航空宇宙局's asteroid deflection 実験(する) EXPLAINED: Space 機関 will 故意に 衝突,墜落 a 宇宙船 into space 激しく揺する at 15,000mph this month ? and the method could one day save Earth from a deadly 衝撃

  • The 二塁打 Asteroid Redirection 実験(する) (DART) was 開始する,打ち上げるd last year and 予定 to 攻撃する,衝突する asteroid on September 26
  • 航空宇宙局's first 'planetary defence' (手先の)技術 will try to deflect asteroid Dimorphos, which is 6.8 million miles from us
  • $325 million 使節団 may sound like the 陰謀(を企てる) of Hollywood blockbuster such as Armageddon or 深い 衝撃
  • But it could 証明する useful for altering the course of an asteroid years or 10年間s before it 耐えるs 負かす/撃墜する on Earth

宣伝

粉砕するing a 宇宙船 into an asteroid in a 企て,努力,提案 to throw it off course may evoke memories of a Hollywood 災害 movie such as?Armageddon or 深い 衝撃.

But this is definitely not fiction?― in fact, it's 航空宇宙局's ambitious planetary defence 実験(する) that if successful could one day 可能にする 保護するing Earth from a 壊滅的な 衝撃 from space.

It is the US space 機関's first ever 試みる/企てる at such a 使節団 and will 伴う/関わる a 宇宙船 衝突,墜落ing into?an asteroid 6.8 million miles from Earth at 15,000mph in two weeks' time.?

The 二塁打 Asteroid Redirection 実験(する) (DART) was 開始する,打ち上げるd last November ahead of an almost year-long?旅行 to 衝突,墜落 into the small asteroid Dimorphos, which 軌道s a larger one called Didymos.

Didymos and Dimorphos will make their closest approach to Earth in years in late September, passing at a distance of about 6.7 million miles (10.8 million kilometres) from the 惑星.

The 衝撃 is 予定 to take place on Monday, September 26 at 19:14 ET (00:14 BST) and can be watched live on 航空宇宙局 TV and the 機関's YouTube channel.??

Rome-based?事実上の Telescope 事業/計画(する)?has also teamed up with several o bservatories in South Africa and will be showing the 的 asteroid in real-time at the moment of the scheduled 衝撃.

The 活気/アニメーション and graphic below shows how the 使節団 will work, while MailOnline also explains the 実験(する)'s 目的 and how it compares to a couple of the more famous asteroid-関係のある 災害 movies.

Brace for impact: NASA's first ever 'planetary defence' spacecraft?? sent to deflect an asteroid 6.8 million miles from Earth?? is set to hit its target on Monday, September 26. The graphic above shows how the mission will work

を締める for 衝撃: 航空宇宙局's first ever 'planetary defence' 宇宙船?? sent to deflect an asteroid 6.8 million miles from Earth?? is 始める,決める to 攻撃する,衝突する its 的 on Monday, September 26. The graphic above shows how the 使節団 will work

The space
craft has captured images of its target double-asteroid system, which includes the asteroid it will crash into, called Dimorphos, the asteroid moonlet of Didymos

The 宇宙船 has 逮捕(する)d images of its 的 二塁打-asteroid system, which 含むs the asteroid it will 衝突,墜落 into, called Dimorphos, the asteroid moonlet of Didymos

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test was launched last November ahead of a year-long journey to crash into the small asteroid Dimorphos, which orbits a larger one called Didymos

The 二塁打 Asteroid Redirection 実験(する) was 開始する,打ち上げるd last Nov ember ahead of a year-long 旅行 to 衝突,墜落 into the small asteroid Dimorphos, which 軌道s a larger one called Didymos

WHAT IS THE 航空宇宙局 DART MISSION??

DART will be the world's first planetary defence 実験(する) 使節団.

It is 長,率いるing for the small moonlet asteroid Dimorphos, which 軌道s a larger companion asteroid called Didymos.

When it gets there it will be 故意に 衝突,墜落ing into the asteroid to わずかに change its 軌道.

While neither asteroid 提起する/ポーズをとるs a 脅し to Earth, DART's kinetic 衝撃 will 証明する that a 宇宙船 can autonomously navigate to a 的 asteroid and kinetically 衝撃 it.

