A UCLA-led study of NASA’s DART mission determined that the strategy presents previously unanticipated risks.

Planetary defense test deflected an asteroid but unleashed a boulder swarm::A UCLA-led study of NASA’s DART mission determined that the strategy presents previously unanticipated risks.

Madrigal
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251Y

So the thing that was meant to be a learning experience turned out to be a learning experience?

@freecandy@lemmy.world
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41Y

Pretty cool they were able to measure the change in velocity of an object 6 million miles away with millmeter/second resolution. Not cool that it only slowed down a few mm/second though

@Thorndike@lemmy.world
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71Y

Actually, a few mm/sec is quite a lot. That could easily be more than enough to deflect an asteroid from hitting earth. That few mm/sec will accumulate over the time it takes the asteroid to travel six million miles.

@freecandy@lemmy.world
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1Y

Well you would need the vector to predict that not just the speed (which they likely have, didn’t see it in the article), but pretty cool nonetheless

@Skyrmir@lemmy.world
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21Y

Sounds like the gravity tug or thruster methods might end up being the better solution.

@dustyData@lemmy.world
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101Y

Unanticipated? I’m sure I can pull out a very serious and scientific simulation that predicted this exact event from 1979. It’s called Asteroids I think.

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