[meteorite-list] Manned mission to asteroid

From: E.P. Grondine <epgrondine_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 22 May 2008 08:55:32 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <749969.99191.qm_at_web36901.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hi all -

Why?

Over the years I have seen many proposals for using
space. Most of them ignore the fundamental fact that
launch costs are very high (though many try to imagine
them away), so if you're going to do anything it had
better be worth it, and then best done internationally
to try and share those costs.

Why?

We've had NEAR and Deep Impact, so we have the
technology to get to a threatening object, whether
asteroid or comet. THE problem is early detection, and
the best system for that is CAPS, using Moon based
sensors. In my opinion, Moon based detectors may be
the only thing capable of reliably finding 50-75 m
carbonaceous chondrites, and from what I was able to
retrieve for the Americas (Man and Impact in the
Americas) these form a large part of the small
impactor threat. Recently, comets and their fragments
have provided the bulk of Earth impacts.

As Mars is out until the back contamination threat is
shown to be non-existant, and that will require
significant improvements in robotic autonomous control
systems, after CAPS that leaves Phobos and Deimos as
candidate missions. The best chance for missions to
them in my life ended with the collapse of the Eneriga
storage sheds.

Oh well.

E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas

 





      
Received on Thu 22 May 2008 11:55:32 AM PDT