Richard Binzel, professor of planetary sciences at MIT, suggests locating an asteroid with a diameter of over 10 meters, and sending a manned research mission to it.
Against the background of the growing criticism of the plan to capture a relatively small asteroid and bring it into orbit around the moon (the reasons of the critics: too expensive, does not advance the study of the solar system nor the capabilities required for a manned journey to Mars), Richard Binzel, professor of planetary sciences at MIT, offers an idea Alternative: conduct a survey using observations of asteroids passing by in orbits relatively close to the Earth, choose one of them that is over 10 meters in diameter (hundreds of them a year approach a distance similar to that of the Moon to the Earth) as a target, and send a manned research mission to it.
In his estimation, such a journey would last several weeks, and would not require a large amount of fuel (due to the asteroid's very low gravity). For the same reason, according to him, it will not be necessary to design a complex landing vehicle, but the astronauts will be able to approach the asteroid in a spacecraft and move towards it by spacewalk. Such a mission would be less expensive than hauling an asteroid into lunar orbit, and could study the composition of one; In addition, it will be a relatively long flight (beyond the lunar orbit) which will be an important step in developing the ability to travel to Mars. Another advantage of the survey plan: the development of the necessary means will help identify asteroids that may endanger the Earth at a relatively early stage.
Prof. Binzel's article in Nature magazine:
More of the topic in Hayadan:
- Strong cosmic radiation can cause danger to astronauts flying to Mars
- MIT: Project Mars One colonists on Mars will not survive more than two months
