Update from our student Owen in the Space Mining studio: The illustration below, which I created using 3d Studio Max, shows the mining pod that will be carrying the mining equipment to the asteroid. It is shaped as an extruded heptagon. When the pod falls onto the asteroid it will end up rolling. When the rolling stops, the pod will open. Because of the way it will open, it will correct itself if it isnt upright. The pod opens using two hydraulic jacks that push the heptagons apart. As the heptagons are pushed apart, they go down because they are attached to the base of the pod with hinges. Four elastic bands, which connect the heptagons to walls of the pod, help unfold the pod. When the pod is fully open, it releases an acid onto the asteroid followed by an adhesive. That effectively grounds the container to the asteroid.