Closer encounter: Nasa plans landing on 40m-wide asteroid travelling at 28,000mph

Closer encounter: Nasa plans landing on 40m-wide asteroid travelling at 28,000mph

www.guardian.co.uk

It was once considered the most dangerous object in the universe, heading for Earth with the explosive power of 84 Hiroshimas. Now an asteroid called 2000SG344, a lump of rock barely the size of a large yacht, is in the spotlight again, this time as a contender for the next giant leap for mankind.

The mission - the first to what officials call a Near Earth Object (NEO) - is being floated within the US space agency as a crucial stepping stone to future space exploration.

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More precise measurements of the orbit of 2000SG344 have allayed fears that it could hit Earth sometime around the end of September 2030, but the asteroid is still expected to come close in astronomical terms.

A round trip to an asteroid could be done with less fuel than a moon mission, but is technically very challenging. The asteroid is only 40 meters across and spins as it hurtles through space at 28,000mph.

Good news. It will be a difficult challenge to land on an asteroid of 40 diameters with zero gravity and it travels at 28000/mph. Near Earth objects are a potential collision hazard to Earth and knowing the nature of them will help us in destroying one when they start traveling towards earth. It seems this mission would cost less than that of a manned moon mission, If we could go to moon then why can't we land on an asteroid?

Lets hope to land on our temporary out post in space.

www.guardian.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)