ET Online and Agencies
Nov 15, 2021
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is directed by NASA to prevent a hazardous asteroid from hitting the Earth
Image Source: AP
DART will be the first demonstration of the kinetic impactor technique to change the motion of an asteroid in space.
Image Source: iStock
Led by NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, the mission consists of a spacecraft designed to impact an asteroid as a test of the American agency’s technology.
Image Source: Reuters
According to NASA, this asteroid system is a perfect testing ground to see if intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid is an effective way to change its course
Image Source: iStock
Should an Earth-threatening asteroid be discovered in the future, NASA wants to use this tech to divert the space rock away from our planet.
Image Source: ANI
NASA says while no known asteroid larger than 140 meters in size has a significant chance to hit Earth for the next 100 years, only about 40% of those asteroids have been found as of October 2021.
Image Source: iStock
The binary near-Earth asteroid (65803) Didymos is the target for NASA’s DART demonstration.
Image Source: Reuters
DART will achieve the kinetic impact deflection by deliberately crashing itself into the moonlet at a speed of approximately 6.6 km/s, with the aid of an onboard camera
Image Source: iStock
The collision will change the speed of the moonlet by about 1%, which will be observed and measured using telescopes on Earth.
Image Source: AFP
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