Sending astronauts on a mission to land on an asteroid formed the centrepiece of the 1998 blockbuster Armageddon.But, in reality, exploring a giant rock in outer space is likely to be somewhat more complicated.
For this reason, a Nasa team is simulating a journey to an asteroid by heading underwater.
The scientists and engineers are today heading to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Aquarius Underwater Laboratory near Key Largo, Florida, to work through some of the concepts that will be tested.
The Nasa Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) researchers will investigate three stages of a mission to an asteroid - how to anchor to the surface, how to move around, and how best to collect data.
'Even experts don't know what the surface of an asteroid is going to be like,' said NEEMO project manager Bill Todd. Read More
