NASA defense test kicked asteroid off course -- and changed its orbit around the sunDimorphos' egg-like shape and craggy, boulder-dotted surface came into clear view in the last few moments before DART's impact. (Photo: AFP)NEW YORK - Four years ago, NASA purposely smashed a spacecraft into a small asteroid to see if they could deflect it -- a test to prove humanity could protect Earth from threatening space rocks. - Tiny change, significant deflection -Obtaining this data is no small feat. "We were able to measure what this change was exactly," he said, and make computations that could assist with future "planetary defense efforts." "This is a tiny change to the orbit, but given enough time, even a tiny change can grow to a significant deflection," said Thomas Statler, lead scientist for solar system small bodies at NASA Headquarters in Washington, in a statement.

Source: Bangkok Post March 06, 2026 22:36 UTC