it is an experience of a lifetime. billionairejeff bezos also launched his tourist rocket, new shepherd, and, on board, heading to the final frontier, the star trek actor william shatner. at 90, he became the oldest person to reach space. the most profound experience. i am so filled with emotion about what just happened. it is extraordinary. these flights are opening a new era in space tourism, but with hefty price tags, for now, they remain the preserve of the super rich. in november, nasa embarked on a mission like no other to see if it is possible to defend the planet. the dart spacecraft is heading for an asteroid to crash into it and knock it off course. this rock doesn t pose any danger to earth,
our science correspondent, rebecca morelle, explains. three, two, one. and lift off of the falcon 9. blasting off into space for a mission like no other. at the end of the first stage you could see those engines coming to life. this is the start of a 7 million mile journey for nasa s first ever test of technology to defend the planet. on board is the dart spacecraft, and it is heading for an asteroid, to crash into it and knock it off course. this rock doesn t pose any danger to our planet, but the mission could help with any future threats. the reason we are doing this is in case we ever discover an asteroid actually headed towards the earth. an asteroid actually headed towards earth. we want to know that we can use this technique to change its orbit so it does not impact earth. nasa is targeting a small asteroid called dimorphos, which is orbiting
of murder, after police find a body. labour accuses borisjohnson of breaking promises about the funding of social care and questions his recent performance. is everything 0k, prime minister? prime minister. well, mr speaker, itell you what s not working, is that line of attack. and, lift off on a nasa mission to find out how to protect earth from asteroids. and coming up on the bbc news channel, should amateurs play in professional tournaments? shaun murphy doesn t think so, after being knocked out of the uk championships in the first round.
collision with earth. it was launched from the vandenberg us space force base about 150 miles northwest of los angeles on a spacex owned falcon 9 rocket. rebecca morelle reports. 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 larger space rock. the spacecraft travelling at 13,000 miles an hour will fly into the small asteroid, leaving an impact crater up to 20 metres wide. but this should also give the rock a kick which will speed up its orbit.
eleven million kilometres away. the object poses no threat to earth, but we ll have to wait ten months to find out if the missile hits the target. our science correspondent rebecca morelle reports. 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 larger space rock. the spacecraft travelling at 13,000 miles an hour will fly into the small asteroid, leaving an impact crater 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 ne