up to 20 metres wide. but this should also give the rock a kick which will speed up its orbit. and this can be monitored from the earth to see if it s worked. all you really need is a nudge, because the distances you re going and the speeds you re going, a tiny change in direction can result in a huge change in how far it s going to miss the earth. and that could be vital. a 160 metre wide rock like diomorphos could be catastrophic for populated areas. bigger asteroids that are kilometres across have the potential to devastate the planet. the hope is this mission will show us if it s possible to stop future collisions. the spacecraft will arrive at its destination next autumn. rebecca morelle, bbc news. without wishing to scare you at all! all you need is a little nudge to push the asteroid, we will be fine. we will see live pictures of the rocket taking off in about ten minutes, hopefully. they are saying
an asteroid off course. it s like something out of a movie. it s like something out of a movie. it is, but it is going to happen! we ll have to wait ten months to find out if the missile, called dart, hits the target. they re testing technology which may be needed if an asteroid is ever heading towards earth, as our science correspondent rebecca morelle explains. it s a first for nasa. sending a spacecraft to an asteroid to crash into it and knock it off course. this rock doesn t pose any danger to our planet, but the dart mission is a test of technology for any future threats. the reason we are doing this is in case we ever discover an asteroid actually headed towards earth. we want to know that we can use this technique to change its orbit so that it will not impact us. nasa is targeting a small asteroid called diomorphos, which is orbiting around a large space rock. the spacecraft travelling at 13,000 miles an hour will fly into the small asteroid, leaving an impact crater
a arrived at an astronaut is an asteroid and a arrived at an astronaut is an asteroid and cut into it at speed, looking asteroid and cut into it at speed, looking like a white cue ball in snooker. looking like a white cue ball in snooker, you send the ball into the others snooker, you send the ball into the others and snooker, you send the ball into the others and it turned them everywhere. it will give it a bit priest, everywhere. it will give it a bit priest, at everywhere. it will give it a bit priest, at point million metres per second, priest, at point million metres per second, a priest, at point million metres per second, a tiny it will give it a little second, a tiny it will give it a little boost. second, a tiny it will give it a little boost, 0.4 million metres per second little boost, 0.4 million metres per second little boost, 0.4 million metres per second. millimetres. | little boost, 0.4 million metres per second. millimetre
they re about to launch the falcon nine rocket. when that reaches space it will release a craft called dart. in about ten months, dart will then smash into a huge rock called dimorphos to see how much its speed and path can be altered. the idea is to test out technology that might one day be needed to push a dangerous asteroid off course if it s headed for earth. we can speak now to dr becky smethurst, an astrophysicist from the university of oxford. we can also see, becky, pictures, the rocket is about to take up very shortly, live in california and it will blast into space and begin this mission. tell us what we are seeing and why this matters. it’s mission. tell us what we are seeing and why this matters. and why this matters. it s an incredible and why this matters. it s an
pictures from a nasa mission which has just launched pictures from a nasa mission which hasjust launched in pictures from a nasa mission which has just launched in the last couple of minutes, this is the double asteroid redirection test which will take place over the next year. this subsequent spacecraft will then try to nudge the asteroid in space to see whether it can do that. have we ever done anything like this before, doctor? . , ., , ., doctor? recently, we actually landed a craft on the doctor? recently, we actually landed a craft on the asteroid, doctor? recently, we actually landed a craft on the asteroid, the doctor? recently, we actually landed a craft on the asteroid, the rosita . a craft on the asteroid, the rosita mission a craft on the asteroid, the rosita mission was quite exciting. we lost the lender, mission was quite exciting. we lost the lender, we spent ages looking for it the lender, we spent ages looking for it on the lender, we spent ages looking for