Would it be feasible to set up a temporary space settlement on a moving asteroid?

There it is. The elusive Ersa 772. Filled with an estimated $15 trillion in precious metals, mining that asteroid could make you the richest man on this side of the galaxy. You have all of the funds and resources you need to get your hands on that asteroid: a crew of 20 veteran astronauts and space explorers, 100 billion USD in funds, and all of the technology needed to extract the metal from the asteroid. Assume 22nd century technology, and assume that something like a space tent has been invented, and it can moderate temperature, and hold about 50 people comfortably for about 10 years because somehow future humans have solved the problem of sustaining humans in space for long periods of time.

There's just one problem: you don't have a spacecraft to get there. However, you're in luck, as your chief scientist informs you that asteroid Chariclo 101, which is about 200 miles in diameter travelling at about 60000 mph, is expected to come very close to impacting Ersa 772.

Would it be feasible to hitch a free ride on Chariclo 101? Remember, we have a "space tent" (which takes up about 1.5 square miles) that can sustain humans, so is there really any reason this wouldn't work?

Edit: Hope this helps

posted about 8 years ago

fi12‭

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