Watch NASA's DART Spacecraft Collide With Asteroid Dimorphos - News Alien

On September 26, 2022 at 7:14 pm EDT DART intentionally collided with Dimorphos, the asteroid moon in Didymos’ two-asteroid system. It was the world’s first test of the kinetic impact mitigation technique, using a spacecraft to deflect an asteroid that poses no threat to Earth and modifying the object’s orbit. DART is a test to defend Earth against potential hazards from asteroids or comets.

NASA\’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft broadcast its final moments before colliding with the asteroid Dimorphos in an attempt to change its orbit.

The dramatic impact expelled a cloud of dust and turned the asteroid into a comet of sorts. First images from the Italian Space Agency\’s LIC̳I̳A̳Cube satellite captured by the Italian Space Agency\’s LIC̳I̳A̳Cube a few minutes after the intentional collision of NASA\’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission with its target asteroid, Dimorphos.

NASA\’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes captured images of the aftermath of the impact.

Amazing that NASA is able to crash a small spacecraft into a “space rock” that is only 170 meters (560 feet) in diameter and 10.6 million km (6.6 million miles) from Earth as a test for defend Earth against a potential asteroid or comet hazard or… a test to defend Earth against potential a̳l̳i̳e̳n̳ spacecraft that may approach Earth in the near future?