[SunkenCiv]

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Many asteroids, such as Itokawa, may be made of loosely packed rubble that would be relatively easy to burrow into (Image: JAXA)

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[johnny7]

Uhhh... don't asteroids often collide with other asteroids?

[SunkenCiv]

related topic, similar idea:

Roadmap To Mars [Buzz Aldrin]
Popular Mechanics | December 2005 | Buzz Aldrin, with David Noland, illus by Jeremy Cook, Buzz portrait by Michael Kelley
Posted on 12/21/2005 11:15:57 AM EST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1544699/posts

[cripplecreek]

Actually I thing using asteroids this way will become fairly common.

It seems far fetched on it's face but after a little thought it starts to sound more feasable than building large spacecraft on earth and launching them or building them in orbit.

[KevinDavis]

[LibWhacker]

Death to politically correct thinking! Look where it's gotten us: Now we're actually thinking of going to Mars like timid rats cowering in a hole.

BRING BACK ORION! Launch ships the size of aircraft carriers that have six-foot solid-steel plating -- DIRECTLY FROM THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH, WITH A CREW OF HUNDREDS! SEIZE CISLUNAR SPACE! Deny it to other nations. Screw democrats. Screw enviromentalists.

[SunkenCiv]

[singing] "hi ho, hi ho, it's off the Mars we go..." [whistling]

[anymouse]

Brings a whole new meaning to hitch your wagon to a rising star. :)

Still think it would be a neat experiment for a spacecraft to fire a harpoon connected to a bungee-like tether into a passing asteroid to accomplish a high delta V rendesvous. It would be a wild ride, but it would be interesting to see if it is possible (hopefully it wouldn't result in a paddle ball effect contact with the asteroid.) It might conserve the propellant normally used to close the delta V during a rendezvous.

[dfwgator]

Don't forget to bring your towel.