Orion HardwaReviewed For Human Asteroid Flight

Orion Hardware Reviewed For Human Asteroid Flight

By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer
posted: 27 December 2006
06:43 am ET

Progress is being made on defining a human mission to an asteroid. Experts at several NASA centers are sketching out a prospective piloted stopover at an asteroida trek that could return samples from a targeted space rock as well as honing astronaut proficiency and test needed equipment for other space destinations.

At the heart of such a mission is drawing upon the technology of NASAs Constellation initiativethe overarching program that is gearing up to extend human presence at the Moon, on Mars and beyond. One key ingredient is the Orion spacecrafta post-Space Shuttle vehicle now under design to thrust crews further than low Earth orbit.

Meanwhile, NASA is wrapping up a report required by the U.S. Congress on how best to search for, catalog and even deal with the hazard of Earth-bruising rocks from space. That space agency report is to be turned over to Congress by years end.

If lawmakers give the green light to a next generation Near Earth Object (NEO) search program, there could be 40 times the current discovery rate of these celestial bodies. By the time a human mission to an asteroid is ready, theres likely to be a healthy list of suitable targets

http://space.com/businesstechnology/061227_asteroid_orion.html