An astronaut uses a covered chisel tool to extract a sample of the asteroid for return to Earth.
The Asteroid Redirect Vehicle travels toward a stable orbit around the moon with the captured asteroid boulder. The vehicle’s solar…
Microspine grippers on the end of the robotics arms are used to grasp and secure the boulder. The microspines use…
The asteroid redirect vehicle demonstrates the “gravity tractor” planetary defense technique on a hazardous-size asteroid. The gravity tractor method leverages…
Once the boulder is secured, the ARV will mechanically push off, or “hop,” from the surface and then use thrusters…
Close-up of the Asteroid Redirect Vehicledeparting the asteroid after capturing a boulder from its surface.
201503210023hq (03/21/2015) — Expedition 43 NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly takes part in the spin chair training during media day, Saturday,…
201503230003hq (03/23/2015) — Expedition 43 NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly waits to climb the scaffolding to access the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft…
201503230020hq (03/23/2015) — Expedition 43 Russian Cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko, left, and Gennady Padalka, of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos),…
201503210030hq (03/21/2015) — Expedition 43 prime crew members: NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, and Russian Cosmonauts Gennady Padalka, and Mikhail Kornienko…
