IDing Meteorite Parent Bodies

(Ab)Use of TaxonomyOriginal taxonomic group designations werebased on inferences about compositions:C = carbonaceousS = SilicaceousM = MetallicHowever, asteroid taxonomy is NOT, NOT,NOT a compositional classification.Asteroids of different taxonomic classes(e.g., a “C” object and an “S” object) arelikely to be composed of different materials.However, there is no assurance that twoasteroids of the same taxonomic type arecomposed of similar materials!