NASA hit an asteroid with a spacecraft: Now what?

(NEXSTAR) — NASA made historical past final week by efficiently placing an asteroid with an autonomous spacecraft because the world’s first planetary protection mission. Whereas it was an thrilling second, it gained’t be the final a part of the mission.

The aim of the Double Asteroid Redirection Check, or DART, was to show that NASA’s Planetary Protection Coordination Workplace (PDCO) can change the trail of an asteroid utilizing a kinetic affect.

They used an autonomous spacecraft with an instrument aboard — the Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Digicam for Optical Navigation, or DRACO — that guided it to its goal, Dimorphos, with the assistance of Small-body Maneuvering Autonomous Actual Time Navigation, or Good Nav.

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Dimorphos, a 530-foot moonlet asteroid, orbits the two,560-foot diameter Didymos asteroid. Whereas they’re each inside 7 million miles of Earth, neither poses a menace to our planet. Their proximity to Earth, although, is essential for what comes subsequent for NASA and its companions: commentary.

Particularly, researchers anticipate DART, which hit Dimorphos at about 14,000 miles per hour, to shorten the asteroid’s orbit by roughly 10 minutes, or 1%. In accordance with NASA, researchers world wide are actually utilizing telescopes, each on the bottom and in area, to look at the Dimorphos and Didymos.

Two of NASA’s most iconic telescopes — the Hubble Area Telescope and the recently-launched James Webb Area Telescope — have been capable of seize DART’s affect with Dimorphos. NASA shared photos captured by each final week. They are often seen beneath, beside a view from DART because it reached its goal.

This mixture of photos supplied by NASA exhibits three totally different views of the DART spacecraft affect on the asteroid Dimorphos on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. At left is the view from a ahead digicam on DART, higher proper the Hubble Area Telescope and decrease proper the James Webb Area Telescope. (NASA through AP)

Hubble and Webb will proceed observing Dimorphos and Didymos over the subsequent a number of weeks.

Researchers may also be characterizing the particles ejected into area by DART’s affect, which seem as rays within the Hubble and Webb pictures above, and measuring how Dimorphos’ orbit has modified to find out simply how efficient DART was.

Scientists gained’t know the exact change till November.

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Then, in 4 years, NASA says the European Area Company’s Hera mission will survey Dimorphos and Didymos. They’ll give attention to the crater left by DART and Dimorphos’ mass. Scientists say it’s attainable the crater measures 10 to 20 meters.

Although there’s nonetheless extra to be reviewed surrounding DART’s affect, consultants are calling it mission completed.

“So far as we will inform, our first planetary protection take a look at was a hit,” Mission Management’s Elena Adams instructed a information convention after the affect because the room crammed with applause. “I feel Earthlings ought to sleep higher. Positively, I’ll.”

The DART workforce will transfer on to different missions now, and the PDCO will proceed its activity of discovering near-Earth objects, warning of their shut approaches, coordinating an motion plan, and mitigating any potential impacts.

The Related Press contributed to this report.

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