The U.S. area company NASA has launched a spacecraft on a mission to check the power to knock an asteroid off a doubtlessly dangerous collision course with Earth.
The Double Asteroid Redirection Take a look at, or DART, will take 10 months to succeed in the asteroid Dimorphos earlier than slamming into it at 24,000 kilometers per hour.
Dimorphos doesn’t pose any hazard to Earth, however offers scientists a strategy to study the idea of shifting a doubtlessly dangerous object far sufficient and early sufficient off its course in order that it flies previous Earth.
The DART spacecraft is in regards to the measurement of a small automobile and carries a briefcase-sized craft that will probably be deployed shortly earlier than the affect to file video of the occasion.
NASA says the mission prices about $330 million.
Some data for this report got here from the Related Press and Reuters.