NASA’s asteroid impression mission is about to launch, and you’ll watch the occasion and a number of other science briefings dwell.
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is scheduled to launch no sooner than 1:20 a.m. EST (0620 GMT) on Wednesday, Nov. 24 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Live launch protection will run on NASA Television, NASA’s YouTube, the NASA app and company social media channels beginning at 12:30 a.m. EST (0530 GMT). You’ll be capable of watch the entire occasions on this web page and Space.com’s homepage, courtesy of NASA.
DART has an ambitious mission to impression and redirect the trail of an asteroid for the primary time in historical past. It is predicted to collide with an asteroid moonlet, Dimorphos, in fall 2022. Dimorphos orbits an asteroid known as Didymos, which is shut sufficient for scientists to see any results utilizing ground-based telescopes. A follow-up mission known as Hera (by the European Space Agency) ought to visit the same system in 2026.
Related: NASA’s DART will smash into an asteroid, but don’t worry. Earth isn’t at risk.
Before and in the course of the mission, NASA has a number of actions for the general public to participate. Members of the general public can register to just about attend the launch to entry assets, watch movies and obtain a virtual guest launch passport stamp.
The company can have a virtual NASA Social on Facebook, the place you may work together with NASA and DART crew members and watch the launch. You may also participate in a quick Planetary Defenders marketing campaign, the place you may reply inquiries to earn a “planetary defender” certificates.
Additionally, you may observe the mission on social media utilizing the hashtag #DARTMission. On Twitter, go to @NASA, @AsteroidWatch, @NASASocial and @NASA_LSP. On Facebook, go to NASA’s page here and NASA LSP. On Instagram, go to NASA’s page here.
NASA additionally has a collection of dwell briefings that the general public can watch and ask questions on on social media. Below is a list of the briefings, their members and public engagement alternatives.
Sun., Nov. 21: DART asteroid mission engineering briefing
4 p.m. EST (2100 GMT) – DART investigation and engineering briefing on NASA TV with the next members. The public might ask questions on social media utilizing #AskNASA.
- Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington
- Tom Statler, DART program scientist, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters
- Andy Rivkin, DART investigation crew lead, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
- Betsy Congdon, DART mechanical programs engineer, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
- Simone Pirrotta, Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube) undertaking supervisor, Italian Space Agency
Mon., Nov. 22: DART asteroid mission pre-launch briefing
7 p.m. EST (1200 GMT Tuesday, Nov. 23) – DART prelaunch information convention on NASA TV with the next members. The public might ask questions on social media utilizing #AskNASA.
- Thomas Zurbuchen, affiliate administrator, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
- Lindley Johnson, planetary protection officer, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, NASA Headquarters
- Ed Reynolds, DART undertaking supervisor, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
- Omar Baez, senior launch director, Launch Services Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
- Julianna Scheiman, director for civil satellite missions, SpaceX
- Capt. Maximillian Rush, climate officer, Space Launch Delta 30, Vandenberg Space Force Base
Tues., Nov. 23: DART asteroid mission Science Live
4 p.m. EST (2100 GMT) – NASA Science Live, with the next members. This occasion will stream dwell on the company’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels. Members of the general public can take part dwell by submitting questions within the remark part of the streams, or through the use of #AskNASA.
- Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters
- Nancy Chabot, DART coordination lead, John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- Joshua Ramirez Rodriguez, telecommunications subsystem integration and check lead engineer, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Wed., Nov. 24: DART asteroid mission launch day
12:30 a.m. EST (0530 GMT) – NASA TV’s dwell launch protection begins.
1:20 a.m. EST (10:20 p.m. PST on Nov. 23/0620 GMT) – Liftoff of the DART asteroid mission.
Space.com will carry every of those dwell occasions on our homepage. Join us Wednesday for the DART asteroid mission launch.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
