MIT gurus propose asteroid tether

Taking a stroll across the moon is one thing, but trying to get your footing on an asteroid is apparently an entirely different beast. Due to the low gravity and granular covering present on such space rocks, the professionals have been unable to get up close and personal, but MIT researchers have devised a method for roping one in so that astronauts can partake in "an in-depth exploration of its composition." Essentially, a "lightweight rope" would be wrapped entirely around a given asteroid after being launched from a "remote-controlled rocket," which would then enable the space walkers to work on the delicate surface without too much fuss. Sounds like the perfect gizmo for the wannabe space cowboy, no?

[Via CNET]

[Z @ Sep 26th 2007 8:48AM]

*Yawns* Wake me up when they have truly landed a man on the moon.

[supermeerkat @ Sep 26th 2007 10:01AM]

So you don't think the moon landings happened, then?

[Z @ Sep 26th 2007 10:12AM]

So if you think on average 1.19 perfect photos per minute to be taken with the chest mounted cameras is possible (along with other experiment to be carried out) then by all means they very well did put a man or two on the moon.

http://www.aulis.com/skeleton.html

[supermeerkat @ Sep 26th 2007 11:05AM]

"As a matter of fact, a significant percentage of the lunar surface photographs are blurred, unfocused, incorrectly exposed, or otherwise flawed. These photos weren't generally known to the public until recently because they weren't interesting to editors and publishers of popular works and therefore not cost-effective to duplicate. "

http://www.clavius.org/photoqual.html

[Z @ Sep 26th 2007 11:22AM]

Right, last reply. Its time to move on.

http://www.aulis.com/jackstudies_4.html

[supermeerkat @ Sep 26th 2007 11:35AM]

"Central to the claims of many conspiracists is the notion that shadows must always appear parallel in sunlit photos, or at best exhibit only a very small amount of foreshortening."

http://www.clavius.org/trrnshdow.html

Examples of shadow angles

http://www.clavius.org/shad15.html

[Constable Odo @ Sep 26th 2007 12:02PM]

I'm still trying to figure out what really happened the the billions of dollars that were spent on those faked moon missions. I figured it must have gone into nuclear missile delivery systems and possibly nuclear stockpiles. Though I'm not too sure about that either since they said they created the stockpile and then destroyed it without anyone ever seeing it. The money may have possibly gone into Area 51 projects for stealth fighters and such.

There might be another US cash shortage again because there was some TV program showing that there might be a startup of moon landings again. This time to obtain some rare element or something that will give the world limitless energy. I think they also wanted to sell land on the moon to interested individuals. Talk about useless real estate. If there was gold, oil or diamonds on the moon, it would be fully populated by now no matter how many lives or dollars got used up.

Imagine spending billions of dollars for a moon landing and only getting a few rocks in return. Economically, that makes no sense at all. The US is always using up money without accountability to the general public.

Quick poll: How many of you want to take a free vacation on the moon?

[Joe @ Sep 26th 2007 8:55AM]

Yippie Kye Yay mother....astroid?

[William @ Sep 26th 2007 9:01AM]

Now why didn't I think of that?

[Safety Dancer @ Sep 26th 2007 9:25AM]

cuz you didn't go to MIT, obviously tying something down is f'n rocket science. /sarcasm

[Hawkman @ Sep 26th 2007 9:05AM]

So... you tie your spaceship to the rock to stop them getting separated? That's genius-level thinking, that is.

[yavin @ Sep 26th 2007 9:23AM]

asteroid rodeo... how funny ! and the winner gets to drink shots in zero G environment. Imagine alcohol bubbles floating in the shuttle

- hey dude, have a shot
- glup! you turn now
- glup! yeahaa
...
- bluuuuuup
- i didnt know one could puke in space. lets call it a pukeball


at least one article not speaking about that bloody touchscreen phone

[Stefan @ Sep 26th 2007 9:38AM]

That's a pretty inefficient approach. Why not design the rocket to have a telescoping auger on the nose, so it will drill into the asteriod and expand prongs inside so that it snares it?

[nih @ Sep 26th 2007 9:51AM]

You'd hurt the asteroid!!!

[Buffalo @ Sep 26th 2007 10:16AM]

These must be the MIT dummies not Guru's.

[wrabbit @ Sep 26th 2007 11:26AM]

And they needed rocket scientists to figure that out!?

[Wayne @ Sep 26th 2007 12:02PM]

I'd like to announce a $10 prize to the first person to successfully launch a remote controlled rocket with a tether around an asteroid and then to walk on said asteroid. This prize expires in 2010.

[Darius @ Sep 26th 2007 12:30PM]

That vaguely sounds like a Cowboy Bebop reference at the end there.
If it wasn't, it should be.
And I'll throw ten bucks in with Wayne's.

Cheers,
Darius

[Ryan @ Sep 26th 2007 1:31PM]

1. MIT, not the first to come up with this idea, sorry, but give credit to those due. 2. NASA's budget is less than 1% of federal budget, Iraq war anyone? 3. "If there was gold, oil or diamonds on the moon..." conceded much? How about hydrogen, nitrogen, and the other various basic building blocks of life? If your naive enough to think this way, you may want to consider all of the breakthrough technology that has been a result of this feild.

-A concerned astronautical engineer

[Wayne @ Sep 26th 2007 8:04PM]

With the budget NASA has, they should have cured cancer, AIDS, and figured out how Darth Plagueis could prevent death. Velco and Tang don't quite add up.

[Clinton Christian @ Sep 26th 2007 8:05PM]

It's all fun and games till somone DIES.

[-Tj- @ Sep 26th 2007 8:25PM]

Remember in Armageddon, how they found an asteroid barreling toward Earth on a collision course? This is how it started.