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Daly RT, Ernst CM, Barnouin OS, Chabot NL, Rivkin AS, Cheng AF, Adams EY, Agrusa HF, Abel ED, Alford AL, Asphaug EI, Atchison JA, Badger AR, Baki P, Ballouz RL, Bekker DL, Bellerose J, Bhaskaran S, Buratti BJ, Cambioni S, Chen MH, Chesley SR, Chiu G, Collins GS, Cox MW, DeCoster ME, Ericksen PS, Espiritu RC, Faber AS, Farnham TL, Ferrari F, Fletcher ZJ, Gaskell RW, Graninger DM, Haque MA, Harrington-Duff PA, Hefter S, Herreros I, Hirabayashi M, Huang PM, Hsieh SYW, Jacobson SA, Jenkins SN, Jensenius MA, John JW, Jutzi M, Kohout T, Krueger TO, Laipert FE, Lopez NR, Luther R, Lucchetti A, Mages DM, Marchi S, Martin AC, McQuaide ME, Michel P, Moskovitz NA, Murphy IW, Murdoch N, Naidu SP, Nair H, Nolan MC, Ormö J, Pajola M, Palmer EE, Peachey JM, Pravec P, Raducan SD, Ramesh KT, Ramirez JR, Reynolds EL, Richman JE, Robin CQ, Rodriguez LM, Roufberg LM, Rush BP, Sawyer CA, Scheeres DJ, Scheirich P, Schwartz SR, Shannon MP, Shapiro BN, Shearer CE, Smith EJ, Steele RJ, Steckloff JK, Stickle AM, Sunshine JM, Superfin EA, Tarzi ZB, Thomas CA, Thomas JR, Trigo-Rodríguez JM, Tropf BT, Vaughan AT, Velez D, Waller CD, Wilson DS, Wortman KA, Zhang Y. Successful kinetic impact into an asteroid for planetary defence. Nature 2023; 616:443-447. [PMID: 36858073 PMCID: PMC10115643 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05810-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Although no known asteroid poses a threat to Earth for at least the next century, the catalogue of near-Earth asteroids is incomplete for objects whose impacts would produce regional devastation1,2. Several approaches have been proposed to potentially prevent an asteroid impact with Earth by deflecting or disrupting an asteroid1-3. A test of kinetic impact technology was identified as the highest-priority space mission related to asteroid mitigation1. NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is a full-scale test of kinetic impact technology. The mission's target asteroid was Dimorphos, the secondary member of the S-type binary near-Earth asteroid (65803) Didymos. This binary asteroid system was chosen to enable ground-based telescopes to quantify the asteroid deflection caused by the impact of the DART spacecraft4. Although past missions have utilized impactors to investigate the properties of small bodies5,6, those earlier missions were not intended to deflect their targets and did not achieve measurable deflections. Here we report the DART spacecraft's autonomous kinetic impact into Dimorphos and reconstruct the impact event, including the timeline leading to impact, the location and nature of the DART impact site, and the size and shape of Dimorphos. The successful impact of the DART spacecraft with Dimorphos and the resulting change in the orbit of Dimorphos7 demonstrates that kinetic impactor technology is a viable technique to potentially defend Earth if necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Terik Daly
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA.
