This is how the world ends

[UKHamlet]

On September 26th, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test will be crashing into the moon of Asteroid Didymous. If all goes well, the spacecraft will strike the asteroid with so much force that it changes its orbit a tiny bit, enough that astronomers can calculate the change in its orbital trajectory. They'll use this experiment to learn more about what it might take to protect Earth if a dangerous asteroid is discovered that could strike the Earth.

Ground and space-based observatories will be watching the impact, and DART has released a tiny Cubesat that'll observe the event and send the data home to Earth. Of course, NASA will broadcast the event live, so make sure you tune in and watch the drama unfold as we see the spacecraft's final sequence of images leading up to the impact.

Nothing can possibly go wrong.

[Galfon]

Interesting pile of boulders minding their own business - then biff.
So many group hugs..

[BBD]

Sending thoughts, prayers and duct tape

[Which Tyler]

It's a very American solution

Hmm that rock looks a bit suspicious
Quite dark too
Let's shoot it

[cashead]

Just send a bunch of oil rig workers with a nuclear bomb to drill a hole into it and blow it up real good

[morepork]

No data yet. Just pretty pictures, but by christ, what a view.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03067-y