NASA Considers Putting an Asteroid Into Orbit Around the Moon

Zothecula writes "To paraphrase an old saying, if the astronaut can't go to the asteroid, then the asteroid must come to the astronaut. In a study released by the Keck Institute for Space Studies, researchers outlined a mission (PDF) to tow an asteroid into lunar orbit by 2025 using ion propulsion and a really big bag. The idea is to bring an asteroid close to Earth for easy study and visits by astronauts without the hazards and expense of a deep space mission. Now, Keck researchers say NASA officials are evaluating the plan to see whether it's something they want to do. The total cost is estimated to be roughly $2.6 billion."

Comments

Re:What could possibly go wrong?

[SilentStaid]

1. Find 500,000 kilogram solid-gold asteroid
2. Tow into moon orbit for $2.6 billion
3. ...
4. Sell for current market price of $26 billion
5. Profit!

4.5. Misunderstand macro-economics and intoduce more supply than could possibly be consumed by the demand and cause a collapse of gold prices as a precious metal.