Shreveport Man Is Part of History Making NASA Mission

Big news for NASA has a Shreveport connection.  A NASA spacecraft has slammed into an asteroid in an attempt to break up the big rock before it can pose a danger to Earth.

This big space slam happened Monday and involved an asteroid that is 7 million miles away. The spacecraft Dart plowed into the big rock at a speed of about 14,000 mph.

What's the Connection to Shreveport?

Mission Control's Elena Adams said "We have impact!" She could be seen jumping up and down and throwing her arms to the sky as the mission succeeded.

Just how successful was this DART mission? We won't know for a few months as scientists map the path of the asteroid and its remnants.

This mission cost $325 million dollars. It was the first time NASA has tried to change or alter the position of an asteroid out in space.

"As far as we can tell, our first planetary defense test was a success," Adams later told a news conference, the room filling with applause. "I think Earthlings should sleep better. Definitely, I will."

The target of the Monday mission was the 525-foot asteroid named Dimorphos.

The DART spacecraft was about the size of a refrigerator.