NASA is gearing up to launch its inaugural planetary defense test mission, known as the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). This innovative spacecraft is set for lift-off onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This groundbreaking venture aims to pioneer a new technology that could potentially safeguard our planet against an asteroid on collision course with Earth. The plan envisages crashing the spacecraft into an asteroid to alter its course.
Purpose of the DART Mission
The primary goal of the DART mission is to trial new technology in preparation for any future scenario where an asteroid might be hurtling towards Earth. The mission’s purpose involves testing a novel technique that would enable a spacecraft to crash into an asteroid and subsequently divert its trajectory. Once the spacecraft collides with the asteroid, scientists across the globe will scrutinize the impact’s effect on the celestial object’s path through a network of strategically positioned telescopes. This mission represents the first practical application of the kinetic impactor technique in altering an asteroid’s motion in space.
The target that DART has in its sights is a small moonlet named Dimorphos (meaning ‘two forms’ in Greek). This moonlet orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos (Greek for ‘twin’). However, despite the significance of its task, DART is not designed to survive this mission. It is expected to disintegrate upon impact, which is forecast to occur between September 26th and October 1st, 2022.
Features of the DART Mission
DART is a relatively low-cost spacecraft equipped with two solar arrays and employing hydrazine propellant to control its movement. The spacecraft also contains around 10 kilograms of Xenon gas, primarily destined for testing NASA’s cutting-edge thrusters, known as the NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster–Commercial (NEXT-C) in outer space.
This revolutionary NEXT-C gridded ion thruster system combines superior performance with spacecraft integration capabilities, making it an ideal choice for deep space robotic missions.
Onboard Technologies
The DART spacecraft also boasts a high-resolution imager known as Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical Navigation (DRACO). DRACO will beam back real-time images to Earth, allowing researchers to closely examine the impact site on the surface of Dimorphos.
In addition to DRACO, DART carries a small satellite or CubeSat named LICIACube (Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids). The tiny CubeSat is designed to photograph the impact and the resultant crater formed by the collision.
Why Was Dimorphos Chosen?
Didymos presents as an ideal system for this test mission due to its status as an eclipsing binary. This means it has a moonlet – in this case, Dimorphos – that orbits the asteroid regularly and can be observed as it transits in front of the primary asteroid. Scientists will utilize Earth-based telescopes to study variations in brightness to determine the orbital period of Dimorphos around Didymos.
This pioneering venture marks a significant step forward in humankind’s efforts to protect our planet from potential asteroid impacts. As we wait to see the DART mission unfold, it stands as a testament to technological advances and our ever-growing understanding of the universe.