NASA to launch test of system aimed at knocking asteroids off their path

NASA aims to divert asteroid by crashing into it (NCD)

NASA will launch a spacecraft on Wednesday that will, if all goes well, crash into an asteroid so scientists can see if it can knock the space rock off course.

>> Read more trending news

If successful, the space agency’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, would give the agency a tool to deflect any future asteroid threatening earth.

According to NASA, the asteroid that is targeted for the test does not pose a danger to earth.

Clayton Kachele, a mission manager for DART, said the demonstration had been designed to avoid creating a threat by knocking an asteroid off a path that doesn’t interact with Earth onto a path where it might.

The test mission is set to be launched on Wednesday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It will rendezvous with the asteroid Dimorphos, which is part of a two-body asteroid system. Dimorphos is a small “moonlet” that orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos, according to NASA.

Dimorphos is roughly 525 feet wide.

DART is expected to reach Dimorphos in September 2022 when the Didymos system is within 11 million kilometers of Earth, according to NASA.

The results of the test will be able to be seen by ground-based telescopes and planetary radar, which will measure the change in momentum of Dimorphos, the space agency said.

0
Comments on this article
0
On Air97X - Tampa Bay's New Alternative Logo

97X Green Room

Check out the latest videos and photos from our 97X Green Rooms in the Achieva Credit Union Sound Stage!


97X Videos

Check out videos from concerts, artist interviews, virtual performances & more!


97X Contests

Win concert tickets, artist experiences, awesome merch & more!


mobile apps

Everything you love about 97xonline.com and more! Tap on any of the buttons below to download our app.

amazon alexa

Enable our Skill today to listen live at home on your Alexa Devices!