In a preliminary search for near-Earth asteroids that would be suitable targets for manned missions, NASA has identified only three that could be reached before 2050. One could be visited in 2020, another in 2025, which is President Obama's proposed year, and a possible third in 2046.
Criteria used by NASA in the selection process included diameters of at least 50 meters, round trip mission times of 180 days or fewer, and a body close enough to be monitored by Earth-based telescopes.
More possible targets will almost certainly be found; astronomers are actively searching for such objects not just in preparation for a manned mission, but also for their scientific value, as well as to find any that might pose a threat to Earth. Very likely, if a manned mission to an asteroid is flown in 2025, it will go to a rock we don't even know exists now.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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