The DART mission successfully changed the motion of an asteroid
Source: CNN
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully changed the trajectory of the asteroid Dimorphos when the NASA spacecraft intentionally slammed into the space rock on September 26, according to the agency. The DART mission, a full-scale demonstration of deflection technology, was the worlds first conducted on behalf of planetary defense.
Prior to impact, it took Dimorphos 11 hours and 55 minutes to orbit its larger parent asteroid Didymos. Astronomers used ground-based telescopes to measure how Dimorphos orbit changed after impact. Now, it takes Dimorphos 11 hours and 23 minutes to circle Didymos. The DART spacecraft changed its orbit by 32 minutes. Initially, astronomers expected DART to be a success if it shortened the trajectory by 10 minutes.
Its a watershed moment for planetary defense and humanity, said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. Neither Dimorphos nor Didymos pose a threat to Earth, but the double-asteroid system was a perfect target to test deflection technology, according to the DART team. For the first time ever, humanity has changed the orbit of a planetary object, said Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA.
Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/11/world/nasa-dart-success-update-scn/index.html
oldsoftie
(12,670 posts)COL Mustard
(5,969 posts)And I cant even get my kids to hit the toilet!
🤣
Wounded Bear
(58,778 posts)spudspud
(512 posts)intrepidity
(7,366 posts)WheelWalker
(8,958 posts)calimary
(81,599 posts)Celestial billiards!
That's EXACTLY what it is! I LOVE this, WheelWalker! Perfect way to describe it!
Marthe48
(17,122 posts)seriously, scientists should make sure we are expanding our search for bodies in space that might be a threat to Earth. Forewarned is forearmed.
housecat
(3,121 posts)COL Mustard
(5,969 posts)Asking for a friend!
housecat
(3,121 posts)WinstonSmith4740
(3,060 posts)Absolutely mind boggling. But you know what else it proves? That we are capable of hitting an object less than 600 ft. in diameter, that was moving somewhere around 50K mph, almost 7 million miles away. You hear that Putin, and all the other loony tunes out there? We CAN hit a bullet with a bullet.
reACTIONary
(5,796 posts)housecat
(3,121 posts)docgee
(870 posts)ancianita
(36,221 posts)housecat
(3,121 posts)ancianita
(36,221 posts)You're thinking about the US Military.
housecat
(3,121 posts)reACTIONary
(5,796 posts)missile defense agency
https://www.mda.mil/
OverBurn
(969 posts)LiberalLovinLug
(14,180 posts)IrishAfricanAmerican
(3,828 posts)liberalla
(9,277 posts)KS Toronado
(17,461 posts)Since we're messing with objects outside of Earth, Klaatu and Gort will be visiting Washington D C shortly.
Rural_Progressive
(1,107 posts)isn't as strong in Astrophysics as it is in the Life Sciences.