{"id":17969,"date":"2022-09-27T16:50:30","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T14:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=128435"},"modified":"2022-09-27T17:06:15","modified_gmt":"2022-09-27T15:06:15","slug":"nasas-dart-asteroid-smashing-spacecraft-scores-a-direct-hit","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/nasas-dart-asteroid-smashing-spacecraft-scores-a-direct-hit\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s DART asteroid-smashing spacecraft scores a direct hit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\"><\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By Jason Goodyer\n                \t\t<\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Tuesday, 27 September 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p><hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><div style=\"&quot;width:\" class=\"&quot;wp-video&quot;\"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<video class=\"&quot;wp-video-shortcode&quot;\" id=\"&quot;video-128435-1&quot;\" width=\"&quot;960&quot;\" height=\"&quot;540&quot;\" preload=\"&quot;metadata&quot;\" controls=\"&quot;controls&quot;\"><source type=\"&quot;video\/mp4&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/media.immediate.co.uk\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2022\/09\/dartimpactreplay-c9c15da.mp4?_=1&quot;\"\/><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/media.immediate.co.uk\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2022\/09\/dartimpactreplay-c9c15da.mp4&quot;\">https:\/\/media.immediate.co.uk\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2022\/09\/dartimpactreplay-c9c15da.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p>NASA\u2019s <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/news\/dart-everything-you-need-to-know-about-nasas-mission-to-deflect-an-asteroid\/&quot;\">DART<\/a> spacecraft successfully crashed into Dimorphos, its target asteroid, at 00.14 BST on 27 September. The impact shows that the technique could potentially be used to redirect an asteroid or comet on a collision course with the Earth.<\/p>\n<p>The mission, also known as the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, is part of NASA\u2019s planetary defence strategy and is humanity\u2019s first attempt to redirect an asteroid.<\/p>\n<p>The spacecraft was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on 23 November 2021 and spent 10 months hurtling through space before crashing into Dimorphos around 11 million kilometres from the Earth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDART\u2019s success provides a significant addition to the essential toolbox we must have to protect Earth from a devastating impact by an asteroid,\u201d said <a href=\"\/\/www.planetary.org\/profiles\/lindley-johnson&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">Lindley Johnson<\/a>, NASA\u2019s Planetary Defense Officer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis demonstrates we are no longer powerless to prevent this type of natural disaster. Coupled with enhanced capabilities to accelerate finding the remaining hazardous asteroid population by our next Planetary Defense mission, the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor, a DART successor could provide what we need to save the day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>DART\u2019s target was the asteroid Dimorphos, a small body just 160m wide in orbit around the larger, 780m-wide asteroid Didymos. Neither asteroid poses a threat to the Earth.<\/p>\n<p>The minutes leading up to the impact were recorded by the spacecraft\u2019s on board camera DRACO, or Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical navigation, and streamed back to Earth. The final images recorded show the fine details of Dimorphos\u2019s craggy surface.<\/p>\n<p>The science team will now use ground-based telescopes around the world, as well as space-based telescopes such as the <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/space\/james-webb-space-telescope\/&quot;\">James Webb Space Telescope<\/a>, to observe the effect of DART\u2019s impact on the path of the asteroids.<\/p>\n<p>The observations will help researchers to refine the computer models that will be used in any future asteroid-deflecting missions, should the need arise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt its core, DART represents an unprecedented success for planetary defence, but it is also a mission of unity with a real benefit for all humanity,\u201d said NASA Administrator <a href=\"\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/nasa-administrator-bill-nelson\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">Bill Nelson<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs NASA studies the cosmos and our home planet, we\u2019re also working to protect that home, and this international collaboration turned science fiction into science fact, demonstrating one way to protect Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read more about space:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul><li><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/space\/the-next-giant-leaps-the-uk-missions-getting-us-to-the-moon\/&quot;\">The next giant leaps: The UK missions getting us to the Moon<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/space\/move-over-mars-why-we-should-look-further-afield-for-future-human-colonies\/&quot;\">Move over, Mars: why we should look further afield for future human colonies<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/space\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-voyager-mission\/&quot;\">Everything you need to know about the Voyager mission<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Jason Goodyer Published: Tuesday, 27 September 2022 at 12:00 am https:\/\/media.immediate.co.uk\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2022\/09\/dartimpactreplay-c9c15da.mp4 NASA\u2019s DART spacecraft successfully crashed into Dimorphos, its target asteroid, at 00.14 BST on 27 September. The impact shows that the technique could potentially be used to redirect an asteroid or comet on a collision course with the Earth. The mission, also known [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":17970,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/09\/nasas-dart-asteroid-smashing-spacecraft-scores-a-direct-hit.jpg",1041,586,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/09\/nasas-dart-asteroid-smashing-spacecraft-scores-a-direct-hit-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/09\/nasas-dart-asteroid-smashing-spacecraft-scores-a-direct-hit-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/09\/nasas-dart-asteroid-smashing-spacecraft-scores-a-direct-hit-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/09\/nasas-dart-asteroid-smashing-spacecraft-scores-a-direct-hit-1024x576.jpg",800,450,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/09\/nasas-dart-asteroid-smashing-spacecraft-scores-a-direct-hit.jpg",1041,586,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/09\/nasas-dart-asteroid-smashing-spacecraft-scores-a-direct-hit.jpg",1041,586,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Jason Goodyer Published: Tuesday, 27 September 2022 at 12:00 am https:\/\/media.immediate.co.uk\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2022\/09\/dartimpactreplay-c9c15da.mp4 NASA\u2019s DART spacecraft successfully crashed into Dimorphos, its target asteroid, at 00.14 BST on 27 September. The impact shows that the technique could potentially be used to redirect an asteroid or comet on a collision course with the Earth. The mission, also known&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/17969"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}