Grab that asteroid.

Does not seem to me that people are going to have to go far to get a small
one then, it seems one comes past the earth almost every three months or so
of late.


http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news184.html

Small Asteroid to Pass Close by Earth on September 7 (2014 RC)

NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office
September 3, 2014

[Graphic]
This graphic depicts the passage of asteroid 2014 RC past Earth on
September 7, 2014. At time of closest approach, the space rock will be
about one-tenth the distance from Earth to the moon. Times indicated on
the graphic are Universal Time. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A small asteroid, designated 2014 RC, will safely pass very close to the
Earth on Sunday, 7 September 2014. This small asteroid was initially
discovered on the night of 31 August by the Catalina Sky Survey near
Tucson AZ, and independently detected the next night by the Pan-STARRS 1
telescope, located on the summit of Haleakala on Maui, Hawaii. Both
reported their observations to the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, MA.
Additional follow-up observations by the Catalina Sky Survey and the
University of Hawaii 88-inch on Mauna Kea confirmed the orbit of 2014
RC. From its brightness, astronomers estimate that the asteroid is about
20 meters (60 feet) in size.

Based on current calculations, the best estimate for closest approach
will be on 7 September, 2014, at about 18:15 UTC (2:15 PM EDT) at
approximately 1/10th the distance from the Earth to the Moon, or at
about 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles). Its apparent magnitude at
closest approach will be about 11.5, rendering it unobservable to the
unaided eye. However, amateur astronomers with small telescopes might
glimpse the fast moving appearance of this near-Earth asteroid.

The asteroid will pass below the Earth and the geosynchronous ring of
communications and weather satellites orbiting 35,890 km (22,300 miles)
above our planet's surface. While this celestial object does not appear
to pose any threat to the Earth or satellites, its close approach
creates a unique opportunity for researchers to observe and learn more
about asteroids.

While 2014 RC will not impact the Earth, its orbit will bring it back to
the Earth's neighborhood in the future. It's future motion will be
closely monitored but no future threatening Earth encounters have been
identified.

For a heliocentric view of the orbit of asteroid 2014 RC with respect to
the Earth and other plan ets, please see:

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2014+RC&orb=1


--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active

"Brian Gaff" wrote in message ...

Does not seem to me that people are going to have to go far to get a small
one then, it seems one comes past the earth almost every three months or so
of late.


Problem of course isn't so much distance, as much relative velocity.

Just because it's close doesn't mean it's easier to get to.

An asteroid passing between the Earth and the Moon would most likely be
harder to get to than the Moon for example. (assuming you want a
soft-landing of sorts.)



http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news184.html

Small Asteroid to Pass Close by Earth on September 7 (2014 RC)

NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office
September 3, 2014

[Graphic]
This graphic depicts the passage of asteroid 2014 RC past Earth on
September 7, 2014. At time of closest approach, the space rock will be
about one-tenth the distance from Earth to the moon. Times indicated on
the graphic are Universal Time. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A small asteroid, designated 2014 RC, will safely pass very close to the
Earth on Sunday, 7 September 2014. This small asteroid was initially
discovered on the night of 31 August by the Catalina Sky Survey near
Tucson AZ, and independently detected the next night by the Pan-STARRS 1
telescope, located on the summit of Haleakala on Maui, Hawaii. Both
reported their observations to the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, MA.
Additional follow-up observations by the Catalina Sky Survey and the
University of Hawaii 88-inch on Mauna Kea confirmed the orbit of 2014
RC. From its brightness, astronomers estimate that the asteroid is about
20 meters (60 feet) in size.

Based on current calculations, the best estimate for closest approach
will be on 7 September, 2014, at about 18:15 UTC (2:15 PM EDT) at
approximately 1/10th the distance from the Earth to the Moon, or at
about 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles). Its apparent magnitude at
closest approach will be about 11.5, rendering it unobservable to the
unaided eye. However, amateur astronomers with small telescopes might
glimpse the fast moving appearance of this near-Earth asteroid.

