DART approaches Dimorphos and takes its first image

One of the threats that, since ancient times, has worried the human being, is that of the collision of an asteroid with our planet. And it is not an unfounded fear, really, from the mass extinction of the Cretaceous-Paleogene to the Tunguska Bolide, history already compiles a good number of events that go from controlled incidents to massive accidents, which remind us of the threat that, in any time, it can come from space.

Observation is a key factor for defense against this type of threat, and the good news is that the results of it, to date, are really reassuring. Although some media like to play with fear and clickbaitsqualifying as a threat meteoroids that will pass to, just2 or 3 million kilometers from our planet, the truth is that the risk of a celestial body colliding with our planet during the remainder of the century is practically non-existent.

Now, just because we have a good set of decades of calm in this regard, does not mean that we can ignore the problem. Quite the contrary, it is a threat against which the human being must prepare as far in advance as possible. And it is that in the longer term, we can be more prepared when, sooner or later, the threat materializes and it is necessary to repel it.

In this regard, we have already told you about the DART and HERA projects, from NASA and ESA respectively, one more example of the many collaborations that take place between space agencies, and which in this case pose the most complex test, up to moment, of a space defense system against meteorites and other space bodies. Since its launch in November last year, DART targets a system made up of two asteroids, Didymos, with a diameter of 780 meters, and Dymorphos, which, with its 160 meter diameter, orbits around Didymos. The plan is for DART to reach Dymorphos and crash with it on September 26, at a speed of 21,600 kilometers per hour. And today, when only a few weeks separate us from said event, NASA has published the first image of Didymos and Dymorphos captured by DART.

The objective of this mission is check if this impact is capable of causing a deviation in the original trajectory. A deviation that, even though it is tiny at its origin, can make a big difference in its trajectory. The result will be much more interesting, indeed, since it will tell us how a double asteroid system behaves when an external element affects the trajectory of one of them.

Shortly before the collision, DART will deploy a small satellite equipped with several cameras, which will take and transmit the first images of the effects of the impact on Dimorphos. However, the bulk of information on the effect of the impact will be provided by Hera, the spacecraft of the European Space Agencywhich will carry out high-resolution visual, laser and radio scientific mapping of the asteroid, in order to create detailed maps of its surface and interior structure.

Images: NASA