The mission provided details about how to deflect an asteroid should one threaten Earth in future.
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Barely a week goes by without headlines about a giant asteroid coming past Earth. Here’s what really makes an asteroid pass notable – it’s not just size.
NASA has been gaining momentum in recent years as investment into space has ramped up in the US. In 2022, missions dealt with the farthest, closest, hottest and coldest conditions in the universe.
With a diameter between 1.1km and 2.3km, asteroid 2022 AP7 is the largest potentially hazardous asteroid found since 2014.
DART has forever changed the orbit of a small asteroid – and done so with much greater success than expected.
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test successfully showed that it is possible to crash a spacecraft into a small asteroid and change its orbit. This technique could save Earth from asteroids in the future.
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test successfully showed that it is possible to crash a spacecraft into a small asteroid. Whether the approach could save Earth from a future threat remains to be seen.
The first ever planetary defence test is about to take place 11 million kilometres from Earth. All we can do is wait and see.
We don’t know much about the target asteroid of Nasa’s imminent Dart mission, so it’s hard to predict what will happen when we crash into it.
Crashing the 1,340-pound DART probe into the small moonlet orbiting the asteroid Didymos should redirect its trajectory – and could be a model for how to save Earth in the future.
NASA has only mapped 40% of the potentially dangerous asteroids that could crash into Earth. New projects will boost that number, and upcoming missions will test tech that could prevent collisions.
Top contributors
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John Curtin Distinguished Professor (Radio Astronomy), Curtin University
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Assistant Professor of Space and International Relations, Johns Hopkins University
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Professor of Astronautics, University of Southern California
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University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona
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Lecturer in Space Engineering, UKRI FL Fellow, University of Liverpool
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Senior Lecturer in Physics, Nottingham Trent University
