Get the latest NASA News update, on NASA crashes spacecraft into the asteroid, passing planetary defense test.
NASA plans to alter an asteroid’s orbit on Sept. 26, 2022. At this time, neither the large binary asteroid Didymos nor its moon Dimorphos pose a threat to Earth.NASA will, however, complete the world’s first full-scale planetary defense mission by crashing a 1,340-pound (610-kilogram) probe into Didymos’ moon at a speed of approximately 14,000 mph (22,500 kph) as a proof of concept. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, is the name of this mission.
NASA News update
At 7:14 p.m. EDT, the DART spacecraft collided with Dimorphos and stopped sending images back to Earth. The LICIACube’s images of the collision and its aftermath will take a few days to reach Earth after the impact.
As an academic who studies international security and space, it is my responsibility to inquire about the likelihood of a spacecraft colliding with Earth and whether governments are spending enough money to prevent such an event.
One must know what near-Earth objects exist in order to answer these questions.NASA has only tracked about 40% of the larger ones. Surprise asteroids have previously visited Earth and will undoubtedly do so again. Humanity may be better prepared for such an event with the help of experiments like the DART mission.
The threat posed by asteroids and comets Millions of cosmic bodies, such as asteroids and comets, revolve around the Sun and frequently collide with Earth. Most of these are too small to be dangerous, but a few can be concerning. Asteroids and comets are examples of near-Earth objects because their orbits bring them within 120 million miles (193 million kilometers) of the Sun.
If an object is at least 460 feet (140 meters) in diameter and is within 4.6 million miles (7.4 million kilometers) of Earth, it is considered a threat by astronomers. The destruction of an entire city and severe regional devastation could result from a collision between Earth and a celestial body of this size. Larger objects that are at least 0.6 miles (1 km) in diameter have the potential to have global effects and even lead to mass extinctions.
A 6-mile (10-kilometer)-diameter asteroid that struck the Yucatán Peninsula 65 million years ago was the most famous and destructive celestial impact. The majority of plant and animal species on Earth, including the dinosaurs, were exterminated.
However, even small objects can cause significant damage. Over the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Siberia in 1908, a celestial body of about 164 feet (50 meters) in diameter burst into flames. Over an area of 2,100 kilometers 2, it uprooted more than 80 million trees. A 65-foot-wide asteroid exploded in the atmosphere 20 miles (32 kilometers) above Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013. It injured over 1,100 people, caused damage worth US$33 million, and released the energy of 30 Hiroshima bombs.
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2005 ED224 is the likely next giant asteroid that could potentially hit Earth. On March 11, 2023, the 164-foot (50-meter) asteroid has a 1 in 500,000 chance of hitting Earth.
