Space & Astronomy

Mock asteroid mission conducted underwater

By T.K. Randall
June 24, 2012 ·  3 comments

Image Credit: ESA NASA's Extreme Environment Mission Operations Program has been conducting expeditions to the ocean floor lasting several days to help simulate various aspects of a manned mission to an asteroid. During the expedition the team lived in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Aquarius Underwater Laboratory around 60 feet down at the Florida Keys. The latest expedition focused on determining the most effective ways to fasten to a space rock and how to deal with communication delays.

NASA is hoping to launch a manned mission to an asteroid by 2025, if it all goes well then a mission to Mars might also follow in the 2030s.

Source: Live Science | Comments (3)

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