We will hit the asteroid to change its course”: NASA announcement causes panic

It’s not the title of the upcoming hollywood horrific movie, There is an asteroid traveling near the planet Earth. NASA’s Dart mission aims to divert the course of the asteroid Demorphos. But this first mission will only be a test to see if this approach can deflect anything dangerous to our planet.

The Falcon 9 rocket from Space X will accomplish this feat. The launch took place on November 24, 2021. The rocket will reach the asteroid on September 27, at 01.14 Italian time, and will land at a speed of about 24 thousand kilometers per hour, trying to change its course.

On board the car there is also The Italian Small Satellite LiciaCube of the Italian Space Agency (ASI)which will be fired before the effect to be photographed.

Elon Musk will save us

Falcon 9 has traveled about 11 million kilometers to reach a binary system consisting of two asteroids. the biggest, Didymus has a diameter of 780 metersWhile Dimorphoswho revolves around his older brother, It has a diameter of 160 meters. To get an idea of ​​the size, the diameter of the object that exploded in 2013 over Chelyabinsk, Russia, was only 18 meters.

Since the two asteroids orbit each other, it will be easy to see if the impact of the Space-X spacecraft has successfully altered Demorphos’ orbit.

To check the mission’s effects and study their effects in detail, the two asteroids will also be joined by another space mission. there European Space Agency (ESA) HERA missionIn about 4 years it will reach the asteroid Falcon 9 impact data reported.

The importance of space research and missions

These missions are extremely important to both NASA scientists and the future of our planet. The presence of celestial bodies in space of such dimensions poses a threat to the safety of our planet and the preservation of life as we know it.

The success of these missions can prove to us The ability to defend ourselves from dangers from space. Without considering that we have an intermittent need for data and computations, only thanks to these missions will we be able to understand the paths and orbits and prepare to save the planet in the future.

Finally: Let’s not worry, NASA announces its willingness to change the course of the giant asteroid. To further reassure you, know that the orbit is very far from our planet and that we are not in danger!