NASA's Ambitious Asteroid Mission

NASA's revised Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) aims to capture a smaller asteroid and bring it closer to Earth. The mission will test technologies needed for future Mars missions and explore planetary defense strategies. A probe will be sent to an asteroid in 2020, with candidates including 2008 EV5, Itokawa, and Benyu. The probe will collect a boulder and alter the asteroid's orbit using a gravity tractor. In 2025, astronauts will study the boulder in lunar orbit, testing new spacesuits and sample collection systems. The mission's findings will aid in planning the first manned mission to Mars.

What was the original plan for NASA's asteroid mission?

• To deflect an asteroid away from Earth.

• To send a probe to a small asteroid and study it in Earth's orbit.

• To capture a large asteroid and study it in lunar orbit.

• To send astronauts directly to Mars.

What is the main focus of the revised mission plan?

• To learn more about the moon.

• To mine asteroids for resources.

• To test technologies for future Mars missions.

• To establish a permanent base on an asteroid.

Which technique will be tested to alter an asteroid's orbit?

• Solar sail propulsion.

• Nuclear explosion.

• Gravity tractor.

• Magnetic field manipulation.

What will astronauts do with the boulder in lunar orbit?

• Use it to build a lunar base.

• Study it to test deep space technologies.

• Send it back to Earth for analysis.

• Use it to deflect other asteroids.

What is one of the long-term goals of the asteroid mission?

• To establish a colony on the moon.

• To prepare for a manned mission to Mars.

• To create a new space station.

• To explore the outer planets.