Is it possible for a space team to land on a meteor or asteroid as it hurtles throgh space?

[Diceroller]

I'm not sure whether any of you have seen the film Armaggedon where a team of oil drillers are trained as Astronauts and land on an asteroid to put a nuclear device on it to break it as it's on a collision course with earth. Would it be possible to land on one if we could match it's speed?

[R1Geezer]

yes, it's how they landed on the moon. Nothing is still.

[Diceroller]

My mistake. The title reading "Is it possible for a space team to land on a meteor or asteroid as it hurtles throgh space?" Should've actually read "Is it possible for a space team to land on a COMET or asteroid as it hurtles throgh space?

[Old_Geezer]

It is the relative speed that is important. If a craft can get to any solid thing large enough to land on, it should be possible to land there. Probably not today though.

[dave50]

Depends how big it was and consequently if there was enough gravity to keep them on the ground.

[Diceroller]

Would a comet be more dangerous to land on than an more stable Asteroid due to the erupting gases and ice and rock particles flying off at high speeds?

[Davethedog]

http://www.esa.int/es...ta/ESAIBF7708D_0.html

If this works I suppose a manned craft could do it.

[Cowtipper]

I think the problem would be trying to get off the thing. The fuel burn would be problematic and depending on the vector it might be impossible to get back. We use gravity to "sling shot" stuff into space. There may not be enough mass to sling shot a shuttle home.

[Cowtipper]

Dice I think that was artistic license with the gasses and whatnot. The comet is on a stable path just like any asteroid.

[Diceroller]

Thanks davethedog I never even knew that this was being attempted I now have November 2014 in my diary and many thanks to the rest of you. If we do successfully land map and collect samples this truly would be another huge step in understanding space. What will become of Rosetta after her orbit comes back around to earth in 2015?

[mibn2cweus]

Cowtipper, If the object's already on a collision course with Earth, shouldn't require much fuel to bring the spacecraft back to Earth. The Moon is huge compared to most asteroids and they had little trouble getting off that.