NASA is considering capturing an asteroid and moving it to moon orbit...The researchers say that putting an asteroid in orbit around the moon has become feasible in recent years due to three main developments: the ability to find and track small asteroids, the capability of building spacecraft that have the ability to fly to an asteroid and bring it back and finally, the plans by several groups to have a manned presence in the vicinity of the moon during the time proposed (sometime in the 2020s) for the capture of the asteroid. Putting an asteroid in orbit around the moon would allow for much more convenient study and also open the door to mining possibilities.Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-nasa-capturing-asteroid-moon-orbit.html#jCpThe researchers say that putting an asteroid in orbit around the moon has become feasible in recent years due to three main developments: the ability to find and track small asteroids, the capability of building spacecraft that have the ability to fly to an asteroid and bring it back and finally, the plans by several groups to have a manned presence in the vicinity of the moon during the time proposed (sometime in the 2020s) for the capture of the asteroid. Putting an asteroid in orbit around the moon would allow for much more convenient study and also open the door to mining possibilities.Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-nasa-capturing-asteroid-moon-orbit.html#jCp(Phys.org)-Researchers at the Keck Institute for Space Studies have released a paper outlining a proposal to send an unmanned spacecraft into deep space to capture an asteroid and return it as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) orbiting the moon. In putting together the paper, the team at Keck worked with several NASA agencies, universities and private groups with the aim of discerning the feasibility of such a project and then outlining how it might come about.The researchers say that putting an asteroid in orbit around the moon has become feasible in recent years due to three main developments: the ability to find and track small asteroids, the capability of building spacecraft that have the ability to fly to an asteroid and bring it back and finally, the plans by several groups to have a manned presence in the vicinity of the moon during the time proposed (sometime in the 2020s) for the capture of the asteroid. Putting an asteroid in orbit around the moon would allow for much more convenient study and also open the door to mining possibilities.
Posted by Unknown
|
at
3:12 AM
