{"id":19030,"date":"2022-11-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=19030"},"modified":"2022-11-09T11:13:23","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T10:13:23","slug":"nasa-deflects-asteroid-by-smashing-spaceship-into-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/2022\/11\/08\/nasa-deflects-asteroid-by-smashing-spaceship-into-it\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA deflects asteroid by smashing spaceship into it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NASA DEFLECTS ASTEROID BY SMASHING SPACESHIP INTO IT<\/h2>\n\n

The mission is a major step forward in protecting the Earth from potentially devastating asteroid impacts <\/p>\n\n

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The target asteroid, Dimorphos<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

On 27 September, NASA\u2019s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft scored a direct hit on its target, Dimorphos. Now, after collecting and analysing the data, the space agency has announced that the collision has successfully nudged the asteroid off its path. <\/p>\n\n

The success marks the first time humanity has altered the motion of a celestial object and is a major step forward in defending the Earth from potentially devastating asteroid impacts. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cAll of us have a responsibility to protect our home planet. After all, it\u2019s the only one we have,\u201d said NASA administrator Bill Nelson. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis mission shows that NASA is trying to be ready for whatever the Universe throws at us. NASA has proven we are serious as a defender of the planet. This is a watershed moment for planetary defence and all of humanity, demonstrating commitment from NASA\u2019s exceptional team and partners from around the world.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

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Last complete image taken by DART, two seconds before impact<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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Streams of material ejected from the asteroid after the impact. Each rectangle represents a different layer of contrast to make it easier to study the impact process<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Following the impact, telescopes based on Earth were trained on the asteroid to determine how much its orbit around its companion asteroid, Didymos, had changed. <\/p>\n\n

The DART investigation team has now confirmed that the impact trimmed 32 minutes off the orbit time, shortening it from 11 hours and 55 minutes to 11 hours and 23 minutes. <\/p>\n\n

While this may not seen particularly significant, even the smallest of nudges can drastically alter an asteroid\u2019s path due to the great distances they travel. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis result is one important step toward understanding the full effect of DART\u2019s impact with its target asteroid,\u201d said Dr Lori Glaze, director of NASA\u2019s Planetary Science Division at NASA headquarters in Washington. <\/p>\n\n

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This animated GIF combines three of the images NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured after NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) intentionally impacted Dimorphos, moonlet asteroid in the double asteroid system of Didymos. The animation spans from 22 minutes after impact to 8.2 hours after the collision took place. As a result of the impact, the brightness of the Didymos-Dimorphos system increased by 3 times. The brightness also appears to hold fairly steady, even eight hours after impact.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

\u201cAs new data come in each day, astronomers will be able to better assess whether, and how, a mission like DART could be used in the future to help protect Earth from a collision with an asteroid if we ever discover one headed our way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

The team is still acquiring data on the collision and hopes to uncover more details about the impact. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cDART has given us some fascinating data about both asteroid properties and the effectiveness of a kinetic impactor as a planetary defence technology,\u201d said Dr Nancy Chabot, the DART coordination lead from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe DART team is continuing to work on this rich dataset to fully understand this first planetary defence test of asteroid deflection.\u201d <\/p>\n\n