The DART spacecraft, which launched on Wednesday morning, is now hurtling towards an asteroid at 15,000 miles per hour where it is due to arrive in late 2022.
arrives at its target asteroid in September or October, 2022, it will have traveled 6.8 million miles from Earth.
This won't make any difference to life on Earth as the asteroid isn't heading towards us. But it will tell scientists whether it is possible to knock an asteroid off course if needed. The DART spacecraft will travel using a solar-powered electric thruster. Known as the NEXT-C ion propulsion system, it is fueled by xenon and works by accelerating ions into jets that are directed out of the back of the spacecraft.
The DART spacecraft forms a box shape that is 3.9 by 4.3 by 4.3 feet in size, though it also has other parts attached to it. The solar panels, for instance, are 27.9 feet long.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
NASA, SpaceX Launch DART: First Test Mission to Defend Planet EarthNASA’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 Wednesday at 1:21 a.m. EST on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Lire la suite »
Jaxson Dart to remain USC's starting quarterback against BYUUSC will stick with freshman Jaxson Dart at quarterback against BYU on Saturday at the Coliseum.
Lire la suite »
Watch live as NASA launches DART mission to smash into asteroidThe spacecraft will launch on Wednesday before hurtling into a space rock at 15,000 miles per hour in 2022 to test Earth's asteroid defences.
Lire la suite »
Watch live as NASA launches DART mission to smash into asteroidThe spacecraft will launch on Wednesday before hurtling into a space rock at 15,000 miles per hour in 2022 to test Earth's asteroid defences.
Lire la suite »
NASA to launch first mission to test asteroid deflectionIf an asteroid is hurtling toward Earth, can humanity be saved not with a bang, but with a nudge? NASA is poised to find out with a first-of-its-kind mission.
Lire la suite »
‘Armageddon’ Come True? When And Where To Watch Tonight As SpaceX Launches A NASA Spacecraft To Smash Into An AsteroidNASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission will evaluate a way of preventing a hazardous asteroid from striking Earth in future.
Lire la suite »