SnooSprouts1590 t1_jakg4g5 wrote
Reply to comment by zeeblecroid in NASA’s DART data validates kinetic impact as planetary defense method | DART altered the orbit of the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos by 33 minutes by mepper
But is it possible for something the same size as Dimorphos to hit earth?
MozeeToby t1_jakmmir wrote
Yes, that's why this mission was important. Let's say we see an asteroid this size a few orbits before it's going to collide with Earth. We could launch a mission similar to this DART impactor and change the asteroid's orbit by 30 minutes per orbit.
That may not seem like much, but if it's still 2 orbits before impact that's an hour difference. The asteroid now misses Earth by about 60,000 km.
mfb- t1_jal2tc5 wrote
It's 30 minutes difference in the orbit around Didymos, an orbital motion with a tiny orbital velocity (~18 cm/s). The impact changed the velocity by around 1 cm/s. Over 2 years and for a free-flying asteroid that accumulates to 600 km in the best case. We would need a larger impactor (or many) for this scenario.
identicles t1_jalgvcc wrote
Which, as a casual observer, doesn’t seem unreasonable if the fate of civilization is on the line. (This comment is aware of the the impending doom of man-made climate change. Only thinking about the ability of the global community's ability to potentially mobilize around a less-abstract threat to our existence)
mfb- t1_jalosan wrote
Something the size of Dimorphos can produce regional devastation but it's not a global threat.
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