Modelling Didymoon’s post-impact libration

PhD student Harrison Agrusa from the University of Maryland, as part of a larger team studying the dynamics of the Didymos system has been simulating the impact of the DART spacecraft on the smaller body. The result is that the impact imparts a pronounced side to side movement – known as a libration – to the smaller body. ESA’s follow-up Hera mission would observe this libration in close-up, in order to better constrain the efficiency of DART’s momentum transfer.

Credit: University of Maryland–H. Agrusa