NASA's asteroid mission could prevent future catastrophes: Chris Hadfield

A NASA spacecraft is onits way to smash directly into an asteroid.

The test is meant to determine whether it'spossible to redirectan asteroid headed toward Earth.

It's a plot straight out of a Hollywood movie. Former International Space Stationcommander Chris Hadfieldtold CBC News Network'sPower & Politicsthe mission is worth undertaking.

"If we can just deflect an asteroid the tiniest bit, when it's millions of kilometres away, then it's going to miss the Earth," he said.

NASA'sDouble Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, launched on Tuesday. The spacecraft is expected to slam straight to the Dimorphosasteroid by September of next year.

If the mission succeeds, Hadfield said, the worldwillhave a method to stop a potentially catastrophic asteroid crash.

"We'll be able to see, over time, how much did we move it compared to where it would have been, versus where it's going right now," he said.

"Once we've seen that, then we have basically identified a way for us as residents of planet Earth to protect our planet for any threatening asteroid in the future."

With files from The Associated Press