Re: Value of Manned Visit to an Asteroid

In article <1173302506.520308.59620@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"Geoffrey A. Landis" <geoffrey.landis@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Where are these rumors? It seems highly unlikely to me; a mission to an
asteroid would almost certainly cost substantially more than a lunar
mission. (Yes, the delta-V may be slightly less in some cases, but the
trip times are substantially longer, which will dominate the costs, not
to mention the risks.)

This is not at all clear. The lander for an asteroid mission would be
trivial, and as you note, the delta-V may be less, and possibly much
less. The trip times may be longer, but simple duration is pretty
easy; we've had astronauts on Space Station for over a year. So it
could be a nice mission.

Yeah, but the CEV is not the Space Station. How long do you think you
could support astronauts in that?

I'd like to see it as a target concurrent with lunar exploration, not
instead of Mars exploration.

Well, I'd like to see it too, if the logistics could be worked out.

Best,
- Joe
.

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