WASHINGTON, D.C. — NASA confirmed this week that they successfully changed the course of an asteroid.
The project, called D.A.R.T (Double Asteroid Redirection Test), changed the course trajectory of the asteroid Dimorphos.
On September 26, NASA crashed a spacecraft into the asteroid’s surface, causing its orbit around the larger Didymos asteroid to shorten by 32 minutes.
NASA officials deemed the mission a success.
“All of us have a responsibility to protect our home planet. After all, it’s the only one we have,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “This mission shows that NASA is trying to be ready for whatever the universe throws at us. NASA has proven we are serious as a defender of the planet. This is a watershed moment for planetary defense and all of humanity, demonstrating commitment from NASA’s exceptional team and partners from around the world.”
This project is the first undertaking in human history to change the course of a celestial object.
“This result is one important step toward understanding the full effect of DART’s impact with its target asteroid,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “As new data come in each day, astronomers will be able to better assess whether, and how, a mission like DART could be used in the future to help protect Earth from a collision with an asteroid if we ever discover one headed our way.”