"Dr. O" dr.o@xxxxx wrote in message .. .
"JimO" wrote in message
...
USA Today (Oberg): "Think outside moon-Mars box: Maybe visit asteroid"

Asteroid? That'll never happen. A moon has much more clout than some rock
flying through space, even if it's more challenging. It's a psychological
kind of thing.

If we have to deflect a planet killing asteroid, a lot is not known
about the physical composition of those dudes.
A mission to one of those guys would gain us a lot of knowledge ,
might cost less, (sure less delta v), and be a great precursor for
moving on to the Moon and Mars.