Manned Orion mission to an asteroid... Options

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

This could take place before the Moon-landings: http://www.popsci.com/popsci/aviationspace...ecbccdrcrd.html

[ilbasso]

The ISS modules are developed, but one thing that is missing in their current incarnation is a power source, since ISS modules all get their power from the shared solar arrays. I assume you'd be able to bolt on some large-ish solar panels to the design.

It would be interesting to see what the solution is for an astronaut keeping him/herself on the surface when the gravity is so low. Do you have a jetpack that applies a small "down" thrust all the time? How do you keep the thrust vector pointed toward the asteroid center when the astronaut is bending over or moving about? If the asteroid has as much void space and is as loosely packed as Itokawa, I think it would be risky to rely on spikes or pitons to tie yourself down.

[David]

If the asteroid has as much void space and is as loosely packed as Itokawa, I think it would be risky to rely on spikes or pitons to tie yourself down.

Oh dear. I can just imagine: "Astronauts accidentally destroyed Asteroid 963714288 today. While attempting to drill a spike into the asteroid's crust, it split into two large pieces and several smaller ones. The astronauts escaped injury, but the Minor Planet Center is holding an emergency meeting to discuss whether to give each of the pieces a new number."