With NASA's help, humanity may have discovered a means to prevent the destruction of Earth by an asteroid.
The space agency has verified that changing an asteroid's course by crashing a ship into it could prevent a catastrophe on Earth.
In an effort to change the 525-foot asteroid moonlet Dimorphos' orbit around a bigger asteroid, NASA slammed a spacecraft into it last year.
NASA confirmed in October that Dimorphos' trajectory had been changed due to the collision.
Everyone must do their part to keep Earth habitable. It's the only one we have," NASA chief Bill Nelson said.
This expedition exemplifies NASA's efforts to prepare for whatever the cosmos may bring. With NASA's help, we've shown that we mean business as Earth protectors.
Because of the dedication shown by NASA's extraordinary team and international allies, "this is a pivotal moment for planetary security and all of humankind."
According to the San Antonio Express-News, there is no risk of a meteorite hitting Earth for at least another century. But NASA wishes to be ready just in case.
It took Dimorphos 11 hours and 55 minutes to complete one circle of Didymos before the spaceship crashed into it.
NASA has verified that Dimorphos' trajectory around Didymos has been shifted by 32 minutes as a result of the spacecraft's impact on September 26.