In a case of life imitating art, NASA is spending $330 million to crash a rocket into an asteroid to see if they can be knocked off course, and demonstrate to the world it has a way of deflecting an asteroid from a potential doomsday meeting with Earth.
NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), the world’s first full-scale mission to test technology for defending Earth against potential asteroid or comet hazards, launched on Wednesday on an Elon Musk-owned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The goal is to slightly change the asteroid’s motion in a way that can be accurately measured using ground-based telescopes and hopefully show a spacecraft can autonomously navigate to a target asteroid and intentionally collide with it – a method of deflection called kinetic impact.
The test will provide important data to help better prepare for an asteroid that might pose an impact hazard to Earth, should one ever be discovered, said NASA’s statement.
“DART is turning science fiction into science fact and is a testament to NASA’s proactivity and innovation for the benefit of all,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Regardless, let’s hope it remains fiction – and we won’t need to call on Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck.
