NASA Science Live: We’re Crashing a Spacecraft into an Asteroid…on Purpose!

What questions do you have about NASA’s #DARTMission? Join our experts Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 4 p.m. EST. NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) launches soon on a journey to become the world’s first #PlanetaryDefense test. The spacecraft will intentionally crash itself into an asteroid to see if it can move its motion in space. If it does, this could be proved as a viable way to deflect a threatening asteroid in the future, should one be discovered.

DART is a spacecraft designed to impact an asteroid as a test of technology. DART’s target asteroid is NOT a threat to Earth. This asteroid system is a perfect testing ground to see if intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid is an effective way to change its course, should an Earth-threatening asteroid be discovered in the future.

Meet the experts:
Dr. Lori Glaze is the Director for NASA’s Planetary Science Missions. Her favorite part about her job is that she gets to learn something new every day. “The solar system is packed with mysteries, and we have an amazing collection of missions that are working together every day to unlock those mysteries.” Outside of work, Dr. Glaze enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and listening to music.

Dr. Nancy Chabot is the DART Coordination Lead at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Her favorite part about her job is working with a team to accomplish more than any one person could do on their own. Outside of work, Dr. Chabot has been learning to cook new recipes.

Lisa Wu is a Mechanical Engineer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Her favorite part of her job is that she gets to work with space flight hardware every day. She is most looking forward to not only the science we’ll learn from the DART impact, but also demonstrating the new technologies onboard the spacecraft. In her free time, Lisa has been figure skating.

Stephanie L. Smith is the social media lead at NASA headquarters. Her favorite part of the job is using pop culture and plain English to make science and technology meaningful and relatable to as many people as possible. When she's not hosting conversations about smacking into space rocks, you'll probably find her hiking or cooking.