NASA announced the details of the plan to

NASA revealed details in a plan to attack a Moon-type asteroid in a dual-asteroid system by spacecraft in 2022.

NASA's DART (Asteroids Navigation Test) project aims to "knock out" an asteroid and divert its orbit in October 2022, to avoid the risk of asteroids hitting the Earth. Future.

DART's goal is a pair of "Didymoon" asteroids - including a 150-meter "Didymos B" asteroid that centers on a larger planet called " A Didymos" , the most accessible asteroid. from Earth.

Illustration depicting NASA's Earth observation satellite fleet.(Photo: NASA).

The DART spacecraft is designed to act on Didymoon's surface and create observable changes in its orbit. Expert Andy Rivkin, project leader, said: "The Didymos system is too small and too far to see clearly.

It's just like a bright spot, but we can get the data we need by measuring the brightness of that spotlight, which changed when Didymos A turned and followed the orbit of Didymos B ".

Until now, researchers have not been able to confirm the composition of the Didymoon asteroids: Is it made of solid rock, crushed stone or soft sand? In theory, a softer surface would absorb most of the impact force and could not be pushed as hard as when the spacecraft crashed into a harder surface.

DART will carry an optical navigation system to capture images that help this spacecraft reach its target. As planned, close-up images of the asteroid system will be recorded and sent to Earth via a photographic device manufactured by Italy.

This box-shaped satellite device will record the impact of the DART spacecraft and the result of the intentional collision between DART and Didymoon.

This 500-pound DART spacecraft is expected to be launched into orbit in July 2021, later than the expected launch date of December 2020. DART will stab the asteroid at about 6km / sec.

Although only a small effect, but large enough to make a significant change. The team estimated that the collision would change Didymoon's speed by about 0.4 mm / sec and lead to a 10-minute movement on the Moon's orbit.

The Didymos A asteroid was first observed in 1996, while its "Moon" - Didymos B was known in 2003, when the couple approached Earth at an extremely close distance (about 7, 18 million km).

According to scientists, if nothing were to work, the asteroid couple would threaten the Earth at a closer distance by 2123 (only 5.9 million km), then continue to cross Mars. with a distance of only 4.69 million km in 2144.