NASA's DART; Experts sceptical about meddling with nature

As the United States space agency NASA is all set to launch its planetary defence test DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) on November 23, many experts and scientists are sceptical about it arguing interference into the stability of the universe, Space.com reported.

A DART spacecraft is to slam itself into an asteroid called Dimorphus, and the DART team will measure the impact and gather data about what is required to steer a threatening asteroid out of Earth's path. However, Dimorphos poses no threat to Earth. The test's impact is expected to mark a new relationship between humans and the solar system.

Outer space geographer Ellie Armstrong told Space.com sarcastically that humans believe that they can do anything in the solar system, even move things out of the way. She believes that the mere idea of exploiting and destroying or changing natural capital like asteroids is fundamentally pinned to the idea of imperialism. That is, humans are allowed to do whatever they want.

An anthropologist at the University of California Irvine, Valerie Olson, thinks intervening in small-body dynamics is serious. DART mission could re-engineer the solar system, at its core, she told Space.com. She said that it is curious that some people and certain agencies are making decisions about how to intervene in outer space matters. She asks what responsibility those groups have to inclusively negotiate the defences and protect all people in the world. If something goes wrong, the results may be heavily grim, turning a natural disaster into a social one. Ultimately, like what happened to many technologies, this one could also be abused, Olson added.

Natalie Trevino says that if it is an emergency, the DART mission could be justified, but there is no threat at the moment. Trevino, the independent critical theorist who focused on space, compared deflecting an asteroid to damming a river. Damming could benefit humans but has broader consequences across the environment. She says that the majority of the public, whether American or the world in general, are not particularly aware of the DART mission. She wonders whether we have the right to make such massive changes in the solar system as humans.