Smashing success: NASA’s DART spacecraft bumped an asteroid off its orbit
https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/11/smashing-success-nasas-dart-spacecraft-bumped-an-asteroid-off-its-orbit/
The demise of a spacecraft is usually something rather poignant. But two weeks ago, NASA celebrated one’s destruction.
On September 26, NASA executed the final stage of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), in which a spacecraft intentionally crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos to investigate whether or not such an impact could deflect an Earth-bound stellar object. A successful collision was the first cause for celebration, but now there’s even more reason to cheer. NASA has officially determined the DART mission a success, revealing in a press conference today that Dimorphos’ orbit has changed significantly due to the impact.