How to Survive a Killer Asteroid

Wired's deep dive into NASA's planetary-defence programme, anchored on the September 26, 2022 DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission. A vending-machine-sized spacecraft, built and operated from Johns Hopkins APL under engineer Elena Adams, deliberately rammed the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos at ~14,000 mph and successfully shortened its orbit — the first time humanity has changed the trajectory of a celestial body. The piece walks through the science of asteroid detection, kinetic impactors, and the international planetary-defence community. Note: Wired blocked direct fetching.