14 DAY TRIAL // There have been rumors about a supposed NASA plan to capture an asteroid and drag it to a moon orbit. But now, that plan is becoming (almost) official, with one US senator confirming that a portion of NASA's budget for next year will be set aside for the mission.
NASA is said to be spending $100 million, €76.8 million, in 2014 alone, on the plan. A robotic spacecraft will capture a small, 500 ton asteroid, push it back towards our planet and place it in a stable orbit around the moon.
Later, astronauts or other spacecraft can study, experiment with and even mine the asteroid.
The data could prove incredibly useful in a number of ways. This won't happen for a few years though, astronauts may set foot on it in 2021 at the earliest.