search technology reviews, news, features, group tests
Popular Searches:   windows , asus ,
 |  Register
 |  Newsletters  | 
Sitemap  |  RSS
RSS
Sunday November 8, 2009 8:40 PM AEST
Skip Navigation LinksPC Authority > News > Nasa plans manned mission to asteroid
NEWS

Nasa plans manned mission to asteroid

by Iain Thomson  on May 12, 2008
Tags: Nasa | plans | manned | mission | to | asteroid
Bruce Willis thankfully not going.
Nasa is preparing a three-month manned mission to an asteroid that is scheduled to pass close to Earth in 2030.

The space agency has prepared a plan, seen by The Guardian, for a mission to the 1.1 million ton 2000SG344 asteroid.

The asteroid caused concern in 2000 when the chance of it hitting Earth on its next visit in 2030 was raised to 500-1.

"An asteroid will one day be on a collision course with Earth and it makes sense, after going to the moon, to start learning more about them," said Rob Landis, an engineer at Nasa's Johnson Space Centre.

"Our study shows that it makes perfect sense to do this soon after going back to the moon."

Landis's report calls for the forthcoming Orion spacecraft to be lifted in sections into orbit using Nasa's planned Ares booster, and for two astronauts to make the three-month trip to rendezvous before landing on the asteroid's surface.

Nasa wants to use the trip to analyse the effects of long space flight on humans, and to test devices for converting interstellar ice into drinking water, breathable oxygen and even hydrogen for fuel.

The mission would be an important testing platform for a future planned trip to Mars, and would also augment plans for deflecting a potentially catstrophic asteroid strike on Earth.

"Near-Earth objects are a potential collision hazard and it may one day be necessary to deflect an asteroid from a collision course with Earth," said Ian Crawford, a planetary scientist at Birkbeck College in London.

"Having the capability in your back pocket to deflect an asteroid might be a good insurance policy for the future.

"For that, you want to know what they are made of, how to rendezvous with them, and whether you risk getting hit by debris if you fire something at it."

Copyright © 2009 v3.co.uk
Email a Friend Email this
Print Page Print this
Tweet This Tweet this
Feedback Send us your tips


Ads by Google

Comments

Be the first to comment on this article.
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
Login or register to submit a comment.
 

Top Stories

New York launches antitrust investigation into Intel
The New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has announced it is launching an anti-trust investigation into Intel after allegations that the chip giant abused its market position.
 
5 More Free PC Apps You Can't Do Without
More digital Swiss Army knife software, including utilities and tools that are so useful you won't know how you ever did without them
 
Movie tech: The science behind the film 2012
The Mayan prophecy might be counting down, but the science behind the new film 2012 might leave a few people confused. We look at what the film got right and what is best left to conspiracy theorists.
 


 
LogMeIn
 
 
HP
 
 
Amazing Dell Coupons now available