Inside NASA’s plan to crash spacecraft into asteroid — new video uploaded to AP Video Hub

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Thompson says that NASA’s double asteroid redirection test, or DART, is a mission focused on planetary defense. NASA has launched a spacecraft to impact the surface of an asteroid to determine if this could move objects off a collision course with Earth. Thompson says this test is important because scientists aren’t able to track every object in the sky that may enter near-Earth space. She says being prepared with a solution will enable the world to better protect itself in the event of a potential collision. Thompson notes that there is no risk that the asteroid being hit during the DART mission will enter into a collision course with Earth. She says this test is a safe and highly rewarding mission that will better prepare the world for problematic asteroid events. The test will occur Sept. 26 at 7:14 p.m. EDT with NASA livestreaming and providing coverage.