Into the beyond: A crewed mission to a near-Earth object

Aside from the exploration of Mars, the objects that most capture our interest for a new human visit are the near-Earth objects (NEOs). These objects are ideal candidates for deep-space operations and explorations as we extend the human presence out into the solar system. The notion of a crewed mission to a NEO was first discussed in the Apollo era. The most recent assessment has been undertaken by the Advanced Projects Office within NASA's Constellation Program. This particular study examined the feasibility of sending NASA's new Orion spacecraft (also referred to as the crew exploration vehicle, or CEV) to a NEO. Depending on the specifications of spacecraft and integrated components, a mission profile would include two or three astronauts on a 90- to 180-day spaceflight; including a 7- to 14-day stay at the NEO itself. These missions to NEOs provide exploration with an excellent suite of benefits: operational experience beyond cislunar space, risk reduction for space hardware, confidence building for future mission scenarios, in situ resource utilization evaluation, as well as a rich scientific return. This incremental step along the way towards Mars would mark humanity's first foray beyond the Earth–Moon system.