After several months of waiting, NASA’s DART spacecraft arrived at – and then slammed into – the asteroid Dimorphos. That was only the first part of the test.
In what was a historic moment for humanity and a stunning display of technology for the general public, NASA has successfully crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid as one step toward better protecting our planet from problematic space rocks in the future. The event was broadcast live on NASA’s YouTube account and a number of other destinations, giving viewers a literal look at the mission’s finale. The spacecraft sent back images as it approached Dimorphos, the asteroid, which first appeared as a small speck of white light in the middle of a black image.
Over time, that spot grew larger, eventually forming into a shape that, soon enough, clearly had jagged rocks strewn across its surface. The spacecraft captured its final resting place as it approached the surface, giving the viewing public one last close-up look at the asteroid before the screen turned red, indicating the DART mission had successfully ended with a bang.
