SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - Dimorphos: Nasa flies spacecraft into asteroid in direct hit

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Dimorphos: Nasa flies spacecraft into asteroid in direct hit

The American space agency's Dart probe has smashed into an asteroid, destroying itself in the process.

The collision was intentional and designed to test whether space rocks that might threaten Earth could be nudged safely out of the way.

Dart's camera returned an image per second, right up to the moment of impact with the target - a 160m-wide object called Dimorphos.

What had been a steady image stream cut out as the probe was obliterated.

Controllers, based at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU-APL), erupted with joy as Dimorphos filled the field of view on Dart's camera just before then going blank. Initial calculations suggest the impact was a mere 17m off the exact centre of Dimorphos.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-63039191

^ I saw this yesterday. Pretty interesting. :yep:

Wouldnt it be a joke if the impact alters the course of that little rock so that it now impacts on Earth? :D

It was a success !

Quote:

This mission shows that NASA is trying to be ready for whatever the universe throws at us. NASA has proven we are serious as a defender of the planet. This is a watershed moment for planetary defense and all of humanity, demonstrating commitment from NASA’s exceptional team and partners from around the world.”

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/11/w...scn/index.html

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