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Dart Spacecraft

All articles tagged with #dart spacecraft

space-science1 year ago•3 min saved

"NASA's DART Mission: Transforming Asteroid Dimorphos"

NASA's DART spacecraft collision with asteroid Dimorphos in 2022 not only changed the asteroid's trajectory but also its shape, turning it into a triaxial ellipsoid. The collision altered Dimorphos' orbital path around Didymos, making it elliptical, and its orbital period. The change in shape and orbit was attributed to the asteroid's rubble-pile composition. The European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft is expected to provide further insights into the asteroids when it reaches them in late 2026.

via Fox News|

#asteroid #celestial-object #dart-spacecraft

space-exploration1 year ago•2 min saved

"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.

via DW (English)|

#asteroid-collision #dart-spacecraft #dimorphos-asteroid

space2 years ago•6 min saved

"Unraveling the Mystery: Tracking the Dispersal of Space Debris after DART's Asteroid Impact"

Scientists are studying the aftermath of NASA's successful test of the DART spacecraft, which collided with the asteroid Dimorphos to slightly deflect its trajectory. By analyzing the debris and ejecta from the impact, researchers aim to understand the behavior of asteroids and refine asteroid deflection techniques for future planetary defense. The study revealed that the impact created a cloud of shrapnel, including boulders up to 7 meters in diameter, carrying away a significant amount of mass. The findings suggest that models used for comets could be applied to impactors like DART. Additionally, researchers are exploring the idea of using large bullet-shaped interceptors to penetrate an asteroid's core and pulverize it, potentially preventing a catastrophic impact.

via WIRED|

#asteroid-deflection #dart-spacecraft #impact-simulation

space2 years ago•3 min saved

DART Mission Unleashes Swarm of Boulders in Asteroid Collision

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has observed a swarm of 37 boulders that were ejected from the asteroid Dimorphos after the DART spacecraft crashed into it as part of a planetary defense test mission. The impact successfully changed Dimorphos' orbit, bringing it closer to its parent asteroid. The boulders, ranging in size from three to 22 feet, likely flew off the surface of Dimorphos due to the collision. Astronomers hope to gather more data to understand the precise trajectories of the boulders and analyze the impact further with the upcoming Hera probe mission in 2024.

via The Register|

#dart-spacecraft #dimorphos-asteroid #hubble-space-telescope

science2 years ago•1 min saved

Five Massive Asteroids Approaching Earth at High Speeds.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has shared details about five asteroids that will make close approaches to Earth during May. None of these asteroids pose any risk to Earth, but any object larger than about 500 feet approaching Earth within a distance of 4.6 million miles is considered a potentially hazardous object. NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft slammed into asteroid Dimorphos last year to prove whether an impact of this nature could be used to gently nudge a doomsday asteroid away from Earth.

via Hot Hardware|

#asteroids #dart-spacecraft #nasa

science-and-technology2 years ago•2 min saved

DART spacecraft intentionally hits asteroid, creates stunning debris cloud.

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART) spacecraft intentionally crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos at 13,000 miles per hour in September 2022, successfully changing its orbital period around Didymos by 33 minutes. The collision also created a debris cloud that was tracked by astronomers for a month using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile. The debris cloud initially appeared to be made of fine particles, but later revealed clumps and spirals of larger particles, as well as a long cometlike tail streaming behind the asteroid. The DART impact demonstrated how kinetic impact technology could be used to deflect asteroids that may pose a threat to Earth.

via East Idaho News|

#asteroid #dart-spacecraft #debris-cloud

science2 years ago•2 min saved

DART asteroid impact yields bonus discoveries and incredible images.

NASA's DART spacecraft successfully altered the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos by slamming into it at 13,000 miles per hour, creating a debris cloud that was studied by astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. The impact changed Dimorphos' orbital period around the larger asteroid it orbits, named Didymos, by 33 minutes. The test showed how kinetic impact technology could be used to deflect asteroids that may pose a threat to Earth. The debris cloud was tracked for a month, revealing clumps and spirals of larger particles, as well as a long cometlike tail streaming behind the asteroid.

via CNN|

#asteroid #dart-spacecraft #debris-cloud