Now here is a piece of news that might really amaze you. NASA is planning to grab an asteroid so that it can be studied more closely. The plan is to catch hold of it using an unmanned probe after which it shall be sent to the orbit of the moon and there a team of scientists will study it. This whole plan would reach fruition only by 2021. Scientists are so keen to study an asteroid because they feel the secrets to the origin of the universe might be hidden in this piece of rock from the heavens.
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Of course, there are lots of pieces of asteroids that have made it to earth, but studying a complete asteroid, in and out, is an opportunity no scientist would want to miss. While talking about this mission John Gransfild assistant director of NASA’s Research department was quoted as saying: “From our previous studies, we have concluded that when the solar system formed from a cloud of gas planets formed almost at the same time with the star. Thus, these asteroids – clumps of the very substance of the original, which did not become planets. Study of these samples will allow us to answer questions about the origin of the universe.”
Some asteroids are 4.5 billion years old or even more, which is what makes them so very interesting. Some of these celestial bodies can be called extremely valuable at least from the perspective of human beings because they are rich in precious metals like gold and platinum. The most valuable ones are in fact classified as M and S. What has the scientific community really intrigued is the fact that some of these asteroids might contain water or some organic compound. If these are found, it might even help conclusively prove that alien life exists.
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Another interesting fact that very few might know is that there are nearly half a million asteroids in our solar system alone, so catching hold of one to study it closely shouldn’t really be an issue. Assistant director of NASA Robert Lightfoot described the steps of this ambitious mission saying: “Until about 2016, we will research, classification and selection of suitable asteroids for our mission. At the same time, we will develop the technology to capture asteroids and transfer them into lunar orbit. During the final phase, we will determine how the astronauts will be able to visit the captured asteroid.”
