The Dynamical State of the Didymos System before and after the DART Impact

Abstract NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft impacted Dimorphos, the natural satellite of (65803) Didymos, on 2022 September 26, as a first successful test of kinetic impactor technology for deflecting a potentially hazardous object in space. The experiment resulted in a small change to the dynamical state of the Didymos system consistent with expectations and Level 1 mission requirements. In the preencounter paper, predictions were put forward regarding the pre- and postimpact dynamical state of the Didymos system. Here we assess these predictions, update preliminary findings published after the impact, report on new findings related to dynamics, and provide implications for ESA’s Hera mission to Didymos, scheduled for launch in 2024 October with arrival in 2026 December. Preencounter predictions tested to date are largely in line with observations, despite the unexpected, flattened appearance of Didymos compared to the radar model and the apparent preimpact oblate shape of Dimorphos (with implications for the origin of the system that remain under investigation). New findings include that Dimorphos likely became prolate due to the impact and may have entered a tumbling rotation state. A possible detection of a postimpact transient secular decrease in the binary orbital period suggests possible dynamical coupling with persistent ejecta. Timescales for damping of any tumbling and clearing of any debris are uncertain. The largest uncertainty in the momentum transfer enhancement factor of the DART impact remains the mass of Dimorphos, which will be resolved by the Hera mission.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Planetary Science Journal
Published
2024-08-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/psj/ad62f5
Citations
22
Primary Topic
Astro and Planetary Science
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
6.30

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article

The Dynamical State of the Didymos System before and after the DART Impact

R. T. Daly, D. C. Richardson, Masatoshi Hirabayashi, Colby C. Merrill et al.
22 citations
The Planetary Science Journal
Astro and Planetary Science
6.30
article

The Dynamical State of the Didymos System before and after the DART Impact

R. T. Daly, D. C. Richardson, Masatoshi Hirabayashi, Colby C. Merrill, Adriano Campo Bagatín, Paolo Panicucci, Martin Jutzi, Siegfried Eggl, Shantanu P. Naidu, Sabina D. Raducan, Steven R. Chesley, Daniel J. Scheeres, Rachel H. Cueva, O. S. Barnouin, Fabio Ferrari, S. R. Schwartz, Patrick Michel, Marco Zannoni, Jay W. McMahon, Petr Pravec, N. L. Chabot, Paul Sánchez, Oscar Fuentes-Muñoz, G. Tancredi, T. L. Farnham, A. F. Cheng, L. Pou, Rahil Makadia, Brent W. Barbee, P. Scheirich, D. Souami, Yun Zhang, A. Rossi, Harrison Agrusa, Seth A. Jacobson, J. M. Trigo‐Rodríguez, P. Tanga, Alex J. Meyer, Eugene G. Fahnestock, John Wimarsson, E. E. Palmer, A. S. Rivkin, Riccardo Lasagni Manghi, K. Tsiganis, Paul Abell, Douglas P. Hamilton, Edoardo Gramigna, Naomi Murdoch, C. M. Ernst, Ryota Nakano, Paolo Tortora, F. Moreno, Josh Lyzhoft
article en
22 citations

Abstract

Abstract NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft impacted Dimorphos, the natural satellite of (65803) Didymos, on 2022 September 26, as a first successful test of kinetic impactor technology for deflecting a potentially hazardous object in space. The experiment resulted in a small change to the dynamical state of the Didymos system consistent with expectations and Level 1 mission requirements. In the preencounter paper, predictions were put forward regarding the pre- and postimpact dynamical state of the Didymos system. Here we assess these predictions, update preliminary findings published after the impact, report on new findings related to dynamics, and provide implications for ESA’s Hera mission to Didymos, scheduled for launch in 2024 October with arrival in 2026 December. Preencounter predictions tested to date are largely in line with observations, despite the unexpected, flattened appearance of Didymos compared to the radar model and the apparent preimpact oblate shape of Dimorphos (with implications for the origin of the system that remain under investigation). New findings include that Dimorphos likely became prolate due to the impact and may have entered a tumbling rotation state. A possible detection of a postimpact transient secular decrease in the binary orbital period suggests possible dynamical coupling with persistent ejecta. Timescales for damping of any tumbling and clearing of any debris are uncertain. The largest uncertainty in the momentum transfer enhancement factor of the DART impact remains the mass of Dimorphos, which will be resolved by the Hera mission.

The Planetary Science JournalVol. 5(8)
National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, California Institute of Technology, Space Telescope Science Institute, European Commission, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Università di Bologna, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Marshall Space Flight Center, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Astro and Planetary Science
6.30
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