NASA headed towards giant golden asteroid

jayem · Jun 28, 2019

NASA is eyeing up a nearby asteroid that contains enough gold to make everyone on Earth a billionaire.

Psyche 16 is nestled between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter and is made of solid metal.

As well as gold, the mysterious object is loaded with heaps of platinum, iron and nickel.
In total, it's estimated that Psyche's various metals are worth a gargantuan $10,000 quadrillion.

Psyche has been known for 150+ years. It's one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt--over 200 km in diameter. Mostly an enormous mass of heavy metals--mainly iron and nickel, but it also contains massive amounts of gold and platinum.

Anyone investing in precious metals, may want to sell now.

NASA headed towards giant golden asteroid that could make everyone on Earth a billionaire

Temirlan · Jun 28, 2019

NASA is not capable of reaching it. Just forget about it.

NothingIsImpossible · Jun 28, 2019

They have talked about mining asteroids for a long time now. Good to see they will finally act on it. Probably be a long setup though. Once they chart a route, they will have to figure out a craft to land and then mine it. Which also means it will need solar panel shielding to recharge. I don't see all this fully being a big paying operation for another 20 years or so.

Also I can't wait to see how this will work internationally. Since no one owns an asteroid does this mean if we land on it, we claim it? And if said asteroid ever hit earth would be responsible for the clean up? ^_^

Temirlan · Jun 28, 2019

NothingIsImpossible said:
They have talked about mining asteroids for a long time now. Good to see they will finally act on it. Probably be a long setup though. Once they chart a route, they will have to figure out a craft to land and then mine it. Which also means it will need solar panel shielding to recharge. I don't see all this fully being a big paying operation for another 20 years or so.

Also I can't wait to see how this will work internationally. Since no one owns an asteroid does this mean if we land on it, we claim it? And if said asteroid ever hit earth would be responsible for the clean up?

Act on it? Dream on! NASA doesn't have the technology, nor the resources to pull off mining asteroids on far orbits, or any asteroids for that matter.

Belk · Jun 29, 2019

Temirlan said:
Act on it? Dream on! NASA doesn't have the technology, nor the resources to pull off mining asteroids on far orbits, or any asteroids for that matter.

According to whom?

Temirlan · Jun 29, 2019

Belk said:
According to whom?

I work in the aerospace industry for over 20 years. You can discuss mining the asteroid all you want, but actually doing it in the foreseeable firure? C'est absolument impossible.

Belk · Jun 29, 2019

Temirlan said:
I work in the aerospace industry for over 20 years. You can discuss mining the asteroid all you want, but actually doing it in the foreseeable firure? C'est absolument impossible.

Who said anything about mining it? NASA is sending a probe. Did you read the article?

Temirlan · Jun 29, 2019

Belk said:
Who said anything about mining it? NASA is sending a probe. Did you read the article?

Probe in 2022. The article also talks about "bringing back the asteroid, makung us billionaires, crushing commodity prices etc". Cheap sensationslist jourbalism. I hate it.

Sell your precious metals now!!! Yeah, right.

Belk · Jun 29, 2019

Temirlan said:
Probe in 2022. The article also talks about "bringing back the asteroid, makung us billionaires, crushing commodity prices etc". Cheap sensationslist jourbalism. I hate it.

Sell your precious metals now!!! Yeah, right.

Yes, it is sensationalist schlock but that is selling these days.

Temirlan · Jun 29, 2019

Belk said:
Yes, it is sensationalist schlock but that is selling these days.

I agree. There's more. The public don't realize how many crooked people become craaaazy rich thanks to such shams as this probe. At least a billion $ will be stolen from taxpayers with sure promises of possible mining in a decade or so. While they know full well it's never going to happen, not in our lifetimes for sure. Instead of repairing roads, building schools and hospitals etc, these billions will be simply burnt to make a few men rich of richer.

NothingIsImpossible · Jun 29, 2019

Well to be fair a endless amount of things were "impossible" in the past. From cars to flying to devices that scan your brain for tumors.

Ophiolite · Jun 29, 2019

Temirlan said:
I agree. There's more. The public don't realize how many crooked people become craaaazy rich thanks to such shams as this probe. At least a billion $ will be stolen from taxpayers with sure promises of possible mining in a decade or so. While they know full well it's never going to happen, not in our lifetimes for sure. Instead of repairing roads, building schools and hospitals etc, these billions will be simply burnt to make a few men rich of richer.

I think you are confusing the motivations of newspaper proprietors (sell newspapers), with the motivations of NASA scientists (increase our knowledge of the universe). Perhaps twenty years of working for The Man in the aerospace industry has addled your brain.

Belk · Jun 29, 2019

Temirlan said:
I agree. There's more. The public don't realize how many crooked people become craaaazy rich thanks to such shams as this probe. At least a billion $ will be stolen from taxpayers with sure promises of possible mining in a decade or so. While they know full well it's never going to happen, not in our lifetimes for sure. Instead of repairing roads, building schools and hospitals etc, these billions will be simply burnt to make a few men rich of richer.

Wait what?

FrumiousBandersnatch · Jun 29, 2019

It is a daft headline; if everyone on Earth was a billionaire in gold, or <preferred currency>, that amount would be effectively valueless.

durangodawood · Jun 30, 2019

Who needs gold? There's already enough rocks on earth to make everyone a billionaire.

Temirlan · Jul 1, 2019

NothingIsImpossible said:
Well to be fair a endless amount of things were "impossible" in the past. From cars to flying to devices that scan your brain for tumors.

True. But i know what I'm talking about

Halbhh · Jul 2, 2019

NothingIsImpossible said:
if said asteroid ever hit earth would be responsible for the clean up?

In an imagined scenario where that asteroid hit earth, there would be no need for any clean up, as no life as we know it would still exist here. But no worries on that; we don't have the ability to move the entire asteroid much. Also, I think God decided which significant sized asteroids hit Earth and when, so it not in the cards in any scenario ever.

Halbhh · Jul 2, 2019

If a robot mining operation could eventually bring back a few or many hundreds of tonnes of metals, that would be fun, and wouldn't do any harm whatsoever to the economy. It would be a benefit. That part about collapsing the economy is pure imagination, even if thousands of tonnes of gold were brought back.

Speedwell · Jul 2, 2019

Halbhh said:
If a robot mining operation could eventually bring back a few or many hundreds of tonnes of metals, that would be fun, and wouldn't do any harm whatsoever to the economy. It would be a benefit. That part about collapsing the economy is pure imagination, even if thousands of tonnes of gold were brought back.

The more important possibility is that it would provide a source of raw materials for constructing space ships and stations which wouldn't have to be lifted off the Earth.

Halbhh · Jul 2, 2019

Speedwell said:
The more important possibility is that it would provide a source of raw materials for constructing space ships and stations which wouldn't have to be lifted off the Earth.

Now we're talking.

NASA headed towards giant golden asteroid

Naturalist

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Senior Member

Active Member

Senior Member

Active Member

Senior Member

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Recalcitrant Procrastinating Ape

Senior Member

Well-Known Member

Dis Member

Active Member

Everything You say is Life to me

Everything You say is Life to me

Well-Known Member

Everything You say is Life to me

Similar threads