In scenes pulled straight from a science fiction film, NASA has slammed a spacecraft into an asteroid in an attempt to redirect it.
NASA’s DART spacecraft collided with moonlet Dimorphos around 12:16pm NZT today, 11 million kilometres from Earth.
This was the first time humanity has attempted to move a planetary body in the universe.
It was the first time humanity has attempted to move a planetary body in the universe. (Source: 1News)
Footage was sent back to earth in almost real time of the collision – a camera on the spacecraft sending back about one image a second – revealing incredible details of the target asteroid.
DART lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in November 2021.
Its mission was simple – to show that a spacecraft can autonomously navigate to a target asteroid and collide with it.
"DART is turning science fiction into science fact," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
"In addition to all the ways NASA studies our universe and our home planet, we’re also working to protect that home, and this test will help prove out one viable way to protect our planet from a hazardous asteroid should one ever be discovered that is headed toward Earth."
The asteroid targeted by DART, Dimorphos, is about 160 metres in diameter - about half the height of the Empire State Building and the rough size of a football stadium.
It collided with the asteroid at a speed of six kilometres a second - or 14,000 miles an hour.
NASA mission control could not communicate with the satellite for the final five minutes before impact.
Earth-based telescopes will now track the asteroid to see what impact the crash had on the asteroid’s orbit.
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