ASTEROID STATUS
Trajectory: COLLISION COURSE
Time to Impact: 3.50 yrs
Velocity: 30.0 km/s
Dist to Earth: 2.00 AU
ORBITAL ELEMENTS
Period (T): 1.00 yr
Semi-major (a): 1.00 AU
Eccentricity (e): 0.20
Mission Control
Launch a kinetic impactor (like DART) to alter the asteroid's velocity vector (Δv).
Small changes applied early have massive effects over time.
Retrograde (-180°)
Prograde (0°)
Orbital Physics Note:
Hitting prograde (front) increases the semi-major axis (a) and period (T), widening the orbit. Hitting retrograde shrinks it. Which direction pushes it away from Earth's orbital path?