Mallory DeCoster worked with NASA, the U.S. space agency. She worked on a mission that crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid in September. Here’s what she told us about it.
Scholastic News: Was this mission important?
Mallory DeCoster: Yes! This was a test to see if we can protect Earth from asteroids. Millions of years ago, dinosaurs looked up to see a large asteroid coming toward them. It ended life as they knew it on Earth. The chances of another large asteroid hitting Earth are small, and there isn’t one heading our way now. This mission is a way to prepare . . . just in case.
SN: So the asteroid wasn’t heading toward Earth?
MD: No. We wanted to see if crashing a spacecraft would nudge an asteroid onto a new path. Then we could do the same thing if we spot a dangerous one heading our way.
SN: Did the crash change the asteroid’s path?
MD: We don’t know yet. People around the planet with telescopes are measuring any path changes. We’ll use that info to see if our test worked!