Game of ‘DART’
What is it? Double Asteroid Redirection Test or DART is the first mission to test a method of deflecting an asteroid for planetary defence. DART’s target is the binary asteroid system Didymos, which means “twin” in Greek and its moonlet Dimorphos, according to astronomy news website Space
Why is it important? The mission mimics NASA’s protocol if an asteroid were headed toward Earth. Didymos poses no threat to earth but is being used as a test subject to assess DART’s accuracy
How will it work? DART will deliberately impact Dimorphos at speeds of 25,500 kph. A direct hit will cause the targeted asteroid’s orbital speed to change by a fraction of a per cent and this shift should be enough to change its orbital period by several minutes, Space reported
- As the spacecraft approaches its target, an onboard high-resolution camera — DRACO will help navigate the DART spacecraft and take measurements of the target asteroid, including the size and shape of Dimorphos
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