A robot would then pick up rocks and soil, and send them back to earth for testing.

VOA: special.2010.05.25

Astronauts would then travel to the asteroid where "there could be mining activities, research into ways of deflecting an asteroid from striking Earth and testing to develop technology for a trip to deep space and Mars, " it said.

CNN: Forget falling stars: NASA plans to catch an asteroid

Sinecures only serve one purpose, occupying the precious time you have on earth, time you could spend testing your limits and expanding your view of the world.

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"We want to be sure that what we are testing is Mars, and not Earth contaminants, " said MSL mission operations manager Michael Watkins.

WSJ: Mars Mission Seeks a Happy Landing