NASA’s DART mission “nudged” the asteroid Dimorphos enough to noticeably change its orbit during a collision on September 26th. It’s a huge milestone for planetary defense.
When a spacecraft slammed into an asteroid last month, it pushed it closer to its companion and sped up its orbit by about 32 minutes. It’s a huge milestone for the field of planetary defense; it establishes that it may be possible for humans to significantly change the path of a potentially hazardous asteroid — especially if we have warning that one is on the way.
said. 'Is Dimorphos wobbling?' There’s still a lot about the impact that will take scientists time to figure out.
, during a press conference. That’s all key information for any future mission to redirect an asteroid heading toward our planet — the basic tenant of planetary defense. Dimorphos and Didymos didn’t pose any threat to Earth, but researchers are on the lookout for other asteroids and near-Earth objects that might be hazardous. As exciting as these early results from the DART mission are, knowing how to move an asteroid is only part of any future efforts to defend our planet from space rocks.
’s Planetary Science Division. is working on the Near-Earth Object Surveyor Mission, which would specifically look for these kinds of hazards. The mission, which has faced funding difficulties in the latest congressional budget cycles, is considered a top priority of the planetary science community.
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