Considering a 10-ton meteorite crashed into Russia this past February, we think it’s about time NASA starts studying asteroids to help keep us informed about their potential risks. NASA is announcing that exact project will be happening by the end of the decade as they plan on capturing a small asteroid and wrangling it back to Earth’s vicinity in order to stage manned visits to learn more about asteroids.
The mission’s overview is based on NASA’s long-range goals of advancing technology development, providing opportunities for International cooperation and helping scientists better learn how to protect the Earth if a large asteroid was ever found to be headed our way. The program will also help NASA develop the navigation and execution of deep space operations, which will be needed for eventual manned flights to Mars.
Such a proposed program seems like a step out of a science-fiction novel, but it’s pretty exciting to see such an interesting concept could potentially pulled off, that is, as long as NASA receives the funds it needs in order to complete its missions successfully.