00:00Imagine an asteroid so full of valuable metals that it could make every person on Earth a
00:07billionaire.
00:08Well, that's not science fiction.
00:10It's 1-6 Psyche, a massive metallic space rock orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
00:17It isn't just extraordinary because of its value, estimated at $10 quintillion.
00:23That's a figure that dwarfs the global economy many times over.
00:27It also has clues about the formation of planets, especially the rocky worlds like
00:33Earth.
00:35In October 2023, NASA launched the Psyche spacecraft.
00:40This mission is to explore the cosmic treasure trove.
00:43It's supposed to arrive at the asteroid in August 2029, and astronomers hope that it
00:48will give us some insights not just about the asteroid's glittering wealth, but also
00:53about how planets form and evolve in our solar system.
00:57But what exactly makes Psyche unique?
01:01First discovered in 1852 by an Italian astronomer, it was the 16th asteroid people identified,
01:08hence its name.
01:09It stands out among the millions of space rocks in the asteroid belt for one main reason
01:14– its metallic composition.
01:18While most asteroids are rocky or icy, Psyche seems to be made primarily of iron, nickel,
01:24and possibly even gold and other rare metals.
01:28At about 173 miles wide, it isn't the largest asteroid.
01:32It's easily dwarfed by others like Ceres, but its size is still impressive.
01:37After all, its surface area is 64,000 square miles, like that of the state of Florida.
01:44Astronomers think that between 30 and 60 percent of the asteroid's surface might consist of
01:48precious metals.
01:51They also think that this space rock might be the exposed core of a planetesimal.
01:57A planetesimal is basically a protoplanet, a large space body in orbit around a star
02:03developing into a planet.
02:06And this planetesimal could have grown into a full-fledged planet if it hadn't been
02:10destroyed in some catastrophic collision billions of years ago.
02:15If this theory is correct, Psyche can give us a unique glimpse into what lies deep within
02:20terrestrial planets like Earth, where planetary cores are hidden thousands of miles beneath
02:25thick crusts and mantles.
02:28Now remember that spacecraft that went to explore the asteroid?
02:32After embarking on its ambitious mission, the Psyche probe will travel a mind-boggling
02:372.2 billion miles to reach its goal.
02:41This journey will take nearly six years.
02:44On its way to the asteroid, the spacecraft will pass by Mars in May 2026 and use the
02:50red planet's gravity to slingshot itself deeper into space.
02:54This maneuver is called a gravity assist, and it will boost the velocity of the probe
02:59and refine its trajectory toward the asteroid.
03:02By the time it reaches its goal in August 2029, the spacecraft will be set to orbit
03:07the asteroid for at least 26 months.
03:11During this time, it will analyze its surface, figure out its composition, and attempt to
03:16unravel its history.
03:19The probe is equipped with some pretty cool tools.
03:22One of them is called a multispectral imager.
03:25This instrument will snap high-resolution images of the asteroid's surface.
03:30It's supposed to help astronomers to study its texture and composition.
03:34Then, the probe has a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer.
03:40This instrument will measure the asteroid's chemical elements, including its metal content.
03:46A magnetometer will detect a magnetic field, if any, which could confirm Psyche's origin
03:52as a planetary core.
03:55And finally, an X-band radio system will help determine the asteroid's gravity field,
04:00which can offer insights into the asteroid's internal structure.
04:06NASA isn't sending the spacecraft to assess the value of the space rock as a mining target.
04:10Well, at least not yet.
04:13The main goal of the mission is science.
04:16Researchers hope to answer fundamental questions about how planets form and evolve.
04:21And this asteroid could help us understand what happens when molten material solidifies
04:26into a core.
04:28Another question we need to answer to is, why did it fail to become a planet?
04:33And understanding the history of the asteroid might shed light on why some celestial bodies
04:38grow into planets while others don't.
04:43While NASA's mission is purely exploratory, it has also sparked interest from the point
04:47of view of asteroid mining.
