NASA considering human mission to asteroid (CNN/Space.com)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Leonard David
SPACE.com

(SPACE.comexternal link) -- Progress is being made on defining a human mission to an asteroid. Experts at several NASA centers are sketching out a prospective piloted stopover at an asteroid -- a trek that could return samples from a targeted space rock as well as honing astronaut proficiency and test needed equipment for other space destinations.

At the heart of such a mission is drawing upon the technology of NASA's Constellation initiative -- the overarching program that is gearing up to extend human presence at the moon, on Mars and beyond.

One key ingredient is the Orion spacecraft -- a post-space shuttle vehicle now under design to thrust crews further than low Earth orbit.

Meanwhile, NASA is wrapping up a report required by the U.S. Congress on how best to search for, catalog and even deal with the hazard of Earth-bruising rocks from space. That space agency report is to be turned over to Congress by year's end.

If lawmakers give the green light to a next generation Near Earth Object (NEO) search program, there could be 40 times the current discovery rate of these celestial bodies. By the time a human mission to an asteroid is ready, there's likely to be a healthy list of suitable targets.
***
more: http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/12/28/asteroid.mission/index.html

[Rick Myers]

1. That is TOO cool! Thanks for the link!!!