| Date & Time | Tickets | Price | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, July 26 | 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM EST | Available | Free | Virtual |
In September 2022, NASA made history by intentionally crashing the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft into the small asteroid moon Dimorphos, marking humanity's first successful test of planetary defense. The mission demonstrated that it is possible to alter the orbit of an asteroid through kinetic impact, providing scientists with valuable insight into how Earth could one day defend itself from a potentially hazardous object.
But DART's mission was only the beginning! Launched by the European Space Agency in 2024, the Hera mission is now en route to the Didymos asteroid system, where it will conduct the first detailed survey of the impact site. By mapping Dimorphos and Didymos, measuring their physical properties, and studying the crater left behind by DART, Hera will reveal how the collision changed the asteroid and provide critical data for improving future planetary defense strategies.
Join us for a conversation with Dr. Nancy Chabot, DART Coordination Lead at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and Dr. Michael Küppers, Hera Project Scientist at the European Space Agency, as we explore the first successful asteroid deflection experiment, the international collaboration driving planetary defense, and what Hera is poised to discover when it arrives at Didymos.
Live streamed via the Intrepid Museum’s Facebook, YouTube, and X, as well as NASASpaceflight’s YouTube and X, and Kerbal Space Academy’s Twitch.
Register here.
Funded by: The Virtual Astronomy Live is supported through a NASA Cooperative Agreement awarded to the New York Space Grant Consortium.
The program is also supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
