Manned missions to asteroids might so far have been restricted to Hollywood disaster films, but the first actual mission to examine an asteroid might not be as far off as you’d expect. NASA announced yesterday that they have identified three candidate asteroids for their Asteroid Initiative, and are hoping to launch the mission some time between 2017 and 2019.

The project would begin with a robotic craft sent to ‘capture’ a 7-10 metre long asteroid. When the rock is successfully ensnared, the spacecraft would then drag it into orbit around the moon - a slow process that could take over three years. A manned mission would then be sent to examine the orbiting asteroid, conducting tests and collecting samples to be examined back on Earth.

As well as teaching us more about the make-up of asteroids, the initiative, if successful, could be considered a first step towards a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s. It could also assist in the ongoing development of an ‘asteroid defence system’ for Earth. NASA recently called for public suggestions for that proposed system, and they have identified 96 submitted ideas for further exploration.

The project will not come cheap, however: estimates suggest the asteroid mission could cost upwards of €1.5 billion.

The video below shows how the planned mission would work:

Image: NASA

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