ASTEROID MINING AHOY!

Scientists are studying meteorites — basically, asteroids captured by Earth’s gravity and crashing into it — to uncover which asteroids could yield minerals and resources to fuel humanity’s expansion into space besides their benefits for terrestrial environments.

- NIRAD MUDUR

At least 75 percent of the asteroids are constituted by what is termed as “C-type asteroids”.

These are carbonaceous asteroids, characterized by their dark, coal-like surfaces, rich carbon content, silicates, and clay, representing primitive materials from the early Solar System that may have delivered water and organics to Earth in its early days soon after the planet cooled.

Now, scientists are eyeing precisely this class of asteroids to see whether what is hidden in them can fuel space exploration, besides using it as valuable resources for terrestrial environments in the future.

The scientists have analysed rare meteorites which have naturally fallen to Earth, to uncover clues about the chemistry, history, and potential usefulness of the contents in these ancient asteroids. These asteroids are in abundance in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter — forming a border between the inner and outer planets of the Solar System. This belt comprises millions of asteroids, and it is estimated that there are at least over a million asteroids larger than 1 Kilometre in diameter.