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China-Asteroid 2024 YR4/Analysis
In Space - Recent (Courtesy of NASA - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Photo showing location of 2024 YR4 asteroid in cosmos
2. Estimated trajectory of 2024 YR4 in solar system
FILE: China - Exact Date and Location Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of animation showing asteroid hitting Earth
4. Animation showing asteroids heading for Earth
Beijing, China - Feb 23, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Haiyang, senior engineer, Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (starting with shot 4/ending with shot 6):
"We can use the kinetic impactor technique, sending a probe to collide with an asteroid and slightly alter its speed, allowing it to miss Earth. Other potential methods include gravity tractors and deflection through external forces."
FILE: China - Exact Date and Location Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Various of animation showing kinetic impact to alert asteroid's trajectory, avoid collision with Earth
7. Various of animation showing Earth rotating
8. Various of animation showing asteroids heading for Earth
Beijing, China - Feb 23, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yan Wei, senior engineer, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences (starting with shot 8/ending with shot 10):
"The scientific community now believes that asteroids have experienced relatively little evolution, preserving some of the primitive material from the early solar system. Therefore, studying and exploring asteroids can provide valuable insights into the origin of the solar system and the evolutionary history of planets."
FILE: China - Exact Date and Location Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Animation showing planets in solar system
11. Animation showing sky studded with twinkling stars
12. Animation showing planets in cosmos
The possibility of asteroid 2024 YR4 striking Earth has now been downgraded to nearly zero, according to the latest observations from U.S. space agency NASA.
First spotted in late 2024, the so-called "city killer" asteroid has been making headlines due to earlier calculations suggesting a collision with Earth in December 2032, with the probability peaking at 3.1 percent last week, making it the riskiest asteroid ever detected.
However, as astronomical observations continue, the likelihood of 2024 YR4's impact with Earth has dropped to just 0.28 percent, NASA reported in a blog post on Thursday.
The chances of an asteroid colliding with Earth can fluctuate as scientists refine their calculations. After determining an asteroid's initial trajectory through ground-based observations, researchers use high-precision models of the solar system to predict its future path. As more observational data is collected, these predictions will become more and more accurate.
While near-Earth objects (NEOs) remain a long-term threat, space agencies worldwide have developed strategies to mitigate potential impacts.
The Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG), composed of multiple national space agencies, is tasked with assessing asteroid threats and coordinating response efforts.
If an asteroid larger than 50 meters in diameter is found to have a greater than one percent chance of impacting Earth within 50 years, the SMPAG will initiate mitigation actions.
One leading defense strategy is kinetic impact, in which a spacecraft is intentionally crashed into an asteroid to alter its trajectory.
"We can use the kinetic impactor technique, sending a probe to collide with an asteroid and slightly alter its speed, allowing it to miss Earth. Other potential methods include gravity tractors and deflection through external forces," said Li Haiyang, a senior engineer from China’s Deep Space Exploration Laboratory.
Despite their potential hazards, asteroids also offer important clues to understanding the origin of our solar system.
"The scientific community now believes that asteroids have experienced relatively little evolution, preserving some of the primitive material from the early solar system. Therefore, studying and exploring asteroids can provide valuable insights into the origin of the solar system and the evolutionary history of planets," said Yan Wei, a senior engineer at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In addition, asteroids may contain resources rarely found on Earth, making them attractive targets for future space exploration.
China-Asteroid 2024 YR4/Analysis
Dateline : Feb 23, 2025/File
Location : China
Duration : 1'24
In Space - Recent (Courtesy of NASA - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Photo showing location of 2024 YR4 asteroid in cosmos
2. Estimated trajectory of 2024 YR4 in solar system
FILE: China - Exact Date and Location Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of animation showing asteroid hitting Earth
4. Animation showing asteroids heading for Earth
Beijing, China - Feb 23, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Haiyang, senior engineer, Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (starting with shot 4/ending with shot 6):
"We can use the kinetic impactor technique, sending a probe to collide with an asteroid and slightly alter its speed, allowing it to miss Earth. Other potential methods include gravity tractors and deflection through external forces."
FILE: China - Exact Date and Location Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Various of animation showing kinetic impact to alert asteroid's trajectory, avoid collision with Earth
7. Various of animation showing Earth rotating
8. Various of animation showing asteroids heading for Earth
Beijing, China - Feb 23, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yan Wei, senior engineer, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences (starting with shot 8/ending with shot 10):
"The scientific community now believes that asteroids have experienced relatively little evolution, preserving some of the primitive material from the early solar system. Therefore, studying and exploring asteroids can provide valuable insights into the origin of the solar system and the evolutionary history of planets."
FILE: China - Exact Date and Location Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Animation showing planets in solar system
11. Animation showing sky studded with twinkling stars
12. Animation showing planets in cosmos
The possibility of asteroid 2024 YR4 striking Earth has now been downgraded to nearly zero, according to the latest observations from U.S. space agency NASA.
First spotted in late 2024, the so-called "city killer" asteroid has been making headlines due to earlier calculations suggesting a collision with Earth in December 2032, with the probability peaking at 3.1 percent last week, making it the riskiest asteroid ever detected.
However, as astronomical observations continue, the likelihood of 2024 YR4's impact with Earth has dropped to just 0.28 percent, NASA reported in a blog post on Thursday.
The chances of an asteroid colliding with Earth can fluctuate as scientists refine their calculations. After determining an asteroid's initial trajectory through ground-based observations, researchers use high-precision models of the solar system to predict its future path. As more observational data is collected, these predictions will become more and more accurate.
While near-Earth objects (NEOs) remain a long-term threat, space agencies worldwide have developed strategies to mitigate potential impacts.
The Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG), composed of multiple national space agencies, is tasked with assessing asteroid threats and coordinating response efforts.
If an asteroid larger than 50 meters in diameter is found to have a greater than one percent chance of impacting Earth within 50 years, the SMPAG will initiate mitigation actions.
One leading defense strategy is kinetic impact, in which a spacecraft is intentionally crashed into an asteroid to alter its trajectory.
"We can use the kinetic impactor technique, sending a probe to collide with an asteroid and slightly alter its speed, allowing it to miss Earth. Other potential methods include gravity tractors and deflection through external forces," said Li Haiyang, a senior engineer from China’s Deep Space Exploration Laboratory.
Despite their potential hazards, asteroids also offer important clues to understanding the origin of our solar system.
"The scientific community now believes that asteroids have experienced relatively little evolution, preserving some of the primitive material from the early solar system. Therefore, studying and exploring asteroids can provide valuable insights into the origin of the solar system and the evolutionary history of planets," said Yan Wei, a senior engineer at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In addition, asteroids may contain resources rarely found on Earth, making them attractive targets for future space exploration.
ID : 8417339
Published : 2025-02-24 14:04
Last Modified : 2025-02-24 19:20:09
Source : China Central Television (CCTV),Other
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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