'Dart'... Vinit Vartak ©

 'Dart'... Vinit Vartak ©

About 65-66 million years ago (1 million means 10 lakhs), dinosaurs ruled the earth before humans inhabited it. If they had stayed, perhaps the human journey would not have taken place today. But destiny had something else in mind. A 10 to 15 km sized asteroid crashed on earth at a speed of 30 km/s. Its impact created a crater 20 kilometers deep and completely wiped out the dinosaurs after ruling the earth for 165 million years. No one can defeat us and I am the king of this world can end the pride of destiny with just 10-15 km dash, human knows history. We are so small in front of the dinosaurs that destiny will need even less to destroy our existence. The same fear is haunting the human being. Today, although the technology created by man is of a very high standard, it has not come with the power to save from the heavenly crisis of destiny.

Since the origin of the earth, there has been a series of asteroid impacts on the earth. There is no chance of breaking it. Now, with the technology developed and the orbits of the asteroids we observe, scientists are putting this probability at one in every 50,000 years. Scientists express the possibility that an asteroid that destroys the existence of animals like dinosaurs or the entire species on earth will hit once in every 3 lakh years, or today's modern technology tells those numbers. Who would think that is a long time. So we have no reason to fear. But no such asteroid has hit the earth in the last 65 million years. This is the biggest alarm bell that is bothering the scientists right now. If nothing has happened in so many years, tomorrow's dawn may be decisive.

Today man has started searching for such asteroids using his technology. Because if we find an asteroid that is traveling towards Earth, what next? Can we avoid collision between Earth and that asteroid? How can it be avoided? Scientists are doing research on this for many years. While there are many ways to avoid such a collision theoretically and scientifically, there are very few that can be implemented with current technology. One way is to nuke such an asteroid to change its path or destroy it. But tracking an asteroid traveling at a speed of 16 to 30 kilometers per second in space is not easy. Also, the possible threat to the earth from this nuclear explosion is important. A lot of things are going to depend on the asteroid's orbit, distance, and how long ago we know about it in order to properly set off a nuclear explosion. We can use nuclear missiles only when all these things are calculated.

At present, NASA has clarified that no life-destroying asteroid with a length of 10 to 15 kilometers is likely to collide with the Earth in the next 100 years. But the biggest challenge is that of small asteroids. which suddenly come into view as we approach the earth. Because of their small size, their orbits cannot be precisely determined. They can change their ways at any time. All these things can happen at any time in a very uncontrollable manner. NASA is monitoring about 28,000 small to medium-sized asteroids. which are likely to collide with Earth. 3000 new asteroids are added every year. You must have noticed how great is the heavenly calamity that is looming over the earth from space. Although their collision does not destroy the entire human race, it certainly has the power to erase a country or a continent from the map of the world.

We don't have to send nuclear missiles every time. If the size of the asteroid is small, a collision with it can change its path by several thousands of kilometers. Such a collision can be made in space by using the kinetic force from the velocity in space. But the catch is that the collision should not be so strong that the asteroid will break into many fine pieces and it will be difficult for us to manage them. The collision calculation of this craft has to be adjusted by estimating the size of the incoming asteroid and its speed. Even if all this is matched on Earth, will it be possible to actually match it in space? NASA and Applied Physics Laboratory have jointly undertaken a mission to check this. The same name is DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test).

In this mission Dart (Double Asteroid Redirection Test), NASA is sent a spacecraft to binary asteroids. The name of the largest asteroid is 'Dedemos A'. It is 750 meters in diameter and orbits around it a small asteroid called 'Dedemos B' or 'Deedemoon' which is 160 meters in diameter. There are several reasons for choosing this asteroid. The younger Dedemoon orbits its older brother in 11.9 hours. NASA's spacecraft weighs 500 kilograms and will hit the Didemoon at a speed of 6 km/s. This collision will cause a difference in Dedemoon's orbit by half a millimeter/second. This will slow its orbit around Didemus by 10 minutes. Although this difference seems very small, the difference caused by such a collision can change the distance of millions of kilometers when it collides with the Earth. This means that an asteroid coming towards the Earth can be thrown at a distance of about 1 million kilometers due to such a collision. Instead of colliding with the Earth, it can pass by the Earth at a safe distance. The Dart mission poses no threat to Earth. Both these asteroids do not come in the path of Earth or are unlikely to come. So even if this mission fails, there will be no danger to Earth.

The collision is likely to occur on September 26, 2022 at 7:14 PM (European Time. 10:44 PM IST). As a piggy bag with Dart, the Italian space agency is sending two of its CubeSats. These will detach from the dart shortly before impact. Dart's collision with DeeDeMoon will be captured on camera and sent back to Earth. After this, the European Space Agency is sending a spacecraft named “Hira” to the Deemoon. The spacecraft will study the changes in the orbit of DeedeMoon after the collision. The main objective of the Dart mission is Can we change the orbit of an asteroid? The answer to this question is to be found. If an asteroid is headed our way, can we use the technology and mathematics available to us to change its course and protect humanity on Earth? We will get the answer to this question in this match. The 'DART' mission will explore many questions in science, including the question of our future existence.

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