NASA Flies Over Nearly 500,000 Square Kilometers in Search of Rare Earths and Exposes America's Massive Mineral Wealth

NASA Flies Over Nearly 500,000 Square Kilometers in Search of Rare Earths and Exposes America’s Massive Mineral Wealth

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 10/12/2024 at 19:42

O avião ER-2 da NASA sobrevoa o deserto com seus sensores hiperespectrais, transformando paisagens áridas em mapas coloridos que revelam terras raras e a riqueza mineral da América. (Imagem: Reprodução)

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With The Help Of Hyperspectral Sensors, The Agency Seeks To Identify Rare Earth Deposits And Understand The Mineral Wealth Of America

Well above the sun-soaked deserts of the American West, a NASA aircraft flies over territories once considered barren, on a bold journey to map rare earth elements and, thus, expand our knowledge of America’s mineral wealth. In this endeavor, the goal is not to find distant galaxies but to reveal essential resources that could drive clean energy and strengthen the country’s economic security.

The expedition’s scenario is a vast area, comparable to the size of Spain, covering states such as California, Nevada, Arizona, and Oregon. At first glance, the arid soil appears empty, but through hyperspectral sensors installed on NASA’s ER-2 aircraft, each plot of land comes alive in vivid colors, indicating the presence of essential minerals, including the coveted rare earths.

And For What Purpose Will These Elements Be Used?

NASA flies over nearly 500,000 km² in search of rare earths and exposes the huge mineral wealth of America — Through hyperspectral sensors, the aircraft captures different wavelengths of light reflected by the ground, allowing for the identification of each mineral’s unique signature, including rare earths, thus distinguishing where they are present or not.

These elements, crucial for wind turbines, electric vehicle batteries, and various green technologies, are part of a hidden treasure that reflects America’s true mineral wealth.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Lithium

A special highlight is lithium, a key metal for electric car batteries. As global demand increases, old mines are being re-examined, and even waste discarded in the past may become a new source of resources.

This renewed focus on the subsurface promises to transform environmental liabilities into strategic assets, reinforcing the role of the U.S. in the international clean energy landscape.

Much Beyond Rare Earths

As NASA and the USGS advance, the complete mapping, expected by spring 2025, could also identify natural hazards, invasive plant species, and various mineral deposits, going far beyond rare earths and further expanding the understanding of America’s mineral wealth.

Ultimately, each pixel captured by the sensors is a clue, each color revealed is a step toward self-sufficiency. NASA’s mission is not just cartographic; it is a pathway to a more sustainable energy future, solid national security, and a more conscious exploration of what lies right beneath our feet.

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Luís Mota

#96382

15/12/2024 02:55

Ora bem se a América e assim tão rica deve abandonar os países onde estão metidos a roubar essas riquezas e que vivam do que tem, não e só viverem de inveja dos chineses ou outras nações k compram tudo o k e riquesa e não como eles k só roubam as riquezas onde se metem com os dizeres k e democracia eles são **** nada mais

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Geraldo Reis

#95352

13/12/2024 14:29

O que precisa acabar é o complexo de vira latas implantado no BR que tem causado muito estrago ao país.

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Ronaldo santos

#94557

12/12/2024 15:36

Pesquisa e mapear terra , definir localizar das extração, autorização e investimento do governo, montagem de mineradora e compra de maquinário, equipamentos , no Eua levar no mínimo 5 anos, o mais difícil é pesquisa e desenvolvimento da tecnologia de extração e mão de obra qualificado que está escassez no mercado americano. Levar mais 4ou5anos,assim que EUA ficar pronto os chineses vai liberar a venda e preço baixar para inviabiliza extração e investimento americano, alí a empresa mineradoras falir de novo… isso é jogada americano que já fiz com as refinaria do Brasil no passado.

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NASA Flies Over Nearly 500,000 Square Kilometers in Search of Rare Earths and Exposes America’s Massive Mineral Wealth

With The Help Of Hyperspectral Sensors, The Agency Seeks To Identify Rare Earth Deposits And Understand The Mineral Wealth Of America

And For What Purpose Will These Elements Be Used?

Lithium

Much Beyond Rare Earths

The Soviet Union spent 22 years drilling into the Earth’s crust and reached a depth of 12,262 meters — they found water where it was thought impossible, hydrogen bubbling from the rock, granite that is 2.7 billion years old, and temperatures of 180 degrees that melted the drill bits.

Ethiopia has banned gasoline and diesel cars, placed over a hundred silent electric buses on the streets of Addis Ababa, and now aims for half a million electric vehicles by 2030, all powered by Africa’s largest dam and a courage that few countries have shown.

Egypt wants to draw 10 million cubic meters of water from the Nile per day into the desert, irrigate a new agricultural frontier, and build a city where there is currently only sand.

BRICS is preparing a payment system inspired by the Brazilian PIX that will allow direct transactions between countries using national digital currencies without relying on the dollar or Western banks as intermediaries.

Norway is drilling 27 kilometers of rock 392 meters below the bottom of a fjord to build the world’s largest and deepest underwater road tunnel — when completed, a 21-hour journey will be reduced to 10.

