Today the DART mission tries to impact Dimorphos in NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test

Been following this since I stumble across it a month ago, pretty cool stuff, though it's not going to be dramatic visually or any other way, it could prove the concept of a small impact being enough to change the course of an asteroid, they will be able to measure the effect. Then using maths they can calculate what would be required for future missions.

Watch as NASA’s DART Mission Attempts the World’s First-Ever Test of Planetary Defense
Description: Countdown to impact as NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) attempts humanity’s first-ever test of planetary defense! The DART spacecraft will intentionally crash into asteroid Dimorphos at 7:14 p.m. ET on Monday, September 26, 2022 to see if kinetic force can change its orbit. Why? If this test is successful, the same technique could be used to deflect an Earth-threatening asteroid in the future, should one ever be discovered.

DART’s target asteroid is NOT a threat to Earth before, during or after the impact event.

The original DART thread

a reply to: putnam6

They could also find how the butterfly effect is amplified in space and a vacuum. I just gave a bad feeling but hope it goes well.

Personally I wish they focused more on our oceans. As well as living underwater and underground before p9king things in soace with a stick.

Then it "accidentally" gets re-directed towards earth....oh noes!!!! Joking aside probably not a good idea messing around with the objects that potentially have effects on other objects since we're artificially interfering.

But as always the "safety" will be used, come on guyz you just want someting to obliterate earth when we could stop it?????

Same excuse, come on dudes we need to manipulate the weather so dat we are saved! come on we need to manipulate viruses to keep us safe. Come on we need to manipulate the law to go to war for your safety. We need to give you these untested drugs for your safety guyz.

Couldnt possibly be a point where the information gained from these tests be used in a weaponised manner.....

Funnily all these little accidents happen coincidentally at the times we gain the abilities..... what can i say im a cynic.

Someone call NASA to postpone it 10 hours so I can watch in in daytime here in EU please

I gave up trusting anything from NASA years ago. Smudging moon photos so the rabble can't see what's actually there isn't a great way to win confidence of the rabble.

a reply to: putnam6

thanks for the reminder!

originally posted by: randomthoughts12
a reply to: putnam6

They could also find how the butterfly effect is amplified in space and a vacuum. I just gave a bad feeling but hope it goes well.

Personally I wish they focused more on our oceans. As well as living underwater and underground before p9king things in soace with a stick.

I can understand the sentiment, I agree but it isn't how it works, NASA is gonna push for funding for space stuff, I would assume some department like the NOAA would have to get noticed #1 and #2 they have to have a viable project or mission#3 then Congress would have to fund it. Unless we ever get something close to the fictional NUMA from Clive Cussler novels, which we don't, on top of the oceans are between a rock and hard place from hands-off environmentalists to individual governments and the fishing industries.

Something has to pay for the planning, the tech needed and it's going to need to be economically feasible. Not to mention be able to withstand environmental factors. We can barely live next to the oceans much less under them, without trashing them.

The #1 thing they need to continue to research for solutions is cleaning our oceans

originally posted by: olaru12
I gave up trusting anything from NASA years ago. Smudging moon photos so the rabble can't see what's actually there isn't a great way to win confidence of the rabble.

If NASA did anything and they probably did it was at the direction of some agency or government official. You can be skeptical but does it really invalidate every program or accomplishment since?

for better or worse until the private companies become proficient when it comes to space and exploration all we got is NASA

a reply to: putnam6

Thanx OP!!

Why do I see an ant trying to push a semi uphill??

I must have Sisyphus envy!!

Just kidding!

Either this is “real science” and we are trying it for the first time eva’, or, we have some Star Trek hardware that already works that we have already tested.

Think. If they are using JWST to observe their trial run, what hope does a backyard telescope have of seeing an invisible triangle use a tractor beam to nudge an incoming ELE asteroid??

The cynical side of me says this is a big “funding expedition” but the nerdy side says “awesome”!!

Anyways, at least this will be interesting!

20 mins til impact.... Can't help but watch

a reply to: putnam6

Video with no commentary -

originally posted by: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
a reply to: putnam6

Thanx OP!!

Why do I see an ant trying to push a semi uphill??

I must have Sisyphus envy!!

Just kidding!

Either this is “real science” and we are trying it for the first time eva’, or, we have some Star Trek hardware that already works that we have already tested.

Think. If they are using JWST to observe their trial run, what hope does a backyard telescope have of seeing an invisible triangle use a tractor beam to nudge an incoming ELE asteroid??

The cynical side of me says this is a big “funding expedition” but the nerdy side says “awesome”!!

