April 6, 1998

Daniel Goldin

NASA Administrator

Houston, Texas

Dear Sir:

I feel like I have you at a disadvantage since I have seen you many times on TV and feel like I know you whereas you have no knowledge of me. I can tell you that I have heard many statements that you have made about science and space and that I yet to disagree with you on a single point. Therefore, I think I can say that we both share a great love for science and desire that this knowledge be used to help man explore our universe, starting first with the solar system.

I write this because I think I can help you accomplish your goals within NASA. As I have watched NASA grow and mature throughout my life, the only thing I see missing now is the focus that was present during the days of the moon project. Clearly NASA and the nation were working as one because everyone thought the goal of reaching the moon was a worthy goal and public support was at a high point in the "life" of NASA. What we presently need is a new focus that will take us to Mars with the same level of energy and support by the people. I think I can help provide that focus, if you will give me some of your time and allow me to show you what I consider a miracle meteorite.

In the early 1970's I recovered a meteorite that fell on my great aunt's ranch near Canadian, Texas. I had prayed for a "piece of space" every night for years as a child, so when we came upon this rock, I was pretty sure from the very start that it was a meteorite. But all good scientists must have doubt in all they do, so when I first approached this rock, I was very careful to observe the entire scene to make sure that I understood exactly what I was seeing. I still have that scene etched in my mind as I stood back about 15 or 20 feet from the rock and just looked at what I could see. The ground was mostly sand, as there are no rocks in this region, and it was dry from the lack of moisture through the winter. The sand makes a hard crust when it is dry like that and the grass was yellow and the red rock stood out like a "sore thumb." There were no footprints of any kind within sight of the rock. About a foot away was a small depression that made me think it had bounced once before coming to rest where I found it. There was no "dirt" on the rock and it was perfectly clean across the entire outer surface. The rock had to have fallen from the sky.

Next I began a short study of meteorites and found that they would have a melted outer surface. I looked through a magnifying glass and you could see where it was melted. Also it was obviously a volcanic rock and since it was kind of red in color, I just assumed that it probably came from Mars. My only evidence was that I thought that Mars was big enough to have volcanoes and everyone knew that Mars was the "red" planet and Mars had the proper position in the solar system to send "debris" to Earth. I first thought that maybe a volcano on Mars could just "shoot" this rock off the planet, but later learned of the asteroid impact method of ejecting material from the red planet. So all of these years I have shown this rock to many of my friends and then told them that I thought the rock was from Mars. All of the things I have said can be documented if anyone doubts my integrity or ability in recounting this story.

I have always kept this rock as a symbol of faith. I had prayed to God in my early years to send me a piece of space and I had always wondered as a child if miracles still happen in this world. When I found this rock, I said to myself, miracles still happen and God still answers prayers. So for most of the last 25 years or so, I only got this rock out of my closet when I wanted to view again this symbol that God still works within the world that we now live in. About 5 to 7 years ago, I got the rock out for one of these occasions. As I was examining this rock, I noticed that some things were "growing" out of many of the outside vesicles on the rock. I thought this was very peculiar, but I really didn't draw any conclusions from it except that I wondered, "What would Earthly organisms want with a rock that fell from space?"

Then about a year ago, NASA announced that they thought they had found the fossils of ancient "Martians" in one of the oldest of Martians rocks, ALH84001. This discovery immediately made me think of my rock and the things that I saw growing out of the rock. So I decided it was time that I not hide this rock any more and I arranged for a NASA scientist to look at my rock. I was told to take a small sample, including the fusion crust and send it in. While I was driving the sample to the post office to be mailed, I became aware that sand had dropped out of the sample when I took it out of the rock. I had never known that there was sand in the rock, because all of the sand from the outer vesicles was lost during the rocks entry into our atmosphere. So as soon as I got home, I used my field microscope and looked in the sand that had fallen out of the rock and I was amazed to discover that the first thing I saw was a piece of debris that looked like it had been in the sand a very long time. Now I was at the point that I knew the rock fell from the sky and I had found debris within the rock. I became very excited and quickly notified the person I had sent the sample to that they might want to be careful since I now thought that this debris must have come from space and could pose a problem to those who might study it. (By the way, these are the same thoughts that many people in NASA have had concerning material from other worlds such as the moon and Mars.) I guess I never should have said that, because no one seems to believe me since I made that statement. I felt it was my obligation as one human being to another that I notify them as to my concerns. But the evidence is overwhelming that Mars did in fact evolve life and that it became much more organized that just bacteria and that Mars probably still has life on the surface.

