NASA has confirmed that the DARTMission was a success: The impact of the spacecraft shortened its target’s orbit around another body by 32 minutes.
, smashing a cow-size spacecraft into Dimorphos, the 160-meter-wide moon of a larger asteroid. Today, the agency confirmed the mission was a success: The impact of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft nudged the moon closer to its partner, Didymos, shortening its nearly 12-hour orbital period by 32 minutes.
NASA chose to conduct the test on a binary asteroid system for two reasons. First, even though the pair was not on a course to hit our planet, the 780-meter-wide Didymos served as a gravitational anchor during impact, ensuring that Dimorphos wasn’t inadvertently ricocheted toward Earth. And second, having a pair of space rocks locked in orbit made it easier for scientists to measure the asteroid’s deflection relative to its partner.
Making those estimates through the cloud of ejecta kicked up by the crash required multiple detailed observations of the system. In addition to a few space telescopes, dozens of observatories around Earth were locked in on the event. Scientists analyzed data from three telescopes in Chile and one in South Africa to calculate the new orbital period. Two more telescopes confirmed the results with radar observations.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NASA's DART mission successfully changed asteroid's orbit | Digital TrendsIn a huge step forward for planetarydefense technology, NASA has confirmed that last month's DART test mission successfully changed the orbit of an asteroid.
Read more »
NASA planetary defense mission successfully disrupted asteroid's orbitBREAKING: 'Today, NASA confirms that DART successfully changed the targeted asteroid's trajectory,' NASA chief says. Read more:
Read more »
Smashing success: humanity has diverted an asteroid for the first timeNASA confirms that its DART spacecraft ‘nudged’ the asteroid Dimorphos into a new orbit.
Read more »
NASA reports smashing success with asteroid redirection testNASA’s successful attempt to change an asteroid's orbit offers promise that the experimental technique could be applied as a practical form of planetary defense.
Read more »
NASA is pumped about its asteroid-smacking accuracyNASA's DART interplanetary defense test changed the asteroid Dimorphos' orbit by more than half an hour.
Read more »
NASA says it successfully changed asteroid’s path in test of planetary defenseThe results of the cosmic collision are significant because it was the first real-life test of humanity's ability to protect the Earth from potentially catastrophic asteroids.
Read more »