NASA and asteroids: Mining or not? Here is the truth 

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Is NASA really mining the asteroids? Check what NASA scientists say

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Because of its multiple asteroid mission, NASA is believed to be mining asteroids. However, one of the NASA scientists explained, on their official Youtube channel, what the US space agency is really doing about asteroid mining.

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NASA expert, ASU Professor and Asteroid Scientist, Lindy Elkins-Tanton said that NASA is currently not engaged in asteroid mining activities.

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She said, "While the technologies for mining asteroids are not yet well-developed, various entities in the private sector and beyond NASA are actively working on advancing this field."

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She added, "Instead, NASA is focused on conducting fundamental science research missions that involve exploring asteroids to gain a deeper understanding of their composition and characteristics."

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One such example is the NASA Psyche mission, which aims to visit an asteroid primarily composed of metal. 

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These scientific missions provide crucial insights that may prove valuable for potential future asteroid mining endeavors.

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The Professor concluded, "Therefore, while NASA is not currently mining asteroids, their efforts contribute to the knowledge and groundwork that could potentially pave the way for such activities in the distant future."

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NASA has already revealed that this year, the PsycheMission launches to a unique metal-rich asteroid to study what appears to be the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet, one of the building blocks of our solar system.

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It added that the science that is gained from missions like this could one day benefit future humans in cosmic mining and resource endeavors.   And in September, OSIRIS-REx mission will deliver an asteroid sample back to Earth. Analysis from the sample may help improve future asteroid missions.

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