DART impact exceeds expectations
Posted: Fri, Oct 21, 2022, 7:48 PM ET (2348 GMT)
NASA's DART spacecraft exceeded expectations by changing the orbital period of an asteroid by more than a half-hour. The agency announced Oct. 11 that DART, which deliberately collided with the asteroid Dimorphos two weeks ago, shortened its orbit around the larger asteroid Didymos by 32 minutes. That is on the upper end of estimates made before the impact, and far more than the mission's requirement to change the orbit by 73 seconds. Scientists said the large orbital change was likely due to material ejected from the asteroid by the impact, enhancing the effect. DART was designed to test the kinetic impactor technique for changing the orbit of an asteroid on a collision course with Earth.
NASA's DART spacecraft exceeded expectations by changing the orbital period of an asteroid by more than a half-hour. The agency announced Oct. 11 that DART, which deliberately collided with the asteroid Dimorphos two weeks ago, shortened its orbit around the larger asteroid Didymos by 32 minutes. That is on the upper end of estimates made before the impact, and far more than the mission's requirement to change the orbit by 73 seconds. Scientists said the large orbital change was likely due to material ejected from the asteroid by the impact, enhancing the effect. DART was designed to test the kinetic impactor technique for changing the orbit of an asteroid on a collision course with Earth.
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