Astronauts Show How NASA’s DART Mission Will Change an Asteroid’s Motion in Space

NASA’s DART spacecraft will intentionally crash into an asteroid to test if impacting an object is a viable way to deflect an asteroid, should a threat ever be discovered in the future. Watch as NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet demonstrate how DART’s mission will work. Spoiler alert: it’s like a pillow fight in microgravity.

DART is a spacecraft designed to impact an asteroid as a test of technology. DART’s target asteroid is NOT a threat to Earth. This asteroid system is a perfect testing ground to see if intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid is an effective way to change its course, should an Earth-threatening asteroid be discovered in the future.

Credit: NASA
Editor: Jessica Wilde, NASA 360

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