NASA sends probe to hijack asteroid

An asteroid hitting the earth. This is not a fictional scenario. 65 million years ago, an asteroid caused the disappearance of the dinosaurs. More recently, in 2013, the shock wave from one of these space stones injured 1,600 people in Russia. NASA therefore sent the Dart probe into space in order to train in the event of an emergency. Sent 11 million kilometers from Earth, this probe will collide with the asteroid. The latter, which is not a threat to the Earth, should therefore be deflected.

The goal is to prevent this kind of eventuality. The impact will take place on the night of Monday September 26 to Tuesday September 27, at 1:14 a.m., and will be broadcast live by NASA. “We will discover with the public the shape of this small asteroid, and even its structure. Is it flat? Is there gravel?”, wonders Patrick Michel, astrophysicist and member of the Dart mission. If this experiment succeeds, it will serve future generations to protect themselves.