Historic moment: The orbit of an asteroid was denied for the first time

NASA chief Bill Nelson said it’s the first time humanity has changed the motion of a celestial body. “This is a turning point for planetary defense and a tipping point for humanity,” Nelson told reporters while announcing the results. “We are ready for anything the universe throws at us”

Scientists had hoped to shorten the asteroid’s orbit by 10 minutes, but Nelson said the impact shortened the rock’s orbit by about 32 minutes.

“DART reduced the orbit from 11 hours 55 minutes to 11 hours 23 minutes,” he said.