Then, using Earth-based telescopes to 手段 the 影響s of the 衝撃 on the asteroid system, the 使節団 will 高める modelling and predictive 能力s to help us better 準備する for an actual asteroid 脅し should one ever be discovered.

宣伝

天文学者s say that anybody tuning it to watch the 衝撃 may 井戸/弁護士席 be able to 位置/汚点/見つけ出す changes in brightness of the asteroid as a result of the 衝突/不一致.

That's if it is successful, of course,?which wasn't やめる the 事例/患者 in 深い 衝撃.

The 1998?film 描写するs the 試みる/企てるs to 準備する for and destroy a 7-mile (11 km) wide asteroid that is 始める,決める to 衝突する/食い違う with Earth and 原因(となる) a 集まり 絶滅.

A team of 宇宙飛行士s are sent to land on the space 激しく揺する and 演習 核の 爆弾s 深い beneath its surface, but rather than deflect the asteroid, when they're 爆発させるd they only 分裂(する) it in two.

The smaller fragment goes on to 攻撃する,衝突する Earth,?creating a megatsunami that destroys much of the East Coast of the 部隊d 明言する/公表するs and also 攻撃する,衝突するs Europe and Africa, before the 宇宙船 and its 乗組員 that (軍隊を)展開する,配備するd the 核の 爆弾s sacrifice themselves by 衝突,墜落ing into the bigger 残余 of the asteroid and blowing it into smaller pieces.

It is the latter technique that 耐えるs a similarity to the real-life DART 使節団, although there won't be any 核の 爆弾s 伴う/関わるd.

Part of the 推論する/理由 is that when the?$325 million (£240 million) DART (手先の)技術 攻撃する,衝突するs Dimorphos, the 計画(する) is for it to change the 速度(を上げる) of the 'moonlet' by a fraction of a per cent, rather than obliterate it.

Although the 525ft-wide space 激しく揺する doesn't 提起する/ポーズをとる a danger to Earth, 航空宇宙局 wants to 手段 the asteroid's altered 軌道 原因(となる)d by the 衝突/不一致.

This demonstration of 'planetary defence' will 知らせる 未来 使節団s that could one day save Earth from a deadly asteroid 衝撃.

'This isn't going to destroy the asteroid. It's just going to give it a small 軽く押す/注意を引く,' said 使節団 公式の/役人 Nancy Chabot of Johns Hopkins 適用するd Physics 研究室/実験室, which is man 高齢化 the 事業/計画(する).

Dimorphos 完全にするs an 軌道 around Didymos every 11 hours and 55 minutes 'just like clockwork', she 追加するd.

DART's goal is a 衝突,墜落 that will slow Dimorphos 負かす/撃墜する and 原因(となる) it to 落ちる closer toward the bigger asteroid, shaving 10 minutes off its 軌道.?

The change in the 軌道の period will be 手段d by telescopes on Earth. The 最小限 change for the 使節団 to be considered a success is 73 seconds.

The DART technique could 証明する useful for altering the course of an asteroid years or 10年間s before it 耐えるs 負かす/撃墜する on Earth with the 可能性のある for 大災害, much like in the highest-甚だしい/12ダースing film of 1998,?Armageddon.

Starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler, の中で others, the movie sees 航空宇宙局 scientists discover they have 18 days before an asteroid the size of Texas 攻撃する,衝突するs Earth.??

They then 工夫する a 計画(する) to have a 深い 核心 oiler driller (Willis)?train a group of asteroids to 演習 a 穴を開ける into the space 激しく揺する so they can 爆発させる a 核の 爆弾 to 分裂(する) the asteroid in half?― the same idea as in 深い 衝撃, but not one at play with DART.

最終的に, Willis' character wants his own men to do the 職業, 含むing Affleck, and the former has to sacrifice himself to save the 惑星 by making sure the 爆弾 爆発させるs while the others make their escape on the スペースシャトル they travelled to the asteroid on.

Part of the problem for the fictional scientists in Michael Bay's film is that they only discovered the asteroid いっそう少なく than three weeks before it was 予定 to 攻撃する,衝突する Earth.?

