The Most Valuable Metals Are Produced in Space

Learn about the possibilities of space mining and how it can transform the world's economy. Learn about the cutting-edge methods being developed to recover the most valuable metals created in space, including platinum, gold, and iridium. Ponder the implications for the future of humankind of a new age in space exploration.

Exploration and use of space resources are gaining popularity as a possible way to realize the world's untapped economic potential. Due to their scarcity and high demand across a variety of industries, precious metals like platinum, gold, and iridium hold particular promise among the resources found in space. In fact, according to some experts, space mining might potentially produce these precious metals worth trillions of dollars. In this light, it is becoming more and more crucial to comprehend the potential of space mining and the most valuable metals generated in space. The potential of space mining will be discussed in this article, along with some of the most valuable metals discovered there and the extraction methods now under development.

Aristotle once said that gold was water solidified in the ground and mixed with the sun's rays; others were sure that gold was made with the help of the Philosopher's Stone. When the ancient Incas first saw gold, they decided that this metal falling from the sky was the tears of a mythical creature, but its real origin seems much more epic.

Let's go to a very distant past, to the time when there were no people or animals, to the time when dinosaurs didn't exist yet, and to the era when the simplest forms of life were just being formed. Our planet resembled a huge cauldron of chemical elements. There were erupting volcanoes, earthquakes, and lightning flashes all the time about 3.9 billion years ago.

During this period, huge asteroids flew through our solar system; they fell on Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. It's possible that asteroids also fell on the moon and left large craters there. But there was a real apocalypse on our planet, but fortunately no one felt it because there was no life yet. Along with the destruction, the asteroids brought metals, but were there metals on Earth before that? Of course, the core of our planet is mainly made up of metals such as iron. From there, it spreads to the Earth's crust and mixes with magma, which comes into contact with oxygen and combines with other elements. But how did they get into the core? Simple hydrogen and helium atoms merged and formed heavier elements inside giant stars. Then supernovae burst, creating vast clouds of gas and dust that traveled through our galaxy and started to circle around the sun. Over time, this dust and the leftover pieces of stars became planets, one of which was Earth.

If it weren't for that meteor shower that left metals on Earth's surface, we wouldn't have the technology we do today because metals deep within our globe are difficult to obtain. There are two competing theories for this phenomenon. The first postulate is that massive supernova explosions far from our universe created many metals from the periodic table during the explosion. Nuclear fusion then started and created gold atoms, which were then carried in different directions by the blast wave for a very long time before cooling down in cold space and arriving in our solar system.

Another hypothesis holds that the origin of gold and other metals can be attributed to the merger of two neutron stars, which are massive, gigantic stars that are many times smaller than the Sun but many times heavier than it. These are extremely dense objects with a strong gravitational pull, and when they collided, they created a powerful gamma-ray burst that could produce gold.

Astrophysicists first observed the collision of two neutron stars in 2017, and using gravitational wave detectors, they discovered traces of heavy metals, including gold, making this theory seem more plausible. But what if we go even further and ask how stars formed? Clouds of dust and gas are dispersed throughout the universe, and as they mix and combine, they grow into one mass, squeeze each other, and create a gravitational force when all the material collapses.

If this theory is correct, then our body also consists of stars, and we may have formed as a result of a massive supernova explosion that occurred at the other end of the universe billions of years ago. However, more than 50 years have passed since the theory's introduction, and no one has yet demonstrated or refuted it. Let's return to gold. One of the world's largest gold deposits is in southern Africa. Scientists theorize that the precious metal first appeared there more than 2 billion years ago after colliding with a massive meteorite.

People are also certain that gold is present in the world's oceans, but the extraction of such gold is prohibitively expensive. It is estimated that between 10 and 20 million tons of this precious metal may be submerged. When gold is refined, a 99.9% purity test is performed. After the benchmarking process is complete, you can use your gold to make jewelry or an electronic component.

The rarest metals on Earth came from stars as well. I'm referring to rhodium and iridium, which are several times more expensive than gold due to their useful properties rather than their aesthetic appeal. For instance, rhodium and iridium have the ability to transform harmful gases into harmless ones, and the automotive industry accounts for 90% of the demand for this metal. When toxic substances produced during fuel combustion come into contact with these precious metals, they transform into safer forms, which is why the market uses them to make auto catalysts that clean harmful exhaust.

The walls of the gold catalyst cylinder are covered in a thin layer of rhodium and iridium. The priciest metals are platinum, rhodium, and iridium, but which are the toughest? It can be challenging to say. For example, modeling clay has a low tensile strength since you can readily stretch it in several directions. This is a winner because the strength of a metal depends on four variables. First, there is tensile strength, which is the capacity of a metal to resist tearing.

The ability of a metal to resist compression is known as compressive strength, and one of the strongest metals in this category is chrome. The third criterion for measuring the strength of metals is yield strength, which is determined by bending and breaking a rod or beam made of any metal. Tungsten is possibly the hardest metal to stretch. The fourth criterion is impact strength, which measures how strong the metal is when it is dropped or hit, and iron does well in this regard. The metal that exhibits the most resistance has a high yield strength level, and titanium is good for that.

Each type of metal has a unique strength and weakness. For instance, chrome has a great resistance to compression but is weak when stretched, therefore, people create metal alloys to combine both attributes.

Okay, now that we are aware of the most expensive and rarest metals, what about other elements? What is the world's rarest substance? At the end of the 19th century, meat astatine was discovered, making it the rarest element on Earth. There are only 0.8 ounces of this substance in the world, and because its rate of decay is equal to its rate of formation, the amount of the substance in nature doesn't change. Despite its long history, however, we still know very little about metal astatine. In fact, in 1869, the inventor of the periodic table, Dimitri Mendeleev, discovered that although it is nearly impossible to find in nature, chemists have learned to create it artificially. Because it is too radioactive, people are unable to use this element, but in some laboratories, scientists are conducting experiments using astatine to treat thyroid disorders.

In conclusion, it is becoming more and more apparent that the potential of space mining to harvest precious metals like platinum, gold, and iridium is a possible route for releasing enormous economic potential. Exploiting space resources is becoming a possibility with the advent of technology that drives space exploration. However, it is important to recognize the difficulties and dangers associated with space mining, including the need for significant investment in research and development as well as addressing potential ethical and legal concerns. However, there may be significant benefits to space mining, including the potential to unleash enormous economic potential, advance technology, and deepen our understanding of the universe. The future of space exploration is exciting, and space mining could be the key to ushering in a period of increased economic prosperity and scientific advancement.

Finally, it should be noted that space mining has the potential to unlock enormous economic potential by obtaining precious metals like platinum, gold, and iridium. Exploiting space resources is becoming more likely as technological advances continue to fuel space research. However, the difficulties and dangers of space mining cannot be disregarded, necessitating a sizable investment in research and development as well as addressing potential ethical and legal concerns. However, there may be significant benefits to space mining that go beyond simply unlocking enormous economic potential. These benefits include advancing technology and deepening our understanding of the universe. A new era of economic affluence and scientific advancement may be unlocked through space mining, which is an exciting time for space research.