Implausible as that may sound, it would be possible if the proceeds of an asteroid called Psyche 16 was shared equally amongst us all.
This particular asteroid, heading in our direction, is filled with so much precious metal it could make everyone on the planet a billionaire.
Psyche 16 is conservatively valued at $10,000 quadrillion, so it's no big surprise that NASA is launching a mission to study it and, maybe, figure out a way of harvesting this extraordinarily valuable chunk of flying metal.
There is no word from the three current space-centric billionaires (namely Bezos, Branson and Musk) as to whether they have any intentions of heading to Psyche 16, but the 124 mile-wide space rock will certainly be the focus of a NASA launch, targeted for August 2022. The spacecraft would arrive four years later in early 2026. So, sadly, it's still a very long way off from giving us all the chance of being extraordinarily rich.
It will be the first exploration into a world of metal rather than rock and ice. NASA said, “Unlike most other asteroids that are rocky or icy bodies, scientists think the M-type (metallic) asteroid Psyche 16 is comprised mostly of metallic iron and nickel similar to Earth.”
The asteroid is nestled between Mars and Jupiter, and is believed to be the remnants of a protoplanet destroyed by ‘hit-and-run collisions’ when the solar system formed.
Psyche was discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis on March 17, 1852. He named the asteroid for Psyche, the Greek goddess of the soul who was born mortal and married Eros (Roman Cupid), the god of Love.