NASA Has A Plan To Give The Moon Its Own Moon To Protect Earth

Scientists at NASA are constantly exploring ways to protect Earth from catastrophic asteroid strikes that could essentially wipe out the entire human race.

Their next big plan? Hauling an asteroid from outer space into the moon's orbit, essentially giving the moon its own moon.

Then, astronauts would be able to use powerful new technology to land on the asteroid and collect samples they could ultimately bring back home to Earth.

Researchers are hailing the idea as the next big venture in space exploration, as well as some great practice for astronauts planning to take the trek to Mars. But will the mission be successful?

NASA calls it Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) and has been receiving a boost in US funding to develop its Near-Earth Object Observations Program.

The program is designed to find threats to our world and eliminate those as quickly as possible. Researchers say that ARM is a great way to train astronauts, as well as NASA entirely, about the very real potential for large asteroids to enter our orbit.

The mission is being used to test a number of new concepts and ideas NASA has been creating for quite some time.

Researchers will use ARM to determine whether future missions into deep space can be carried out using certain advanced technology created for ARM.

Also, the asteroid redirecting will be able to indicate to scientists whether we're able to send out "care packages" quite heavier than what we're currently able to pack along with astronauts headed out of the atmosphere.

If NASA is able to redirect this asteroid and place it successfully within the moon's orbit, it would mean we're that much closer to having heavy cargo, as well as vehicles, shipped out to space once our astronauts have settled in their explorative regions.

The Independent reports that the Near-Earth Object Observations Program has already discovered asteroid 2014-YB35, which is set to pass through our atmosphere on Friday.

Citations: Nasa is giving the moon its own moon, to keep Earth safe from asteroid impacts and prepare for mission to Mars (The Independent)