NASA Asteroid Redirect Mission on the brink of cancellation

Houston Space Examiner ^ | June 30, 2015 | Mark R. Whittington

[Marcus]

NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission is still gasping along, but at least one space blogger suggests that its cancellation is all but inevitable. In the meantime, Space News just on Tuesday reported that the space agency has decided that the ARM must actually capture a boulder and take it to a retrograde lunar orbit to be considered a success. This metric was actually in doubt, with some NASA managers suggesting that as long as an unmanned probe, propelled by a solar selection propulsion engine, rendezvoused with an asteroid and then returned, even without anything resembling a rock, it would be a success.

[Bidimus1]

SMOD likes this....

[Cincinatus]

Nobody likes it. They’re doing it because they have been ordered to do it.

[WayneS]

Does this mean the asteroid is going to hit us?

[CygnusXI]

Yes.. September Hellfire!!!

[Vaquero]

But Muslin self esteem is ok.....that’s all that counts

[Old Sarge]

Remember, this is NASA, the Muslim Outreach program, we're talking about...

Space News just on Tuesday reported that the space agency has decided that the ARM must actually capture a boulder and take it to a mosque in Medina to be considered a success.

There, much more tolerant...

[Uncle Miltie]

If we can’t re-purpose an ICBM nuke in a pinch, we’ve totally lost our engineering capability.

[Bidimus1]

https://twitter.com/smod2016?lang=en

SMOD :)

[The Sons of Liberty]

NASA Asteroid Redirect Mission on the brink of cancellation

No big "sugar daddies" stepped forward to grease the politician's palms?

[StormEye]

"Remember, this is NASA, the Muslim Outreach program, we're talking about..."

The Muslims need a bigger rock to worship, kiss and slobber on.

[Peter ODonnell]

Might as well cancel, an asteroid strike might be what’s needed to turn things around.

[norwaypinesavage]

This is (was) an Obama directed project, that has to be the dumbest thing NASA ever did. And that's saying a LOT. The purpose of lassoing a rock from a long, long way away, and bring it near earth does what? I have a whole lit of rocks at my place that I'd gladly give to Obama for a whole lot less cost.

I believe Obama had some juvenile fantasy that he could mine precious minerals from the rock. The problem, of course, is that most rocks don't contain precious minerals. All he would be left with is a very very expensive rock.

[Politicalkiddo]

Hope D.C. gets the brunt of it.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Marcus.

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