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Earth-buzzing Asteroid Would Be Worth $195B If We Could Catch It

Posted by Soulskill on from the i'll-give-it-to-you-for-$99B dept.

coondoggie writes "The asteroid NASA says is about the half the size of a football field that will blow past Earth on Feb 15 could be worth up to $195 billion in metals and propellant. That's what the scientists at Deep Space Industries, a company that wants to mine these flashing hunks of space materials, thinks the asteroid known as 2012 DA14 is worth — if they could catch it."

9 of 265 comments (clear)

  1. Re-position the Planet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Re-position the Planet. We could catch it full in the face. How much would it be worth then?

    1. Re:Re-position the Planet by Patch86 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yeah, I hate how people from all over the world think that the capital of the United States is a more relevant use for the word "Washington" than one of the 50 states which shares its name! Those people suck!

  2. Doggy Dollars.... by rts008 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm sure that's the same thought my neighbors dog has while it is chasing the cars passing by.

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    Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
  3. NASA said.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "The impact of a 50-meter asteroid is not cataclysmic--unless you happen to be underneath it, NASA said."

    I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this statement.

  4. Meh by srussia · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just mint a $195B coin!

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    Set your phasers on "funky"!
  5. Re:Space mining ROI - fuel by ae1294 · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's space so there is no vapor...

  6. I misunderstood by Grayhand · · Score: 4, Funny

    I thought they meant that's how much we could save if we dropped it on North Korea

  7. Re:Who owns the asteroid? by isorox · · Score: 3, Funny

    Did the US Senate ratify the outer space treaty?
    How many spaceships has the UN got to enforce the provisions of this treaty?

    They could just rent space on a Russian rocket. Sound famillier?

  8. What luck! by Arancaytar · · Score: 3, Funny

    And a project to capture and safely retrieving the asteroid could be as cheap as $200B.