NASA has discovered an asteroid that could make every person on Earth a billionaire
- NASA have discovered an asteroid that is worth $10 quintillion
- If split evenly, this would make everyone on Earth a billionaire
- But money isn’t what’s interesting NASA about this far-off object
Published on Nov 28, 2024 at 10:09 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Nov 29, 2024 at 10:34 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
NASA has discovered an asteroid that could make every person on Earth a billionaire.
The asteroid itself is worth $100 quintillion.
That’s nearly twenty zeroes after the one, if that helps you visualize what a huge number this is.
Why is this asteroid such a money maker?
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
The asteroid that could make everyone stinking rich
The reason this asteroid is such a big deal is that it’s filled with materials which would prove useful back on Earth.
These include but are not limited to platinum and palladium, which are used in the production of cars and electronic goods, as reported by LADbible.
Minerals are worth tons of money, as demonstrated by the two billion tons of Earth minerals discovered in the US.
NASA, with help from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, probed the foreign object, which has been named 16 Psyche.
They first sent out their Psyche spacecraft onboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket back in October 2023.
Not that 16 Psyche is new by any stretch – it was discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis back in 1852.
The spacecraft won’t reach its destination until August 2029, at which point it’ll be 391 million kilometers from Earth.
Although it’ll just be orbiting, it’s hoped the close distance will help develop an understanding of what the asteroid is made of.
It’s currently believed to be made up of between 30 percent and 60 percent metal.
Nicola Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, previously said: “I am excited to see the treasure trove of science Psyche will unlock as NASA’s first mission to a metal world.
“By studying Psyche, we hope to better understand our universe and our place in it, especially regarding the mysterious and impossible-to-reach metal core of our own home planet, Earth.”
Why is NASA sending a spacecraft to 16 Psyche?
As it currently stands, it’s highly unlikely that the riches of this celestial object will be dished out evenly among all humans.
But let’s pretend it will, just for kicks.
At $100 quintillion and a human population of roughly 8.025 billion people, each person on Earth would get the equivalent of $12.5 billion.
That is one generous pay day.
But as you might imagine, NASA isn’t motivated on this mission by the almighty dollar.
It’s scientific intrigue that is pushing them along.
Scientists believe their mission could help them gain a greater understanding of the universe.
It’s been speculated that the asteroid is the exposed core of planetesmial – an early planet building block.
The theory goes that its outer layers have been knocked back through violent collisions – because flying through space is no cake walk.
It’ll be a few years before we find out at any rate.
The early 2030s look like the earliest point at which we’ll start getting more information back from the Psyche spacecraft.
What an exciting future we could have lined up for us.
