14 DAY TRIAL // NASA has narrowed down the list of potential asteroids for capturing to three targets. The lucky contenders are eligible to win a free trip to the moon, where they'll be parked in orbit and then examined by astronauts.
More observations are needed, but it's very likely that the asteroid picked for the mission will be from among the three.
The mission is one of the most ambitious to come from NASA in a long time and the first time astronauts will have departed low Earth orbit in decades.
The mission is a go, but it will take a few years to unfold. First, NASA has to send a spacecraft, that is yet to be built, to slow down and capture the asteroid.
The craft will then tow the asteroid, which will be roughly seven meters (23 feet) across, towards the moon, where it will place it in a stable orbit.
Only then would asteroids depart from Earth headed for the rock. It will take nine days to get there, and the astronauts will take two four-hour space walks to collect samples and study the asteroid.
The return trip will take a further 11 days. This will be the first actual mission of the upcoming Orion capsule.