In reality, 航空宇宙局 would know years in 前進する because it 監視するs such 脅しs. It considers any 近づく-Earth 反対する '潜在的に 危険な' if it comes within 0.05 天文学の 部隊s (4.6 million miles) and 対策 more than 460ft in 直径.

More than 27,000 近づく-Earth asteroids have been 目録d but 非,不,無 現在/一般に 提起する/ポーズをとる a danger to our 惑星.

This means that 押し進めるing a space 激しく揺する off course is more of a 可能性 for DART than it was in?Armageddon, where 核の 爆弾s had to be used to obliterate the 巨大(な) 反対する.?

Deep Impact (pictured)?depicts the attempts to prepare for and destroy a 7-mile (11 km) wide asteroid that is set to collide with Earth and cause a mass extinction. A team of astronauts are sent to land on the space rock and drill nuclear bombs deep beneath its surface, but rather than deflect the comet, when they're detonated they only split it in two. The smaller fragment goes on to hit Earth, creating a megatsunami

深い 衝撃 (pictured)?描写するs the 試みる/企てるs to 準備する for and destroy a 7-mile (11 km) wide asteroid that is 始める,決める to 衝突する/食い違う with Earth and 原因(となる) a 集まり 絶滅. A team of 宇宙飛行士s are sent to land on the space 激しく揺する and 演習 核の 爆弾s 深い beneath its surface, but rather than deflect the 惑星, when they're 爆発させるd they only 分裂(する) it in two. The smaller fragment goes on to 攻撃する,衝突する Earth, creating a megatsunami

Starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler, among others, Armageddon (pictured) sees NASA scientists discover they have 18 days before an asteroid the size of Texas hits Earth.?They then devise a plan to have a deep core oiler driller (Willis) train a group of asteroids to drill a hole into the space rock so they can detonate a nuclear bomb to split the asteroid in half ? the same idea as in Deep Impact, but not one at play with DART

Starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler, の中で others, Armageddon (pictured) sees 航空宇宙局 scientists discover they have 18 days before an asteroid the size of Texas 攻撃する,衝突するs Earth.?They then 工夫する a 計画(する) to have a 深い 核心 oiler driller (Willis) train a group of asteroids to 演習 a 穴を開ける into the space 激しく揺する so they can 爆発させる a 核の 爆弾 to 分裂(する) the asteroid in half ― the same idea as in 深い 衝撃, but not one at play with DART

With Dimorphos, a small 軽く押す/注意を引く 'would 追加する up to a big change in its 未来 position, and then the asteroid and the Earth wouldn't be on a 衝突/不一致 course,' 航空宇宙局 said.?

The US space 機関's Bobby Braun 追加するd during a マスコミ 要点説明 today: 'This 就任の planetary 実験(する) 使節団 示すs a major moment in human history.

'For the first time ever we will measurably change the 軌道 of a 天体 in the universe.

'Doing so has (疑いを)晴らす 利益s in 確実にするing humanity's ability to deflect a 可能性のある 脅すing asteroid in the 未来.'

Andrea Riley, DART programme (n)役員/(a)執行力のある at 航空宇宙局 HQ, said: 'The DART demonstration of 科学(工学)技術 to deflect an asteroid is one we believe is important to 行為/行う before there is an actual need.

'So while DART's 的 does not 提起する/ポーズをとる a 脅し to Earth, this 使節団 and demonstration will give planetary defence 専門家s more 信用/信任 that this is a viable mitigation technique should we ever discover [an asteroid that is].'?

An asteroid the size of Dimorphos could 原因(となる) a continent-wide 破壊 on Earth, while the 衝撃 of one the size of the larger Didymos would be felt 世界的な.

One of the main 推論する/理由s for the 使節団 is that although 天文学者s know in a lot about the 軌道s of most of the 26,115 現在/一般に known 近づく-Earth asteroids, they don't understand the 濃度/密度 of the 構成要素 the 激しく揺するs are made of.

This means they can only guess how the surface might behave upon 衝撃, such as from a 宇宙船.

