Mathematical probabilities align an object in the main asteroid belt that orbits the Sun. It intersects with the Earth’s orbit which might result in an asteroid impact. Asteroid impacts occur quite frequently though, visible to us as meteor showers.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration does the job of finding, tracking, monitoring large near-Earth objects (NEOs). In case both the Earth and the NEO are in an orbit such that they would collide. Understanding the NEOs and their relationship with Earth becomes vital.
Asteroids are rocky, near-Earth objects. They usually do not pose a threat to life on Earth. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is humanity’s first test for planetary defense, to check whether changing the course of an asteroid heading towards Earth is possible.
The DART mission of National Aeronautics and Space Administration is handled by the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. In this mission the asteroid’s orbit is changed by kinetic impact. This is done by smashing a spacecraft into a small member or an asteroid moonlet of a binary asteroid system. For this mission, the binary asteroid system Didymos was chosen.
It is after the Position Error Recovery was installed in the spacecraft that it received a green light for Environmental testing. In Environmental testing, the spacecraft is moved to the thermal chamber. In the thermal chamber it is subjected to extreme temperatures which it has to face in space. This prepares the spacecraft for conditions in space.
The satellite after the test was equipped with lightweight Roll-Out Solar Arrays. It was also equipped with its lone instrument, Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical navigation(DRACO). This lone instrument DRACO along with an algorithm called SMART nav algorithm will help us differentiate between the impact on Dimorphos and the parent asteroid around which it revolves.
Once DART locks onto Dimorphos it will impact the asteroid moonlet at a speed of 15,000 miles per hour. According to this it covers the last 4 miles in 1 second.
DART is just a test to determine whether pushing an asteroid using kinetic impact is a 100% sure, repeatable and usable method in the future. This test will validate a method to protect Earth in case of a threat of an asteroid impact. A minute alteration in the trajectory of the asteroid could decide whether it hits Earth or not.
Bibliography:
Surowiek, Justyna. “DART Mission Heats Up, Enters Environmental Testing” nasa.gov. 10th Feb,2021. Web. 19th Sep,2022. <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/dart-mission-heats-up-enters-environmental-testing>
Bielling, Patti. “Launch Readiness Review Complete Ahead of NASA’s DART Mission” 23rd Nov, 2021. Web. 19th Sep, 2022. <https://blogs.nasa.gov/dart/2021/11/23/launch-readiness-review-complete-ahead-of-nasas-dart-mission/>
Zurbuchen, Thomas. “NASA’s DART Makes First-Time Test of Planetary Defense Experiment”. 18th Nov, 2021. Web. 19th Sep,2022. <https://blogs.nasa.gov/drthomasz/2021/11/18/nasas-dart-makes-first-time-test-of-planetary-defense-experiment/>
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