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NASA wants to uncover the mystery behind the asteroid “16 Psyche.” that may contain a priceless treasure trove of minerals. “We’ve been to all the different planets, we’ve been to other asteroids. But we’ve never visited a body that has been made of entirely metal,” said Carol Polanskey, project scientist for the Psyche mission. Now NASA, led by researchers at Arizona State University, plans to send an unmanned spacecraft to orbit 16 Psyche – an asteroid roughly the size of Massachusetts, made of iron and other precious metals. The mission’s leader estimates that the iron alone on today’s market would be worth $10,000 quadrillion.
Previously: NASA Selects Two Missions to Visit Asteroids
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NASA Asteroid Mission -- Metals "Worth" Ten Thousand Quadrillion Dollars
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Everyone hates me because I'm paranoid.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Friday January 20 2017, @03:55AM
So, there's an asteroid on an impact trajectory, and we have to do something about it. WHy not capture it, park it somewhere convenient, and then mine it? You're going to expend a lot of energy deflecting it anyway - might as well expend a little more, and get some good out of the damned thing. As Takyon already said, it's the very same orbital mechanics discipline involved in deflecting or capturing an asteroid, meteor, or alien artifact. Unless, of course, the artifact is shooting back.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Friday January 20 2017, @05:23AM
Someone burns a few tons of coal, and everybody comes undone and runs screaming about destroying the earth.
But put something the size of Massachusetts in orbit and that's ok? Wouldn't disrupt a single thing would it? Then land it piecemeal. No possible effect there either?
We can't predict next weeks weather. We still can't reliably launch a payload much bigger than a School bus.. We got no business dicking around with orbiting large bodies of solid metal that we can't control.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Friday January 20 2017, @09:49AM
We got no business dicking around with orbiting large bodies of solid metal that we can't control.
If those bodies are bumbling about in some safe orbit past Mars then yes, I'd say you have a good point. However in the event that such a body was hurtling towards us and threatening global extinction then we have every business.
Personally I think trying to move something that size in one go would be way beyond our current capabilities and potentially catastrophic. If we want to mine this thing we need to fly out there, set up a mining (and possibly also manufacturing) base on it and ship the resulting materials to where they are needed. When we have a few decades of experience and tech development from that, maybe we can think about playing planetary billiards.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday January 20 2017, @09:06PM
Maybe you are implying that an accident will happen and a city will be flattened. Yeah, I doubt that. But that's why you have the Moon and other places to put your first redirected asteroids.
Landing an asteroid in the desert is probably going to have less environmental impact than strip mining. But it looks like we will only be using these resources in space for the next century or so, because of the physics and economics.
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(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday January 22 2017, @08:18PM
Landing an asteroid in the desert is probably going to have less environmental impact than strip mining.
Math fail.
Find a strip mine as big as Massachusetts and then we can talk.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday January 22 2017, @08:41PM
1. You don't have to land an asteroid the size of Massachusetts. Even a building sized asteroid could have a lot of useful material.
2. There are deserted places that you can land it. It doesn't matter if you squash a few scorpions in the Sahara or crush a bit of ice in Antarctica.
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