---
title: "NASA Slams Spacecraft Into Asteroid to Test Earth Saving Tech"
description: "A NASA mission known as DART slammed into an asteroid just moments ago, in a test of tech to defect a killer asteroid from Earth."
date: "2022-09-26"
modified: "2022-09-26"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-slams-spacecraft-slams-into-asteroid-to-test-earth-saving-tech"
categories:
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "dart"
  - "NASA"
  - "planetary defense"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Slams Spacecraft Into Asteroid to Test Earth Saving Tech

![A NASA mission known as DART slammed into an asteroid just moments ago, in a test of tech to defect a killer asteroid from Earth.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/dart-mission-impact.png>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Asteroids

A NASA mission known as DART — Double Asteroid Redirection Test — slammed into an asteroid just moments ago, in a test of technology that could, if necessary, divert a killer asteroid bearing down on the Earth.

"Humanity one, asteroid zero," said one NASA presenter after the impact.

## Deep Impact

The final moments went quickly, with imagery onscreen showing the asteroid appearing [larger and larger on NASA TV](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21X5lGlDOfg>) until the moment of impact, when mission control erupted in applause as the spacecraft impacted the asteroid Dimorphos at some 17,000 miles per hour.

"Oh my gosh," one presenter on the NASA screen as the spacecraft made contact.

## DART Board

Dimorphos is part of a double asteroid system called Didymos. The idea is that by smashing into it at incredible speed, the mission will be able to gently nudge it off direction — a very useful trick if a killer asteroid is incoming.

DART is a collaboration between NASA, Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory, and the European Space Agency, is both a fascinating case study and an attempted demonstration of how humanity could defend itself against the type of impact that is believed to have killed the dinosaurs.

"This is beautiful to watch," said another presenter on the NASA TV stream.

**More on asteroids:** *[Planetary Defense Experts Complain That SpaceX-Style Satellites Make It Harder to Spot Killer Asteroids](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/experts-satellites-killer-asteroids-survey>)*

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)