In a groundbreaking achievement for planetary defense, NASA’s Dart mission has not only succeeded in altering the course of an asteroid but has also reshaped its physical structure.
DART, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, was engineered to assess our capability to deflect an asteroid that poses a potential threat to Earth. In September 2022, DART intentionally collided with Dimorphos, a small asteroid orbiting the larger Didymos. This collision, meticulously planned, enabled scientists to measure the deviation in Dimorphos’s orbit around Didymos, thereby validating the mission’s deflection technique.
However, the mission yielded unexpected outcomes beyond its primary objective. Recent analysis indicates that the impact didn’t merely shift Dimorphos’s trajectory; it fundamentally altered its appearance. The colossal force generated by the collision seems to have transformed Dimorphos from a relatively rounded object into an elongated shape resembling that of an oblong watermelon.
Shantanu Naidu, a navigation engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, who spearheaded the study, remarked, “When DART made an impact, things got very interesting.” He further explained that Dimorphos’s orbit has undergone a notable change, with its orbital period-now 33 minutes and 15 seconds shorter. Moreover, the asteroid’s entire shape has morphed into a “triaxial ellipsoid,” signifying a departure from its previous symmetrical form.
This unforeseen discovery represents a significant milestone for the DART mission, showcasing our ability not only to divert asteroids but also potentially modify their physical characteristics if necessary.
NASA’s analysis, led by Shantanu Naidu’s team, relied on three primary data sources. Firstly, onboard DART, the spacecraft captured images as it approached the asteroid and transmitted them back to Earth via NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN). These images provided precise measurements of the distance between Didymos and Dimorphos, as well as the dimensions of both asteroids prior to impact.
Secondly, the DSN’s Goldstone Solar System Radar, situated near Barstow, California, utilized radio waves to accurately gauge Dimorphos’s position and velocity relative to Didymos post-impact. Radar observations swiftly confirmed that DART’s effect on the asteroid far exceeded initial expectations, underscoring the mission’s resounding success.
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