DART worked! For the first time humans changed the trajectory of a celestial body!

[Mad_Jack]

And the first message we ever receive from intelligent aliens will read, "Alright, which one of you *********'s threw that at us???"....

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I would imagine there's also the issue of target structure. Is it a rocky asteroid, or made of softer congregate material? How will that affect impact and energy transfer?

The crumblier it is, the more energy will be transferred to debris. They will have a model based on a uniform asteroid, and will compare the results to the model.

The biggest complication in this kind of model would be if large chunks broke off in the collision.

 

[MarkB]

The crumblier it is, the more energy will be transferred to debris. They will have a model based on a uniform asteroid, and will compare the results to the model.

The biggest complication in this kind of model would be if large chunks broke off in the collision.

Even then, it's all about the velocity change. It's only if one of those chunks emerges with the exact same velocity as the original body that it remains an issue.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Even then, it's all about the velocity change. It's only if one of those chunks emerges with the exact same velocity as the original body that it remains an issue.

-v chunks also matter. It might seem unlikely, but there is the possibility of chunks propelled by outgassing.

 

[Ryujin]

The crumblier it is, the more energy will be transferred to debris. They will have a model based on a uniform asteroid, and will compare the results to the model.

The biggest complication in this kind of model would be if large chunks broke off in the collision.

More energy transferred, but how; turning it into a shotgun blast instead of a single chunk? Or maybe it's loose enough that the projectile blows right through, imparting little energy. Hard to say, until it's been done.

 

[darjr]