(UnitedVoice.com) – For more than 180 million years, dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Then about 66 million years ago, scientists believe an asteroid struck the planet, wiping them out. Now, NASA is preparing to see if they could prevent a similar catastrophe from happening in the future.
On October 3, NASA announced it was going to send a spacecraft above Earth to see if it could stop an asteroid from crashing into the planet if such a need arises. The mission sounds like the one carried out by Bruce Willis’ character in the 1998 film “Armageddon.”
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will be the first time the agency uses a large, high-speed spacecraft to fly into an asteroid’s path and possibly change its direction. The test is set to take place on November 23, a day before Thanksgiving.
☄️ #PlanetaryDefense at @NASA entails finding, tracking, and characterizing near-Earth #asteroids and objects. Here’s what we've found thus far. Our #DARTMission, launching this November, will also be our first test for planetary defense.
Learn more at https://t.co/1wL4ifObpp pic.twitter.com/8JryeeWQjG
— NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) October 1, 2021
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will be used in the test, which is the first of at least two. It’s scheduled to take off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. NASA also wants to test this technology in September 2022.
If successful, NASA scientists could protect the human population from suffering the same fate as the majestic creatures that used to roam the Earth 66 million years ago.
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