Daily Roundup: The Dart mission
Technology
The Dart mission: When NASA launched a real-life Hollywood mission
Technology
Since we're all going through the 80s/90s nostalgia era in media and pop culture, it's only right that some NASA scientists are working on something that's similar to a lot of apocalypse movies that displayed an attempt to preserve the world and humanity.
NASA is planning on straight-on hitting an asteroid with a spacecraft called DART.
First things first, this is only a test launch and the mission poses no threat to Earth or anyone living on it.
Now let's get to the fun part: How will this work?
The DART expedition, expected to cost USD 325 million, will go after a duo of asteroids that orbit each other very closely - known as a binary. Didymos, the larger of the 2 objects, is roughly 780m across, while Dimorphos, its smaller partner, is around 160m across.
A not-so-fun fact: Dimorphos-sized objects have the potential to detonate with an energy volume of multiple standard nuclear bombs to destroy inhabited areas and kill tens of thousands of people.
In September 2022, the spacecraft will intercept the binary as it approaches Earth at a distance of 6.7 million miles.
DART will collide with Dimorphos, the "moonlet" at a speed of roughly 15,000 mph (6.6 km/s). This should affect the object's speed by a fraction of a millimetre per second, causing its orbit around Didymos to vary.
The aim of the mission: What will DART really do?
Demonstrate a kinetic impact with Dimorphos
Check if Dimorphos' binary orbital period can be changed
Measure the change in Dimorphos' period before and after impact using ground-based telescope data
Assess Dimorphos' reaction to the impact and the ejecta that ensue
The DART mission also has advanced navigation and imaging instruments, notably the Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube) from the Italian Space Agency, which will monitor the crash and its aftermath.
Will it work?
Since the internal structure of Dimorphos is unknown, there is some ambiguity about how it will react to the hit. If Dimorphos' interior is generally solid rather than hollow, it may produce a lot of debris, giving the object an extra shove.
The kinetic impactor methodology is DART's approach to coping with a dangerous asteroid. Other options include moving the asteroid more slowly over time or perhaps detonating a nuclear bomb, which has been shown in Hollywood films like Armageddon and Deep Impact.
This is not something new
Although too simple when compared to the depth and drama of apocalyptic movies, it turns out that world governments have been keeping an eye on the sky and tracking asteroids for a long time.
To halt a huge boulder, neither nuclear weapons or Bruce Willis are required; instead, a glorified, space-faring drone will suffice. Scientists are clearly drawn to the most basic explanations and answers, aka Occam's Razor.
This mission, like many other technologies inspired by sci-fi action movies, such as GPS and submarines, could pave the way for new discoveries and approaches, ultimately saving the world from a variety of threats.
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