55 of 63 - Meieranite at the 2024 Nanjing Show

There's a VERY short list of living collectors for whom mineral species have been named. And yes, my buddy Dr. Gene Meieran is one of them.
Join us for this fun clip of Gene Meieran sharing a REALLY fun story about Meieranite, the Nanjing Show and a weird stroke of serendipity that brought everything together.
To view ALL the films from our 2024 coverage of the Nanjing Show, visit our CZcams playlist at:
MineralFilms.com/Nanjing2024
Nanjing 2024
May 29, 2024 - June 2, 2024
en.finemineral.cn

[@barbaraeidinger6826]

That's wonderful! He was genuinely delighted. Great to see.

[@bhutjolokia6990]

That's really cool!!👍😎👻🤪🌶

[@Muonium1]

Dr. Meieran was integral in the decision to fly Apollo 12, the second mission to the surface of the Moon on November 14, 1969. A specific type of semiconductor linear amplifier manufactured by Fairchild Semiconductor (where he then worked in R&D) in the radar system of the Lunar Module had begun failing in other applications, and with just days to go before launch, NASA needed an immediate decision. He was able to trace the failure mode along with a team of other Fairchild employees to missing, totally corroded aluminum bond wires connecting to the amplifier chip, apparently caused by an excessively hot glass encapsulator oven which left holes in the (ostensibly) hermetic seal of some of the chips' glass enclosures. The holes admitted humidity and contaminants in ambient air into the faulty enclosures and corroded the wires. However the chips aboard the Apollo 12 LM were further encapsulated in plastic, making humidity ingress very unlikely. The deputy director of NASA, George Low, directly asked Eugene at the end of his presentation on the component's failure mode: “Dr. Meieran, would you fly this bird?”. He answered yes, and Apollo 12 lifted off and landed on the Moon successfully a few days later.

[@Ken_G.]

Thank you for such wonderful information. You took an already amazing video and made it even more enjoyable. What a great thing for that gentleman to be able to experience!

[@bluecapproductions]

Here is Gene’s response to your comment:
EVEN MORE SURPRISING! When I was involved with Apollo 12, Low WAS head of Apollo. He became Deputy Director of NASA in December 1969, which I might have known but NEVER would describe my interactions with him that way. So Mr. Muonium1 had to find this himself; a true statement but off in time.
Second, he mentions the Apollo 12 module was encapsulated in plastic ; the whole module was, and the devices I examined were from subsequent Apollo flights not yet fully put together (and hence still UNCAPSULATED), so this factor, although true, was (to my memory) not part of my argument. So Mr Muonium1 again is factually correct but included a fact I had (to the best of my memory) never stated by me! Again he states a fact about my encounter of which I was either not including in my discussions, or forgot.
In either or both cases, this person knew A LOT about my encounter and included true facts about NASA and the configuration of the radar system i don’t think I ever mentioned!
Finally, he uses my full name Eugene, which is correct but I never personally use in talking with people.
Truly strange! I need to find out who this is. And as I said, his writing is technically excellent and contains true details I don’t think I ever mentioned.
PUZZLED!!!!
Gene

[@genemeieran8301]

Well, I was really impressed by Monoium1 and Bryan addressed my surprised response to that comment about mmy NASA experience, what surprised me even mmore was inclusion of details that I knew but had not publically discussed, and which clearly (to me) that Monoium1 knew what he (or she) was talking about.
First, George Low was promoted to Deputy Director of NASA 3 months AFTER my encounter with him. I always referred to George as head of the Apollo program. This comment by Monoium1 is 100%$ correct but was not (as I remember) ever discussed by me when talking about Apollo 12.
Second, indeed the radar mnodule on the LM was encapsulated in plastic when the LM was finally finished, and the failed devices I analyzed were from systems prior to plastic. So, Monium1's statement is 100% correct, but final plastic encapsulation further protected the devices from corrosion but was not (as I remeber) part of my talk. Monoium1's knowledge of NASA and Apollo is impressive.
Finally, I rarely refer to myself as Eugene; I mainly go by Gene. except in legal or financial documrents or in technical publications. When I discussed Apollo 12, I generally was known to the audience as Gene.
All this along with an obvious interest in mineralogy, and more particularly structure of minerals, and even more specifically in Meieranite, truly surp[rised and impressed me! Almost as much as seeing the model that prompted this video by Bryan. And, looking at Monoium1's prolific anbd deep scientific contributions, makes me personally wonder who Monoium1 is! Alt5hough I worked on development of social models when I created Intel's first AI lab (35 YEARS AGO!!!) I never became an advocate nor a contributor to FaaceBook, Twitter, CZcams. I thought by doing so I woiuld NEVER leave the environment. So this comment on CZcams is I think my FIRST (anbd possibly last) comment initiated by me on a public network. I do so because I was truly impressed by Monoium1's re[ply to Bryan's video (which I never saw until he forwarded a copy to me!
Sorry for the long comment, but everyone who knows me knows that's my addictive habit.
One more thing; Bryan Swoboda does a GREAT JOB with interviews. A master of the professionb!
Gene

[@Muonium1]

@@genemeieran8301 Wow! The man himself!! What an honor! "Gene" it is then, if you insist. I mostly obtained the information for my post above from an article you wrote about 15 years ago titled "Apollo 12: A Detective Story" (which still appears online at NASA's site) and a few other sites like the Rice Museum's short bio, etc., also mentioning your work. I am a fan of space technology and space history generally, and the intersection of that field with other physical sciences such as semiconductor engineering and crystallography is highly interesting to me. It's important to me that details of this history are remembered by society and so where I can contribute by perhaps adding a small note about a relatively unknown portion of that history such as above, I like to do so. Seeing your name also sparked a vague memory I had of a story from some years back about what is possibly the world's oldest known operating neon sign (neon and plasma art also being an interest of mine) discovered by your son Andrew, which was hidden behind a boarded up wall at what was formerly the famous Clifton's Cafeteria in LA! What a cool story!
Anyway, as for me, I'm nobody really! haha! I am just an optics engineer at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics, where we do ultrahigh intensity laser and inertial confinement fusion research for fundamental energy and astrophysics simulation research. If you're ever in Western NY for some reason and wish to have a look at the facility, it would be an honor to show you around; though the only reason I could reasonably conceive of you having for such a visit - a meeting of the well known Rochester Mineralogical Symposium - sadly just held its final meeting last year and apparently sadly no longer exists. If you wish to contact me directly you can email at deglr6328 AT hotmail. It's been a pleasure talking with you and I look forward to watching more of Blue Cap's interviews with you about mineralogy (and maybe more!) in the future!