NASA Smashes Spacecraft Into Asteroid In Test Of Planetary Defense
deadline.comNASA successfully smashed a spacecraft into an asteroid on Monday, in a test to see if current technology can divert the path of the object.The asteroid did not a pose a threat to Earth, but the test, carried on CNN, Discovery and BBC World, was a milestone in planetary defense capabilities.NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test took place at 4:15 PM PT.
Cheers were heard from a NASA control room in Laurel, MD as the spacecraft, the size of a vending machine, approached the asteroid Dimorphos and eventually went to a blank, rust-red screen.“And we have impact,” a NASA official said.
Among those present: Bill Nye.IMPACT SUCCESS! Watch from #DARTMIssion’s DRACO Camera, as the vending machine-sized spacecraft successfully collides with asteroid Dimorphos, which is the size of a football stadium and poses no threat to Earth.
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