![]() ![]() "The second is a test of how the actual asteroid responds to the kinetic impact," he said. He said the DART mission has two primary objectives, the first being a test "of our ability to build an autonomously guided spacecraft that will actually achieve the kinetic impact on the asteroid." Dimorphos and Didymos to scale with familiar landmarks on Earth. "We're doing this test when we don't need to, on an asteroid that isn't a danger, just in case we ever DO need to and we discover an asteroid that IS a danger." "The double asteroid redirection test is a test," said Tom Statler, the DART program scientist. Researchers expect the crash to shorten the asteroid's orbital period by about 10 minutes, but it will take a few days to a few weeks for telescopes around the world and in space, including the Hubble and James Webb space observatories, to make the measurements needed to nail down the number. Researchers say the collision could shorten the orbital period by about 10 minutes.īy timing how the light dims and brightens, researchers have calculated how long it takes Dimorphos to complete one orbit - 11 hours and 55 minutes- and post-impact observations will allow them to determine what effect DART might have had. ![]() The white trace shows the current 11-hour 55-minute orbit of the target asteroid Dimorphos while the blue line shows how the orbit might be altered by the force of the DART spacecraft's 14,000-mph impact. The Didymos-Dimorphos double asteroid system offered an ideal planetary defense test bed because the moonlet's orbit carries it directly in front of and then behind Didymos as viewed from Earth, allowing scientists on Earth to precisely measure slight changes in the combined reflected light from both asteroids. Just a small change in its speed is all we need to make a significant difference in the path an asteroid travels." "Now we know we can aim a spacecraft with the precision needed to impact even a small body in space. "Planetary defense is a globally unifying effort that affects everyone living on Earth," NASA science chief Thomas Zurbuchen said in a statement. The Virtual Telescope Project, which offers time on robotic telescopes to professional and amateur astronomers alike, posted views of the double asteroid during the impact that showed a dramatic brightening from presumed clouds of rock and dust blown into space around Dimorphos. "We've never had that capability before."Ī small Italian hitchhiker spacecraft known as LICIACube, released from DART earlier this month, attempted to photograph the collision and the debris blasted back out into space, but those images were stored on board and will be relayed back to Earth later. Lori Glaze, director of planetary science at NASA, agreed, saying the DART mission shows "we're embarking on a new era of humankind, an era in which we potentially have the capability to protect ourselves from something like a dangerous asteroid impact." Images from DART's camera as it closed in on the double asteroid Didymos and its small moonlet Dimorphos. We are showing that planetary defense is a global endeavor, and it is very possible to save our planet." "I believe it's going to teach us how to one day protect our own planet from an incoming asteroid. "Congratulations! Boy, the DART team, you really did this one very well," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. ![]() Images from DART's camera as it closed in on the double asteroid Didymos and its small moonlet Dimorphos.Īnd at that moment, after years of planning and a 10-month voyage from Earth to the Didymos-Dimorphos system, flight controllers at APL, where the DART spacecraft was managed, erupted in cheers and applause. Because the collision happened 7 million miles from Earth, the final few images needed 45 seconds or so to cross the gulf and make it into computers and onto NASA's live stream. Transmissions ceased at the moment of impact as the spacecraft slammed into Dimorphos, disintegrating on impact and blasting out a fresh crater in the rocky surface. "It's amazing, guys! Oh my goodness, look at that! Unbelievable!" said Elena Adams, DART mission systems engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, who helped oversee the spacecraft's final moments. "Oh my goodness, look at that!" someone in the control room exclaimed seconds before impact as rocks and boulders rushed into view on Dimorphos' surface. ![]()
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