DART Mission Alters Asteroid's Path

0:00On this March 6th, here's what's shaping the world. Scientists have confirmed that NASA's Dart spacecraft successfully altered the path of an asteroid around the sun. A few years ago, the probe slammed into dimorphos, a small moon orbiting the larger asteroid didamos. This marked the first deliberate change to a celestial body's solar orbit. The asteroid pair was never a danger to Earth, making it perfect for the test. Launched in 2021, Dart hit its target in 2022. Shortening dimorphos' loop around diddimos. Now, new ground observations show the impact also slowed the duo's trip around the sun by about one-tenth of a second per lap. Each orbit takes 769 days and covers hundreds of millions of miles. Experts say these tiny shifts prove planetary defense works. A small nudge years ahead can grow over time, steering a risky rock away from Earth. Lead researchers call it a big step for protecting our planet from future impacts.

1:01The crash ejected tons of debris, which doubled the push on dimorphos, like extra thrusts from boulders and dust. This shrank their overall path by about half a mile. Even so, Earth stays well clear of the pair for the long haul. Meanwhile, a European mission called Hera heads to the site next year. It will study the aftermath up close, without another crash, using probes to scout the damage and refine deflection techniques. This episode is brought to you by our sponsor. See the episode description. No need to switch positions. The sound is already where your head is. S-O-L-I-SoliPillow.com