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Orbit is recalculated

For the first time, scientists tried to throw asteroids out of their orbit - that was the goal of a spectacular mission by Nasa and ESA.

The Mission Dart (stands for "Double Asteroid Redirection Test") experienced its first peak in the night from Monday to Tuesday.

Nasa's control center for the Dart mission is in Maryland (USA). The test was controlled from here.

Asteroids are one of the greatest dangers for us humans. In the appropriate size, they are considered planet killers. So far, however, mankind has not been able to do anything against the impending impact of an asteroid. That was only in daring Hollywood sci-fi like Armageddon.

How did the dart mission work?

That has now changed with the dart mission. For this purpose, Nasa last year sent the space probe of the same name to the double asteroid Didymos, which is already considered a dangerous asteroid near Earth.

On the night of Tuesday, darts hit Didymoon, Didymos' little companion.

At that time, the asteroid team was only ten million kilometers from Earth. A small distance for astronomers. For comparison: the moon is almost 400,000 kilometers away from us.

As a result of the impact at a speed of 24,000 kilometers per hour, the around 160-meter large rock Didymoon should change its course and thus pull the larger Didymos with it. After all, Didymos is almost a kilometer in size and could cause enormous damage if it hits the ground. For comparison: the asteroid that devastated the Earth 66 million years ago and wiped out the dinosaurs worldwide was ten kilometers across.

When will the first results of the crash be available?

"If contact with the dart breaks off at the right time, that's a solid indication that the impact worked," explains ESA project manager Michael Küppers before the test. "The Italian mini-satellite LICIACube will acquire images of the asteroids and the material ejected from the impact crater a few minutes after the impact."

However, according to Küppers, it could take a few hours before the images are available. "In addition, observers on Earth will probably measure an increase in the brightness of the asteroid, again due to the dust cloud from the crater."

The hoped-for change in the orbit of the asteroid team is to be measured with telescopes from Earth. According to NASA, only a few centimeters would be enough to reach a new orbit.

And in five years, in 2027, Esa will send the Hera probe to Didymoon. It is supposed to take pictures of the impact crater and precisely calculate the path of the asteroid team.

Good to know: Everything is just an exercise for possible future dangers. Didymos is not currently heading straight for Earth, posing no immediate threat.