Nasa names asteroid it will use as target practice to keep planet safe from impact
Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Dimorphos, which means ‘two forms,’ reflects the status of this object as the first celestial body to have the ‘form’ of its orbit significantly changed by humanity — in this case, by the DART impact,” said planetary scientist Kleomenis Tsiganis, who suggested the name. “As such, it will be the first object to be known to humans by two, very different forms, the one seen by DART before impact and the other seen by the European Space Agency’s Hera, a few years later.” “Hera” is the mission that will be undertaken by ESA a few years after impact, in order to assess DART’s effects. DART is the first mission developed by Nasa’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office to protect the Earth from potentially hazardous asteroids and comets. “Potentially hazardous asteroids are a global concern, and we are excited to be working with our Italian and European colleagues to collect the most accurate data possible from this kinetic impact deflection demonstration,” said Andrea Riley, DART Program Executive at NASA Headquarters.
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