In early November, NASA gave the launch date for the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) as November 23. The expected launch in California took place on the appointed date. The purpose of the mission is to develop a strategy to protect the Earth from possible dangers.
Although this process will of course take a long time, NASA believes that it will achieve successful results. What are the stages of the task? What is the aim and what kind of data will be obtained as a result? Here are the details of the first planetary defense test mission…
What is the purpose of the DART mission?
On the date set as 23 November, bad weather conditions were not encountered as feared and the launch was successful. The aim of this mission will be to crash into another small asteroid called Dimorphos, which orbits a large asteroid named Didymos in the Amor asteroid group. Thus, the orbit of Dimorphos will change, so that ways of detecting and changing orbits are sought.
NASA has clearly stated that there is no danger of these asteroids entering Earth orbit. They only aim to see and measure the effects of impacts on the asteroid system. For this, they will be following the world with a telescope. With the kinetic impact technique, they will be able to develop technology and strategy to stop a potentially dangerous high-speed asteroid.
DART will reach Didymos in about 10 months. When it comes close, it will change direction and crash into Dimorphos at 6.6 kilometers per second. About the size of a golf cart, the DART weighs 550 kg and the Dimorphos is 4.8 million tons. The impact of the impact is intended to actually change the trajectory of Didymos.
Could asteroids destroy the world?
Asteroids 1-20 meters wide frequently enter Earth orbit. But almost all of them decompose in the atmosphere and become harmless. Every 500,000 years, asteroids with a diameter of 1 kilometer strike the Earth. The Tenoumer impact crater in Mauritania is thought to have been caused by the last known large-size asteroid 20,000 years ago. Asteroids with a diameter of 5 kilometers meet with Earth every 20 million years.
The Chelyabinsk meteoroid, which damaged 6 Russian cities in 2013, is thought to be 20 meters in diameter. As a result of this impact, 1,500 people were injured. This is where the DART mission comes into play and plans to develop a strategy to protect the Earth against a possible dangerous asteroid.
What do you guys think about the DART mission that NASA is working on to save the Earth from a possible danger? Is it really worth the effort? You can share your ideas with us in the comments.
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