An asteroid once thought to be worth $ 10 trillion, making everyone on Earth billions of dollars, might just be a heap of debris.
NASA plans to explore asteroid 16 Psyche – long considered the core of a dead planet – in 2022 to determine if it actually contains the $ 10,000 billion precious metal, which means do of everyone on Earth a billionaire or not.
Before that date, however, a new study suggests that 16 Psyche is more than likely just a pile of debris.
Research published in the journal Planetary Science shows that 16 Psyche is made up of 82.5% metal, 7% iron-containing pyroxene, and 10.5% carbon chondrite. It can also have a bulk density – that is, the degree of free space inside – of 35%.
These numbers are much lower than previous estimates that it could contain up to 95% metals, mainly iron, nickel and gold.
Lead author of the study, David Cantillo, senior at UA University of Arizona, said in a statement: “The drop in metal content and bulk density is interesting because it shows that 16 Psyche is very different from what we thought before “.
“It would be a surprise to see Psyche as a pile of debris, but our data continues to show low bulk density estimates despite its high metal content,” Cantillo said.
If the “gold-filled” asteroid looked more like a wreck with less metal inside, as Cantillo and other researchers believe, it wouldn’t be that different from other asteroids in the solar system, for example l asteroid Bennu. Today, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission recently embarked on a 2.2 billion kilometer journey to Earth after collecting nearly 1 kg of rock and dust from Bennu, which could help shed light on the formation of the solar system. .
To arrive at their new discovery, the researchers reconstructed the surface of 16 Psyche in the laboratory, mixing the different ingredients until the visible light patterns match those of the asteroid.
“Having a lower metal content than previously thought means the asteroid may have collided with asteroids containing more common carbon chondrites, depositing a surface layer,” Cantillo said. that we observe ”.
However, NASA notes that 16 Psyche remains a major concern for scientists. It is the 16th asteroid discovered on March 17, 1852 by the Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis.
16 Psyche takes about 5 years to orbit the Sun once, but only 4 hours to rotate on its axis, so the day on this asteroid is only one sixth of the day on Earth. According to EarthSky.org, 16 Psyche is 182 km in diameter and contains 1% of all metals in the asteroid belt.
Even though 16 Psyche is worth less than the $ 10,000 billion figure, it’s still valuable to researchers hoping to learn more about what they believe to be the remains of a long-dead planet. .
Study author Cantillo said: “The opportunity to study the exposed core of a planet is extremely rare, which is why they sent space missions there, but our work shows that 16 Psyche is much more interesting than expected. “
The researchers also believe there is water on the surface of 16 Psyche, so they will look to merge their data with other asteroid missions to determine how much water is present.
The $ 117 million spacecraft – which NASA began building in July 2020 – will go into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. It is expected to reach asteroid 16 Psyche in the asteroid belt in early 2026.
The spacecraft will travel for 21 months in the orbit of an asteroid, mapping and studying the properties of the giant meteorite, with the aim of determining whether it is indeed the core of a planet.
The Metal World of 16 Psyche
16 Psyche is located in the great asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and may have started as a planet, before it was partially destroyed during the formation of the solar system. It is now a 200 km wide block of metal, made up of iron, nickel and several other rare metals, including gold, platinum and copper.
Therefore, it could provide a unique view of the violent collisions that created the Earth and the planets.
The NASA mission will seek to determine if Psyche was the nucleus of a primitive planet, how old it is, if it formed similarly to the Earth’s core and its surface.
16 Psyche, which could be 370 million kilometers from Earth, is one of the most mysterious objects in our solar system, and scientists could soon take a peek thanks to a new NASA mission .
If the asteroid could be brought back to Earth, the iron alone would be worth $ 10,000 billion. Its value would be large enough to destroy commodity prices and cause the collapse of the world economy – worth $ 73.7 trillion.
Assuming the market for Asteroid 16 Psyche hardware is returned to Earth, it could cause the value of precious metals to plummet, completely devaluing all holdings, including those of governments and all companies engaged in mining. the distribution and sale of these products.
