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NASA intended sending ISS module to the asteroid. / August 12, 2010 /

Specialists of the American Space Agency (NASA) are considering becoming one of the modules of the ISS in the spacecraft to study asteroids after the completion of the ISS program in 2020. On the unusual plans agency employees told the seminar "The program aims to study near-Earth objects (Near-Earth Objects — NEO)», which takes place in Washington. Brief contents of the report sends New Scientist.

The best way for the conversion, according to experts, suitable module «Calm» (before it was called Node 3), which was delivered to the station in February 2010. This module is equipped with docking units, which may come into contact auxiliary spacecraft. Theoretically, such devices astronauts will explore the asteroid after the main spacecraft will sit on its surface.

Besides the actual study of the asteroid, using the «Tranquility» scientists expect to explore the possibility of creating artificial gravity in space flights. To do this, the spacecraft must unwind so that the resulting centrifugal force acted analogue gravity. Scientists are considering the next version of the creation of artificial gravity: two spacecraft connected cable length of several hundred meters to spin around each other at speeds of several tens of meters per second (you can see how it looks).

To date, all these plans are only preliminary concepts, and it is unclear that a proposal will be eventually realized. But in any case, start the mission to the asteroid is scheduled for 2025.

The decision to extend the operation of the International Space Station until 2020 was adopted by States parties to the project in March 2010. Before that it was planned that all work on the ISS will be phased out in 2015, and one of the countries, which is going to leave the station by that time, was America.

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