"DART Mission: NASA's Impact Alters Dimorphos Asteroid's Orbit and Shape"
TL;DR Summary
NASA's DART mission impacted the asteroid Dimorphos, causing changes to its orbit and shape. The impact altered Dimorphos' motion, transforming its orbit from circular to slightly elongated and shortening its orbital period by 33 minutes and 15 seconds. Observations from ground telescopes and radar measurements revealed that the asteroid's shape changed from a symmetrical object to a "triaxial ellipsoid." These findings provide new insights into asteroid behavior and will inform future missions, such as ESA's Hera mission, which aims to survey and confirm the impact's effects on Dimorphos.
- NASA study: Asteroid's orbit, shape changed after DART impact Phys.org
- NASA spacecraft also changed shape of Dimorphos asteroid DW (English)
- FILE PHOTO: Final images from NASA's DART spacecraft prior to impact Colorado Springs Gazette
- Collision with NASA spacecraft altered shape of asteroid Dimorphos AOL
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