Successful Test Proves NASA Is Capable of Saving The World
Successful planetary defense mission
On September 26th, 2022, a small impactor probe weighing 1,340 lbs smashed into the side of an asteroid over seven million miles from Earth. A stream of bright material poured out of the space rock as scientists watched with bated breath. The impact was the result of years of careful planning and unprecedented science. The mission was called DART or Double Asteroid Redirection Test. NASA was testing to see if a weighted probe with powerful thrusters could redirect an asteroid from its current course.
According to preliminary data, the test was a complete success. The distant asteroid was jarred from its orbit and shifted without being completely broken up.
The results have given hope for a future planetary defense system that would be able to quickly and accurately identify and track down dangerous asteroids and move them out of the way before they could be a threat to the planet. This was the first step towards that ultimate goal.
Move, Don’t Destroy
