I wonder why NASA is obsessed with landing humans on a stupid asteroid. What benefit will humanity gain from such an expensive and dangerous mission/maneuver, other than satisfying a megalomaniac engineer at NASA at the expense of the people? Money on such a costly mission would be better spent on a mission to Mars or a moon of a planet other than Earth. Moreover, if the mission is unsuccessful or an accident occurs, it would delay any plan for a Mars-bound human journey.
Is NASA Lost in Space or Aimed at Asteroid?
Experts weigh in on NASA's direction and its goal to send astronauts into deep space
By Leonard David and SPACE.com
A report this month from the National Research Council (NRC) has called NASA’s overall trajectory into question. It pointed out the national disagreement over the U.S. space agency’s goals and objectives, a disparity detrimental to the organization’s planning and budgeting efforts.
The 12-person blue-ribbon study group observed that the White House should take the lead in forging "a new consensus" onNASA's future in order to more closely align the agency’s budget and objectives and remove restrictions impeding NASA's efficient operations.
SNIP
"Early in the next decade, a set of crewed flights will test and prove the systems required for exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. And by 2025, we expect newspacecraft designed for long journeys to allow us to begin the first-ever crewed missions beyond the moon into deep space. So we’ll start…we’ll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history. By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth. And a landing on Mars will follow. And I expect to be around to see it." [How NASA Will Explore Asteroids (Gallery)]
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