Momentum transfer from the DART mission kinetic impact on asteroid Dimorphos

Andrew F. Cheng (), Harrison F. Agrusa, Brent W. Barbee, Alex J. Meyer, Tony L. Farnham, Sabina D. Raducan, Derek C. Richardson, Elisabetta Dotto, Angelo Zinzi, Vincenzo Corte, Thomas S. Statler, Steven Chesley, Shantanu P. Naidu, Masatoshi Hirabayashi, Jian-Yang Li, Siegfried Eggl, Olivier S. Barnouin, Nancy L. Chabot, Sidney Chocron, Gareth S. Collins, R. Terik Daly, Thomas M. Davison, Mallory E. DeCoster, Carolyn M. Ernst, Fabio Ferrari, Dawn M. Graninger, Seth A. Jacobson, Martin Jutzi, Kathryn M. Kumamoto, Robert Luther, Joshua R. Lyzhoft, Patrick Michel, Naomi Murdoch, Ryota Nakano, Eric Palmer, Andrew S. Rivkin, Daniel J. Scheeres, Angela M. Stickle, Jessica M. Sunshine, Josep M. Trigo-Rodriguez, Jean-Baptiste Vincent, James D. Walker, Kai Wünnemann, Yun Zhang, Marilena Amoroso, Ivano Bertini, John R. Brucato, Andrea Capannolo, Gabriele Cremonese, Massimo Dall’Ora, Prasanna J. D. Deshapriya, Igor Gai, Pedro H. Hasselmann, Simone Ieva, Gabriele Impresario, Stavro L. Ivanovski, Michèle Lavagna, Alice Lucchetti, Elena M. Epifani, Dario Modenini, Maurizio Pajola, Pasquale Palumbo, Davide Perna, Simone Pirrotta, Giovanni Poggiali, Alessandro Rossi, Paolo Tortora, Marco Zannoni and Giovanni Zanotti
Additional contact information
Andrew F. Cheng: Johns Hopkins University
Harrison F. Agrusa: University of Maryland
Brent W. Barbee: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Alex J. Meyer: University of Colorado Boulder
Tony L. Farnham: University of Maryland
Sabina D. Raducan: Physical Institute, University of Bern
Derek C. Richardson: University of Maryland
Elisabetta Dotto: INAF, Astronomical Observatory of Rome
Angelo Zinzi: Space Science Data Center (ASI)
Vincenzo Corte: INAF, Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology
Thomas S. Statler: NASA Headquarters
Steven Chesley: California Institute of Technology
Shantanu P. Naidu: California Institute of Technology
Masatoshi Hirabayashi: Auburn University
Jian-Yang Li: Planetary Science Institute
Siegfried Eggl: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Olivier S. Barnouin: Johns Hopkins University
Nancy L. Chabot: Johns Hopkins University
Sidney Chocron: Southwest Research Institute
Gareth S. Collins: Imperial College London
R. Terik Daly: Johns Hopkins University
Thomas M. Davison: Imperial College London
Mallory E. DeCoster: Johns Hopkins University
Carolyn M. Ernst: Johns Hopkins University
Fabio Ferrari: Polytechnic University of Milan
Dawn M. Graninger: Johns Hopkins University
Seth A. Jacobson: Michigan State University
Martin Jutzi: Physical Institute, University of Bern
Kathryn M. Kumamoto: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Robert Luther: Natural History Museum, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science
Joshua R. Lyzhoft: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Patrick Michel: University of the Côte d’Azur
Naomi Murdoch: University of Toulouse
Ryota Nakano: California Institute of Technology
Eric Palmer: Auburn University
Andrew S. Rivkin: Johns Hopkins University
Daniel J. Scheeres: University of Colorado Boulder
Angela M. Stickle: Johns Hopkins University
Jessica M. Sunshine: University of Maryland
Josep M. Trigo-Rodriguez: Institute of Space Sciences (CSIC-IEEC)
Jean-Baptiste Vincent: DLR Institute of Planetary Research
James D. Walker: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Kai Wünnemann: Natural History Museum, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science
Yun Zhang: University of Maryland
Marilena Amoroso: Italian Space Agency – ASI, Sede di Roma
Ivano Bertini: University of Naples ‘Parthenope’
John R. Brucato: INAF, Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri
Andrea Capannolo: Polytechnic University of Milan
Gabriele Cremonese: INAF, Astronomical Observatory at Padova
Massimo Dall’Ora: INAF, Astronomical Observatory at Capodimonte
Prasanna J. D. Deshapriya: INAF, Astronomical Observatory of Rome
Igor Gai: Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna
Pedro H. Hasselmann: INAF, Astronomical Observatory of Rome
Simone Ieva: INAF, Astronomical Observatory of Rome
Gabriele Impresario: Italian Space Agency – ASI, Sede di Roma
Stavro L. Ivanovski: INAF, Astronomical Observatory at Trieste
Michèle Lavagna: Polytechnic University of Milan
Alice Lucchetti: INAF, Astronomical Observatory at Padova
Elena M. Epifani: INAF, Astronomical Observatory of Rome
Dario Modenini: Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna
Maurizio Pajola: INAF, Astronomical Observatory at Padova
Pasquale Palumbo: University of Naples ‘Parthenope’
Davide Perna: INAF, Astronomical Observatory of Rome
Simone Pirrotta: Italian Space Agency – ASI, Sede di Roma
Giovanni Poggiali: INAF, Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri
Alessandro Rossi: IFAC, CNR
Paolo Tortora: Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna
Marco Zannoni: Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna
Giovanni Zanotti: Polytechnic University of Milan

Nature, 2023, vol. 616, issue 7957, 457-460

Abstract: Abstract The NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission performed a kinetic impact on asteroid Dimorphos, the satellite of the binary asteroid (65803) Didymos, at 23:14 UTC on 26 September 2022 as a planetary defence test1. DART was the first hypervelocity impact experiment on an asteroid at size and velocity scales relevant to planetary defence, intended to validate kinetic impact as a means of asteroid deflection. Here we report a determination of the momentum transferred to an asteroid by kinetic impact. On the basis of the change in the binary orbit period2, we find an instantaneous reduction in Dimorphos’s along-track orbital velocity component of 2.70 ± 0.10 mm s−1, indicating enhanced momentum transfer due to recoil from ejecta streams produced by the impact3,4. For a Dimorphos bulk density range of 1,500 to 3,300 kg m−3, we find that the expected value of the momentum enhancement factor, β, ranges between 2.2 and 4.9, depending on the mass of Dimorphos. If Dimorphos and Didymos are assumed to have equal densities of 2,400 kg m−3, $${\beta =3.61}_{-0.25}^{+0.19}(1\sigma )$$ β = 3.61 − 0.25 + 0.19 ( 1 σ ) . These β values indicate that substantially more momentum was transferred to Dimorphos from the escaping impact ejecta than was incident with DART. Therefore, the DART kinetic impact was highly effective in deflecting the asteroid Dimorphos.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05878-z

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