Rock that whizzed by Earth may be grabbed by NASA
Source: AP
WASHINGTON NASA is zeroing in on the asteroids it wants to capture, haul near the moon and have astronauts visit.
Officials on Thursday described a prime candidate: A tiny asteroid that whizzed about 7,600 miles above Earth in 2011.
At 20 feet long, it is "the size of a delivery truck; we might actually be able to put this asteroid in a garage," said Northern Arizona University astronomer Michael Mommert, who studied the rock, which goes by the inelegant name of 2011 MD.
That asteroid also could be a pile of smaller rocks that fly together in formation.
Read more: http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/top-news/rock-that-whizzed-by-earth-may-be-grabbed-by-nasa/ngPDg/
longship
(40,416 posts)For a major mission like this -- not that it has been funded -- it will likely take a bigger rocket than is currently in our stable. Of course, we used to have the Saturn V, but we let that go after all those successful trips to the moon, so successful that the program died from boredom. We even had extras on hand, which we basically destroyed. A precious few (one?) made it into museums. (Where do you put a 36 story tall rocket?)
Now, we have to hitch rides on Russian hardware, and even US hardware is using Russian engines.
It's shameful.
truthisfreedom
(23,140 posts)wandy
(3,539 posts)I think SpaceX will eventually develop high powered boosters. It would be nice to see them get booster recovery worked out first.
Virgin Galactic's approach might be just perfect for "low" orbit (eventually). Takeoff from conventional airport. Land at conventional airport. Satellite maintenance made easy.
bananas
(27,509 posts)Space Adventures got 2 paying customers, the third will be a pilot.
They'll go to ISS first, then dock with a separately launched booster for TLI.
The rockets and boosters already exist, what's missing is a lunar qualified capsule.
The Soyuz was originally designed for the race to the moon in the 60's, the production models have been optimized for ISS missions, so Russia is customizing a couple of them for lunar re-entry etc.
"Space Adventures" has a customer for the lunar Soyuz!
« Reply #244 on: 06/16/2014 11:56 AM »
Now confirmed through a Spaceflight Now article.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1406/15lunarsoyuz/#.U57biIm9LCQ
Quote
Space tourism firm Space Adventures says two customers have paid deposits for a flight around the moon on a Soyuz spacecraft, but the trip requires major changes to the Russian crew capsule, a vehicle that has seen only incremental upgrades in recent decades.