NASA's DART Mission Reshapes Asteroid Dimorphos

New research reveals the DART spacecraft's impact significantly altered the asteroid's shape, potentially advancing asteroid deflection technology.

NASA's DART spacecraft successfully altered the orbit and shape of asteroid Dimorphos, reshaping it significantly.
The impact caused 'global deformation,' transforming Dimorphos into a shape likened to an M&M with a bite taken out.
Dimorphos, a moonlet asteroid orbiting the larger Didymos, was chosen for its size comparable to potentially Earth-threatening asteroids.
The DART mission's success provides valuable data for future asteroid deflection efforts, including the European Space Agency's upcoming Hera mission.
Researchers used advanced simulations to understand the impact's effects, revealing Dimorphos is a 'rubble pile' asteroid, reshaped by the collision.