Short Wave DART: The Impacts Of Slamming A Spacecraft Into An Asteroid
Dec 9, 2022
Cristina Thomas, an Assistant Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Science at Northern Arizona University, shares insights on NASA's DART mission. The podcast dives into how this innovative program successfully altered an asteroid's trajectory by crashing a spacecraft into it. Cristina reassures that there are no immediate threats from large asteroids while highlighting the mission's significance for planetary defense. She also discusses global collaboration in asteroid detection and the excitement surrounding future efforts to protect Earth.
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Impact Event
- Christina Thomas witnessed DART's impact with colleagues.
- Her phone lit up with videos of the "poof" from various observatories.
Kinetic Impact Test
- DART, the first kinetic impact test, aimed to alter an asteroid's trajectory without explosives.
- The spacecraft's momentum and ejecta's push were key to the mission's success.
Complexity of Impact
- DART's impact wasn't a simple billiard ball collision.
- Ejecta from the asteroid added momentum, impacting the orbital change.