A spacecraft is being sent by NASA to collide with an asteroid.

NASA is sending a spacecraft to collide with the target asteroid Dimorphos at a speed of four miles per second as part of the DART mission. The nicest aspect is that you can see it take place.

 

NASA is deploying a spacecraft to collide with an asteroid, despite the fact that it might sound like a new Space Invaders level. On September 26, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission will attempt to alter the track of the asteroid. In order to prevent a repeat of the dinosaur extinction, the DART mission is designed to test the technology that could protect Earth from being attacked by prospective asteroids or comet threats in the future.

 

The moon Dimorphos, which orbits the non-threatened asteroid Didymos near Earth, is the target of the DART probe. The objective is to alter the asteroid’s speed and trajectory once the spacecraft reaches its 530-foot (160-meter) diameter target.

 

According to NASA, the spacecraft will be equipped with an advanced guidance, navigation, and control system known as Small-body Maneuvering Autonomous Real Time Navigation (SMART Nav), which will allow it to recognise and differentiate between the two asteroids.

 

DART is a component of NASA’s planetary defence strategy, which is overseen by the Laurel, Maryland-based Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).

 

Dimorphos does not pose a threat to Earth, but altering its course will assist the DART Investigation Team in evaluating the validity of the strategy, determining how to best apply it to potential planetary defence scenarios, and assessing how well the computer simulations accurately represent the behaviour of an actual asteroid, according to NASA.

 

NASA administrator Bill Nelson wrote in a blog post that “DART is turning science fiction into science fact and is a monument to NASA’s proactivity and creativity for the benefit of mankind.” “NASA studies our cosmos and our home planet in many different ways, but we also work to safeguard that home, and this test will help prove out one practical technique to defend our world from a hazardous asteroid should one ever be identified that is coming toward Earth,” said a NASA spokesperson.

 

The team will use telescopes on Earth, including as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Hubble Space Telescope, and Lucy Space Probe to undertake this monitoring in order to determine how much the asteroid is actually moving.

 

More information regarding the kinetic impact will be gathered thanks to the Hera mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). On October 24, two years after the collision, Hera is slated to launch. ESA said that after being launched, Hera will conduct a thorough post-impact survey of the intended asteroid, Dimorphos.

 

Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical Navigation (DRACO) photos will reach Earth at a rate of one per second during the DART mission, and NASA will be livestreaming images on NASA TV. The livestreaming will start at 6 PM ET, but the DART launch is scheduled for September 26. In a press briefing on Monday, NASA told its audience that the photographs will be “something extraordinary.”

 

FAQs
What is the purpose of DART?
NASA intends to alter the course of the Dimorphos asteroid through a planned spaceship collision called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. The technology that could protect Earth from being hit by asteroids or comets in the future will be put to the test in this collision.

 

What will planetary defence look like if the test is successful?
NASA will have the assurance that deflection technology will function with potential asteroid or comet dangers in the future if the test is successful. The gathered information will be combined to support the scientific model and offer more knowledge for potential asteroid deflection projects in the future.

 

Will the technology be able to move a 10 km asteroid, one of the size that wiped out the dinosaurs, if this mission is successful?
There are only four 10 km asteroids that NASA has detected and is currently tracking, the agency reminded its audience during a briefing on Sept. 12. Currently, none of these big asteroids pose a threat to Earth.

 

Can the targeted asteroid Dimorphos break in two when it collides?
In a briefing on September 12, NASA stated that it is extremely confident it will successfully meet its aim because there have been so many simulations under various circumstances. According to NASA, the asteroid won’t be damaged or destroyed by the crash; it will only change its route. There is no situation where one or both asteroids might endanger Earth. DART coordination lead Nancy Chabot even said it was like “driving a golf cart into a huge pyramid.”

 

Why do we do this right now? Is there now a threat from asteroids?
In general, NASA is not aware of any objects that are now endangering Earth. But there’s a chance that one day the Earth could be in danger, therefore we need to be prepared with the technology.

 

What transpires in the event that the Artemis mission is once more postponed?
Since the Artemis and DART missions’ launch dates coincide, neither mission is likely to have any issues as a result of the overlap.

 

Can you see the DART mission in action?
The broadcast will start at 6:00 PM ET on September 26 and the collision is predicted to occur at 7:14 PM ET. Yes, the Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical Navigation (DRACO) will relay photos to Earth at a rate of one per second, which will be aired live on NASA TV.