NASA ’ s $325 Million Collision With an Asteroid Could One Day Save the World

NASA spent slightly more than $1 million for every day its DART spacecraft lived. From the time the ship launched on Nov. 13, 2021, to the time it deliberately smashed into the asteroid Dimorphos at 7:14 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 26, exactly 317 days elapsed. In the fullness of time, the $325 million the spacecraft cost might turn out to be one of the best investments NASA has ever made. DART—short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test—was a trial run of the technology that could one day be used to protect Earth from the kind of collision with incoming space debris that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The deliberate cosmic crack-up NASA staged was proof that humanity indeed has the wherewithal to target a piece of interplanetary rubble, intercept it on the fly, and—potentially—redirect its trajectory enough to keep Earth safe from harm. Though it will take some time for astronomers to determine if the mission achieved its asteroid-deflection goals, NASA officials are optimistic. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “As far as we can tell, our first planetary defense test was a success,” said Elena Adams, Program Manager and DART Mission Systems Engineer, following the impact. “I think Earthlings should sleep better. Definitely I will.” Dimorphos was a good choice for that first test. As asteroids go, it is not much to speak of. Measuring just 160 m (525 ft.) across, it is a moonlet of the larger 780-m (2,560-...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized nationpod Second click Space Source Type: news