United States Air Force and Space Administration (NASA) claimed that the spacecraft successfully deflected an asteroid in a historical test of human capabilities. NASA has stopped a cosmic object considered capable of destroying life on earth.
The refrigerator-sized Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission accidentally hit the lunar asteroid Dimorphos on September 26. It pushed him into a smaller, faster orbit around his older brother Didymos.
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“DART reduced the orbit from 11 hours and 55 minutes to 11 hours and 23 minutes,” said NASA chief Bill Nelson.
According to him, DART accelerated Dimorphos’ orbital period by 32 minutes, surpassing NASA’s estimate of 10 minutes.
“We are showing the world that NASA is serious about defending the planet,” Nelson added.
The pair of asteroids rotate together around the Sun every 2.1 years and pose no threat to the Earth.
But they are studying the “kinetic impact” method for planetary defense, in the event that an approaching object is actually detected.
The success of DART as a proof of concept has become a reality in science fiction, especially in films like “Armageddon” and “Don’t Look Up”.
Astronomers rejoiced at the extraordinary images of matter that spread thousands of miles after the impact – images collected from Earth and space telescopes, as well as from mini-satellites that traveled to the area on DART.
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DART, NASA’s “Armageddon” scenario test. (CNN Indonesia / Agder Maulana)
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(afp / pmg)
