NASA has asked Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX, to help with a new mission. The mission is to explore a giant metallic asteroid called 16 Psyche. The asteroid, often called the 'golden asteroid' because it contains metals worth A LOT of money.

Professor Elkins-Tanton, a planetary scientist calculated the iron in 16 Psyche alone, could be valued at $10,000 quadrillion (£8,072 quadrillion). If this were returned to Earth it would cause the value of precious metals to plummet, entirely devaluing all holdings including those of governments.

“We think the metallic class of asteroids are the remains of ancient cores of planets,” Jim Bell, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University and deputy principal investigator of NASA’s Psyche mission. The asteroid's core is thought to be more Earth-like at its core, consisting largely of metallic iron and nickel, along with some gold (yes golddd!).

According to NASA/JPL announcement, the Psyche mission just passed “with flying colors” its critical design review, a key stage that examines the digital blueprints and engineering models of all the project systems, “including the three science instruments and all of the spacecraft engineering subsystems, from telecommunications, propulsion, and power to avionics and the flight computer.”

Socially distanced construction is now underway, with testing and assembly of the entire spacecraft starting in February 2021, along with a JPL primary clean room shipping deadline for every single device in April 2021.

If all continues to go according to plan, then NASA's Psyche spacecraft is slated to launch in addition to a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in August of 2022. Its hunt for gold will require it beyond Mars in 2023, and start displaying 16 Psyche in January 2026.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/11095960/psyche-16-golden-asteroid-nasa-elon-musk-spacex/

Men, some people's thoughts are truly out of this world!

I don't even know what to say

Food4Good:
Men, some people's thoughts are truly out of this world!

asin! Some people know how to use their brain.