Arrr! NASA be playin' bumper boats with Dimorphos, makin' it change course and shape like a scallywag!
2024-03-20
Arr matey! NASA's fancy Double Asteroid Redirection Test ship be showin' that ye can indeed alter the course of a celestial object! And by thunder, the data be showin' that the test asteroid's shape be shiftin' too! Ahoy, the wonders of the cosmos!
Avast ye landlubbers! In the year 2022, NASA, bold as a pirate on the high seas, sent its mighty DART spacecraft to collide with the asteroid Dimorphos. Arrr! This collision not only altered the path of the asteroid but transformed its shape from a plump ball to a watermelon-like triaxial ellipsoid. Aye, the scientists be sayin' that Dimorphos be a jumble of debris, easily deformed by the impact.The DART mission aimed to test the ability to change the course of celestial objects that may pose a threat to Earth. Fear not, for Dimorphos and its mother asteroid Didymos be no danger to our fair planet. The collision caused debris to fly into space, altering Dimorphos' orbit and orbital period.As the asteroid's orbit continued to change post-impact, scientists tracked its shape and distance from Didymos using ground-based telescopes and data from DART. The ESA's Hera spacecraft be set to venture forth in 2026 for further investigation.We await with bated breath the revelations Hera shall bring about the altered asteroids. 'Tis a tale of cosmic proportions, told by astronomers and spacefarers alike, as we sail the vast expanse of the universe in search of knowledge and adventure!