Pictured is the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket which carried DART off the planet when it was launched in November 2021

Pictured is the SpaceX Falcon 9 ロケット/急騰する which carried DART off the 惑星 when it was 開始する,打ち上げるd in November 2021

DART will arrive at Dimorphos in two weeks' time, where it wil
l deliberately smash into the asteroid at speeds of 15,000mph

DART will arrive at Dimorphos in two weeks' time, where it will deliberately 粉砕する into the asteroid at 速度(を上げる)s of 15,000mph

DIMORPHOS AND DIDYMOS

Dimorphos 完全にするs an 軌道 around Didymos every 11 hours and 55 minutes. It was discovered in 1996 by the Spacewatch 調査する at Kitt 頂点(に達する).

The sub-kilometre asteroid is 分類するd as both a 潜在的に 危険な asteroid and a 近づく-Earth 反対する.

軌道ing Didymos is a 'moonlet' called Dimorphos, which was 設立する in 2003.??

宣伝

'Asteroids are 複雑にするd, they look different, they've got 玉石s, they've got rocky paths, they've got smooth parts,' Chabot said.?

'And so how 正確に/まさに the DART 宇宙船 interacts with a real asteroid of this size and where it 攻撃する,衝突するs is one of the main factors for those models and also how that asteroid is put together.?

'We know a lot of asteroids are maybe like がれき piles.'

Scientists 絶えず search for asteroids and 陰謀(を企てる) their courses to 決定する whether they could 攻撃する,衝突する the 惑星.

'Although there isn't a 現在/一般に known asteroid that's on an 衝撃 course with the Earth, we do know that there is a large 全住民 of 近づく-Earth asteroids out there,' said Lindley Johnson, 航空宇宙局's Planetary 弁護 Officer.

'The 重要な to planetary defence is finding them 井戸/弁護士席 before they are an 衝撃 脅し.

'We don't want to be in a 状況/情勢 where an asteroid is 長,率いるd に向かって Earth and then have to 実験(する) this 能力.'

航空宇宙局 is 的ing the 衝撃 to be as nearly 長,率いる-on as possible 'to 原因(となる) the biggest deflection', but the 1,210lb 宇宙船 will not 'destroy' the asteroid.???

When DART 宇宙船 粉砕するs into Dimorphos it will also have a 証言,証人/目撃する in the form of an Italian cubesat called LICIACube, or the Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids.

This is a 31lb (14 kg) micro-衛星 that has hitched a ride on DART to the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system, before 存在 (軍隊を)展開する,配備するd yesterday to give it 15 days to assume a 安全な position to 観察する the 宇宙船's 衝突/不一致.

'LICIACube will be 解放(する)d from the dispenser on one of DART's 外部の パネル盤s, and will be guided (ブレーキing and 回転/交替ing) to start its 自治権のある 旅行 toward Dimo rphos,' Elena Mazzotta Epifani, an 天文学者 at Italy's 国家の 学校/設ける for Astrophysics (INAF) and a co-捜査官/調査官 on the LICIACube 使節団, told Space.com.?

'The cubesat will point its cameras toward the asteroid system, but also to DART, and will probably take some pictures of it.'

She 追加するd: 'Together, DART and LICIACube will analyse for the first time and with high 詳細(に述べる) the physical 所有物/資産/財産s of a binary 近づく-Earth asteroid, 許すing us to 調査/捜査する its nature and have hints on its 形式 and 進化.

'LICIACube will 得る 多重の images of the ejecta plume produced by the 衝撃 itself, of the DART 衝撃 [噴火口,クレーター] size, 同様に as the 非,不,無-衝撃 半球 to help us to 熟考する/考慮する the size and morphology of the 噴火口,クレーター and the 影響s on the surface 所有物/資産/財産s in the surroundings.'

Both Didymos and the smaller Dimorphos were discovered 比較して recently; Didymos in 1996 and the smaller Dimorphos in 2003.

The year it was discovered, Dimorphos (機の)カム within 3.7 million miles of Earth ― 15 times さらに先に away than the moon.

DEFLECTING AN ASTEROID WOULD REQUIRE 'MULTIPLE BUMPS', STUDY SAYS

Deflecting an asteroid such as Bennu, which has a small chance of hitting Earth in about a century and a half, could 要求する 多重の small 衝撃s from some sort of 大規模な human-made deflection 装置, によれば 専門家s.

Scientists in California have been 解雇する/砲火/射撃ing 発射物s at meteorites to ふりをする the best methods of altering the course of an asteroid so that it wouldn't 攻撃する,衝突する Earth.?

