Image: NASA
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Some images from DRACO should be available during the livestream of the crash, though it may take weeks or months for the DART team to receive the best pictures from LICIACube, and all the other telescopes that will be watching the unprecedented event. We will even get another close look at the crash site in a few years, when the European Space Agency’s Hera probe is scheduled to visit the system to study the fallout of the impact.All of these unique perspectives on this epic wipeout in outer space will help scientists unravel mysteries about asteroids, including how to prevent them impacting our planet. It is extremely unlikely that we will be hit by the kind of space rock that killed off the dinosaurs anytime soon, but even a much smaller asteroid could be extremely dangerous on a regional level.Regardless of the odds, it never hurts to have a plan for such an apocalyptic possibility. The fact that it involves punching an asteroid with a space probe is just a bonus.Sign up for Motherboard’s daily newsletter for a regular dose of our original reporting, plus behind-the-scenes content about our biggest stories.