Saving the world – DART can reduce risks from meteors

Source: The post is based on the article “Saving the world – DART can reduce risks from meteors” published in the Business Standard on 30^th September 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3: Awareness in the fields of Space.

Relevance: About DART Mission.

News: NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft has collided with the asteroid Dimorphous.

What is the DART Mission?

What are asteroids and their potential impact on Earth?

A large meteorite burning up in the lower atmosphere could damage the ozone layer, or release enough energy to cause damage similar to a nuclear explosion.

What are the previous instances of asteroid strikes on Earth?

On average about 17 meteorites of substantial size hit the Earth every day (smaller ones burn up due to friction in the atmosphere).

Approximately 66 million years ago, a very large meteorite crashed into the Yucatan region of Mexico and caused the extinction of a large number of animal and plant species. It caused tsunamis and led to a nuclear winter that lasted a long time. It is estimated that the object was around 10 km in diameter and it caused a crater that’s 180 km wide and 2 km deep.

In 1908, when a large meteorite smashed into an uninhabited part of Siberia with a force equivalent to a large nuclear bomb.

What are the advantages of the DART Mission?

a) Directly addresses a long-standing nightmare of mass extinction, b) It tests proof of concept for a planetary defence system, which could prevent a large asteroid from smashing into the Earth, or making a close fly-by with disastrous consequences, c) Since DART appears to have worked, scientists can now conceive a similar mission possibly involving a large nuclear warhead if there’s a future emergency.

What are the challenges with missions like DART?

-DART was planned for several years, and the vehicle was launched in November 2021 in order to intersect Dimorphos ten months later.

– Given mankind’s propensity for weaponising everything, such missions could also be used for military purposes.

What is ahead after the DART Mission?

The Observational capabilities will need to be good enough to observe the potential impact with enough time if there is indeed a hazardous object heading on a collision course.