| | - Carolyn M Ernst
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Nancy L Chabot
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Andrew S Rivkin
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Andrew F Cheng
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Elena Y Adams
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Elisabeth D Abel
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Amy L Alford
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Justin A Atchison
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Andrew R Badger
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Paul Baki
- Technical University of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Ronald-L Ballouz
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Dmitriy L Bekker
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Julie Bellerose
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Shyam Bhaskaran
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Bonnie J Buratti
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Michelle H Chen
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Steven R Chesley
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - George Chiu
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Matthew W Cox
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Peter S Ericksen
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Alan S Faber
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Dawn M Graninger
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Musad A Haque
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Sarah Hefter
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Isabel Herreros
- Centro de Astrobiologiá (CAB) CSIC-INTA, Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain
| | | | - Philip M Huang
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Syau-Yun W Hsieh
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Stephen N Jenkins
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Mark A Jensenius
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Jeremy W John
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Tomas Kohout
- Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Timothy O Krueger
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Frank E Laipert
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Nabla Zero Labs, South Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Norberto R Lopez
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Robert Luther
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Declan M Mages
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Anna C Martin
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Maria E McQuaide
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Patrick Michel
- Université Côte d'Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, Nice, France
| | | | - Ian W Murphy
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Naomi Murdoch
- ISAE-SUPAERO, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Shantanu P Naidu
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Hari Nair
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Jens Ormö
- Centro de Astrobiologiá (CAB) CSIC-INTA, Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain
| | | | | | - James M Peachey
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Petr Pravec
- Astronomical Institute AS CR, Ondrejov, Czech Republic
| | | | - K T Ramesh
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joshua R Ramirez
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Edward L Reynolds
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Joshua E Richman
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Colas Q Robin
- ISAE-SUPAERO, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Luis M Rodriguez
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Lew M Roufberg
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Brian P Rush
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Carolyn A Sawyer
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | - Matthew P Shannon
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Brett N Shapiro
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Caitlin E Shearer
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Evan J Smith
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - R Joshua Steele
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Angela M Stickle
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Emil A Superfin
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Zahi B Tarzi
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Justin R Thomas
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - B Teresa Tropf
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Andrew T Vaughan
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Dianna Velez
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - C Dany Waller
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Daniel S Wilson
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Kristin A Wortman
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Yun Zhang
- University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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Cambioni S, Delbo M, Poggiali G, Avdellidou C, Ryan AJ, Deshapriya JDP, Asphaug E, Ballouz RL, Barucci MA, Bennett CA, Bottke WF, Brucato JR, Burke KN, Cloutis E, DellaGiustina DN, Emery JP, Rozitis B, Walsh KJ, Lauretta DS. Fine-regolith production on asteroids controlled by rock porosity. Nature 2021; 598:49-52. [PMID: 34616055 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03816-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Spacecraft missions have observed regolith blankets of unconsolidated subcentimetre particles on stony asteroids1-3. Telescopic data have suggested the presence of regolith blankets also on carbonaceous asteroids, including (101955) Bennu4 and (162173) Ryugu5. However, despite observations of processes that are capable of comminuting boulders into unconsolidated materials, such as meteoroid bombardment6,7 and thermal cracking8, Bennu and Ryugu lack extensive areas covered in subcentimetre particles7,9. Here we report an inverse correlation between the local abundance of subcentimetre particles and the porosity of rocks on Bennu. We interpret this finding to mean that accumulation of unconsolidated subcentimetre particles is frustrated where the rocks are highly porous, which appears to be most of the surface10. The highly porous rocks are compressed rather than fragmented by meteoroid impacts, consistent with laboratory experiments11,12, and thermal cracking proceeds more slowly than in denser rocks. We infer that regolith blankets are uncommon on carbonaceous asteroids, which are the most numerous type of asteroid13. By contrast, these terrains should be common on stony asteroids, which have less porous rocks and are the second-most populous group by composition13. The higher porosity of carbonaceous asteroid materials may have aided in their compaction and cementation to form breccias, which dominate the carbonaceous chondrite meteorites14.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Cambioni
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA. .,Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - M Delbo
- Université Côte d'Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, Nice, France
| | - G Poggiali
- INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Florence, Italy
| | - C Avdellidou
- Université Côte d'Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, Nice, France
| | - A J Ryan
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - J D P Deshapriya
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Meudon, France
| | - E Asphaug
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - R-L Ballouz
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - M A Barucci
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Meudon, France
| | - C A Bennett
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - W F Bottke
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - J R Brucato
- INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Florence, Italy
| | - K N Burke
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - E Cloutis
- Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - D N DellaGiustina
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - J P Emery
- Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - B Rozitis
- School of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - K J Walsh
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - D S Lauretta
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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