によれば the results so far, an asteroid like?Bennu that is rich in 炭素 could need several small bumps to 告発(する),告訴(する)/料金 its course.

Bennu, which is about a third of a mile wide, has a わずかに greater chance of hitting Earth than 以前 thought, 航空宇宙局 明らかにする/漏らすd earlier this month.

The space 機関?昇格d the 危険 of Bennu 衝撃ing Earth at some point over the next 300 years to one in 1,750.

Bennu also has a one-in-2,700 chance of hitting Earth on the afternoon of September 24, 2182, によれば the?航空宇宙局 熟考する/考慮する.??

Scientists have been 本気で considering how to stop an asteroid from ever hitting Earth since the 1960s, but previous approaches have 一般に 伴う/関わるd theories on how to blow the cosmic 反対する into thousands of pieces.

The problem w ith this is these pieces could 潜在的に zoom に向かって Earth and 現在の almost as dangerous and humanity-脅すing an 問題/発行する as the 初めの asteroid.?

A more 最近の approach, called kinetic 衝撃 deflection (KID), 伴う/関わるs 解雇する/砲火/射撃ing something into space that more gently bumps the asteroid off course, away from Earth, while keeping it 損なわれていない.?

最近の KID 成果/努力s were 輪郭(を描く)d?at the 84th 年次の 会合 of the Meteoritical Society held in Chicago this month and led by Dr George Flynn, a physicist at 明言する/公表する University of New York, Plattsburgh.??

'You might have to use 多重の 衝撃s,' Dr Flynn said in conversation with The New York Times. 'It [Bennu] may barely 行方不明になる, but barely 行方不明の is enough.'

研究員s have been working at 航空宇宙局's Ames Vertical Gun 範囲, built in the 1960s during the Apollo 時代 and based at Moffett 連邦の 離着陸場 in California's Silicon Valley, for the 最近の KID 実験s.

They 解雇する/砲火/射撃d small, spherical アルミ 発射物s at meteorites 一時停止するd by pieces of nylon string.

The team used 32 meteorites ? which are fragments of asteroids that have fallen to Earth from space ? that were mostly 購入(する)d from 私的な 売買業者s.?

The 実験(する)s have 許すd them to work out at what point 勢い from a human-made 反対する 解雇する/砲火/射撃d に向かって an asteroid turns it into thousands of fragments, rather than knocking it off course as 願望(する)d.?

'If you break it into pieces, some of those pi eces may still be on a 衝突/不一致 course with Earth,' Dr Flynn said.?

Carbonaceous chondrite (C-type) asteroids, such as?Bennu, are?the most ありふれた in the solar system.?

They are darker than other asteroids 予定 to the presence of 炭素 and are some of the most 古代の 反対するs in the solar system ? dating 支援する to its birth.?

によれば the findings from 実験s at AVGR, the type of asteroid 存在 的d (and how much 炭素 it has in it) may dictate how much?勢い would be directed at it from any human-made KID 装置.???

From the 実験s, the 研究員s 設立する C-type meteorites could withstand only about one-sixth of the 勢い that the other chondrites could withstand before 粉々にするing.?

'[C-type] asteroids are much more difficult to deflect without disruption than ordinary chondrite asteroids,' the 専門家s 結論するd.??

'These results 示す 多重の 連続する 衝撃s may be 要求するd to deflect rather than 混乱に陥れる/中断させる asteroids, 特に carbonaceous asteroids.'

Therefore, around 160 years in the 未来 ? when Bennu is most likely to 衝突する/食い違う with Earth, によれば 航空宇宙局 ? a KID 装置 would have to give it a 一連の gentle 軽く押す/注意を引くs to 妨げる it from breaking up and sending dangerous 後援 fragments 飛行機で行くing に向かって Earth.

航空宇宙局's 最近の 熟考する/考慮する about Bennu, published in the 定期刊行物 Icarus, did point out?there is more than a 99.9 per cent probability Bennu will not?粉砕する into Earth over the next three centuries.?

'Although the chances of it hitting Earth are very low, Bennu remains one of the two most 危険な known asteroids in our solar system, along with another asteroid called 1950 DA,' 航空宇宙局 said in a 声明.?????

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