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Wednesday, November 11, 2026Nov 11

Obama’s asteroid goal: tougher, riskier than moon

By SETH BORENSTEIN

AP Science Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Landing a man on the moon was a towering achievement. Now the president has given NASA an even harder job, one with a certain Hollywood quality: sending astronauts to an asteroid, a giant speeding rock, just 15 years from now.

Space experts say such a voyage could take several months longer than a journey to the moon and entail far greater dangers.

“It is really the hardest thing we can do,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said.