Chinese engineers begin filling a 217-meter dam at an altitude of 3,000 meters and prepare a 2,240 MW hydroelectric power plant to integrate hydropower, solar, and wind energy in the upper Jinsha.

An astronaut spent 340 days in space while his twin brother stayed on Earth, and NASA found a “rejuvenating” effect, genes, microbiome, cognition, and immune system that revealed the biological cost of living outside the planet.

A volcano in Antarctica emits 80 grams of pure gold into the air every day, spreading precious particles over the ice, and yet no one can get their hands on this wealth.

In 1991, Brazil’s GDP was almost double India’s, and today it is little more than half: while India grew 6.5% per year and trained engineers, Brazil preferred to train lawyers, and now it is rushing to strengthen ties with the world’s fourth-largest economy.

A mother taught her twin children to read and write at age 2 inside an oncology hospital, and 16 years later, the two were accepted into two of the most difficult universities in the world in the United States.

NASA transforms a retired Boeing 777 aircraft into its largest flying laboratory, capable of carrying 34 tons of equipment to 13,100 meters and flying for 18 hours to investigate storms, polar ice, and extreme weather events across the planet.

It’s not a 3D printer: an inventor from Pará created a construction robot that ejects reinforced concrete into molds and builds an entire house at once, reduces labor by 50%, saves 20% on cost, and is already negotiating over 1,000 units across Brazil.

NASA Flies Over Nearly 500,000 Square Kilometers in Search of Rare Earths and Exposes America’s Massive Mineral Wealth

With The Help Of Hyperspectral Sensors, The Agency Seeks To Identify Rare Earth Deposits And Understand The Mineral Wealth Of America

And For What Purpose Will These Elements Be Used?

Lithium

Much Beyond Rare Earths

The Soviet Union spent 22 years drilling into the Earth’s crust and reached a depth of 12,262 meters — they found water where it was thought impossible, hydrogen bubbling from the rock, granite that is 2.7 billion years old, and temperatures of 180 degrees that melted the drill bits.

Ethiopia has banned gasoline and diesel cars, placed over a hundred silent electric buses on the streets of Addis Ababa, and now aims for half a million electric vehicles by 2030, all powered by Africa’s largest dam and a courage that few countries have shown.

Egypt wants to draw 10 million cubic meters of water from the Nile per day into the desert, irrigate a new agricultural frontier, and build a city where there is currently only sand.

BRICS is preparing a payment system inspired by the Brazilian PIX that will allow direct transactions between countries using national digital currencies without relying on the dollar or Western banks as intermediaries.

Norway is drilling 27 kilometers of rock 392 meters below the bottom of a fjord to build the world’s largest and deepest underwater road tunnel — when completed, a 21-hour journey will be reduced to 10.

Chinese engineers begin filling a 217-meter dam at an altitude of 3,000 meters and prepare a 2,240 MW hydroelectric power plant to integrate hydropower, solar, and wind energy in the upper Jinsha.

An astronaut spent 340 days in space while his twin brother stayed on Earth, and NASA found a “rejuvenating” effect, genes, microbiome, cognition, and immune system that revealed the biological cost of living outside the planet.

NASA transforms a retired Boeing 777 aircraft into its largest flying laboratory, capable of carrying 34 tons of equipment to 13,100 meters and flying for 18 hours to investigate storms, polar ice, and extreme weather events across the planet.

A volcano in Antarctica releases gold every day in the form of invisible dust, spreading metallic particles through the frozen air and raising a curious mystery that has not yet been fully explained.

Brazil goes on alert with a severe shock of extremes on Tuesday, 28th, when polar air can cause frost and temperatures below 6 °C in the South while the Central-West faces heat above 33 °C, intense dryness, and humidity below 30% on the same day.

BRICS’ power surges 62% in arms exports, reaching US$ 4.1 billion in military revenue in just one year, selling drones, missiles, and artillery systems to more than 80 countries and establishing itself as one of the world’s largest Defense suppliers.

Anvisa approved an unprecedented medication for multiple sclerosis that acts directly on the immune system and could change the lives of 40 thousand Brazilians who live with a disease that still has no cure.

A volcano in Antarctica emits 80 grams of pure gold into the air every day, spreading precious particles over the ice, and yet no one can get their hands on this wealth.

In 1991, Brazil’s GDP was almost double India’s, and today it is little more than half: while India grew 6.5% per year and trained engineers, Brazil preferred to train lawyers, and now it is rushing to strengthen ties with the world’s fourth-largest economy.

A mother taught her twin children to read and write at age 2 inside an oncology hospital, and 16 years later, the two were accepted into two of the most difficult universities in the world in the United States.

NASA transforms a retired Boeing 777 aircraft into its largest flying laboratory, capable of carrying 34 tons of equipment to 13,100 meters and flying for 18 hours to investigate storms, polar ice, and extreme weather events across the planet.

It’s not a 3D printer: an inventor from Pará created a construction robot that ejects reinforced concrete into molds and builds an entire house at once, reduces labor by 50%, saves 20% on cost, and is already negotiating over 1,000 units across Brazil.