Written by Charlene Patassi | published
NASA plans to explore a golden asteroid called 16 Cyg that is believed to be worth more than the value of the entire global economy. The 10,000 quadrillion dollar asteroid is a heavy metallic body with cores of iron, nickel and gold. The mission was initially scheduled for August 2022, but was delayed due to organizational issues at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Now that the issues have been resolved, the 280-million-mile-long Golden Asteroid Voyager is expected to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida between October 5 and 25. “The Independent Review Board was extraordinarily impressed with the accomplishments of the JPL organization and the entire Caltech,” the JPL statement read. cron.
“The participation and leadership in the overall response process by JBL’s Director and senior leadership is world class,” the statement added. Psyche, named after the Greek goddess of the soul, was discovered in 1852 by the Italian astronomer Annibale di Casparis. A golden asteroid orbiting the sun in the region between Mars and Jupiter.
Astronomers say the golden asteroid is shaped like a potato and roughly 140 miles across. Scientists believe that Psyche may be the exposed metallic core of “planets or a new planet” that shed its rocky outer layers and underwent violent collisions during the early stages of the formation of our solar system.
NASA’s next mission will mark a milestone as it will be the first study of a metallic-rich celestial body. The spacecraft is expected to reach the golden asteroid in August 2029, and the spacecraft will orbit the golden asteroid for 26 months. 16 The study of Psyche is of great interest because it may provide insight into planetary formation processes.
In addition, 16 Psyche provides a unique opportunity to closely study an emerging planetary center. If the origin of the golden asteroid is consistent with current theories, its analysis could provide valuable information about the composition and properties of planetary cores. Mission objectives include investigating other geological features such as the magnetic field and mass distribution.
Also, the data collected from the mission will contribute to a better understanding of the formation of the solar system and the role asteroids play in it. Interestingly, the golden asteroid isn’t the only valuable rock in space. NASA previously said that the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter is rich in minerals, worth $100 billion per person on Earth.
However, the real challenge is extracting these precious metals from each asteroid and transporting them safely to our planet. The golden asteroid’s abundance of precious metals makes it an attractive target for mining operations, further emphasizing its importance in terms of economic exploration and resource exploration.
Meanwhile, NASA says the total cost of visiting the golden asteroid is $985 million. As of July 2022, $717 million has already been spent on the project. The mission team is currently going through the final stages of testing the spacecraft’s flight program, ensuring it’s ready for its planned launch in October.
