Planetary Defense: Study Finds That NASA’s DART Spacecraft Could Obliterate Asteroids
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A dangerous asteroid is moving toward Earth. Instead of merely creating a small crater, the DART spacecraft's impact with its target may render the asteroid unrecognizable. Researchers from the University of Bern model planetary defense. As part of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) programme, NASA is conducting the first thorough planetary defense test in history against probable asteroid impacts on Earth. Researchers from the University of Bern and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS have now demonstrated that, rather than leaving behind a relatively small crater, the DART spacecraft's contact with its target might make the asteroid nearly unrecognizably altered. A significant asteroid crash on Earth is supposed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Currently, no known asteroid poses a direct threat. However, if a sizable asteroid were to be discovered one day traveling directly toward Earth, it could need to be...