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☆ A spacecraft is on its way to an asteroid that NASA slammed in an earlier save-the-Earth test
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft rocketed away on a two-year journey to the small, harmless asteroid rammed by NASA two years ago in a dress rehearsal for the day a killer space rock threatens Earth. Launched by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral, it’s the second part of a planetary defense test that could one day help save the planet. The 2022 crash by NASA’s Dart spacecraft shortened Dimorphos’ orbit around its bigger companion, demonstrating that if a dangerous rock was headed our way, there’s a chance it could be knocked off course with enough advance notice. Researchers want to know whether Dart — short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test — left a crater or perhaps reshaped the 500-foot (150-meter) asteroid more dramatically. ESA’s Hera mission lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday at 10:52am.

Persons: there’s, Dart, Derek Richardson, Richardson, ESA Dart’s wallop, Hera, Ignacio Tanco, ”, “, Ian Carnelli, It’s Organizations: NASA, SpaceX, NASA’s, ” University of Maryland, Cape Canaveral Space Force, ESA Locations: Cape Canaveral, Cape, Florida, Dimorphos, Darmstadt, Germany, Didymos

☆ Hera mission will launch to explore asteroid system intentionally hit by NASA DART spacecraft
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —A European spacecraft and two shoebox-size satellites are about to launch to survey the aftermath from NASA’s DART mission, which intentionally slammed into an asteroid named Dimorphos and altered its orbit two years ago. The European Space Agency’s Hera mission is expected to lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 10:52 a.m. The spacecraft and its two CubeSat companions are slated to arrive at the asteroid Dimorphos, and the larger asteroid it orbits named Didymos, in late 2026. NASA planned the DART, or Double Asteroid Redirection Test, mission to carry out a full-scale assessment of asteroid deflection technology on behalf of planetary defense. But many questions remain, including whether the DART spacecraft merely left behind a crater or if its momentum completely reshaped Dimorphos.

Persons: NASA’s, Hera doesn’t, ”, Patrick Michel, Hera, Berthier, Santana, Ros, Petrescu, Micheli, Milani, Andrea Milani, Michel said, Dimorphos, Michel, DRACO, ” Michel Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, ESA, NASA, DART, National Centre for Scientific Research, Les, Italy’s University of Pisa, Science Locations: Florida, France, La Réunion, Dimorphos, Giza, Mars, Didymos

☆ When a cruise liner-size asteroid zips by Earth, two spacecraft may follow it
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When a cruise liner-size asteroid comes within 19,883 miles (32,000 kilometers) of Earth on April 13, 2029, it won’t be alone. The European Space Agency has announced that its new Ramses spacecraft may accompany the asteroid Apophis before and after its safe, albeit rather close, pass of Earth. Astronomers think that an asteroid this large comes within such proximity to Earth only once every 5,000 to 10,000 years. In September 2022, NASA’s DART mission intentionally slammed a spacecraft into Dimorphos, a moonlet asteroid that orbits a larger parent asteroid known as Didymos. “The Ramses mission concept reuses much of the technology, expertise and industrial and science communities developed for the Hera mission,” said Paolo Martino, spacecraft manager for Hera who will also work on the Ramses mission, in a statement.

Persons: won’t, Ramses, Apophis, Apophis doesn’t, ”, Patrick Michel, ” Michel, Richard Moissl, NASA’s, OSIRIS, REx, “ Apophis, Hera, Paolo Martino, “ Hera Organizations: CNN, European Space Agency, NASA’s Center, Studies, ESA, NASA, System, National Centre for Scientific Research, NSF, JPL, Caltech, ESA’s Planetary Defence Office, APEX Locations: Europe, Africa, Asia, Apophis, France

☆ NASA simulated an incoming asteroid impact, and the biggest roadblock to action was penny pinchers in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The tabletop simulation presented a hypothetical scenario in which cities like Dallas, Washington, DC, and Madrid were at risk of a large asteroid impact. "A large asteroid impact is potentially the only natural disaster humanity has the technology to predict years in advance and take action to prevent," Lindley Johnson, a NASA planetary defense officer emeritus, said in a press release. That's because they didn't think Congress would approve funding for a critical space mission to study the asteroid "unless impact became certain," NASA's summary said. Options for preventing an asteroid impact include shooting the asteroid with lasers, launching a nuclear bomb at it, or simply smacking a space probe into it to nudge it away from Earth. Participants weren't sure Congress would fund the mission unless the asteroid was a certain threat — not a 72% chance of threat.

