NASA, the United States Space Agency, confirmed last Tuesday (11) that the trajectory of the asteroid Dimorphos was successfully redirected following a collision in a double asteroid (Darth) redirection test. This was the first time in history that the route of a celestial body was changed.

A planetary defense test mission was conducted by the US space agency on September 26. While this does not pose a danger to Earth, NASA wanted to test a way to change the asteroid’s course, which in the future could lead to a collision with the globe..

NASA said in a statement this week that the asteroid’s orbital period has shifted by 32 minutes. This represents a change of approximately 4% in the itinerary. The number shown shows an efficiency much higher than the 1% predicted by the company prior to Dart’s encounter with Dimorphos.

“This result is an important step towards understanding the full effect of Dart’s impact on the target asteroid. As more data comes in each day, astronomers will be better able to assess whether and how a similar Dart mission could be used to protect the Earth from an asteroid impact if we detect one moving in our direction,” Laurie said. Gleizes, Director of NASA’s Planetary Exploration Division.

The ability to change the direction of an asteroid simply by using kinetic force was noted by NASA and everyone who followed the mission closely. U.S. Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman Representative Don Beyer called the mission a “historic success.” He stressed that “building the capacity to prevent impact is a key long-term goal.”

NASA mission was successful

At 20:14 on September 26, Dart crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos at a historic moment. NASA’s forecast indicated exactly this time of impact, but the results still had to be presented and detected by analyzes carried out several weeks later.

The unmanned spacecraft crashed into Dimorphos at an incredible speed of 22,500 kilometers per hour. The event was streamed live on YouTube thanks to a camera mounted on a Dart. She was responsible for showing exactly what was seen in space, from the first person.

On Earth, a camera installed on Dart allowed everyone to take a closer look at the surface of the asteroid. Several rocks and stones filled the computer and mobile phone screens of those who were following the transmission shortly before the loss of signal, indicating a successful encounter.

The space agency expected Dart to change the asteroid’s velocity by 1%, but the 4% reported by NASA shows less than predicted success. Considered small, Dimorphos is part of the orbit of its larger moon Didymos, which also poses no danger to Earth.

See what NASA is planning to prevent asteroids from hitting Earth
NASA has already identified about 28,266 asteroids that are 130 meters or larger.

Via: CNN

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