04:50With its estimated worth of $10 quintillion, Psyche could theoretically supply enough raw
04:56materials to revolutionize industries on Earth.
05:00Mining it is likely to be decades away, if it ever happens altogether.
05:04But the idea still sounds amazing.
05:07At the same time, if the asteroid's metals were somehow brought to Earth, their abundance
05:11could cause the value of precious metals like gold to plummet, and it would wreak havoc
05:16on global markets.
05:20Speaking of valuable resources, let's find out how Earth got its own gold, platinum,
05:25and other rare metals.
05:27These elements, aka highly siderophile elements, have a cosmic origin story.
05:33And it's every bit as dramatic as Psyche's.
05:36These precious metals were born in violent cosmic events billions of years ago.
05:42Many appeared in kilonovae, explosive collisions between neutron stars.
05:47These metals were then scattered across space and eventually became part of the gas and
05:51dust cloud that formed our solar system.
05:55When Earth formed, those metals sank towards its iron-rich core, but not all of them ended
06:00up deep inside the planet.
06:03Explosive collisions with rogue protoplanets like the Mars-sized Theia, which most likely
06:07helped to form the Moon, trapped some elements in Earth's mantle.
06:13Recent computer models have explained how this happened.
06:16After each major collision, Earth's surface temporarily became a magma ocean, a molten
06:22layer of rock.
06:24As metals sank through the magma, they reached a partially solid layer that slowed their
06:28descent, keeping them in the mantle instead of the core.
06:32These metals then moved closer to the surface under the influence of thermal convection.
06:37That's what made them accessible for mining billions of years later.
06:43While Psyche's metals are all over the news, space has more to offer than just gold and
06:48iron.
06:49Scientists have discovered, or rather theorized the existence of, different gemstones scattered
06:54across the cosmos, like diamonds.
06:58The thing is, diamonds are made of pure carbon, and this element is abundant in the universe.
07:04On Earth, diamonds form deep in the mantle under high pressure and temperature.
07:09In space, conditions for diamond formation can occur in surprising places.
07:14For example, nanodiamonds, which are really tiny diamonds, have been found in meteorites.
07:20Sometimes they contain gases that give us clues about the early solar system.
07:25Scientists believe that it might rain diamonds on our ice giants, Neptune and Uranus.
07:30There, high pressures compress carbon into crystalline form.
07:35Researchers have also predicted that exoplanets in other solar systems could have gemstones
07:40like rubies and sapphires, depending on their size and proximity to their stars.
07:45Even Earth's moon had its own share of cosmic minerals.
07:50Scientists have found some traces of cubic zirconia in lunar rocks.
07:54So space might hold even more treasures than we've imagined.
07:59But let's get back to the Psyche mission.
08:02It might not only reveal the whole potential of space resources, but also underline the
08:07issues we could face while dealing with them.
08:10For example, mining an asteroid would require the usage of autonomous robots, machines capable
08:16of operating in harsh space environments.
08:19Plus we would need efficient transport systems to bring materials back to Earth or process
08:25them in orbit.
08:27We would need to make sure that mining activities wouldn't damage ecosystems or space environments.
08:33There are also legal and ethical issues, like the Outer Space Treaty of 1967.
08:39It prohibits any nation from claiming sovereignty over celestial bodies.
08:44But with private companies entering the space race, debates over ownership and resource
08:49sharing are heating up.
08:52And finally, bringing such amounts of metals to Earth could destabilize global markets.
08:58So experts suggest that space resources might be better used in space.
09:03For building habitats, satellites, and spacecraft.
09:09But no matter whether we ever mine 16 Psyche or not, its exploration will teach us more
09:14about the early solar system and the processes that shaped our planet.
09:20As of December 1st, 2024, the probe is heading for the asteroid following the orbit around
09:25the Sun.
09:27Its journey promises not only to deepen our knowledge of the universe, but also to redefine
09:33what's possible for humanity as we reach for the stars.
09:38That's it for today!
09:39So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
09:44friends.
09:45Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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