You didn't just go to see a Bruce Willis movie. At 1:21 a.m., there was a fire. NASA launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the hopes that the 1,200-pound craft will zip across the solar system and collide with a small asteroid named Dimorphos next year. If DART hits its mark, we can rest a little easier knowing that we have the ability to stop killer asteroids before they hit us.
The Science Photo Library is owned by AndrzEJ WOJCICKI.
"Asteroid Dimorphos: we're coming for you!" NASA said this morning.
We're coming for you!
>
The world's first mission to test asteroid-deflecting technology was launched at 1:21 am.
>
November 24, 2021.
DART's target Dimorphos, which is roughly the size of one of the pyramids of Giza, is not an actual threat to Earth. This is a test to see if it can be done. The DART investigation team will measure the asteroid's speed after the impact, according to the New York Times. If it is sped up by at least 73 seconds, it will alter its trajectory and make the mission a success.
Musk sold his last home to colonize Mars.
NASA is keeping an eye out for threats because it will take about a year to get there. The manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Observations Program spoke with the Times about the program's importance, and said that they want to find them early. The program is watching for asteroids that are larger than a football stadium. You want to find these things a long time in advance.
Happy hunting, NASA!
