China is planning to grab a near-Earth asteroid out of space with the hope of extracting billions of dollars' worth of precious metals, Inverse reported.
Humans have mined the Earth for valuable minerals but it is only a matter of time before we use up these limited resources. Experts have already warned that the world's gold supply could soon be depleted, so scientists have turned their attention to space mining.
A group of Chinese scientists is working to figure out how to snag a nearby asteroid to harvest its valuable minerals and metals.
Theoretically the plan sounds rather simple.
A constellation of satellites will orbit the sun in search of asteroids, and once a suitable candidate has been identified, a massive bag will be wrapped around the space rock and it will be ferried back to Earth, Inverse said.
The scientists have proposed that a giant heat shield be used to protect the asteroid from burning up when it enters our atmosphere.
"Sounds like science-fiction, but I believe it can be realized," said Li Mingtao, a researcher at the National Space Science Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, according to Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua.
Li and his team presented their ideas at a competition held in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, which encouraged participants to introduce innovative future technologies.
There are many obstacles to overcome before this vivacious plan can become a reality but Li believes it can be achieved.
Li's team has been working closely with engineers at the Qian Xuesen Laboratory of Space Technology, under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and they have even identified a near-Earth asteroid.
The space nugget, which is located about 60 million miles away, spans 20 feet across and weighs hundreds of tons and could contain billions of dollars' worth of valuable metals, Inverse noted.
Scientists just need to confirm exactly what materials make up the asteroid, which is where the satellites come in.
The devices will navigate through space, prowling for asteroids to capture, and will then analyze them to help researchers determine the potential worth of the space rock.
Last year Chinese officials said they hope to extract precious minerals and metals from asteroids by catching one as early as 2020, the Independent reported.
Beijing said it would be launching its first spacecraft over the next three years and eventually a Chinese space station will be set up on one of these asteroids.
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