Everyone loves an ensemble cast.
In a briefing ahead of its DART (Direct Asteroid Redirection Test), which will smash into the tiny moonlet Dimorphos on September 26 in a high stakes test of whether we could nudging a killer asteroid off course before it hit Earth, NASA revealed a fascinating revelation.
The asteroid is being moved. "We're changing the motion of a natural body in space," said Thomas Statler, a DART program scientist. It's the first time that humanity has done that. It's kind of amazing that we're doing that.
We're happy to see Hubble back in action after it was taken out of action. The DART craft will be accompanied by a small Italian micro-satellite called LICIACube, which will be gathering its own imagery as well.
NASA is hoping that using the telescopes will help researchers better understand the asteroid's aftermath. Many fascinating, unexpected materials and characteristics can be found in asteroids.
Data is what the test is all about. This is a completely unprecedented experiment and we want to have some sort of protocol for redirecting the asteroid away from us.
When NASA throws a battering ram at an innocent moonlet, it will hopefully shed new light on what could happen. It is a chance to learn more about asteroids. As we probably don't intend on redirecting asteroids on a regular basis, it's best to get as much information as possible.
There is more on DART sidekicks.
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