NASA's Ambitious Asteroid Mission

NASA's revised Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) aims to capture a smaller asteroid and bring it closer to Earth. The mission will test technologies needed for future Mars missions and explore planetary defense strategies. A probe will be sent to an asteroid in 2020, with candidates including 2008 EV5, Itokawa, and Benyu. The probe will collect a boulder and alter the asteroid's orbit using a gravity tractor. In 2025, astronauts will study the boulder in lunar orbit, testing new spacesuits and sample collection systems. The mission's findings will aid in planning the first manned mission to Mars.

What technologies does NASA aim to test during the asteroid mission?

What is the significance of the information collected from the asteroid mission for future Mars missions?