Still Waters Posted September 23, 2022 #1 Share Posted September 23, 2022 NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft is set to slam into an asteroid on Monday (Sept. 26), in the first ever test of humanity's ability to deflect life-threatening space rocks before they collide with Earth. The 1,210-pound (550 kilograms) DART craft, a squat cube-shaped probe consisting of sensors, an antenna, an ion thruster and two 28-foot-long (8.5 meters) solar arrays, will smash into the asteroid Dimorphos while traveling at roughly 13,420 mph (21,160 km/h). The goal of the probe's test is to slow the orbit of the 525-feet-wide (160 m) Dimorphos around its larger partner — the 1,280-feet-wide (390 m) asteroid Didymos. Neither asteroid poses a threat to Earth, as they will be more than 7 million miles (11 million kilometers) from our planet at the time of DART's impact, but NASA scientists want to use the test to study how a more dangerous asteroid might one day be nudged from its deadly collision course. DART will collide with Dimorphos at 7:14 p.m. ET on Monday, with live coverage set to begin at 6 p.m. ET on NASA TV. https://www.livescience.com/dart-test-what-you-need-to-know https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive Related: 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamer screamer Posted September 23, 2022 #2 Share Posted September 23, 2022 Didn't the pope state that this was impossible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+joc Posted September 23, 2022 #3 Share Posted September 23, 2022 CNN Headline ~ Tuesday September 27 Yesterday NASA applauded the 1,210-pound (550 kilograms) DART craft as a huge success after slamming into the Asteroid Dimorphos dislodging it's orbit around its larger partner — the 1,280-feet-wide (390 m) asteroid Didymos. Unfortunately it appears that both asteroids have changed direction and are now on a direct path to Earth. NASA is perplexed as to why the speed with which both asteroids were travelling has now increased significantly. SpaceX is preparing to launch more DART craft into orbit to intercept the asteroids. It is a race against time as both asteroids are now traveling at roughly 263,875 mph (424,666 km/h) and the velocity appears to be increasing. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L.A.T.1961 Posted September 24, 2022 #4 Share Posted September 24, 2022 China is planning something similar. - China National Space Administration's spacecraft will slam into a so-far unidentified potentially hazardous asteroid. https://www.space.com/china-asteroid-deflection-test-2025 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jethrofloyd Posted September 27, 2022 #5 Share Posted September 27, 2022 NASA's DART spacecraft crashes into asteroid in first planetary defense test | full video 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zep73 Posted September 27, 2022 #6 Share Posted September 27, 2022 26 minutes ago, jethrofloyd said: NASA's DART spacecraft crashes into asteroid in first planetary defense test | full video Awesome! But where was Bruce Willis? I expected at least a mini Willis. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jethrofloyd Posted September 27, 2022 #7 Share Posted September 27, 2022 4 hours ago, zep73 said: But where was Bruce Willis? He is busy filming Die Hard 8. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Waters Posted September 27, 2022 Author #8 Share Posted September 27, 2022 Behold, The Epic Last Images Taken by NASA's Asteroid Redirection Test Spacecraft Bullseye: A NASA spaceship on Monday struck an asteroid 7 million miles away in order to deflect its orbit, succeeding in a historic test of humanity's ability to prevent a celestial object from devastating life on Earth. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) impactor hit its target, the space rock Dimorphos, at 7:14 pm Eastern Time (2314 GMT), 10 months after blasting off from California on its pioneering mission. "We're embarking on a new era, an era in which we potentially have the capability to protect ourselves from something like a dangerous hazardous asteroid impact," said Lori Glaze, director of NASA's planetary science division. Below is the last complete image captured by the camera on board DART. https://www.sciencealert.com/behold-the-epic-last-images-taken-by-nasas-asteroid-redirection-test-spacecraft 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightly Posted September 27, 2022 #9 Share Posted September 27, 2022 (edited) I’ve always wondered about the forces at work in the orbit of any object around another. Like earth around the sun..and the moon around the earth? Isn’t it thought that there are only two forces at work? Momentum and Gravity? If so, then why hasn’t earth been “nudged” out of it’s orbit by one of it’s many immense asteroid impacts ? Or the moon from it’s orbit around earth by one of it’s many Impacts?..the evidence of which are clearly visible as craters. And yes, I haven’t forgotten the rules of an object at rest tending to stay at rest…and an object in motion tending to stay in motion. Anyway,, I’ve always thought there must be more going on than Momentum and Gravity in the maintenance of orbits. And I know the moon’s orbit is gradually enlarging ,so it isn’t a perfect balance… Anyone know what I’m missing? Edited September 27, 2022 by lightly 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zep73 Posted September 27, 2022 #10 Share Posted September 27, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, lightly said: why hasn’t earth been “nudged” out of it’s orbit by one of it’s many immense asteroid impacts ? They are not immense compared to the size of Earth. They are like grains of sand. Besides, the Earth is also protected by a soup of molecules called the atmosphere, that acts like a cushion. 