NASA reveals plans of the first planetary defense mission in history

The DART mission is the first planetary defense initiative aimed at demonstrating a kinetic impact on an asteroid. Targeting the 150-meter moonlet Didymos B, which orbits a larger asteroid, the mission seeks to alter its speed and direction. The spacecraft, equipped with an autonomous navigation system, will crash into the moonlet at 6 km/s. Scheduled for launch in June 2021, the impact is expected by October 2022.

What is the primary goal of the DART mission?

• To explore the surface of Mars

• To demonstrate a kinetic impact on an asteroid

• To collect samples from the Moon

• To study the atmosphere of Venus

What is the name of the small satellite that DART is targeting?

• Europa

• Titan

• Didymos B

• Phobos

How far is the Didymos asteroid binary system from Earth?

• 50 million kilometers

• 5 million kilometers

• 11 million kilometers

• 20 million kilometers

What technology will guide the DART spacecraft to its target?

• A manual control system

• A remote control from Earth

• An onboard camera and autonomous navigation system

• A solar sail

When is the DART spacecraft expected to impact the asteroid?

• October 2022

• March 2024

• December 2023

• June 2021