Summary:

- NASA is planning to launch a mission to capture a small asteroid and bring it into orbit around the Moon. This will allow astronauts to study the asteroid up close and test technologies that could be used for future asteroid mining or deflection missions.

- The mission, called the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), involves sending a robotic spacecraft to a near-Earth asteroid, capturing a 4-10 meter boulder from its surface, and then bringing that boulder back to a stable orbit around the Moon.

- This will provide a unique opportunity for astronauts to explore and study an asteroid in a relatively accessible location, paving the way for more ambitious asteroid exploration and utilization missions in the future.