Today NASA announced an updated survey of near-earth asteroids. It’s good to know what’s out the that might, y’know, crush us, but also it’s good for picking a likely asteroid to land on, which is something NASA will be working on for the next decade and a half. Once the spacecraft gets near it, there’s not nearly enough gravity to pull us in or keep us there. So we’re going to shoot it, with some sort of harpoonish grappling thingie, and use that tether to pull us there. Peep the video.
What they shoot it with will depend on what the asteroid is composed of:
“Some asteroids might have a metallic core, and trying to anchor to them would be like banging a nail into an anvil,” says Jeffrey Hoffman, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT and a former astronaut. “Others may just be a rubble pile, which would be like trying to pitch a tent on a snowfield.”
There’s even some talk of lassoing one by wrapping a cable all the way around it. Sorry NASA, I’m going to veto that. Any asteroid that is small enough to lasso is not cool enough to visit. We need to think bigger! What happened to Mars? We’re not going to inspire a generation of children to do their homework by visiting a lil’ space rock. Let’s get planetary here, people. [Popular Mechanics]
Roland
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 9:24 AMAsteroid mining… When Australia runs out of resources this will be the next big thing… :-P
RB
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 9:29 AMWon’t someone thing of the asteroids! Here they are, going about their business and along come some humans and harpoon it to death! Unspeakable!
Quick, to the SpaceShephard, it’s time to ram these ‘researchers’ vessels before any more unnecessary destruction of asteroid kind is carried out!!
Callan
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 9:45 AMWhat would happen if they harpooned it from Earth? Would it cause the asteroid to come crashing into Earth, or could we do it in such a way that would put it into an orbit?
EckyThump
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 10:58 AMAre you serous? #]
EckyThump
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 11:01 AMActually, technically speaking, sending out a ship or tug or whatever, is like harpooning from earth! #]
Callan
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 4:38 PMYes…
jake
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 10:53 PMyeah that was exactly what i was thinking, why waste all this time and effort sending matter into space from earth to build a space station, when u can save a whole lot of chassis and structure / mass / building by pulling a couple asteroids into orbit and shelling them out. Maybe even find one with water inside, that way we can make rocket fuel in space, or even better refit it like an asteroid space ship… and just propel that where ever we need to go. or set up a nuclear power station on it and use the asteroid matter to propel it where u want it to go hmmmm… or even just keep it in orbit in case u need to drop it on a country you dont like and hope you dont take out half the earth… possibilities are endless, who needs nukes when i can drop my asteroid on your fat ass hehhehee…
Callan
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 11:50 PMExactly! It’s a pretty far fetch thing to consider for sure, but hey, what’s wrong with that?
Although thinking about that makes me wonder how that would then effect earths orbit. For example, if the asteroid had the right velocity it could pull the earth away from the sun (assuming there was some way to connect it back to our planet). And with the safe zone slowly moving out as the sun dies, moving earth might not seem that crazy.
EckyThump
Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 8:16 AMBringing an appropriate sizes asteroid into the Earth’s orbit would have a negligible effect on the planet! It would also be an excellent platform for space elevator!
EckyThump
Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 8:13 AMWhen I asked ‘are you serious’ I was talking about whether you were serious about the idea of sending a harpoon or whatever from the planet earth itself! Which is what it sounded like you were saying! Obviously that is not possible, hence the question!
EckyThump
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 10:59 AMThis is a start, now all they have to do is reduce their military budget and they might even have the money to pull off asteroid mining! #]
Hamish Prior
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 6:08 PMWouldn’t it be easier to send people to mars? Just a thought, I’m no expert
Casper
Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 1:32 PM0_o Why would you think that?
There many asteroids which are much closer to us, and you don’t need to worry about complex and expensive landing systems, you just attach yourself to it with a rope. Coming back is just as trivial, just fly away… as opposed to requiring a launch system on the same scale as those required to leave Earth in the first place AND you need to take all that with you…
jake
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 11:02 PMyeah the problem i have with shooting at asteroids is that they may become smaller asteroids… but its only really a problem where the event horizon exists close enough in a pre defined area, say square for example. then the smaller bits get teleported behind you and around you as they move into each event horizon in a predictable vector. so i would keep a spare few ships handy.
brendon
Monday, October 3, 2011 at 11:54 PMMetallic asteroid.. + electro magnet harpoon.. just a thought
Phaedron
Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 2:22 AMCallan, you need to check on the magnitude involved, the quantities.
But, people, how the idea of moving asteroids into MOON orbit – moon moons?
We could do an awful lot of research there, and mine them for valuable inexhaustible minerals.
That’d satisfy the greenies, and moon orbit would be easily sellable as safer.
Phaedron
Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 2:29 AM['How about the idea..']
With some upward/downward facing engines you could make them spacecraft themselves, and, yes, dig out their insides to make large caverns to establish air-tight living quarters and work areas.
Spin them for 25 days out of 28 and you could have your own gravity on the insides for the inhabitants. Healthier, and more work-friendly. What a ball!