Speaking on the mission, Dr Andrews said: "As DART smashed into the asteroid, lots of debris flew back off the asteroid, acting like a rocket jet and giving it more of a push.".
In fact, he warned that the technique used two years ago in NASA's DART mission could be like "turning a cannonball into a shotgun spray," increasing devastation on Earth.
SCIENTISTS do not have time to deflect the asteroid a size of a football pitch that is hurtling towards Earth, an expert has warned.
A clever international team of astronomers have now been granted use of the iconic James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) so they can determine how much damage the asteroid may cause.
The asteroid, named 2024 YR4, has been rated as the highest risk ever recorded by the European Space Agency (ESA).
