Today, NASA has released the results of their Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, a historic attempt to demonstrate planetary defense against asteroids. The mission, which launched in July of 2022, is the first of its kind to test the kinetic impactor technique, which uses a spacecraft to hit an asteroid in an effort to change its path. After an successful 9-month journey, the spacecraft successfully collided with the asteroid, Didymos, and the resulting data has been collected and analyzed.

The results are promising, showing that the kinetic impactor technique was effective at altering the asteroid’s path. This has major implications for the future of planetary defense, as it demonstrates the capability of using spacecraft to protect our planet from future asteroid threats.

This is a major milestone for space exploration, as it is the first time that a spacecraft has been used to deflect an asteroid. While more research needs to be done to perfect this technique, the results of the DART mission show that a spacecraft can be used to defend our planet in the future. This is an exciting step forward for planetary defense, and NASA will continue to explore the possibilities of using this technique to protect our planet.

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source: Phys.org