On September 27, the DART satellite crashed into the surface of the asteroid Dimorphos at a speed exceeding 22,000 km/h. This mission was done to see if the technique of slamming a DART the size of a vending machine into the surface of Dimorphos the size of a stadium would change its direction.
NASA scientists have now confirmed that after being hit, the orbit of Dimorphos was successfully shortened by around 32 minutes compared to the previous 11 hours and 55 minutes. Scientists set a target if the orbit is successfully changed for at least 73 seconds, it can be seen as a success. So the DART mission confirmed that the direction of an asteroid that might hit the earth in the future could be changed using the same technique.
The study is not over as scientists now want to analyze the extent to which the momentum from DART was transferred to the asteroid by looking at the dust debris released after the impact. With more complete data, scientists can see the true effectiveness of the Earth's defense system when needed in the future.
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