Turning point for mankind - the DART kamikaze probe exceeded its goal by more than 25 times, shortening the asteroid's orbit time by 32 minutes instead of 73 seconds

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has reported that the Double Asteroid Rendezvous Test (DART) kamikaze space probe has successfully reached its target.

Here's What We Know

The federal agency in late September tested the planetary defense system for the first time ever. The DART spacecraft crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos, which orbits the larger asteroid Didymos. NASA's goal was to shorten the orbit time by 1 minute 73 seconds. The suicide probe accomplished this task.

The goal was exceeded by more than 25 times. NASA says that as a result of the collision, Dimorph's trajectory changed, which reduced the orbit time by 32 minutes - from 11 hours 55 minutes to 11 hours 23 minutes. The agency called it a watershed moment for all mankind.

At this NASA does not plan to end the program. Data continue to arrive every day, so in the near future the agency will be able to get more information that will help to create a system of protection of our planet.

Now scientists are trying to understand what role in the success of the mission played by the emission of matter. Recall that the collision formed a plume of fragments 10 000 km long. Because of this, the asteroid began to resemble a comet.

Source: NASA