NASA's DART spacecraft will destroy target asteroid more severely than anticipated: Study

A new study conducted over NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) has revealed results of spacecraft colliding with an asteroid. Carried out by scientists at University of Bern and National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Planets, study is based on a simulation of DART spacecraft slamming into a small asteroid moonlet.

This mission was launched in November last year and is meant to test a defense technology in case a potentially-hazardous asteroid comes hurtling toward Earth. 

This is first-ever planetary mission launched by NASA toward Dimorphos (diameter 160-meter or 530-foot) asteroid, which orbits a bigger asteroid named Didymos (diameter of 780-meter or 2,560-foot). Arriving at its destination in September this year, DART spacecraft will ram into Dimorphos at a speed of 23,760 kph to see if impact changes asteroid's position and orbital path. If results are promising, this technology of "kinetic impactor" will eventually be used to protect our planet. 

What did study reveal?

simulation developed under study revealed that impact would leave Dimorphos severely deformed inste of just leaving a crater, something which can be considered good news in terms of planetary defense. Notably, re were or studies conducted in past that used simulations to determine results of collision.

However, this new research took into account  post-impact shock waves and cratering process along with fact Dimorphos has a loose core inste of a solid and densely packed one.

Le study author and a postdoctoral researcher at University of Bern, Sabina Rucan cited direct evidence from Japanese space agency's (JAXA) Hayabusa2 probe, which demonstrated that asteroids have a very loose internal structure. More like a pile of rubble that is loosely held by a weak gravitational force. "This could drastically change outcome of collision of DART and Dimorphos", she ded as per Space.com.

Notably, in less than 100 days, spacecraft will collide with asteroid and prove accuracy of se studies. Interestingly, impact will be recorded by CubeSat which was developed by Italian Space Agency and has accompanied DART in its journey.