Smash hit – On DART mission

Source: The post is based on an article “Smash hit” published in The Hindu on 15^th October 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Science and Technology

Relevance: benefits of DART mission

News: The article discusses about the success of the DART mission conducted by NASA and its uses.

What is the news?

NASA scientists for the first time have succeeded in altering the path of the asteroid by hitting the spacecraft into it.

The spacecraft DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) was aimed at asteroid Dimorphos which was orbiting a larger asteroid Didymos.

These two asteroids did not pose any threat for the planet earth and DART was a test mission to see the effectiveness of the technique (kinetic impactor) in altering the path of the asteroid by a desired amount.

After the collision of the spacecraft with the asteroid, NASA confirmed that it was able to change the path of the asteroid by a small amount.

Since all asteroids are not similar therefore there is a need for more tests to perfect this technique.

Further, the US is not alone in the mission and even China has also planned to deflect a 40 m wide asteroid by 2026.

Why is it necessary to develops this technique?

There is a need to develop this technique as even a small asteroid hitting the earth can have serious consequences to life on earth and climate change. An asteroid even about 100 m wide can destroy a city like Chennai.

However, it is not clear whether the kinetic impactor technique can be used to extract minerals from the asteroids by deflecting its path.