NASA building space shotgun to blast asteroids

MELBOURNE: NASA has teamed up with a Brooklyn-based company to create the first ever space shotgun that will test the strength of asteroids and other space rocks to determine if they are sturdy enough for sampling.

The gun, being developed by Honeybee Robotics based in Brooklyn Navy Yard, is to be used as part of NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission.

NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission aims to chip off a massive chunk of an asteroid and shift it into the Moon's orbit. Once there, the objective is to send a manned spacecraft to collect samples that will help with preparation for an eventual mission to Mars.

The gun will work by dislodging chunks of asteroids out of orbit and bringing them closer to the Moon, making them more accessible to scientists, 'news.com.au' reported.

The gun can measure the strength of the space rock. Firing a bullet at a boulder's surface will enable physicists to work out the solidity of the rock by measuring its rebound speed.

"Collecting and characterising samples from asteroids is an important science goal in itself, and NASA has identified it as a key step toward human exploration of Mars," said Kris Zacny, Vice President & Director of Exploration Technology at Honeybee Robotics.