Asteroid Retrieval Mission Concept
Date: 10 Apr 2013
An artist's concept of the proposed Asteroid Retrieval Mission.
This mission is a concept under study by NASA that would - for the first time - capture and relocate a ~500,000-kg Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) to high lunar orbit. The capture, transportation, examination, and dissection of an entire NEA would provide valuable information for planetary defense and a unique, meaningful, and affordable destination for future robotic and human exploration.
Credit: Rick Sternbach / KISS