MIT Researchers Develop a System for Astronauts to Walk on Asteroids

Christopher Carr, a postdoctoral associate in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science and Ian Garrick-Bethell, also a graduate student in that department, have devised a way to aid astronauts on their upcoming asteroid missions. Using the scientists' tether system, astronauts could stroll across the surface of the asteroid, collect samples or explore these rocks in outer space without floating away.

Carr stated that the ability to visit asteroids can be invaluable for testing equipment for manned mission to Mars and knowing how to tether an asteroid will also be useful if there will come a time that these space rocks will be in a collision course with Earth. Exploring asteroids would also let scientists study the composition and history of asteroids which could provide an insight about our solar system, more particularly, as to how the planets formed.

According to the scientists, exploring an asteroid may prove to be more difficult than exploring a planet since asteroids have very little gravity and an astronaut who will try to walk on one might fly off or hover above the asteroid's surface. Carr and Garrick-Bethell says that tying a lightweight rope around an asteroid could solve the problem of astronauts flying off the asteroid. Astronauts will just attach themselves to the asteroid when the rope is in place so that they can walk along its surface.

Carr stated that exploring asteroids is a difficult feat as asteroids vary in shape and size and if an asteroid that has a diameter of more than eight kilometers, astronauts that jump onto the asteroid will probably come back to the surface. However, if asteroids are smaller than eight kilometers, the astronaut may float away. According to Garrick-Bethell, even if astronauts may find asteroids that have enough gravity to keep them on the surface, it would still be difficult for them to move around or explore the surface since astronauts cannot touch anything without sending themselves into a new trajectory or spinning themselves around. Some scientists suggest that astronauts can bolt themselves directly to the asteroid but an asteroid's granular material may prevent this since according to Garrick-Bethell, it would be like bolting yourself to a pile of gravel or sand.

Carr and Garrick-Bethell sees that their system will be deployed with an astronaut or remote-controlled rocket that will unwind a spool of rope while flying around the asteroid. When the space craft reaches the starting point, a circle will be formed and tightened and the astronauts will be able to explore the asteroids using more ropes.

The researchers still doesn't know if the rope would cut into the granular surface of an asteroid and thereby hindering the system's effectiveness. However, even if the rope will not allow the astronauts to walk on the surface, it would still help them by giving them something to hold onto as they pull themselves along the asteroid without floating away.

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MIT, MIT tether could aid asteroid missions