Does Dark Matter Pose a Threat to Spacecraft? (solar, universe, crash)

[Milky Way Resident]

I've been thinking about dark matter quite a bit lately and one thing crossed my mind. Since the universe contains far more dark matter than regular matter, would it not pose a threat to spacecraft?

We know that even denser areas like the Asteroid Field are quite empty and that dark matter doesn't interact with electrons, so it cannot be directly observed, but is there a chance that a ship could just end up crashing into it? Its still matter with mass at the end of the day.

[Michael Way]

The answer to that question would depend on how dense or how diffuse dark matter is. According to this article from Berkeley University, the average density of dark matter near our solar system is about 1 proton-mass per 3 cubic centimeters.

''The average density of dark matter near the solar system is approximately 1 proton-mass for every 3 cubic centimeters, which is roughly 6x10-28 kg/cm3. The actual density might be a little lower or higher, but this is the right order of magnitude.''

Question36

At that density level there really isn't anything to crash into. The article does state that the density level is much higher near the center of the galaxy.

Actually, it's thought that dark matter particles are constantly passing through our bodies unhindered.

''Today, Katherine Freese at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and Christopher Savage at Stockholm University in Sweden outline what this means for us humans, since we must also be pushing our way through this dense fog of dark stuff.

We know that whatever dark matter is, it doesn’t interact very strongly with ordinary matter, because otherwise we would have spotted its effects already.

So although billions of dark matter particles must pass through us each second, most pass unhindered. Every now and again, however, one will collide with a nucleus in our body. But how often?''

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/4...he-human-body/