The asteroid will pass below the Earth and the geosynchronous ring of
communications and weather satellites orbiting 35,890 km (22,300 miles)
above our planet's surface. While this celestial object does not appear
to pose any threat to the Earth or satellites, its close approach
creates a unique opportunity for researchers to observe and learn more
about asteroids.

While 2014 RC will not impact the Earth, its orbit will bring it back to
the Earth's neighborhood in the future. It's future motion will be
closely monitored but no future threatening Earth encounters have been
identified.

For a heliocentric view of the orbit of asteroid 2014 RC with respect to
the Earth and other plan ets, please see:

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2014+RC&orb=1



--
Greg D. Moore http://greenmountainsoftware.wordpress.com/
CEO QuiCR: Quick, Crowdsourced Responses. http://www.quicr.net

What you need is a high tech net, one that stretches to dissipate the energy
but does not spring back, dissipating the energy into heat instead. The
craft this would be mounted on would need a fairly large short lived
thrusters though to counteract the energy...
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Greg (Strider) Moore" wrote in message
m...
"Brian Gaff" wrote in message ...

Does not seem to me that people are going to have to go far to get a small
one then, it seems one comes past the earth almost every three months or
so of late.


Problem of course isn't so much distance, as much relative velocity.

Just because it's close doesn't mean it's easier to get to.

An asteroid passing between the Earth and the Moon would most likely be
harder to get to than the Moon for example. (assuming you want a
soft-landing of sorts.)



http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news184.html

Small Asteroid to Pass Close by Earth on September 7 (2014 RC)

NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office
September 3, 2014

[Graphic]
This graphic depicts the passage of asteroid 2014 RC past Earth on
September 7, 2014. At time of closest approach, the space rock will be
about one-tenth the distance from Earth to the moon. Times indicated on
the graphic are Universal Time. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A small asteroid, designated 2014 RC, will safely pass very close to the
Earth on Sunday, 7 September 2014. This small asteroid was initially
discovered on the night of 31 August by the Catalina Sky Survey near
Tucson AZ, and independently detected the next night by the Pan-STARRS 1
telescope, located on the summit of Haleakala on Maui, Hawaii. Both
reported their observations to the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, MA.
Additional follow-up observations by the Catalina Sky Survey and the
University of Hawaii 88-inch on Mauna Kea confirmed the orbit of 2014
RC. From its brightness, astronomers estimate that the asteroid is about
20 meters (60 feet) in size.

Based on current calculations, the best estimate for closest approach
will be on 7 September, 2014, at about 18:15 UTC (2:15 PM EDT) at
approximately 1/10th the distance from the Earth to the Moon, or at
about 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles). Its apparent magnitude at
closest approach will be about 11.5, rendering it unobservable to the
unaided eye. However, amateur astronomers with small telescopes might
glimpse the fast moving appearance of this near-Earth asteroid.

The asteroid will pass below the Earth and the geosynchronous ring of
communications and weather satellites orbiting 35,890 km (22,300 miles)
above our planet's surface. While this celestial object does not appear
to pose any threat to the Earth or satellites, its close approach
creates a unique opportunity for researchers to observe and learn more
about asteroids.

While 2014 RC will not impact the Earth, its orbit will bring it back to
the Earth's neighborhood in the future. It's future motion will be
closely monitored but no future threatening Earth encounters have been
identified.

For a heliocentric view of the orbit of asteroid 2014 RC with respect to
the Earth and other plan ets, please see:

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2014+RC&orb=1



--
Greg D. Moore
http://greenmountainsoftware.wordpress.com/
CEO QuiCR: Quick, Crowdsourced Responses. http://www.quicr.net

In article , says...

What you need is a high tech net, one that stretches to dissipate the energy
but does not spring back, dissipating the energy into heat instead. The
craft this would be mounted on would need a fairly large short lived
thrusters though to counteract the energy...

So, the net would need to be made of unobtainium. ;-)

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer