This coming Monday, NASA will attempt to deflect an asteroid for the first time ever to test out a planetary defense.
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft was launched from California in November and is currently traveling at a speed of around 14,000 miles per hour toward its intended target.
Both the smaller asteroid moon Dimorphos and its larger sibling Didymos offer little threat as they orbit around the Sun, traveling close to Earth at a distance of about seven million miles.
But before it is really needed, NASA believes it is vital to do the experiment.
