Nasa plan to 'lasso' asteroid and turn it into a 'space station

[blixel]

My forum searches did not turn up any results, so if this has already been posted, I apologize.

Nasa scientists are planning to capture a 500 ton asteroid, relocate it and turn it into a space station.

 

[Ark]

This is my skeptical face.

 

[garyw]

It's in the daily mail often called 'the daily fail'.

It's more likely that their 'science' correspondent saw two separate news stories about NEO's and the ISS and put them together.

 

[jedidia]

Well, this is only something of the less crazy stuff Nasa once wanted to do, but those were the seventies...
I wouldn't expect them to go this high concept in our day and age. And I'd even much less expect them to even think about doing it.

 

[DaveS]

It's in the daily mail often called 'the daily fail'.

It's more likely that their 'science' correspondent saw two separate news stories about NEO's and the ISS and put them together.

Or was confused by Planetary Resources' plan to capture a NEO and mine it.

 

[MattBaker]

Another day at the office:

A: "Hey, what are you doing?"
B: "Writing a story for this stupid space geeks *sigh*."
A: "Space? I only know about this 500 ton asteroid passing us in some years."
B: "Hey I have to write about this SLS, but have no idea about it. I need some cool information!"
A: "Look up its weight on Wiki, because it's surely heavy like hell."
B: *wikipedia* "It says nearly 3,000 metric tons for the heaviest version!"
A: "Wow, what's a matric ton?"
B: "I think a ton is 10,000 kilograms and a kilogram is like 3 pounds, right?"
A: "No idea, but possible. So 90 million pounds?"
B: "Yeah, I'll write 100 million pounds, so it sounds more awesome!"
A: Hey, if this rocket is so heavy, why doesn't NASA capture this asteroid and use it as a space station?"
B: "Whoa, thanks for that idea. You'll get 25% of my royalty for this article"

Some say that's how they create new TV series at CBS...

 

[george7378]

Nasa plan to lasso asteroid and turn it into a space station

No they don't

 

[C3PO]

No they don't

Unless they drink way too much! :lol:

 

[Quick_Nick]

Who's Nasa?

 

[FADEC]

Nasa can't even get off the ground (manned) currently and won't for quite some time. They should lasso the right decision-maker first.

 

[Spacethingy]

I'll just imagine them having the office Christmas party, yelling drunkenly "Spaaaaaaace!".

Very cool idea though. As is Star Wars. And Doctor Who.

 

[RisingFury]

I'll just imagine them having the office Christmas party, yelling drunkenly "Spaaaaaaace!".

 

[Alfastar]

If this is proposed, and then become to a real mission. Then it would a waste of money. Only reason why its really useful is PR.

 

[blixel]

I saw another article on this today.

"Researchers with the Keck Institute for Space Studies in California have confirmed that NASA is mulling over their plan to build a robotic spacecraft to grab a small asteroid and place it in high lunar orbit. The mission would cost about $2.6 billion – slightly more than NASA's Curiosity Mars rover – and could be completed by the 2020s."

 

[statickid]

"The craft would then propel itself out to a target asteroid, probably a small space rock about 7 metres wide...

...they could study a captured asteroid using telepresence technology, or even practise human landings on its surface."

landings on its surface? :lol:

---------- Post added at 03:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:48 PM ----------

whipped this up

 

[Ark]

I thought we were supposed to be landing there our own damn selves by the 2020s.

 

[RisingFury]

"The craft would then propel itself out to a target asteroid, probably a small space rock about 7 metres wide...

Yea, sounds small, but we're still talking about 300 to 400 metric tons. Not sure there's anything currently in existence capable of supplying the required delta-v.

 

[statickid]

i agree it would be very heavy. It seems a little small to be 'landing on the surface' though

 

[blixel]

Maybe it will look like this:

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

Yea, sounds small, but we're still talking about 300 to 400 metric tons. Not sure there's anything currently in existence capable of supplying the required delta-v.

Maybe. The only route that might be feasible as far as I can see would be using one or more ion engines to brake it into an Earth-Moon Lagrangian point, or maybe just a weak orbit. On the other hand, 300-400 tons is fairly heavy to deal with. Surely they could find a better target somewhere out there for something like this?

Its still pretty sketchy though. I wouldn't get my hopes up too much.