Anyways, at least this will be interesting!

I just can't be cynical about everything, all the time, I didn't like how it sounded when I was younger and I damn sure don't like it now that I'm older. I've been on ATS long enough I just post stuff that interests me, if somebody gets something out of it that's great, but it isn't the goal of this little ant

That said of course it's about funding, money, etc it always is. Still, this is Deep Impact and Armageddon-type stuff, I always rationalize if they are showing us new tech now they have had a military system for years. Perhaps one day they will be able to identify profitable ways to use this tech.

It's been on 10-month journey of millions of miles away, to hit this. First time humans have attempted to alter the orbit of a planetary body

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) has one single instrument onboard – the Didymos Reconnaissance and

Asteroid Camera for Optical Navigation, aka the DRACO camera. DRACO serves as the spacecraft’s eye and will guide DART to its final destination: impact with asteroid Dimorphos. The stream you’re watching is a real-time feed from the DART spacecraft enabled through the DRACO camera sending one image per second to Earth. For the DART impact broadcast with commentary, watch: youtu.be...

In the hours before impact, the screen will appear mostly black, with a single point of light. That point is the binary asteroid system Didymos which is made up of a larger asteroid named Didymos and a smaller asteroid that orbits around it called Dimorphos. As the 7:14 p.m. EDT (23:14 UTC) impact of asteroid Dimorphos nears closer, the point of light will get bigger and eventually detailed asteroids will be visible.

At 7:14 p.m., the DART spacecraft is slated to intentionally crash into asteroid Dimorphos. This stream will be delayed due to the time it takes the images to arrive at Earth, plus additional time for feeding the images to various platforms. For the most up-to-date DRACO camera feed, please tune into the NASA DART Impact Broadcast here: youtu.be...

After impact, the feed will turn black – due to a loss of signal. After about 2 minutes, this stream will turn into a replay – showing the final moments leading up to impact. That replay file will also become available on NASA websites and social media accounts.

DART is a spacecraft designed to impact an asteroid as a test of technology. DART’s target asteroid is NOT a threat to Earth. This asteroid system is a perfect testing ground to see if intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid is an effective way to change its course, should an Earth-threatening asteroid be discovered in the future.

a reply to: randomthoughts12

Never thought of that. But now that you bring it up i'm real interested in learning.

I have a feeling that they have calculated where they think the asteroid will go after impact. So i don't have any worries about our solar system. They might be trying to aim it into the sun. But if there're not, just think about where this asteroid will go once it leaves our system. what will it impact that it otherwise would not have? it's awesome to think that with this one small simple test humans could be impacting things millions of miles away.
A galactic butterfly effect. We are truly a dangerous species.

a reply to: randomthoughts12

Personally I wish they focused more on our oceans.

me too!

The tech that allows us to operate in space has gifted humanity. Who knows what the tech to withstand immense ocean pressures would bring.

I've always believed that an answer to our energy problems can probably be found in learning more about the oceans. All that water constantly moving generates massive amounts of energy. From our prospective it's infinite.

originally posted by: Spacespider
Someone call NASA to postpone it 10 hours so I can watch in in daytime here in EU please

They have to do this when the Hollywood studio set is fully staffed. The union won't let the animators work after 7pm.

Mission accomplished!!

twitter.com...

Well it impacted perfectly... pretty cool watching the camera image of the rocky asteroid

originally posted by: scraedtosleep
a reply to: randomthoughts12

Never thought of that. But now that you bring it up i'm real interested in learning.

I have a feeling that they have calculated where they think the asteroid will go after impact. So i don't have any worries about our solar system. They might be trying to aim it into the sun. But if there're not, just think about where this asteroid will go once it leaves our system. what will it impact that it otherwise would not have? it's awesome to think that with this one small simple test humans could be impacting things millions of miles away.
A galactic butterfly effect. We are truly a dangerous species.

This isn't galactic pinball, the pair of asteroids aren't leaving orbit, IIRC In 2123, it will come to within 3.6 million miles of our planet. They just altered its orbit minutely less than 1 percent.

One thing I'm wondering about, is how would this impact the, erm... imact if the asteroid is a rubble pile (a bunch of rocks and dust very weakly held together by gravity). I think the result would be quite different from if this asteroid were a solid object.

a reply to: putnam6

The “way to make money” would be to push an asteroid into an accessible orbit to mine it for raw materials (to build a space platform or craft or starship..)

Now, all we have to do is wait to see if this head on collision will change the orbit in anyway.

(Sings: ) The waiting is the hardest part…