NASA will test technology preventing hazardous asteroids from striking Earth in November
NASA plans to launch the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which will be a test to save the Earth from possible destruction in a collision with other celestial bodies.
The test of planetary defense, called DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test), will begin on November 23 with the launch of the "SpaceX Falcon 9" rocket from the Vandenberg space base in California, CNN reports.
Following its launch in November, NASA will test its asteroid deflection technology in September 2022, to determine how it affects the movement of asteroids near the Earth in space.
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The DART spacecraft will aim to redirect the medium-sized asteroid Dimorphos (diameter of (560 ft), a small moon orbiting the near-Earth asteroid Didymos (diameter of 2,560 ft), and this will be the first complete demonstration of this type of technology to defend the planet.
Dimorphos was chosen for this mission because its size corresponds to that of asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth. The collision should have only a minor effect on the asteroid, but enough to change its trajectory leading to Earth.
Three years later, the Hera mission, planned by the European Space Agency (ESA), will perform the necessary analyzes and measurements to determine whether the test was successfully conducted.
By: Helen B.
