NASA to crash spacecraft into asteroid in hopes to test planetary defense systems
FeaturedWIB air October 11, 2021 Staff Writer 0
Cassie McGrath
NASA will launch a spacecraft next moth to deliberately crash into an asteroid near earth in an effort to test planetary defense systems.
On Nov. 24, the SpaceX rocket will launch from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, beginning a Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission. This rocket will carry the DART spacecraft, which plans to crash into a small 525-foot diameter asteroid named Dimorphos in September of 2022.
Dimorphos is not expected to travel within a million miles of Earth, however scientists hope the test will provide insight into developing planetary defense systems in case of an emergency.
For the test, NASA is targeting a binary asteroid system near earth called Didymos.
https://warisboring.com/nasa-to-crash-spacecraft-into-asteroid-in-hopes-to-test-planetary-defense-systems/
