{"id":19994,"date":"2023-03-01T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ieec.cat\/the-collision-of-the-dart-probe-with-the-asteroid-dimorphos-resulted-in-the-ejection-of-more-than-five-million-kilos-of-material\/"},"modified":"2023-03-01T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T16:00:00","slug":"the-collision-of-the-dart-probe-with-the-asteroid-dimorphos-resulted-in-the-ejection-of-more-than-five-million-kilos-of-material","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ieec.cat\/en\/the-collision-of-the-dart-probe-with-the-asteroid-dimorphos-resulted-in-the-ejection-of-more-than-five-million-kilos-of-material\/","title":{"rendered":"The collision of the DART probe with the asteroid Dimorphos resulted in the ejection of more than five million kilos of material"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” height=”114px” background_color=”” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ title_text=”” background_image=”\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/slider-corpo2.jpg”][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” _dynamic_attributes=”content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90aXRsZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IjxoMSBjbGFzcz1cImVudHJ5X3RpdGxlXCI+IiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiI8L2gxPiJ9fQ==@[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” _dynamic_attributes=”content” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9kYXRlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJkYXRlX2Zvcm1hdCI6ImN1c3RvbSIsImN1c3RvbV9kYXRlX2Zvcm1hdCI6IlktbS1kIEg6aTpzIn19@[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” top_divider_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” top_divider_height=”0px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row column_structure=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.ieec.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1677681914_ef1d4eba1c77f54f75cf927a6d38dea1_dimorphos.jpeg” alt=”The collision of the DART probe with the asteroid Dimorphos resulted in the ejection of more than five million kilos of material” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” title_text=”PR_Image1.png” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ width=”600px” module_alignment=”center”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]The impact of the first planetary defence proof-of-concept mission altered the asteroid's orbit around its companion Didymos and caused the formation of a crater<\/strong><\/p>\n

The IEEC has participated in the first analyses of this NASA mission<\/strong><\/p>\n

DART has demonstrated great potential for active planetary defence against asteroid impact hazards<\/strong><\/p>\n

On 27 September 2022, NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission collided with its target, the asteroid Dimorphos, and changed its orbit. It was the first planetary defence test mission designed to change the course of an asteroid and its success was followed by intensive analysis of the collision<\/strong>, including study of the tonnes of rock that were displaced and hurled into space. The results of these analyses are published today in four papers in Nature, which involved teams from the <\/span>Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia<\/u><\/a> (IEEC — Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya) at the <\/span>Institute of Space Sciences<\/u><\/a> (ICE-CSIC), as well as from the <\/span>Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía<\/u><\/a> (IAA-CSIC).<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>DART mission<\/u><\/a> sought to demonstrate the usefulness of the kinetic impact method for deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids without using explosive charges<\/strong>. Its target was the Dimorphos satellite, about 160 metres in diameter, which orbits the asteroid Didymos (780 metres in diameter), forming a binary system. The impact of the spacecraft deflected the orbit of Dimorphos and shortened its translation period with respect to Didymos by more than half an hour, which was a success for the project.<\/span><\/p>\n

Josep Maria Trigo<\/strong>, IEEC researcher at ICE-CSIC, has studied and interpreted the images of Dimorphos obtained by the Draco camera on board DART and also from the Italian probe <\/span>LICIACube<\/u><\/a>, as well as the effects produced in the environment of the binary system before and after the impact. The ICE-CSIC team's specialisation in the chondritic meteorites that make up these asteroids has made it possible to improve the interpretation of the processes occurring in them. The researcher has also contributed to the quantification of the impulse factor produced by the DART collision, the so-called beta factor, participating in three of the four articles published by Nature.<\/span><\/p>\n

"Through these images we have seen the effects caused by the impact of DART, since for several weeks the measurements of the period of revolution of Dimorphos were hindered by the enormous amount of dust emitted from the crater left by DART. We cannot forget that Dimorphos is highly fractured by colossal impacts and appears to have a fragile rubble-pile structure," says Trigo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scientists have found that a probe like DART has great potential to be effective. "Humanity now has a plan in case it discovers an asteroid on a direct collision path with Earth. In fact, we could say that DART has ushered in a new era of active planetary defence against the danger of asteroid impact," explains Trigo.<\/span><\/p>\n