NASA has warned of potentially dangerous asteroids heading towards Earth, and it plans to use its DART mission to prevent a collision. Check out how it will work
NASA has reported several potentially dangerous asteroids approaching Earth in the past few months. Although they do not cause us any harm, a slight deviation in the orbits of these asteroids can lead to disaster on Earth. About 65 million years ago a giant asteroid hit the Earth, leading to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Such terrifying events are not limited to the past, it can happen in the future and can create havoc for people. If an asteroid actually makes contact with our planet, it could pose a major threat to humanity’s existence. The Space Research Organization has chosen a large asteroid on which it will test its technology.
In an effort to deflect these potentially dangerous asteroids off their current paths and prevent collisions with Earth, NASA introduced the DART (Dual Asteroid Redirection Test) mission in September. 11 years ago. Here’s everything you need to know about NASA’s DART mission.
All about NASA’s DART mission
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission kicked off just a month after a massive asteroid called 2021 sm-3 flew past Earth at breakneck speed with a diameter of about 525 feet on May 22. 10, 2021. The space object is even bigger than the great pyramids of Giza in Egypt and the scariest part about it is that scientists were able to spot the object just a month ago. it flew past the Earth. If the orbit changes slightly, it could create havoc on Earth. Thus, the DART mission was launched to prevent a terrifying collision. The mission will succeed this year when a 1210-pound spacecraft collides with a small asteroid called Dimorphos at about 4 mph in late September or early October 2022. will modify the space rock to orbit its larger counterpart Didimos after the collision. Astronomers will measure the difference to see how effective the approach to the kinetic effects of this asteroid deflection is. And if the results are going to be significant, this could be used in the future if a rock stacks up on the earth.
How does DART work?
The spacecraft dart has electric propulsion technology that uses a continuous stream of charged ions to create a slight thrust to send the spacecraft away. It will orbit Earth multiple times using its electronic propulsion to gradually build up the speed needed to plunge out of orbit and then begin the long journey to Dynamos capable of passing a single Another asteroid named 2001 cb21 is on the way.
DART has a scientific instrument on board called the Draco and a high-resolution camera that acts as a navigation system. It will launch an Italian space agency built Cubesat to witness the impact 5 days before it arrives. The main spacecraft would be too far away from Earth for flight controllers to manage in real time for it to go into autopilot four hours before impact.