2 hours ago, lightly said: Or the moon from it’s orbit around earth by one of it’s many Impacts? The moon has a surface the size of the United States, so it would take a huge asteroid to knock it off its orbit, but it is possible. I suppose we're lucky it never happened. Edited September 27, 2022 by zep73 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightly Posted September 27, 2022 #11 Share Posted September 27, 2022 (edited) DART was 1200 lbs. slamming into Dimorphos (500ft./diameter) at 15,000 mph ! I guess it makes sense that it moved I’m not sure we could launch something Massive enough to divert an earth threatening SIZE asteroid.? It would have to be armed with a nuke? Would a nuke be as powerful in no atmosphere? . . ? Edited September 27, 2022 by lightly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatetopa Posted September 27, 2022 #12 Share Posted September 27, 2022 1 hour ago, lightly said: Would a nuke be as powerful in no atmosphere? . . ? F=ma? The explosion vaporizes a portion of the surface. Tons and tons of vaporized particles are accelerated at tremendous speed away from the surface. Like a rocket motor I think the reaction mass pushes the asteroid in the opposite direction. How about it @zep73 care to weigh in? 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyperionxvii Posted September 27, 2022 #13 Share Posted September 27, 2022 I'm not really sure I trust in people playing marbles with extinction level sized boulders in space. But it's probably better than the alternative when one does finally (eventually?) pose a direct threat to earth. I guess they might as well practice now, at a safe distance, please. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreadLordAvatar Posted September 27, 2022 #14 Share Posted September 27, 2022 Colossal waste of tax dollars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan max2 Posted September 27, 2022 #15 Share Posted September 27, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, Tatetopa said: F=ma? The explosion vaporizes a portion of the surface. Tons and tons of vaporized particles are accelerated at tremendous speed away from the surface. Like a rocket motor I think the reaction mass pushes the asteroid in the opposite direction. How about it @zep73 care to weigh in? Someone was talking about it on NPR podcast and they said the strategy isn't to reverse the asteroid but just to hit it enough to alter the trajectory a little bit. Since space is so large a small change has a large impact Edited September 27, 2022 by spartan max2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan max2 Posted September 27, 2022 #16 Share Posted September 27, 2022 16 minutes ago, DreadLordAvatar said: Colossal waste of tax dollars. I for one enjoy not going extinct by a random astroid. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatetopa Posted September 27, 2022 #17 Share Posted September 27, 2022 27 minutes ago, DreadLordAvatar said: Colossal waste of tax dollars. Bruce Willis won't be around forever you know. Better learn to put out a fire before your house is burning. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallidin Posted September 28, 2022 #18 Share Posted September 28, 2022 Hopefully a great deal of planetary science against major impact destruction will come out of this. A great achievement! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHaYap Posted September 28, 2022 #19 Share Posted September 28, 2022 Now that that's over with, everyone can go back to raising the percentages of reliable and successful rocket ship launches ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallidin Posted September 28, 2022 #20 Share Posted September 28, 2022 (edited) 29 minutes ago, SHaYap said: Now that that's over with, everyone can go back to raising the percentages of reliable and successful rocket ship launches ~ NASA/JPL are the most sophisticated and successful launch authorities, EVER. Did you know SpaceX directly and closely collaborates with NASA/JPL??? Edited September 28, 2022 by pallidin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Posted September 28, 2022 #21 Share Posted September 28, 2022 50 minutes ago, SHaYap said: Now that that's over with, everyone can go back to raising the percentages of reliable and successful rocket ship launches ~ It’s not over with at all. The main reason for this is to observe the aftermath of the impact. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallidin Posted September 28, 2022 #22 Share Posted September 28, 2022 5 minutes ago, Timothy said: It’s not over with at all. The main reason for this is to observe the aftermath of the impact. Correct. Optical telescopes and other instrumentation will be following this for however long. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHaYap Posted September 28, 2022 #23 Share Posted September 28, 2022 1 hour ago, pallidin said: NASA/JPL are the most sophisticated and successful launch authorities, EVER. Did you know SpaceX directly and closely collaborates with NASA/JPL??? ~ 53 minutes ago, Timothy said: It’s not over with at all. The main reason for this is to observe the aftermath of the impact. "mission accomplished" ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psyche101 Posted September 28, 2022 #24 Share Posted September 28, 2022 4 minutes ago, SHaYap said: ~ "mission accomplished" ~ Did it work do we know yet? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHaYap Posted September 28, 2022 #25 Share Posted September 28, 2022 15 minutes ago, psyche101 said: Did it work do we know yet? As far as it was made known, it is a test, and a very limiting factor test at best, no more, no less. Best not to buy into the trend of such scratches on the surfaces, be it over or under statements. Especially at times like these. Looks and sounds like a pitch for funding moneygrabs at a time of avarice with no money for spending governments. But hey, if the military spending can get billions to the trillions, I guess it is normal for some spare change to knock space rocks around. ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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