Faster Model Helps Plan Asteroid Deflection Missions
Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories built a computer model that can find ways to deflect asteroids about 1,600 times faster than before. The study focuses on irregularly shaped asteroids, which are harder to model. The work aims to help planners test options for protecting Earth from space rocks.
Context
Context: In 2022, NASA's DART mission crashed a spacecraft into a small asteroid to test whether its path could be changed. Planetary defence studies like this one aim to make such tests faster to plan and check.
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