NASA trains astronauts for asteroid mission
May 16, 2012 | Source: The Telegraph
Armageddon film (credit: Touchstone Pictures)
NASA is training a team of astronauts to land on an asteroid to explore its surface, search for minerals, and even learn the skills they may need to destroy it should one pose a threat to the Earth.
NASA hopes to launch an unmanned spacecraft that will use a robotic arm to collect samples from an asteroid by 2016 before sending a manned mission by the late 2020s.
A manned mission will aim to rendezvous with an asteroid up to three million miles from the Earth, taking around a year to make the entire round trip. The astronauts could stay on the asteroid for up to 30 days.
The officials will say that such missions to asteroids could help test technology for future human missions to other planets including Mars.
In the Hollywood movie Armageddon, a crew of astronauts and oil rig drillers are sent into space to land on a massive asteroid that is on a collision course with the Earth, where they drill beneath the surface to plant nuclear warheads in the hope of destroying it.
Six astronauts will next month be sent to an underwater base off the coast of Florida where they will spend 12 days living 65 feet beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean to simulate working in the difficult low gravity environment of an asteroid. They will share a 43 feet long by 20 feet wide underwater capsule where they will live, eat and sleep as part of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operation, or NEEMO.
Comments (3)
by Paul Felix Schott
How many Satellites will this one take out.
Do a little History on this one.
ALL Should Look Up “2012 DA14″.
This could take out one of more satellites and the junk and debris from the hit could end up taking out many more satellites very soon after that. All the satellite collision probability will go way up if even one is hit. The velocity that the parts would go to would make them missiles that would start targeting a chain reaction this would not be good.
Most all will be watching this one and pray it goes by us with out a hit. Every Scientist alive will be watching this event. Many will be in Florida for a very special viewing of the once in a Lifetime Event. Professors, Scientist, World Leaders, Ham Radio Operators and Every Astronomer will have its eyes on This Event, along with almost every TV set on Earth.
“2012 DA14″ goes by Earth twice a year and there is no way anyone for sure can tell how close the second pass will be till it passes by the Moon and Earth and the GRAVITATIONAL FORCE effect that it will have on this Asteroid. They may come close but this one is already coming very close to begin with. Too close this time or on its second or 3rd pass? Ad a Meteor Shower, it might go through or bump into one of them?
If a big enough one were to slam into the moon in the night sky you would think the sun was coming up early only it would be 5 to 7 times as bright. From The Sun’s Rays Reflection on all the Debris Field.
Read your Bible
While you still can,
and May our Lord GOD Bless all that do so.
John 14 : 6
Luke 13 : 27
Matthew 7 : 20 – 27
The Lord’s Little Helper.
Paul Felix Schott.
by steve
Would the title of this piece make more sense if it said ‘NASA trains Astronauts for yet another mission it will no doubt cancel’
by GatorALLin
Can I help pick who we send….?