"DART Mission: NASA Alters Asteroid's Shape and Orbit"

NASA's DART spacecraft successfully changed the trajectory and shape of the Dimorphos asteroid, demonstrating the potential to avert a disastrous impact on Earth. The intentional collision altered the asteroid's shape from a symmetrical oblate spheroid to an oblong watermelon due to its loosely packed debris composition. The collision reduced Dimorphos' orbit time around its parent asteroid, Didymos, and upcoming ESA's Hera spacecraft will provide further insights into the asteroid's changed shape and orbit.