[Rockhounds] bronze "fulgurite"

[Alan Silverstein]

Pete et al,

> That's interesting, Alan; cool that you were involved in placing that
> plaque.

It's a long story, which you can find out on the web somewhere if
interested, although I haven't HTMLized the trip report yet.  Oh, here's
a copy:

  http://previous.cmc.org/cmc/rpt/chlngrpt.html

Wow, there's even a Wikipedia entry:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_Point

Also years later I helped with the Columbia Point plaque:

  http://silgro.com/trip_reports/2003.0718-0809_ColumbiaPoint.htm

In 1987, NASA wouldn't talk with us, and the media had little interest.
It was a private expedition I assembled, seven people, to place the
plaque on July 19, 1987 (I think).  Quite a challenge getting it done!

> I wonder if that was really lightning; hard to imagine, it would just
> affect the "w" in the middle of the plaque, who knows (one of the bolt
> heads looks different than the rest, too)...

The upper right bolt is not stainless, a long story, I goofed up, and
when I returned a few years later with a longer stainless bolt, I
couldn't get the old one out.

Alan