Persons: —, Lindley Johnson, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Anna Moneymaker, Ed Whitman, Johnson, Richard Binzel, Binzel, it's Organizations: Service, NASA, Business, Capitol, US State Department, FEMA, Defense Interagency, JHU, MIT, NASA DART, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Academies, White Locations: Dallas , Washington, Madrid, Europe, Japan, Canada, North America, Africa

☆ NASA’s DART mission: Spacecraft impact reshaped Dimorphos asteroid
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —When NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft intentionally slammed into the asteroid Dimorphos in September 2022, the impact may have caused “global deformation” of the space rock, according to new research. Dimorphos is a moonlet asteroid that orbits a larger parent asteroid known as Didymos. The DART mission ended upon impact, but prior to colliding with Dimorphos, the spacecraft transmitted an incredibly detailed view of the little asteroid’s boulder-covered surface that is helping researchers learn more about how the space rock formed. Rather than forming a simple crater on Dimorphos, the DART impact reshaped the entire asteroid, the results have suggested. Recreating the DART impactA team of researchers modeled the impact using the Bern smoothed-particle hydrodynamics shock physics code to achieve their results.

Persons: Dimorphos, It’s, ”, Dr, Sabina Raducan, Japan’s, ” Raducan, Martin Jutzi, Hera, Raducan, Sir Brian May, Claudia Manzoni Organizations: CNN, DART, Dimorphos, University of Bern’s Physics Locations: Italian, Dimorphos, Bern, Switzerland

☆ NASA explains how it would alert the public of an apocalyptic asteroid strike
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In the event of an impending hazardous asteroid strike, NASA already has its plan in place to alert the public. NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office is tasked with finding, tracking, and assessing the risk associated with potentially hazardous asteroids in our solar system. To do that, NASA works with a global coalition of astronomers called the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN). There are about 2,300 known potentially hazardous asteroids out there, and roughly 153 of them are larger than 0.6 miles across. If Bennu does head toward Earth, NASA has a few tricks up its sleeve to defend our planet.

Persons: —, ROGER HARRIS, ”, Lindley Johnson, ” Johnson, IAWN, Johnson, MARK GARLICK, NASA wouldn’t, they’re Organizations: NASA, Service, Defense, Office, Planetary Defense, Warning, White, United Nations Office, Outer Space Affairs, Minor Planet

☆ NASA probe to observe near-Earth asteroid's 2029 close encounter
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

When it does, a spacecraft launched by NASA in 2016 is expected to be in position to provide a detailed examination of this rare close encounter. The tidal pull of Earth's gravity likely will cause measurable disturbances to the asteroid's surface and motion, changing its orbital path and rotational spin. The spacecraft is set to observe the asteroid's Earth flyby as it nears and ultimately catches up with Apophis. PLANETARY SCIENCE AND DEFENSELike other asteroids, Apophis is a relic of the early solar system. Close examination of Apophis could give planetary defense experts valuable information about the structure and other properties of asteroids.

Persons: NASA's, Michael Nolan, It's, Nolan, it's, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham Organizations: NASA, APEX, NASA's Goddard Space, Empire, University of Arizona, SPACECRAFT'S SECOND, Planetary Science, Thomson Locations: Utah, Africa, Europe, Apophis, Los Angeles

☆ NASA launches spacecraft to explore metal-rich asteroid Psyche
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The spacecraft, roughly the size of a small van, is due to reach the asteroid in August 2029. Asteroid Psyche measures roughly 173 miles (279 km) across at its widest point and resides on the outer fringes of the main asteroid belt between the planets Mars and Jupiter. After reaching the asteroid, the spacecraft would then orbit it for 26 months, scanning Psyche with instruments built to measure its gravity, magnetic proprieties and composition. 'OUTER SPACE TO EXPLORE INNER SPACE'[1/4]A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off carrying a NASA spacecraft to investigate the Psyche asteroid from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., October 13, 2023. It also marks the first dedicated NASA launch on a Falcon Heavy rocket furnished by Elon Musk's SpaceX company, and the first interplanetary mission flown by the Falcon Heavy.

Persons: Lindy Elkins, Tanton, Lucy, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham Organizations: NASA, SpaceX, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, Kennedy Space Center, Arizona State University, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Thomson Locations: Florida, NASA's, Cape Canaveral, Los Angeles, Cape Canaveral , Florida, U.S

☆ Many Americans think NASA returning to the moon is a waste of time and it should prioritize asteroid hunting instead, a poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Mariel Borowitz | Teasel Muir-Harmony | The Conversation | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

A new report from the Pew Research Center shows most Americans support NASA but not a moon mission. But the specific priorities of the US space program have often been at odds with public opinion. Although somewhat at odds with the national space agenda, this valuation is not new. In addition, the United Nations' open-ended working group on reducing space threats has been meeting since 2022 to help avoid conflict in space. Countries have been working within the United Nations to develop and implement guidelines for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities.

