>>> SPACE MISSION TO DEFLECT AS
TROYTD. IT HAS BEEN THE
PREMISE FOR MORE THAN HOLLYWOOD
MOVIE BUT NEXT MONTH NASA
LAUNCHES THE DARK MISSION THAT
AIMS TO DO THIS IN REAL LIFE.
JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT
THAT AND OTHER NASA STORIES
MAKING HEADLINES IS LOCAL
ASTRONOMER, PLANETARY SCIENTIST
AND SPACE ENTHUSIAST MARK.
WELCOME BACK THANKS FOR JOINING
US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
YES.
>>Reporter: ABSOLUTELY.
NASA DARK SOUNDS LIKE HOLLYWOOD
MOVIE MISSION AS WE MENTIONED.
EXPLAIN WHAT NASA INTENDS TO DO
HERE.
>> THE MISSION WILL GO TO
ASTEROID L DOUBLE ASTEROID
SYSTEM AND MOST OF THE
SPACECRAFT IS GOING TO JUST
SMACK INTO THE MOON OF THE
ASTEROID.
SO THIS ASTEROID ACTUALLY HAS A
MOON GOING AROUND IT AND
SPACECRAFT WILL SMACK INTO IT
AND DEFLECT THAT MOON A LITTLE
BIT.
THE GOAL IS TO FILLING OUT WELL
WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT ASTEROID
SYSTEM?
HOW MUCH DOES IT GET DENEXTED.
>>Reporter: OKAY.
SO IS THE PURPOSE HERE JUST TO
TEST THAT THIS CAN BE DONE IN
THE EVENT THAT WE ACTUALLY NEED
TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF AN
ASTEROID IN THE FUTURE.
>> I DON'T THINK THERE'S ADJUST
ABOUT.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT KIND OF
TEST TO BE MADE.
THIS IS FIRST TEST OF ITS KIND
AND IF WE EVER NEED THE
CAPABILITY TO DEFLECT AN
ASTEROID THEN THIS IS ESSENTIAL
KIND OF TEST.
ON TOP OF THAT, THIS IS KIND OF
ENERGETIC IMPACT WILL GIVE US
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INTERNAL
STUCK TOUR OF THIS ASTEROID AND
BY EXTENSION OTHER ASTEROID.
SCIENCE WILL COME OUT OF THIS
AS WELL.
>> OF COURSE.
VERY IMPORTANT EXPERIMENT THAT
IS HAPPENING.
I'M SURE SCIENTIST LEARN A LOT.
IF THIS WERE TO HAVE SMALL
IMPACT ON ASTEROID ARREST BIT,
IS THAT ENOUGH?
SHOULD ASTEROID NEED TO BE
REDIRECTED.
>> YES ABSOLUTELY.
THE KEY FACTOR HERE IS THE LEAD
TIME T.HOW MUCH WARNING TIME DO
WE HAVE AND HOW MUCH TIME DO WE
HAVE TO ACT.
CAN WE KNOCK THIS ASTEROID
EVERYONE JUST ALTER THE
VELOCITY BY A FRACTION OF
SECONDS.
ALL THEY HAVE TO DIES NUDGE IT
ENOUGH TO MISS THE EARTH.
REALLY ALL WE HAVE TO DO SO YES
ABSOLUTELY.
SOMETHING WE CAN DO.
>>Reporter: HOW FAR AWAY IS
THE ASTEROID WE ARE TALKING
WITH?
>> IT'S NEAR EARTH ASTEROID SO
IT COMES WITHIN ABOUT, MAYBE
WITHIN ABOUT 16 TIMES THE
DISTANCE FROM THE EARTH TO THE
MOON.
SO NEAR IN ASTRONOMICAL TERMS.
SEVERAL MILLION MILES.
DOESN'T POSE A DIRECT HAZARD
RIGHT NOW.
>> RELATIVE TERM.
STICKING WITH ASTEROIDS.
GNAT NASA SET TO LAUNCH THE
SPACECRAFT TO TROOPER ASTEROID.
WHAT MAKE THIS MISSION
SPECIAL.
>>Reporter: THIS IS FIRST
MISSION OUT TO THE TROJAN
ASTEROID.
THAT ARE THOUSANDS OF ASTEROID
SMALL IN ROCKY BODY.
THEY SHARE JUPITER ORBIT.
THEY GOT STUCK IN THE ORBIT
DURING THE VERY FORMATION OF
THE SO ALREADY SYSTEM 4 AND A
HALF BILLION YEARS AGO.
AND THEY HAVE RESIDE ENTERED
KIND OF LIKE THIS COLD
REFRIGERATOR.
SO THEY SHOULD HAVE THE
MATERIALS THAT DATE BACK AROUND
THE BEGINNING OF THE SOLAR
SYSTEM.
LOOKING AT THEM WILL GIVE US
SOME INSIGHT AS TO WHAT THE
CONDITIONS WERE.
WHAT THEY WERE MADE OF AND ALSO
WHAT IS THE HISTORY SINCE THAT
PERIOD OF TIME.
SO IT'S A LOOK BACK TO THESE,
THE FOSSIL RECORD OF THE SOLAR
SYSTEM.
>>Reporter: WOW! OKAY.
FINALLY MAN IT SCIENTIST HEARN
MORE ORM ABOUT THE ZERO CRATE
CRATER.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED ABOUT THIS
CRATER.
>> THEY HAVE COOL VISUAL ON
THESE VIEW.
RISES OF LAND THAT WERE CURVED
OUT WHEN THERE WAS A RIVER
DELTA.
KNOWING INTO THE CREATE OR.
WE THOUGHT FOR LISTENING TIME
THAT THERE WAS A LAKE IN THE
CREATE ERR LONG TIME AGO.
RIVER FLOWING INTO IT BUT THIS
CROSS SECTION VIEW OF THE
TERRAIN THAT THE ROVER HAS
PROVIDED, THAT YOU CAN'T GET
FROM SATELLITE OVERHEAD IS
REALLY SPECTACULAR BECAUSE IT
LETS US LOOK AT THE LAYERS OF
THE ROCK INTEGRITY AND THAT'S
JUST LIKE LAYING OUT THE PAGES
OF A BOOK.
HISTORY BOOK OF THE HISTORY OF
MARS.
AND AT THE SEAM BOULDER UP ON
TOP THAT INDICATE THAT THERE
WERE FAST FLOWING FLOODS.
FLASH FLOODS.
AFTER THE PERIOD OF LAKE
SEDIMENT.
>>Reporter: QUICKLY BEFORE WE
LET YOU 2 MARK.
DOES THIS SHOW NASA IS IN THE
RIGHT PLACE TO LINK FOR SIGNS
OF ANCIENT LIFE ON MARS?
>> YES DEFINITELY.
SO IT REALLY NAILS THE CASE
THAT THERE WAS A LAKE HERE.
THERE WAS LONG PERIOD OF
SEDIMENT.
GREAT PLACE TO LOOK FOR FOSSIL
OR ORGANIC MATERIAL AND 10
KNOWING WATER ON TOP OF THAT.
RAPIDLY KNOWING WATER.
GREAT HISTORY OF MARS RIGHT
THERE.
>>Reporter: SO MUCH TO LEARN