NASA’s DART Mission Unveils New Insights into Didymos and Dimorphos Asteroids

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By Lydia Amazouz Published on July 30, 2024 17:30
Nasa's Dart Mission Unveils New Insights Into Didymos And Dimorphos Asteroids
NASA’s DART Mission Unveils New Insights into Didymos and Dimorphos Asteroids - © The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel

The recent findings from NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission have provided unprecedented insights into the twin asteroids Didymos and Dimorphos.

This mission, which involved deliberately crashing a spacecraft into Dimorphos, aimed to test our ability to alter an asteroid's trajectory—an essential step in planetary defense.

The data collected from this mission, along with observations from the accompanying Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube), have revealed surprising details about the origins and evolution of these celestial bodies.

These discoveries not only deepen our understanding of these specific asteroids but also have broader implications for our knowledge of asteroid formation and the history of our solar system.

Understanding the Binary Asteroid System

NASA's DART mission targeted the binary asteroid system of Didymos and its smaller companion, Dimorphos. The mission's primary goal was to observe the impact's effect on Dimorphos's orbit, thereby testing a potential planetary defense technique.

However, the mission also provided valuable data on the physical characteristics and history of these asteroids. The team, led by Olivier Barnouin from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, found that the surface of Didymos is characterized by a mix of rough, high-elevation areas filled with large boulders and smoother, lower-elevation regions with fewer craters.

In contrast, Dimorphos displayed a more diverse range of boulder sizes and surface features, including several fault lines but relatively few craters. The researchers deduced that Dimorphos likely formed from material ejected from Didymos, following a massive shedding event around 0.3 million years ago.

This conclusion was based on the observation that the rocks on Dimorphos appeared to be inherited from Didymos, suggesting a close genetic relationship between the two bodies.

An Image Of Didymos And Dimorphos Comprising Of Data Collected By Dart (nasa), Hayabusa (jaxa), Hayabusa 2 (jaxa) And Osiris Rex (nasa). (image Credit A. Duchene And C. Robin (isae Supaero).)

Key Discoveries and Implications

One of the key discoveries from the DART mission was the identification of thermal fatigue on Dimorphos, a process where repeated cycles of heating and cooling cause rocks to crack and degrade. This phenomenon, observed for the first time on a rocky asteroid like Dimorphos, suggests that the asteroid's surface undergoes significant changes over relatively short geological timescales—estimated to be around 100,000 years.

Bolder Fractures On The Surface Of Dimorphos Captured By Dart Just Before Impact (image Credit A. Lucchetti Et Al., Nature Communications)

"These findings give us new insights into the ways that asteroids can change over time," said Thomas Statler, lead scientist for Solar System Small Bodies at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This is important not just for understanding the near-Earth objects that are the focus of planetary defense, but also for our ability to read the history of our Solar System from these remnants of planet formation."

The data also provided insights into the structural composition of the asteroids. The team noted that the low surface strength of both Didymos and Dimorphos likely contributed to the significant change in Dimorphos's orbit following the DART impact.

This characteristic makes such asteroids more susceptible to forces that could alter their trajectories. The analysis of the boulders' shapes and sizes on Dimorphos revealed that they likely formed in stages, supporting the idea that the moonlet originated from material shed by Didymos.

Looking Ahead: The Hera Mission

The DART mission's findings have set the stage for the upcoming European Space Agency's Hera mission, which is scheduled to visit the Didymos system in 2026. The Hera mission aims to provide detailed observations of the impact site and further study the aftermath of DART's collision with Dimorphos. This mission will be crucial for verifying the data collected by DART and for enhancing our understanding of the dynamics of binary asteroid systems.

Olivier Barnouin, commenting on the broader significance of the findings, stated, “The images and data that DART collected at the Didymos system provided a unique opportunity for a close-up geological look of a near-Earth asteroid binary system. From these images alone, we were able to infer a great deal of information on geophysical properties of both Didymos and Dimorphos and expand our understanding on the formation of these two asteroids.”

The DART mission has not only demonstrated a potential method for planetary defense but has also enriched our scientific understanding of asteroid systems. The mission's success highlights the importance of international cooperation and advanced space technology in addressing the challenges posed by near-Earth objects.

As the Hera mission prepares to follow up on DART's groundbreaking work, the scientific community eagerly anticipates more revelations about these ancient cosmic wanderers.

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