Persons: LOREN ELLIOTT, Johns Hopkins, Jon Emmerich, Elon Musk, Ryan Saunders, Codie Trimble Organizations: Pew Research Center, NASA, Service, Getty Images, Artemis, Pew, SpaceX, AP, Virgin Galactic, . Air Force, 625th Strategic Communications Squadron, Vandenberg Space Force Base, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, US Air Force, Staff, ViaSat, United Nations, Space Agency Space Locations: Wall, Silicon, United States, AFP, States, Europe, Japan, Canada, China, Russia, Ukraine War, Ukrainian, Ukraine, United

☆ A second giant 'hole' has appeared on the sun, and it could send 1.8 million mph solar winds towards Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

These 'holes' can send 1.8 million mph solar winds towards Earth. As this first 'hole' begins rotating away from us, a new giant coronal hole — about 18 to 20 Earths' across — has come into view. Coronal holes release solar winds into space which can damage satellites and reveal stunning auroras if they reach the Earth. The 'hole' is positioned close to the sun's equatorThe coronal hole came into view as the sun rotated. The solar winds can blast very fast solar winds, with speeds of more than 800 kilometers per second, Verscharen said.

☆ An asteroid nearly the size of a skyscraper will whiz between the Earth and the moon on Saturday in a once-in-a-decade event
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A large asteroid is set to pass by the Earth on Saturday in a once-in-a-decade event. The asteroid will pass between Earth and the moon's orbit, bringing it relatively close. The asteroid is expected to pass by around 108,000 miles away from the Earth, which is a little closer than half way between the planet and the moon. The asteroid will be closest to Earth at around 3:50 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, according to EarthSky. EarthSky said its close proximity to Earth may make it appear like a "slow-moving star."

☆ Studies show how asteroid-bashing spacecraft was 'phenomenally successful'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] This image depicts NASA's DART spacecraft and its two long solar panels over the spot where it impacted asteroid Dimorphos in September 2022. "The DART test was phenomenally successful. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft collided on Sept. 26 at about 14,000 miles per hour (22,530 kph) into Dimorphos, an asteroid about 490 feet (150 meters) in diameter, roughly 6.8 million miles (11 million km) from Earth. Finally, the spacecraft bus - the box between the solar panels - hit between these two boulders," Daly said. The research also clarified details such as the precise location of the impact and the angle of impact.

☆ Asteroid's sudden flyby shows blind spot in planetary threat detection
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NASA for years has prioritized detecting asteroids much bigger and more existentially threatening than 2023 BU, the small space rock that streaked by 2,200 miles from the Earth's surface, closer than some satellites. If bound for Earth, it would have been pulverized in the atmosphere, with only small fragments possibly reaching land. But 2023 BU sits on the smaller end of a size group, asteroids 5-to-50 meters in diameter, that also includes those as big as an Olympic swimming pool. But with current capabilities, astronomers can't see when such a rock targets Earth until days prior. The successful demonstration, called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), affirmed for the first time a method of planetary defense.

The first full-color image released from the next-generation James Webb Space Telescope is the sharpest infrared image of the distant universe ever produced, according to NASA. Space Telescope Science Institut / NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERONASA released the first batch of images from the tennis court-sized observatory to much fanfare in July. The exoplanet HIP 65426 b in different bands of infrared light, as seen from the James Webb Space Telescope. Back to the moonFifty years after the final Apollo moon mission, NASA took key steps toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface. Chinese officials have also said they intend to use the space station for space tourism and commercial space initiatives.

A NASA spacecraft successfully changed an asteroid's orbit by intentionally smashing into it last month, agency officials confirmed Tuesday. The results of the cosmic collision are significant because it was the first real-life test of humanity's ability to protect the Earth from potentially catastrophic asteroids. "All of us have a responsibility to protect our home planet," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. NASA /ESA / STScI / HubbleThe DART mission (short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test) was a rare chance to test a key planetary defense strategy, offering scientists an opportunity to assess whether "nudging" an asteroid can actually change its orbit. "NASA has proven we are serious as a defender of the planet," Nelson said, adding that the mission was "a watershed moment for planetary defense and all of humanity."

☆ NASA's first planetary defense test worked, successfully redirecting an asteroid by crashing the DART spacecraft into it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NASA confirmed Tuesday that its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) moved an asteroid. The DART spacecraft slammed into a space rock and changed its orbit around a larger rock by 32 minutes. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft slammed into an asteroid called Dimorphos on September 26, pushing it slightly closer to its giant parent asteroid, Didymos. As far as NASA knows, no such space rock is currently on a collision course with Earth, at least for the next 100 years. Screenshots of the footage from DART's camera as the spacecraft approached, then smashed into the rock, on September 26, 2022.

