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The United States is testing a probe that could deflect the asteroids that threaten to strike the Earth, by throwing themselves on them.
Asteroids, vestiges of the formation of planets, are several million to roam in space. Experts believe that 25,000 could cross the road of the earth. Among them, 2,200 would represent a danger to our planet. The impact of one of them over 140 meters would release an energy 8,000 times greater than that of the Hiroshima bomb, and could devastate a country. IEight years ago, in Siberia, a shock wave from an 18-meter asteroid injured 1,600 people and caused € 25 million in damage. PFor space agencies around the world, learning how to deflect asteroids has become a priority.
For this, NASA is preparing to launch a probe called Dart. This probe, the size of a car, must reach a couple Didymos and Dimorphos, which revolves around the first. The goal of the mission is to launch the 550 kg probe at Dimorphos so that it crashes there, hoping that the energy of the impact is sufficient to deviate the asteroid from its usual path. The observation of this mission will make it possible to develop techniques to deflect asteroids and not to end up like the dinosaurs, wiped out by an asteroid 10 kilometers away 66 million years ago.