DART

Discussion in 'Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology' started by Michael 345, Sep 13, 2022.

  1. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    DART
    For Double Asteroid Redirection Test

    https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/dart/dart-news

    This is a plan by NASA to
    • crash a space probe into a astroid
    • measure how much the crash deflects the astroid
    • then if / when an asteroid threatens Earth
    • calculate if a space probe could neutralise the threat
    DART is self navigating to the astroid and will be sending back images until the crash. NASA will be broadcasting this live in about 2 weeks when the event is due to happen

    DART has a hanger-on
    • LICIACube
    • which will be released
    • before impact and
    • become a following space probe which will
    • hang back
    • broadcasting back the result of DART's impact
    All this for only $313.9 million

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  3. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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  5. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    Kamikaze space probe.
     
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  7. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    If the technique is used in the future to save Earth I vote for a statue of DART be placed on the Moon

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  8. Yazata Valued Senior Member

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    They have to figure out something. Bruce Willis might not be available.

    Hopefully they broadcast it on nasa-live. They probably will.

    I'll definitely be watching.
     
  9. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    Yes they plan to. We have two weeks to stock up on snacks and drinks before the event (drum roll)

    NASA NOW PRESENTS TO YOU OUR $313.9 MILLION BUDGET FEATURE "DESTRUCTION OF DIDYMOS"

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  10. Yazata Valued Senior Member

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    NASA is going to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid! On purpose!!

    It happens today! Coverage spools up in about two hours from now, whatever time it is wherever you are!

    I'm going to be watching!

    https://dart.jhuapl.edu/

    Their main broadcast goes live at 3 PM PDT/6 PM EDT. I think that this one will feature all kind of scientific talking-heads

    [video=youtube]

    And I believe that this one is a raw feed from the DART spacecraft's onboard camera. It goes live at 2:30 PM PDT/5:30 PM EDT

    [video=youtube]

    The DART mission's asteroid-fighting crew

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    Last edited: Sep 26, 2022
  11. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Yep. I've had it in my calendar for a month. Looking forward to it.
    Thanks for the links.
     
  12. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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  13. Yazata Valued Senior Member

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    DaveC426913 and Quantum Quack like this.
  14. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    It will be interesting to get the data from LiciaCube for photos after the impact but I guess it will take weeks to download that data?
     
  15. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Yeah that last frame was great.
     
  16. parmalee peripatetic artisan Valued Senior Member

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    You're supposed to shoot them with laser beams, not crash into them.
     
  17. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    What would be wrong with dropping a payload of acid to eat down a little into the rock and follow with an explosive mix?

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  18. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    That's exactly what my son said to me!
     
  19. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    For one, no gravity. So no "down".

    Didymos is so small, it's likely not even a solid object. Just a bunch of boulders gently stuck together by its billionth-g gravity.
     
  20. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    Well take dropping to mean fire a container of acid from a compressed air contraption

    Didymos is so small, it's likely not even a solid object. Just a bunch of boulders gently stuck together by its billionth-g gravity.

    Even better for the acid to seep between the cracks before the explosive device fires

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  21. parmalee peripatetic artisan Valued Senior Member

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    Sounds like he might have a quite promising future in the aerospace industry.
     
  22. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    small
    The idea of blowing up an asteroid has been explored to-death.
    It is both unfeasible and dangerous.

    - It takes way too much energy - by orders of magnitude - to actually disintegrate and disperse such an object.
    - Any method more sophisticated than simply hitting the asteroid at high speed is prone to failure and unpredictable results.
    - Speaking of unpredictable results:
    - - What if it blows into two chunks, one (or both) are still aimed toward us?
    - - What if it blows into many chunks that miss us - but now we have to track them till the end of time lest they come back to haunt us?
    etc.
     
  23. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    I was going with your concept - Just a bunch of boulders gently stuck together by its billionth-g gravity.

    Unlikely if it is as you surmised it is
    Just a bunch of boulders gently stuck together by its billionth-g gravity.
    Then that would be no problem - mission accomplished
    Probably chunks to small to track BUT IF they come back to haunt us? would not small chunks burn up easier?

    The post impact photos hopefully will indicate what the actual effect of the
    impact had (but obviously not of any other speculative method)

    I would be most upset if it turns out we destroyed a nest of Tardigrades (alien version)

    Doubtful though since
    Didymos almost certainly did not have water

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