A previously believed asteroid worth $10,000 quadrillion, which could have made everyone on Earth a billionaire, may just be a pile of rubble.
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had planned to explore the asteroid 16 Psyche—long thought to be the core of a dead planet—in 2022 to determine whether it actually contains metals worth $10,000 quadrillion, potentially turning everyone on Earth into a dollar billionaire.
16 Psyche is believed to be the core of a dead planet.
However, a new study suggests that 16 Psyche is more likely just a pile of debris.
The research published in the Planetary Science Journal indicates that 16 Psyche consists of 82.5% metal, 7% iron-bearing pyroxene, and 10.5% carbonaceous chondrite. It may also have a large bulk density—meaning the amount of empty space inside—at around 35%.
These figures are significantly lower than previous estimates, which suggested it could contain up to 95% metal, primarily iron, nickel, and gold.
Asteroid 16 Psyche is believed to be filled with iron, gold, nickel, and platinum.
The lead author of the study, David Cantillo, a senior at the University of Arizona, stated: “The decrease in metal content and bulk density is intriguing because it indicates that 16 Psyche is very different from previous thoughts.”
Cantillo added: “If Psyche is more like a pile of rubble, it would be surprising, but our data continues to show low bulk density estimates despite its high metal content.”
If the asteroid, often described as “full of gold,” resembles a debris field and contains less metal than Cantillo and other researchers believe, it would not be unlike other asteroids in the Solar System, such as asteroid Bennu. Currently, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has recently begun its 2.2 billion-kilometer journey back to Earth after collecting nearly 1 kg of rock and dust from Bennu, which may help illuminate how the Solar System formed.
To reach this new discovery, the researchers recreated the surface of 16 Psyche in the laboratory, mixing various components until the visible light samples matched those of the asteroid.
Cantillo stated: “Having lower metal content than previously thought means that this asteroid may have collided with asteroids containing more common carbonaceous chondrites, depositing a surface layer that we are observing.”
However, NASA notes that 16 Psyche remains a significant interest for scientists. It is the 16th asteroid discovered on March 17, 1852, by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis.
16 Psyche takes about 5 years to orbit the Sun once, but only 4 hours to rotate on its axis, making a day on this asteroid just 1/6 the length of a day on Earth. According to EarthSky.org, 16 Psyche has a diameter of 182 km, containing 1% of the total metal in the asteroid belt.
Even if 16 Psyche is worth less than the $10,000 quadrillion figure, it still holds value for researchers hoping to learn more about what they believe to be the remnants of a long-dead planet.
Research author Cantillo remarked: “The opportunity to study the exposed core of a planet is extremely rare, which is why they are sending a spacecraft mission there, but our work shows that 16 Psyche is much more interesting than predicted.”
Researchers also believe there may be water on the surface of 16 Psyche, so they will seek to integrate their data with other missions to asteroids to determine the amount of water, if any.
The $117 million spacecraft—which NASA began constructing in July 2020—will launch into space on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. It is expected to reach asteroid 16 Psyche in the asteroid belt by early 2026.
This spacecraft will spend 21 months in orbit around the asteroid, mapping and studying the properties of the giant rock, with the goal of determining whether it is indeed the core of a planet.
NASA notes that 16 Psyche remains a significant interest for scientists.
The Metallic World of 16 Psyche
16 Psyche is located in the large asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and may have started as a planet before being partially destroyed during the formation of the Solar System. Now, it is a 200 km-wide metallic mass composed of iron, nickel, and several other rare metals, including gold, platinum, and copper.
As such, it could provide a unique insight into the violent collisions that created Earth and the other planets.
NASA’s mission will seek to determine whether Psyche is the core of a primordial planet, how old it is, whether it formed in similar ways to Earth’s core, and what its surface is like.
NASA will send an unmanned spacecraft mission to 16 Psyche, scheduled for launch in August 2022.
16 Psyche may be 370 million kilometers away from Earth, making it one of the most mysterious objects in our Solar System, and scientists may soon get a close-up look thanks to the newly confirmed NASA mission.
If the asteroid could be transported back to Earth, the iron alone would be worth $10,000 quadrillion. Its value would be large enough to disrupt commodity prices and cause the global economy—valued at $73.7 trillion—to collapse.
Assuming the material market from asteroid 16 Psyche were brought back to Earth, this could lead to a dramatic decrease in the value of precious metals, completely devaluing all held assets, including those of governments and all companies involved in the mining, distribution, and trading of those commodities.
