Can we Mine Large Asteroids? Neil deGrasse Tyson on The Risks & Benefits of Giant Asteroids

Considering the fact that giant asteroids collide with our planet every 50 to 60 million years, and the fact that the last major asteroid impact was 66 million years ago, the Earth is overdue for another cataclysmic event.

American astrophysicist, planetary scientist, author, and science communicator, Neil deGrasse Tyson explains risks and benefits of large asteroids.

When large objects impact terrestrial planets such as the Earth, there can be significant physical and biospheric consequences, though atmospheres mitigate many surface impacts through atmospheric entry.

But even our atmospheric protective shield is no match against the size of killer asteroids. Neil deGrasse Tyson mentions the fact that dinosaurs went extinct from a a 10km-wide asteroid that hit the area which is now the Gulf of Mexico.

A widely accepted theory is that worldwide climate disruption from the event was the cause of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, a mass extinction in which 75% of plant and animal species on Earth became extinct, including all non-avian dinosaurs.

Neil deGrasse Tyson also mentions the feasibility of mining asteroids. Asteroids could one day be a vast new source of scarce material if the financial and technological obstacles can be overcome. Asteroids are lumps of metals, rock and dust, sometimes laced with ices and tar, which are the cosmic "leftovers" from the solar system's formation about 4.5 billion years ago.

However, it currently costs hundreds of millions to billions of dollars to build and launch a space mission, so innovations that would make these costs fall dramatically are needed before it is profitable to mine asteroids for the value of their metals alone.

#asteroid #neiltyson #science

"Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson Visits NASA Goddard" by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC BY 2.0

[erook]

It was very powerful when Neil said that he doesn't want Humanity to be a laughing stock for other intelligent alien species if we were to go extinct to an asteroid while having space technology.. Humanity really needs to unite and think big, because Earth is nothing compared to what's out there.

[DinoCism]

"We'd be the laughing stock of aliens if we died from a preventable asteroid."

Well, yes Neil, but more importantly we'd be dead. lol

[sgottoboni]

Ya the dollar does not matter if there is no life on the planet.

[tekman]

I think space mining could be very beneficial for humanity and conserve our planet resources. Hopefully, we could find the technology that could enable us achieve this in the future.

[HugoTron]

He is right, I don´t want to be laughed by other ets which they have all the right to laugh if humans don´t like to go to space, well at least I am doing my part, there is too much TOO MUCH average boring humans.

[CapitalTeeth]

When I hear people tell me space is an irresponsible waste of tax dollars, I just remind them that the reason they're talking to me from across the planet, is precisely because we humans went to space.

[prolarka]

Isnt there something worth mining from the Chicxulub crater?

[phillyexclusive]

Could there be an asteroid not from or within our solar system filled with material not on the periodic table? Would that matter or material be worth more?

[jamesruscheinski]

Could set up base on moon for deflecting asteroids and comets; maybe even use moon gravity to block space rocks

[kenjudd]

Lasers pulsing might be used to nudge it.

[johnb]

WHY Mine Asteroids, when you can Import any material into the Earth's Program, through Accessing
"The Processing System of LIFE"?

[JHxXCampus]

So Decrease The Cost To Go Out To Mine To Become Richer Than Ever Needs To Happen For Who Ever Can Get This Done Congratulations 💯💯💯

[musthafaiqbalaziz]

Excuse me. Can i screnshot this Video?

[Dino_Hunter_]

Wouldn’t moon mission cost 10x more in 2020 ? If that’s the case wouldn’t space mining far outweighs the profit in next decades ?
And how can you innovate space mining if there is non ? How would you ini ate MarkII into a better computer if there weren’t MarkI to begin with ? ? Wouldn’t it make sense to have space mining at any cost so that then we can innovate it ???

[jamesruscheinski]

Can they detect asteroid or comet that is heading for collision with earth far enough distance away to nuke without fragments hitting earth?

[hotrodsonulondon]

Is it possible to change the composition of the asteroid, make it lighter or heavy?.

[zyntkalla]

I wonder if anybody that has an underground shelter would survive the asteroid?

[Masterfailure-bi]

Yes The fun part will be getting it back to the surface of earth. But we have ideas

[IngeniousDimensions]

I love his brain.😍😍🧠🧠

We live in a “Innovation Nation”.😃😃

[lgonzalez]

So your telling me a 200 Megaton hydrogen bomb wouldn't move it not even a little?