DART’s demise is finally near as the NASA spacecraft is on a collision course with the small asteroid Dimorphos. Here’s how you can watch this all-important experiment to deflect an asteroid.
Short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test, the DART mission is the first test of kinetic impact technology as a means of deflecting asteroids that could be headed for Earth. While Didymos means no harm to our planet, the epic shock could one day protect our planet from an Earth-bound asteroid. A lot is riding on this astronomical encounter, and here’s how you can watch the action live.
The DART spacecraft is scheduled to impact its target asteroid at 7:14 PM ET on Monday. NASA will stream the event live on the space agency’s YouTube channel, the NASA app and the agency’s website. Or you can stay right here and tune into the NASA broadcast via the channel below.
Live coverage of the mission will begin at 6 pm ET, and will include audio from NASA’s mission control, live commentary, as well as images from the spacecraft’s high-resolution camera aboard DRACO ( Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical Navigation). ).
Excitingly, NASA is also offering a live silent communication channel from DRACO that will begin at 5 pm ET on the NASA media channel. DRACO will continue to roll until it finally collides with Dimorphos, transmitting one image per second to ground controllers on Earth. You can also tune into the DRACO channel via the live stream below.
DART is heading toward the asteroid at speeds up to 22,531 km per hour (22,530 kilometers per hour). There can be a slight delay between those images and what’s happening in the control room, as it takes about eight seconds for the images to appear on the screen after they’ve been received and processed by mission control, the NASA officials told reporters during a press conference. Thursday. So even if mission control declares “impact” or “signal loss,” it may take a few seconds to see it reflected in NASA’s coverage. And by “seeing it happen” we assume it will be the sudden appearance of a blank screen, signifying the destruction of the spacecraft.
DART is NASA’s first planetary defense test mission. Their target is a small asteroid known as Dimorphos, a mini-moon orbiting a slightly larger asteroid called Didymos. The 624 kg DART probe will crash into Dimorphos in an attempt to alter its orbit around its larger counterpart. The purpose of the test is to experiment with kinetic impactor technology as a means of deflecting asteroids that could be headed for Earth.
NASA keeps a close eye on the 28,000 nearby asteroids. While none of these asteroids currently pose a threat to Earth, we need a plan if a massive space rock is headed our way in the future. Didymos and its small companion Dimorphos pose no threat to Earth, and the test will not cause the system to threaten our planet. The pair is about 7 million miles (11 million kilometers) from Earth.
NASA will use ground-based telescopes to monitor Dimorphos’ orbital path after being hit by the spacecraft, and also to measure the physical effects of the impact itself. On the scene, Europe’s LICIACube will monitor the event with its two onboard cameras, LUKE and LEIA. The Hubble Space Telescope, the Webb Space Telescope and a camera aboard the Lucy spacecraft will also attempt to monitor the event.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is planning a follow-up mission to the pair of space rocks; The space agency plans to launch its Hera mission in 2024, which will rendezvous with Didymos in 2026 to study the impact crater left by DART and any other changes made to the asteroid.
For now, DART’s POV is expected to provide a stunning view of Dimorphos as it plows straight into the asteroid. It will be a sad end for the spacecraft, but data from the mission could lead to the tools needed to deflect a legitimately dangerous asteroid.
Additional reporting by George Dvorsky.
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