Confirmed impact: a NASA spacecraft deliberately crashed on Monday on an asteroid in order to deflect its trajectory, during an unprecedented test mission which should allow humanity to learn how to protect itself from a potential future threat.
The ship, smaller than a car, sped at a speed of more than 20,000 km/h on its target. The NASA teams, gathered at the mission control center in Maryland, in the United States, exploded with joy at the moment of the collision.
We are embarked on a new era, where we potentially have the ability to protect ourselves from a dangerous asteroid impact
A few minutes before, the asteroid Dimorphos, located about 11 million kilometers from Earth, has gradually grown on the spectacular images broadcast live by the ship. We could clearly distinguish the pebbles on its gray surface, just before the images stop at the moment of the explosion.
“We are embarked on a new era, where we potentially have the ability to protect ourselves from a dangerous asteroid impact“, said Lori Glaze, director of planetary sciences at NASA.