The craft would then turn on its thrusters, using an estimated 300kg of propellant, to stop the asteroid in its tracks and tow it into a gravitationally neutral spot.
From here space explorers would have a stationary base from which to launch trips deeper into space.
via NASA plans to `lasso’ asteroid and turn it into space station – The Times of India.
George Bailey lassos the moon.
Ouliang Chang floated his lunar supercomputer idea a few weeks ago at a space conference in Pasadena, California. The plan is to bury a massive machine in a deep dark crater, on the side of the moon that’s facing away from Earth and all of its electromagnetic chatter. Nuclear-powered, it would process data for space missions and slingshot Earth’s Deep Space Network into a brand new moon-centric era.
via Why We Need a Supercomputer on the Moon | Wired Enterprise | Wired.com.
Clearly, the business of dreaming up supercomputers in space is not for those who think small.
It may be possible to travel to space in an elevator as early as 2050, a major construction company has announced.
