Nasa successfully smashes spacecraft into asteroid, DART mission, first planetary defense system

Nasa‘s asteroid-deflecting DART spacecraft successfully slammed into its target on Monday, 10 months after launch.

The test of the world’s first planetary defense system will determine how prepared we are to prevent a doomsday collision with Earth.

The mission’s finale tested the ability of a spacecraft to alter an asteroid’s trajectory with sheer kinetic force, plowing into the object at high speed to nudge it astray just enough to keep our planet out of harm’s way.

The $325 million mission was the first attempt to shift the position of an asteroid or any other natural object in space.
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*** Though the impact was immediately obvious — Dart’s radio signal abruptly ceased — it will be days or even weeks to determine how much the asteroid’s path was changed.
#asteroids #DART #Didymos #Dimorphos #nasa #asteroid #spacecrafts #trajectory
#dartmission #earthprotectsquad #spacetravel
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FIRST test mission to SMASH into asteroid launched into space:
[https://www.eco-r.eu/2021/11/first-test-mission-to-smash-into.html]
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NASA To Crash Spacecraft Into Asteroid In Test Of Ability To Protect Earth:
[https://www.eco-r.eu/2021/11/nasa-to-crash-spacecraft-into-asteroid.html]