We're Going Asteroid Wranglin'!

TL;DR

NASA is seeking funding from the US Congress to capture an asteroid, bring it into orbit between the Earth and the moon, and send astronauts to study it.

Transcript

a couple of weeks ago I called on American lawmakers and you my fellow lovers of science to see that NASA gets the funding that it needs to do its job I mean if NASA's not going to study the universe explain it to the world and redefine What discovery is then who will well it turns out NASA May yet survive another man-made disaster that is the US C... Read More

Key Insights

• 🎟️ NASA needs funding from the US Congress to carry out a mission to capture an asteroid.
• 🌱 The plan is to bring the asteroid into an orbit between the Earth and the moon for study.
• 👾 Capturing the asteroid could provide valuable resources and advance technology for future space exploration.
• 💥 The mission would also contribute to understanding and preventing potential asteroid collisions with Earth.
• 🗯️ The success of the mission would require finding the right asteroid that is small enough to capture.
• 🗯️ President Obama has requested $100 million for the mission, with $27 million allocated for finding the right asteroid.
• 🕵️ The project could provide technological advancements in detecting asteroids and building robotic spacecraft.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why is NASA seeking funding to capture an asteroid?

NASA wants to study near Earth objects and track potentially dangerous ones. Capturing an asteroid would allow scientists to study it in more detail and learn about the universe.

Q: How does NASA plan to capture the asteroid?

NASA would launch a robotic spacecraft with a solar electric propulsion system to capture the asteroid. The craft would essentially stuff the asteroid into a large bag and then carry it to an orbit between the Earth and the moon.

Q: What are the potential benefits of this mission?

The mission would advance technology in space exploration, provide resources for future astronauts, and help develop strategies to prevent asteroid collisions with Earth. Additionally, it would contribute to plans for future Mars missions and asteroid mining.

Q: What is the timeline for this mission?

If approved, the asteroid capturing craft could be launched by 2017, and astronauts could visit the captured asteroid as early as 2021.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• NASA is requesting $100 million from Congress to fund a mission to capture an asteroid and study near Earth objects.

• The plan involves launching a robotic craft to capture a small carbonaceous asteroid and bring it to an orbit between the Earth and the moon.

• The mission would advance space exploration technology, provide resources for future astronauts, and help develop strategies to prevent asteroid collisions with Earth.