Brace for impact
This tiny patch of Dimorphos is where DART finally met its fate, and it’s the last complete frame produced by the probe. Fair to say, this patch don’t look like that no more, with the 1,376-pound probe plowing directly into its target. The resulting kinetic impact, it is hoped, altered the asteroid’s speed and orbital trajectory around Didymos. Ultimately, the experiment could yield an effective planetary defense strategy against hazardous near-Earth objects.
A key goal of the LICIACube mission was to snap post-impact images of Dimorphos. The European Space Agency’s upcoming HERA mission will likewise attempt to gather images of the impact’s effect on the asteroid.
