The DART probe finally impacted with the Dimorph asteroid [VIDEO]
(Youtube / JHU Applied Physics Laboratory)
This mission was also published in other posts, but I love space so I’m gonna write about it anyways.
Yesterday night, NASA made history when it rammed its DART probe against the 160-meter asteroid Dimorph.
This impact was the first test of planetary defense in practice.
DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) was launched last November.
The mission was created for the first practical test of one of the methods of protecting the Earth from potentially dangerous asteroids: a controlled impact.
The intention is that by a pre-planned collision of an asteroid with a large apparatus, we can change its trajectory, which will help our planet avoid a cataclysm similar to the one that killed the dinosaurs.
The 160-meter asteroid Dimorph, which is part of the binary system (65803) Didymos, was chosen as a test body.
This binary system is approaching our planet, but is not dangerous for us.
YOU DON'T WANNA MISS A THING
Yesterday, September 7:15 pm (EDT), the 550-kilogram probe crashed at a speed of 6.7 kilometers per second into Dimorph..
The impact should have created a crater with a diameter of about 20 meters and change the period of rotation of the asteroid around Didymos by several minutes.
The collision was observed by a number of space and ground-based telescopes, which should help confirm the change in orbit.
The impact process was also observed by the LICIACube cubesat, which will later fly at a distance of about 50 kilometers from Dimorph, receiving images of the crater.
Scientists expect that in 2027 the European station Hera will reach Dimorph, and it will examine the system in detail to additionally confirm the change in the asteroid's orbit.
As @relamps-lite put it: “In theory, humanity now has the ability to defend ourselves against a dangerous asteroid”.
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