Aerolite Meteorites

Aerolite Meteorites is a commercial entity based in Tucson, Arizona with an additional office in the United Kingdom. They are one of the largest commercial meteorite companies in the world.

Aerolite Meteorites, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryMeteorites
Founded2005 (2005)
FounderGeoffrey Notkin
Headquarters
Tucson, Arizona
,
United States of America
OwnerGoeffrey Notkin
Websiteaerolite.org

History

The company was founded in 2005 by Geoffrey Notkin of science television series Meteorite Men.[1] “Aerolite” is an archaic term for “meteorite” and typically refers to stony meteorites. Aerolite offers a wide range of products, from entry-level to museum quality specimens.

Aerolite Meteorites exhibits annually at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show and the Denver Coliseum Mineral, Fossil, Gem, and Jewelry Show. In 2018, Aerolite Meteorites partnered with Dinosaur Brokers, based in Woodland Park, Colorado, to bring a 40-foot-long (12 m), nearly complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton to the 22nd Street Mineral and Fossil Show in Tucson, Arizona, where it was on display to the public for about three weeks.[2]

Notable acquisitions
  • Aerolite Meteorite has acquired numerous newly-discovered meteorites, like El Tiro and El Boludo. They also acquired Northwest Africa 11174, found in 2010, from a dealer in Erfoud, Morocco.[3]
  • Aerolite Meteorites also exclusively holds Old Camp Wash,[4] La Cienega,[5] found by Greg Bruce, the same prospector who found El Boludo, Tank Mountains,[6] Northwest Africa 11081,[7] and Northwest Africa 10256.[8]
  • The Aerolite Meteorites collection also includes some historical pieces from late meteorite pioneer Harvey H. Nininger.[9]
  • In 2012, Aerolite Meteorites acquired the Sterley pallasite and donated part of it to the Center for Meteorite Studies, ASU, and distributed the remaining parts to researchers worldwide.[10]

Community outreach

Aerolite Meteorites provides specimens to major meteorite institutions, like the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the British Museum of Natural History in London, the Vienna Museum of Natural History, and the Center for Meteorite Studies, among others.[1]

Aerolite Meteorites are also long time supporters of Beads of Courage, a resilience-based invention program designed to support children coping with serious illness and their families. Through the program, children tell their stories using beads as symbols of courage that commemorate milestones achieved along their treatment paths.[11] In 2018, Aerolite Meteorites donated authentic lunar dust that was embedded into special beads designed and handcrafted by bead artist Jeannie Cox.[12] CEO Geoff Notkin has also been a Beads of Courage Celebrity Ambassador since 2012.

Aerolite Meteorites is also an official sponsor of Rally for Science Tucson and a supporter of Girls Taking Up Space, a program that raises funds to foster Native American girls' interest in STEM-related areas by sending them to Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.[13]

See also

References
  1. Major, Jason (2014-01-10). "Selling Rocks from Outer Space: an Interview with 'Meteorite Man' Geoff Notkin". Universe Today. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  2. Gloria, Knott (2018-01-30). "If you go: 22nd Street gem show loaded with shiny goodies". The Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  3. "Northwest Africa 11174". Meteoritical Bulletin Database. The Meteoriticial Society. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  4. "Old Camp Wash". The Meteoritical Society.
  5. "La Cienega". The Meteoritical Society.
  6. "Tank Mountains". The Meteoritical Society.
  7. "La Cienega". The Meteoritical Society.
  8. "Northwest Africa 10256". The Meteoritical Society.
  9. Tait, Carrie (2017-10-13). "Meteor spotted over B.C. captivates people seeking insights, money from space rocks". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  10. Tenenbaum, David. "Space Messengers: Prive or Public? Time for a Meteorite Hunt!". The Why Files. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  11. "Beads of Courage Program". Beads of Courage. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  12. "Moon Dust Bead". Beads of Courage. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  13. "About". Taking Up Space. 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
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