Well, we haven't actually gone out there and assayed any asteroids,
of course, but the nickel-iron meteorites found on Earth have all
contained a significant percentage of Pt-group.  The Sudbury deposit
in Canada is the remains of an ancient asteroid strike, and it supplies
Pt/Pd/Ir and such as a byproduct.  And the iridium in the K-T boundary
layer is considered pretty convincing evidence for the Alvarez 
theory that a major asteriod strike is responsible for the massive
wave of extinctions at the end of the Cretaceous.

So platinum group metals being available from asteroids seems a pretty
good bet.  If we can get out there.  And especially, if we can find any
that don't have Soviet claims already staked, which may be a considerable
problem by the time Our Congress finally gets off their backsides.
-- 
"Ain't nothin' in the middle                  Mike Van Pelt
o' the road, 'cept a yellow                   Video 7
line and dead 'possums."                      ...ames!vsi1!v7fs1!mvp