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Welcome to Life Noggin.
Space exploration has taught us a lot about the stars, our universe, and even our own
planet.
But what if space could make you rich?
There are some elements up in space that are very valuable here on Earth.
Many are found inside asteroids and could be worth billions or trillions of dollars
if we could mine them.
The most expensive are platinum-group metals, which are rare on Earth but necessary for
high-tech devices and electronics.
Scientists think that some asteroids contain more platinum-group metals than are in all
the Earth's reserves.
One asteroid that passed us in 2015 likely contained 90 million metric tons of these
metals… worth up to 5 trillion dollars.
You can also find iron, nickel, and cobalt in certain asteroids.
But the most valuable item might be water.
It's really expensive to ship water up to space — just 16 ounces costs a whopping
2500 dollars.
If there was a reliable source up above the stratosphere, it would have a lot of uses.
Water is necessary for the cooling systems on the International Space Station, and it
could potentially be used as a radiation shield for astronauts.
But the most lucrative use is to split it into hydrogen and oxygen… the basic elements
of rocket fuel.
This would essentially turn a water-filled asteroid into a space gas station, allowing
vehicles to refuel and venture farther away.
Another potential source of water is our neighbor, the moon.
And the moon has other valuable elements as well.
It contains Helium 3, which is extremely rare on Earth but could potentially be used in
nuclear fusion reactors, if we can get fusion to work on our planet.
The total value of the moon's resources has been estimated at between 150 and 500
QUADRILLION dollars.
Yep, QUADRILLION.
Although space mining isn't easy, it's definitely possible, and several companies
are currently working out how to do it.
An asteroid's gravity is too weak to hold down a spacecraft, so the goal is to dock
with it like a vehicle docks with the Space Station.
The real challenge is to figure out which asteroids are worth going to.
There are roughly 1500 candidates nearby, but they can be faint and hard to detect from
Earth.
Infrared technology helps tell us what's them, but it's difficult to know if the
readings are accurate.
Also, even though an asteroid's gravity isn't strong, it can still mess with spacecraft.
Unlike the round moon, asteroids have irregular shapes, making their gravitational pull vary
depending on where you are.
Getting around these "humps" will take some work.
Still, at least one company thinks that they will be extracting water from asteroids by
about 2027.
And NASA's Resource Prospector mission wants to be the first to mine the moon, with the
hopes of launching a craft in the early 2020s.
Whether or not they're successful, there's still money to be made indirectly from space.
Many of the technologies developed for space programs have had other uses in our daily
lives.
NASA's advancements have led to smartphone cameras, memory foam, MRI and CAT scans, and
even a key ingredient in infant formula.
So if you want to make money off space exploration, maybe the easiest way is to just stay here
on Earth.
Do you think we should mine in space?
Is it worth it?
Let me know in the comments below.
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