NASA’s DART Mission: Was Smashing Into an Asteroid Worth It?

On September 26, 2022, the NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission purposely crashed spacecraft into the asteroid Dimorphos to help learn more about as part of their work to defend the world from future crashes. Let’s take a look at what scientists learned from this test to find out if the effort was worthwhile.

DART Mission Scientific Discoveries

Orbital Change

One of the biggest achievements of the DART mission was to redirect the orbit of Dimorphos. Before impact, Dimorphos orbited the larger asteroid Didymos every 11 hours and 55 minutes. Post-impact, the orbit is 33 minutes shorter, demonstrating that we can effectively change the trajectory of an asteroid.

Surface and Shape Analysis

The impact of the DART mission also changed the shape of the asteroid from a symmetrical spheroid to a more elongated form. This change was accompanied by a significant debris ejection, forming a long tail extending thousands of miles into space, providing valuable data on asteroid composition and behavior under kinetic stress​.

Geological Insights

the DART mission also provided new insights into the makeup of both Dimorphos and Didymos. Dimorphos is essentially a loosely bound pile of rock and debris, similar to other near-Earth objects like Bennu and Ryugu. The ruble was likely shed by Didymos, showing how larger asteroids can create smaller ones.

Strategic and Practical Benefits

The primary objective of DART was to test a way to protect the planet if an asteroid was on course to hit it, and the mission’s success proves that humanity can alter the path of potentially hazardous asteroids.

The mission also marked significant technological achievements, including the ability to accurately navigate to a moving asteroid 7 million miles from Earth while traveling more than 14,000 miles per hour.

The images and data transmitted during the final moments provided never-before-seen close-up views of an asteroid’s surface​.

Ongoing and Future Research

Scientists will continue to study the aftermath of the DART mission for years to come. Ground-based telescopes worldwide are monitoring the changes in Dimorphos’ orbit and the evolving debris field. Additionally, the European Space Agency’s Hera mission, scheduled to launch in 2024, will visit the Didymos system to conduct detailed surveys and validate DART’s findings.

"For the first time ever, humanity has changed the orbit of a planetary body, of a planetary object. First time ever"

- Lori Glaze

What Is Dimorphos, and Why Was It Chosen as the Target?

Dimorphos is a small moonlet that orbits a larger asteroid called Didymos. It was chosen as the target for the DART mission because its orbit around Didymos allowed scientists to measure any changes in its trajectory post-impact easily.

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