The US space agency, NASA, is preparing to launch a spacecraft that aims to test the first defense system for the planet, as it will change the course of any asteroid or object that may approach Earth too close.
NASA has succeeded in completing the first experimental mission in the “Planetary Defense” project, where its “DART” spacecraft targeted the small rocky asteroid “Demorphos” despite its path not colliding with Earth.
On this matter, Andrea Riley, Executive Director of NASA, said: “As you know this test is just part of a whole, we are constantly looking in the sky for new potential asteroids and threats, and this test came to give us confidence that we have a strategy in case any threat is identified in any time”.
Dart missions
Although this scenario is more like a science fiction movie, there are objects close to Earth that may be of sufficient size to damage its surface.
In this regard, the Planetary Defense is preparing to redirect objects near our planet with a collision course, to reorganize the orbit of the asteroids to ensure that they cross the Earth’s path to be at a safe distance from it.
By the time you reach about 20 seconds before impact, the objects can move very quickly, explains Elena Adams, a NASA engineer.
So, the US agency wants Dart’s job to be to get one picture in the last 20 seconds, Adams said.
NASA also plans to implement a practical experiment soon to remove the asteroid, to test the theoretical studies of NASA, which confirm that the loss of a small asteroid as a result of this collision is possible.
realistic risks?
From Los Angeles, NASA space engineer Louay El-Bassiouni believes that these fears are valid because there is a real danger of space objects colliding with Earth, as during the past years the world witnessed the fall of an asteroid on Russia, although no significant damage was recorded.
But if the size of the asteroid exceeds a certain size, it could affect the Earth and cause great damage, he said, “In the history of the Earth, asteroids collided with the Earth and caused mass destruction.”
In this context, Bassiouni points out that he believes that one of these collisions was a major cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Therefore, NASA is conducting studies to find out its ability to change the course of asteroids, to determine whether in the future it can use this idea to protect the planet from any unwanted approach.
Does the space defense system affect our planet?
On the other hand, the space engineer at NASA does not see that there are any negatives that may be reflected on the planet of Dart’s experiments with regard to this mission, stressing that there are many collisions in space that do not affect our planet.
The weight of “Dart” is 500 kilograms, while the average weight of ordinary asteroids is approximately 5 billion kilograms, which excludes the hypothesis of any serious impact.