To make a long story short, I have not been able to get any help from any NASA scientist. But I have been able to purchase some of my own testing and I think any open-minded person who carefully reviews my evidence will conclude as a minimum that this rock needs to be studied further. I have never asked anyone to believe what I say, only that they perform scientific tests to determine the truth of what I say. As of this date, I have been unsuccessful at getting any of your scientists to give me the time to present the evidence I have accumulated. I am therefore asking that you take a personal interest in this project and help me arrive at the truth.

The reason I think this rock is so important is because it offers a new point of focus for NASA and the public. You are very aware of the interest that the Pathfinder mission aroused in the public. Think what will happen when you can announce that we have found a "new" rock from Mars that was made only 13 million years ago and that contains not only the remnants of numerous ancient Martian species, but also contains at least one species that is still alive on the rock and is probably still alive on Mars. I think this species is some kind of Martian fungi since it seems to be the "happiest" when it congregates around the pieces of debris that I wrote of earlier.

Everything about this rock is unique and represents another "miracle." The rock was formed when lava moved through a bed of sandy material and enclosed this sandy material within the rock. The same sand that formed the rock is still there and hasn't been disturbed since the rock was formed. The rock has not been in the presence of liquid water since it was formed and I can prove this to any objective observer. The lava provided a method of transporting Martian surface material to the Earth by enclosing and protecting it. When the rock came through our atmosphere, the sharp edges that were nearest the outside melted the most. The entire outer surface has melted making it harder than the interior. Thus the rock has the shape and "shell" of an egg and so is very symbolic in that it represents life and "re-birth" from another planet. The rock has a shape that is much like the early lifting devices that NASA tested and the structure and composition of the rock is much like a shuttle heat tile. All of these things and more represent miracles that have brought us life from another planet and I hope that you will soon help me determine the truth about this great miracle.

One problem I have faced with some of your scientist involves the fusion crust. My rock is the first meteorite found that is highly vesicular and made of high silicon rock. This means that the fusion crust of my rock is slightly different than solid rocks made of different material. My rock is made of very thin walls between the vesicles and so they act like the shuttle heat tiles in dissipating heat. Therefore, most of the melting occurs on those surfaces that stick out the most and received the most friction coming through the atmosphere. I have argued these points and then your scientist just say, "In my opinion, this is not a meteorite." I don't know how to scientifically deal with a situation such as this. They claim it is not a meteorite and so will not do any scientific testing to determine planet of origin. But a meteorite is something that falls from the sky, not something proclaimed as a meteorite by a meteorite expert. Since I have tests that indicate Mars as the planet of origin, I think the rock needs more tests. If there is the remotest chance that I am right, then this rock is too important not to test. I have done some testing and the elemental oxide tests as plotted on Hap McSween's own charts, indicate Mars as the planet of origin. I have come to believe that an expert is just someone who makes an opinion, but never changes it, even in the light of new evidence. The fact is that different objects made of different materials come through the atmosphere with different results. As proof, witness the fuel take that recently fell in Texas, almost without damage.

This cosmic egg from Mars deserves mankind's best efforts. This rock should symbolize a peaceful first contact of Earthlings with life from another planet. It should act as a rallying point to help propel mankind off this planet and on to the rest of the solar system. I have had much time to think through this situation and so I have many ideas that I would like to share with you. I think that our goals are very similar and I want NASA to use my rock to bring people together and allow us to share this great miracle with all of humanity. My goal is to let as many people as possible study this rock. Whole new sciences will have to evolve to study this rock and its contents. Please contact me and let us arrange a meeting where you and any scientists you select can view this rock and help make the arrangements necessary so science can increase its awareness of the process of life and how it evolves in different circumstances. I have enclosed a copy of the letter that I have sent to the President and to my senators and congressmen at the state and federal level. I think this rock represents the single most important decision you have had to make since coming to NASA. This rock is too important for mankind to ignore further. I am patiently awaiting your reply and hope you will act quickly since the information contained within this rock will surely change some, if not many, of NASA's plans in regard to the exploration of Mars.

Your friend,

m mike

Mike Moore

502 S. Prospect

Amarillo, Texas 79106

(806) 354-9421

e-mail mike@micrommike.com

web site is www.micromike.com