NASA Recognizes Uzbek Scientists for Participation in Historic Asteroid Orbit-Change Mission

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — NASA has honored scientists from the Mirzo Ulughbek Astronomical Institute of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences for their outstanding contributions to an international space mission.

According to the Academy’s press service, the award recipients are PhD candidates Otabek Burkhonov, head of the Galactic Astronomy Laboratory, and Kamoliddin Ergashev.

The scientists were recognized for their role in the “Double Asteroid Redirection Test” (DART) mission — the first-ever human experiment to intentionally alter an asteroid’s orbit to protect Earth.

The experiment, conducted on 26 September 2022, involved a kinetic impact on the moonlet of the small asteroid system Didymos–Dimorphos.

As a result of the impact, Dimorphos’ orbital period changed, a shift precisely measured using both ground-based and space telescopes, confirming the mission’s success.

Researchers from the Astronomical Institute actively participated in the mission’s ground observation team, utilizing telescopes at the Maidanak Observatory.

The team’s primary task was to determine and accurately calculate the change in the asteroid system’s orbital period based on photometric observations conducted before and after the collision.

The results confirmed both the effectiveness of the experiment and its scientific significance.

For their contributions, Burkhonov and Ergashev were awarded NASA’s “Group Achievement Award,” which recognizes exceptional scientific results and international collaboration in the space field.