PsychologyAugust 9, 2026

impactor

im-PAK-ter

Definition

A spacecraft or object intentionally designed to collide with a celestial body to alter its trajectory or study its composition.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'impactus', the past participle of 'impingere', meaning 'to push against' or 'strike', which evolved through Middle English to denote a forceful collision.

In the news

In the article, the term refers to the DART spacecraft, which functioned as a kinetic impactor by crashing into the asteroid Dimorphos to test planetary defense techniques.

A 33-Minute Orbital Shift Shows NASA Can Nudge an Asteroid Off Course

Read the full article ↗

Qoo Media

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