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UPDATE 27/09/2022: The collision went well. The scientists are satisfied. The images are really impressive and of good quality.
Tonight (around 23:30 Paris time), NASA will crash a probe on an asteroid. The space probe will reach a speed of 22000 km per hour and collide with a small asteroid named Dymorphos orbiting a larger asteroid named Didynos.
Why carry out this space collision experiment?
This collision will allow scientists to understand how it is possible to divert an asteroid from its trajectory. Indeed, if one day an asteroid threatens to meet the Earth, it can be interesting to anticipate and try to divert it. A camera will be dropped a little before the impact to film the collision. The images will be broadcast by NASA. Scientists will then be able to study the effects of the impact on the asteroid’s orbit.
Hopefully everything goes according to plan ;).
Categorised in: Astronomy
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