Launched on November 24, 2021, NASA’s DART spacecraft successfully hit the inter-orbiting asteroid Dimorphos on September 27, 11 million kilometers from Earth. The first experiment, a collaboration between NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Department of Applied Physics, aimed to test a “planetary defense method” against near-Earth objects and was broadcast live. A written statement from NASA said that the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos, which was hit by the launched probe, had changed.
The asteroid’s behavior changed for 32 minutes
The impact of the spacecraft shifted Dimorphos’ orbit of Didymos by 32 minutes, shortening the 11 hour 55 minute orbit to 11 hours 23 minutes, measurements were made using space and ground-based telescopes.
Prior to the collision, NASA had estimated Dimorphos’ minimum successful orbital period change to be 73 seconds or more. Early data show that DART exceeds this minimum standard by 25-fold.
“Proof of how serious NASA is about defending the world”
NASA President Bill Nelson said in a statement that this mission demonstrates how serious NASA is about protecting Earth.
Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Sciences Division, said in a statement, “This result is the goal of DART. Asteroid It’s an important step toward understanding the full impact of this “as new data comes in every day, so astronomers can better assess how a mission like DART can be used in the future to help protect Earth from asteroid collisions.”
First Planet Defense Test
NASA launched the DART mission in November 2021 to determine if it can prevent large asteroids from hitting Earth. The spacecraft launched as part of the mission hit the asteroid Dimorphos at 02:15 CEST on September 27, 11 million kilometers from Earth. DART is the first experiment to test planetary defense against near-Earth objects. (UAV)
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