The Future of Planetary Defense Begins with DART

Doomsday scenarios of near-Earth objects (asteroids and comets) hitting Earth are fodder for action movies and science fiction books, but the potential for such an event cannot be dismissed as mere fiction. In 2022, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) will demonstrate an important step in planetary defense, mitigating the threat of a direct hit by developing the ability to prevent an impact to Earth. DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) is a NASA mission managed by APL with support from several NASA centers. DART launches in 2021 and will be the first demonstration of the kinetic impactor technique to change the motion of an asteroid in space. As the first kinetic impactor far from Earth, DART will prove the ability to deflect catastrophic threats and lead to innovations in impactor/redirect technologies. This article explains DART's novelty and extrapolates how it might shape the future of planetary defense. © 2021 John Hopkins University. All rights reserved.