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Graphic shows details of DART mission.
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WETENSCHAP

NASA stuurt ruimtevaartuig om te botsen met asteroïde (1)

September 26, 2022 - NASA’s DART spacecraft is about to smash into the small moon of an asteroid, in the first test of a technique that could one day be used to deflect a dangerous space rock heading for Earth.

The spacecraft will crash into an object called Dimorphos to see how much its speed and path can be altered.

It's the first attempt to deflect an asteroid for the purpose of learning how to protect Earth, though this particular asteroid presents no threat, the BBC said.

The DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft will be launched on Wednesday atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

After it launches, DART will first escape the Earth’s gravity, following its own orbit around the Sun. It will then intercept the asteroid around 11 million km from Earth in September 2022.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 22/09/2022; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL
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