☆ NASA says DART mission succeeded in altering asteroid's trajectory
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft prior to impact at the Didymos binary asteroid system showed in this undated illustration handout. "This is a watershed moment for planetary defense and a watershed moment for humanity," NASA chief Bill Nelson told reporters in announcing the results. Findings of telescope observations unveiled at a NASA news briefing showed that the suicide test flight of the DART spacecraft on Sept. 26 achieved its primary objective: changing the direction of an asteroid through sheer kinetic force. Neither of the two asteroids involved in the test, nor DART, short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test, posed any threat to Earth, NASA scientists said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Telescopes and satellites captured clouds and spider-like plumes of debris after NASA smashed a spacecraft into an asteroid
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

NASA's DART spacecraft successfully crashed into an asteroid on Monday night. The spacecraft took images of its impending doom until the very end, when it rammed into the targeted space rock: Dimorphos. LICIACube image showing the dusty aftermath of the DART impact. ASI/NASAThe tiny Italian satellite captured spider-like plumes of debris emanating from the targeted space rock, below. About three minutes post-crash, LICIACube flew within 35 miles of the asteroid Dimorphos, to survey the collision's aftermath.

The dramatic moment when a NASA spacecraft intentionally flew head-on into an asteroid was captured by a tiny, Italian-built satellite that was designed to survey the aftermath of the cosmic collision. Photos of NASA's DART probe slamming into a small and harmless asteroid known as Dimorphos were released Tuesday by L'Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, the Italian Space Agency. The images show Dimorphos and the larger, brighter asteroid that it orbits right before and immediately after the impact. The intentional crash, which occurred Monday, was the world's first test of a planetary defense strategy that involves "nudging" an asteroid to permanently alter its trajectory. Dimorphos is located about 6.8 million miles from Earth and does not pose any threat to the planet.

☆ NASA just smashed a spaceship into an asteroid on purpose. Here are 13 facts about the mission and why it may just help save humanity one day.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

NASA crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid, in a first-of-its-kind experiment in planetary defense. The space agency wants to see whether it's a viable method for deflecting rocks that could threaten Earth. Here is how this experiment works and why it is important, in 13 facts, photos, and graphs. NASA made history on Monday when it purposefully crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid about 6.8 million miles away as part of its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. Here is how this experiment works, in 13 facts, photos, and graphs.

☆ See video of the moment NASA's DART spacecraft crashed itself into an asteroid and its livestream cut out
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NASA crashed a space probe into an asteroid on Monday night, practicing to deflect dangerous space rocks. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) hit the space rock in an effort to change its orbit. Watch the DART spacecraft's final moments in the footage from its camera, below. As NASA planned, DART crashed into the craggy surface and its camera feed died. Astronomers are poised to point their telescopes to Dimorphos as it continues to orbit a much larger asteroid called Didymos.

☆ 'We have impact': DART successfully alters orbit of asteroid
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Weeks after impact, NASA can now say that humanity's first planetary defense test - intentionally slamming a spacecraft into an asteroid - was a success. Source: CNN Business

A DART view of the Dimorphos asteroid right before impact. NASA via YouTubeThe DART spacecraft, which is about the size of a vending machine, crashed into Dimorphos at 7:14 p.m. "Oh my goodness," said Elena Adams, a DART mission systems engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The DART mission is functioning as a proof of concept of asteroid deflection as a planetary defense strategy. Betts said he hopes the DART mission will continue to raise awareness about the importance of planetary defense.

☆ NASA’s DART Spacecraft to Smash Into Asteroid in Planetary Defense Test
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Aylin Woodward | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An uncrewed spacecraft is on track to smash into and deflect a distant asteroid on Monday, the dramatic climax of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration mission to test whether the technique could one day be used to protect Earth. “For the first time ever we will measurably change the orbit of a celestial body in the universe,” said Bobby Braun, head of the space exploration sector at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. The research center built the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission spacecraft and is responsible for its operation at the direction of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office.

☆ NASA’s Asteroid-Deflection Mission Spotlights Planetary Defense Effort
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Aylin Woodward | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Can the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shift the orbit of an asteroid by smashing into it with a fast-moving spacecraft? The agency might find out Monday, when a bus-size craft traveling at a speed in excess of 14,000 miles an hour tries to hit a 525-foot-wide space rock. The anticipated collision between the uncrewed spacecraft and the asteroid, named Dimorphos, marks the climactic moment of NASA’s $325 million Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission. DART is the world’s first mission to test a technology that one day might protect Earth from a catastrophic asteroid impact.

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