The Asteroid
That NASA is smashing into, called Dimorphos, is not a threat to Earth
Launched from
California on 23 November, the spacecraft is called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)
The Impact Should
Shrink Dimorphos's orbit so that it circles Didymos at least 73 seconds faster than before.
Nasa Has
Identified more than 27,000 asteroids with trajectories that bring them close to Earth.
The Worry
Is that some new asteroid could appear, headed directly towards the plane.
Researchers Will Have a Chance
To get answers, because minutes later, a tiny probe funded by the Italian Space Agency will fly by to photograph the aftermath