Summary

NASA has attempted an experiment to answer a question that’s straight out of science fiction. What could we do if a large object was hurtling through space on a collision course with Earth? NASA discovered the answer to that question when it launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, almost a year ago. NASA deliberately smashed DART, which cost $325 million, into the asteroid Dimorphos at 7:14 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. For a transcript of this story, click here .

Five Facts

• Who are some of the scientists interviewed in this story, and what are their backgrounds?


• What is the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, and why does it have that name?


• Where in space (how far away) is the targeted asteroid?


• Why is NASA conducting this test?


• How successful was the test, based on this story? How much did DART cost taxpayers?

Focus Questions

1. What do you think NASA should be focusing its research efforts on? What knowledge can it produce that would be the most valuable for the world? 2. Do you think DART was worth the cost of $325 million in taxpayer money? Why or why not? Consider the following :

• NASA has a budget allocated by the federal government. For the 2022 fiscal year, $30.61 billion was allocated to the agency, according to USAspending.gov , which represents 0.2 percent of the U.S. budget.


• Think about places like Flint, Michigan , where residents were drinking untreated lead-contaminated water, resulting in people dying and children getting sick and developing severe learning disabilities, or Jackson, Mississippi , where residents were left without drinking water for days (you may want to read this update on the story, Mississippi governor, who opposed water system repairs, blames Jackson for crisis ).
  
  
  
  
  • Is it better to fix serious problems in the U.S. and on Earth going on right now, or think ahead to future problems, like asteroids hitting the planet? What would it take to do both?
  
  
  
  

Media literacy: Where could you go to find out more about the science involved in making this experiment work?

For More

What students can do: Can you think of different idea that would help shield or protect the earth from asteroid strikes? Brainstorm a few inventions and then sketch out the best one. Then write out what technological advances or new inventions would be needed to make your shield system possible. You can also watch this "trailer" about the experiment made by NASA. Why do you think they chose to make this explainer like a movie promo?

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