Asteroid mining

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/asteroid-mining

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is asteroid mining and why is it exciting?Asteroid mining means taking useful materials from space rocks and bringing them back to Earth. It could give us water, metals, and help build rockets in space.
2. What kinds of asteroids are there and what do they contain?Asteroids are grouped into C-type, S-type, and M-type. C-types have water ice and organic stuff, S-types are rocky, and M-types have metal like platinum and iron.

Extraterrestrial Resource Utilization (ERU): The practice of collecting and using resources found on celestial bodies other than Earth.
Platinum-Group Metals (PGMs): A group of rare and valuable metallic elements, including platinum, palladium, and rhodium, found in some asteroids.
In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU): The technique of using local resources found on a celestial body to support human activities, rather than transporting them from Earth.