There is a loss of signal occurring today at exactly 7:14 pm. As expected, the time is at 10:00. The scientists will analyze the data to see if the impact changed the asteroid's trajectory. DART successfully impacted a non-threatening asteroid after a 10-month journey to the Didymos asteroid system in the first demonstration of a planetary defense strategy. The event was captured in amazing detail by DART's onboard camera. At a rate of one image per second, the asteroid was seen by the camera. Each new frame made the surface details clearer. The images kept appearing as DART raced towards Dimorphos, but it all came crashing to a halt with a static red screen indicating the loss of signal.
The development of a planetary defense strategy against threatening asteroids is one of the most important missions ever sent to space. NASA chose the Didymos system because it is easy to measure the effects of an impact. The collision of Dimorphos and Didymos is predicted to affect the speed of Dimorphos by a factor of 1%. The difference should be detected by ground-based telescopes.
The DART is dead, but the Italian LICIACube is still alive. The probe will look for signs of a crater and a cloud. LICIA will try to take pictures of the asteroid. A change in Dimorphos's brightness could be a sign of how much material was kicked up by the impact. Data gathered by NASA, the European Space Agency, and anyone else watching the event will help scientists determine the composition of Dimorphos's surface.
The mission has entered into a new phase. We have a lot of science still ahead of us, even though the spaceship is no longer there.
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