export_ofoct.com

[00:00.39] Scientists say new research confirms results of an earlier study suggesting the crash of a spacecraft into an asteroid changed the shape of the targeted object.

[00:16.60] The latest research follows another recent study examining the effects of the asteroid strike.

[00:25.63] NASA crashed its DART spacecraft into the asteroid Dimorphos in 2022 in an area about 11 million kilometers from Earth.

[00:39.97] The experiment tested a method for changing the orbit of some asteroids to prevent them from possibly crashing into our planet in the future.

[00:53.78] NASA has said its studies of the crash showed it was successful because the force of the strike changed the asteroid’s orbit around a larger asteroid called Didymos.

[01:10.25] Data also showed the strike reduced the orbital period of Dimorphos by 33 minutes.

[01:19.55] The team that carried out the most recent research said that in addition to changing the asteroid’s orbit, it appears the crash also changed the shape of Dimorphos.

[01:34.96] This confirms results of the earlier study, which concluded that the crash had likely “completely reshaped” Dimorphos and turned it into a relatively weak collection of “rubble.”

[01:50.10] The team carrying out that study used a computer simulation system to study the changes to Dimorphos.

[01:59.66] The new research suggests that while Dimorphos had a mostly round shape before the crash, it was reshaped by the strike into an object that looks more like a watermelon.

[02:15.07] The technical term for this kind of shape is triaxial ellipsoid, the scientists said.

[02:24.36] Steve Chesley is a senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.

[02:36.05] He was the co-writer of a study describing the findings that recently appeared in the publication Planetary Science Journal.

[02:46.94] Chesley told Reuters news agency the data studied for the latest research shows Dimorphos is currently a collection of non-solid debris including dust, rocks and other materials.

[03:03.94] This state means the asteroid’s “strength is quite low,” permitting Dimorphos to reshape more easily than a more solid object.

[03:15.89] The new study’s lead writer was Shantanu Naidu.

[03:21.21] He told Reuters the asteroid was able to completely reshape because the strike by the asteroid turned much of its material into rubble.

[03:33.96] The researchers based their findings on the shape and orbit of Dimorphos on observations from ground-based telescopes.

[03:45.38] They looked at how sunlight reflections off the surfaces of the two asteroids changed over time.

[03:53.88] They also used data from radio waves that hit the objects and images the DART spacecraft captured.

[04:03.97] Researchers have said they expect to learn more about the two asteroids in the future.

[04:11.67] The European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft plans to launch in October and reach the asteroids by late 2026.

[04:23.36] ESA says Hera’s cameras and instruments will carry out detailed studies of Dimorphos and Didymos.

[04:33.46] During the operation, the spacecraft will aim to collect the most data yet on such an asteroid system.

[04:42.75] "We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of ESA's Hera spacecraft, when we will be able to compare our modeled shape with that obtained from Hera imagery,” Chesley said.

[04:59.49] He added, “We will also learn how much the orbit has changed since we last observed it in 2023."