NASA's DART Mission May Have Set Course for Boulders to Impact Mars

A study predicts boulders ejected by NASA's asteroid-deflection test could hit Mars in 6,000 years, raising questions about debris management in space.

• NASA's DART mission, aimed at testing asteroid deflection techniques, may have inadvertently sent boulders on a course towards Mars.
• The debris, consisting of up to 37 boulders, could impact Mars in about 6,000 years, potentially creating substantial craters on its surface.
• Research suggests the boulders' fate on Mars depends on their composition; solid ones could leave impact craters, while less stable ones might disintegrate.
• Scientists emphasize the need for careful consideration of debris trajectories in future planetary defense missions to avoid unintended consequences.
• The ESA's upcoming Hera mission will further investigate the DART impact's effects and the debris field around the Didymos-Dimorphos system.

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