NASA crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid — and these are DART’s las

The ultimate photograph, taken one second earlier than affect, solely reveals the highest slice of a picture however that is extremely thrilling. The truth that NASA acquired solely part of the picture implies that the shutter took the image however DART, traveling at around 14,000 miles per hour (22,500 kilometers per hour) was unable to transmit the entire picture earlier than affect.

2. What was alleged to occur?

The purpose of the DART mission was to check whether or not it’s potential to deflect an asteroid with a kinetic impact – by crashing one thing into it. NASA used the analogy of a golf cart hitting the facet of an Egyptian pyramid to convey the relative distinction in measurement between tiny DART and Dimorphos, the smaller of the 2 asteroids. Previous to the check, Dimorphos orbited Didymos in roughly 16 hours. NASA expects the affect to shorten Dimorphos’ orbit by about 1%, or roughly 10 minutes. Although small, if finished far sufficient away from Earth, a nudge like this might doubtlessly deflect a future asteroid headed in the direction of Earth simply sufficient to forestall an affect.

3. What do we all know already?

The final bits of information that got here from the DART spacecraft proper earlier than affect present that it was on track. The truth that the pictures stopped transmitting after the goal level was reached can solely imply that the affect was a hit.

Whereas there’s possible a whole lot of info to be realized from the pictures taken by DART, the world must wait to study whether or not the deflection was additionally a hit. Fifteen days earlier than the affect, DART launched a small satellite with a camera that was designed to doc your entire affect. The small satellite’s sensors ought to have taken pictures and picked up info, however provided that it doesn’t have a big antenna onboard, the pictures will be transmitted slowly back to Earth, one after the other, over the approaching weeks.