Asteroid 2024 YR4 caused quite a stir last year when it was discovered and originally calculated to have a 3 percent chance of hitting Earth. Since then, models have been refined, and while it no longer has a chance of hitting Earth, it does have a 4 percent chance of hitting the Moon in December 2032.

As that time gets closer, we'll have a better idea of the probability, but engineers and scientists are also planning for what we would need to do to ensure it doesn't hit our only natural satellite at all.

A new paper from NASA and a bunch of other researchers details potential missions and timelines that could make sure the Moon isn't pummeled with a decent-sized asteroid in less than a decade.

There are no definitive plans to have a permanent human presence on the Moon by that poin

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