Chinese Scientists Want to Pull Asteroid into Orbit Around Earth
Posted on August 31, 2011
PopSci is reporting that a group of Chinese scientists want to pull an asteroid into orbit around Earth. The asteroid would be easier to study if it was in a controlled loop around our planet. In the future, it might be a way to make it easier for corporations to mine asteroids for the minerals they contain.
The idea of corporations pulling asteroids into orbit around Earth to mine them is frightening. It would be dangerous enough with government space organization's attempting it, but letting corporations on their notoriously tight budgets try to reroute asteroids sounds like a plot from a disaster move. One of the companies will try to cut too many corners to maximize profits and suddenly an asteroid will be hurtling towards Chicago.
Image: Hexi Baoyin, Yang Chen, Junfeng Li/arXiv