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NASA craft collides with asteroid in test of planetary defense

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) was the first mission to attempt to push a dangerous object out of the way by means of a direct experiment, according to space mission director Thomas Zurbuchen. Shortly after the collision at 2314 GMT Monday, NASA tweeted "impact success" as the "vending machine-sized spacecraft successfully collides with asteroid Dimorphos, which is the size of a football stadium" and poses no threat to Earth.

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The space agency live-streamed the unmanned probe's approach as it grew closer and closer to the asteroid. In images transmitted to Earth by the spacecraft's camera, the asteroid Dimorphos first became visible as a bright dot about an hour before impact, then grew in size and was eventually visible with surface detail and shading - until the camera was destroyed on impact and the image displayed a red glitch.