US EditionMassive boulders ejected during DART mission may complicate future asteroid deflection efforts
DIDYMOS-DIMORPHOS ASTEROID SYSTEM, JUL 8 – The DART mission ejected boulders carrying over three times the spacecraft's momentum, complicating asteroid deflection physics and impacting future planetary defense strategies.
- NASA's DART spacecraft collided with the asteroid moon Dimorphos on September 26, 2022, changing its orbit and ejecting large boulders into space.
- The mission targeted Dimorphos as a kinetic impactor to test asteroid deflection amid growing detection of potential Earth impactors requiring planetary defense.
- Using observations from LICIACube, researchers monitored 104 rocks with sizes between 0.2 and 3.6 meters in radius, traveling at speeds up to 52 meters per second. These fragments were mainly grouped into two distinct clusters, with approximately 70% concentrated in the largest southern cluster.
- Lead author Tony Farnham explained that their mission was able to alter the asteroid’s trajectory, while Jessica Sunshine described the process as similar to a cosmic game of pool.
- Researchers warn that unexpected forces from ejected boulders complicate future deflection plans, and ESA's Hera mission will study these effects when it arrives in 2026.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Deflecting Asteroids Isn't Simple According to New Data from DART
Sometimes a mission can be too successful. When NASA's DART spacecraft slammed into Dimorphos in 2022 as part of an asteroid redirection test, it altered the asteroids orbit, proving that kinetic impactors can be used to defend Earth from hazardous objects. Unfortunately, the impact also created a shower of boulders that also gave Dimorphos an unpredicted kinetic kick.
Nasa suffers major setback in plan to stop apocalyptic asteroids smashing into Earth
Nasa has suffered a major set back in a plan to stop apocalyptic asteroids from smashing into Earth.Astronomers believe boulders ejected when a Nasa spacecraft collided with an asteroid almost three years ago "could complicate" future missions.The spacecraft, known as the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), hit the asteroid Dimorphos on September 26, 2022.At the time, Nasa said the spacecraft's kinetic impact with the asteroid altered its o…
Massive boulders ejected during DART mission may complicate future...
When NASA's DART spacecraft slammed into the asteroid moon Dimorphos in September 2022, it didn't just change the asteroid's orbit as intended — it unleashed a massive barrage of boulders that carried more than three times the momentum of the spacecraft itself. A University of Maryland-led team of astronomers found that while the mission successfully proved that kinetic impactors like the DART spacecraft can alter an asteroid's path, the resulti…
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