NASA's DART Mission Alters Asteroid System's Solar Orbit
NASA's DART mission has successfully changed the solar orbit of the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system, marking the first human-made alteration of a celestial body's path around the Sun.
NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission has achieved a significant milestone by altering the solar orbit of the binary asteroid system comprising Didymos and its moonlet, Dimorphos. This marks the first time a human-made object has measurably changed the trajectory of a celestial body around the Sun.
In September 2022, the DART spacecraft intentionally collided with Dimorphos, a 560-foot-wide asteroid orbiting the larger Didymos. The impact not only shortened Dimorphos' orbit around Didymos by approximately 33 minutes but also affected the entire binary system's path around the Sun. Observations revealed that the system's 770-day solar orbit was reduced by 0.15 seconds, corresponding to a change in orbital speed of about 11.7 microns per second, or 1.7 inches per hour. Lead author Rahil Makadia noted, "Over time, such a small change in an asteroid’s motion can make the difference between a hazardous object hitting or missing our planet."
The DART mission serves as a demonstration of kinetic impact as a viable technique for planetary defense, providing valuable data for developing strategies to protect Earth from potential asteroid threats.