NASA Launches New Mission: Crash Into Asteroid, Defend Planet Earth. Nasa's Dart mission wants to see how difficult it would be to stop a huge space rock from colliding with Earth

Nasa Dart rocket: Mission to smack Dimorphos asteroid launches

NASA launches test mission of asteroid-deflecting spacecraft
A spacecraft that must ultimately crash to succeed was launched late on Tuesday from California on a NASA mission to demonstrate the world’s first planetary defense system, designed to deflect an asteroid from a potential doomsday collision with Earth.

The DART spacecraft soared into the night sky at 10:21 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday (1:21 a.m. Eastern/0621 GMT Wednesday) from Vandenberg U.S. Space Force Base, about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles, carried aboard a SpaceX-owned Falcon 9 rocket.

On our way!

55 minutes into its flight, the #DARTMission spacecraft has separated from the @SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage, and will soon begin to orient itself toward the Sun. pic.twitter.com/hI6NoQ11zw
— NASA (@NASA) November 24, 2021

Become a #PlanetaryDefender!

Take a five-question quiz on the #DARTMission to test your knowledge on the world’s first planetary defense test mission, earn your certificate and share it online: https://t.co/FH5Ac01sDC pic.twitter.com/ro5KZ3HmRn
— NASA (@NASA) November 24, 2021

NASA launches spacecraft to test asteroid defense concept

NASA launched a spacecraft Tuesday night on a mission to smash into an asteroid and test whether it would be possible to knock a speeding space rock off course if one were to threaten Earth.

Launch of the @SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying the DART spacecraft – starting a nearly one-year journey to crash into a distant asteroid as a test! Keep checking back for more images! #DARTMission #PlanetaryDefense More: https://t.co/SNUSFf9Ukq pic.twitter.com/qJmffF2wIo
— NASA HQ PHOTO (@nasahqphoto) November 24, 2021

Asteroid Dimorphos: we're coming for you!

Riding a @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, our #DARTMission blasted off at 1:21am EST (06:21 UTC), launching the world's first mission to test asteroid-deflecting technology. pic.twitter.com/FRj1hMyzgH
— NASA (@NASA) November 24, 2021

Watch NASA’s DART Mission Launch (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) Official Broadcast/Stream

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S.

federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.

what is Asteroid?

An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System.

Historically, these terms have been applied to any astronomical object orbiting the Sun that did not resolve into a disc in a telescope and was not observed to have characteristics of an active comet such as a tail. As minor planets in the outer Solar System were discovered that were found to have volatile-rich surfaces similar to comets, these came to be distinguished from the objects found in the main asteroid belt.

Thus the term “asteroid” now generally refers to the minor planets of the inner Solar System, including those co-orbital with Jupiter. Larger asteroids are often called planetoids.