After almost a yr in transit, NASA’s experimental Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which sought to reply the questions, “Could you probably shove a asteroid off its planet-killing trajectory by hitting it with a specifically designed satellite tv for pc? How about a number of?” has efficiently collided with the Dimorphos asteroid. Results and information from the collision are nonetheless coming in however NASA floor management confirms that the DART impression automobile has intercepted the goal asteroid. Yes, granted, Dimorphos is roughly the dimensions of an American soccer stadium however house is each very giant and really darkish, and each asteroid and spacecraft have been transferring fairly quick on the time.

“It’s been a profitable completion of the primary a part of the world’s first planetary protection take a look at,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated after the impression. “I consider it may educate us how at some point to guard our personal planet from an incoming asteroid. We are displaying that planetary protection is a worldwide endeavor and it is rather potential to avoid wasting our planet.”

NASA launched the DART mission in November, 2021 in an effort to discover the usage of defensive satellites as a method of planetary protection in opposition to Near Earth Objects. The merchandising machine-sized DART impactor automobile was travelling at roughly 14,000 MPH when it fatally crossed Dimorphos’ path almost 68 million miles away from Earth. 

Whether future iterations of a planetary protection system brimming with satellites keen to go all June Bug vs Chrysler Windshield in opposition to true planet-killer asteroids stays to be seen. Dimorphos itself is the smaller of a pair of gravitationally-entangled asteroids — its father or mother rock is greater than 5 occasions as giant — however each are dwarfed by the house rock that hit Earth 66 million years in the past, wiping out 75 % of multicellular life on the planet whereas gouging out the Gulf of Mexico. 

The DART group will seemingly be poring over the information generated by each the impactor and cameras launched earlier than the spacecraft made its ultimate strategy for days to return. However the group will think about shortening the orbital monitor of Dimorphos round Didymos by 10 minutes an excellent final result, although any change of at the least 73 seconds will nonetheless be hailed as a rousing success. The group should observe Dimorphos’ orbit for half a day to verify their success, because the moonlet wants almost 12 hours to finish an circuit round Didymos.