"When NASA crashed a spacecraft into the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in 2022, it altered both Dimorphos' orbit around its parent asteroid, Didymos, and the two objects' orbit around the sun, according to new research. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said in a press release that this 'marks the first time a human-made object has measurably altered the path of a celestial body around the Sun.'"
"In a follow-up study published in 2024, a team at NASA's JPL reported that Dimorphos' orbital period had been trimmed by about 33 minutes, as its path was nudged roughly 120 feet closer to Didymos than before. The latest study now indicates that the whole binary system was affected, not just Dimorphos."
"Didymos and Dimorphos have a 770-day orbital period around the sun, which lead author Rahil Makadia said has been changed by 'about 11.7 microns per second, or 1.7 inches per hour.' That might not sound like much, but according to Makadia, 'Over time, such a small change in an asteroid's motion can make the difference between a hazardous object hitting or missing our planet.'"
NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission in 2022 successfully demonstrated planetary defense by crashing a spacecraft into Dimorphos, a 560-foot moonlet orbiting the larger asteroid Didymos. Initial analysis showed the collision shortened Dimorphos' orbit around Didymos by 33 minutes. New research reveals the impact affected the entire binary system's trajectory around the sun, changing their orbital velocity by approximately 11.7 microns per second or 1.7 inches per hour. This represents the first time a human-made object has measurably altered a celestial body's path around the sun, providing crucial evidence that small velocity changes could eventually prevent hazardous asteroids from impacting Earth.
Read at Engadget
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