NASA to hitch ride on astroid

Telegraph:

The 1.1 million tonne asteroid, named 2000SG344, was once given a significant chance of slamming into Earth. Now that it is no longer considered a risk, Nasa engineers are considering a plan that mirrors the plot of the Hollywood film Deep Impact, in which the White House sends a spaceship to land on an asteroid.

In a study to be published next month, scientists at Nasa’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston and the Ames Research Centre in California say they envisage the next-generation shuttle Orion delivering a two-man crew in a pod to land on the asteroid as it hurtles through space.

As well as giving astronauts a taste of more complex missions, samples taken from the rock could help scientists understand more about the birth of the solar system and how best to defend against asteroids that veer into the Earth’s path.

...

It sounds like an exciting adventure. It also sounds like a challenge. I hope they do not have any trouble lifting off.

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