Did anybody get the license plate of that asteroid?

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/03/19/asteroid.blindside/index.html
That could have sucked.

We're still more likely to get hit on the head by that thing than win the California State Lottery; life just ain't fair.

The messed up thing is that they didn't even see it until after it already passed us.

I was watching a terrific Space documentary series, and it argued that we're only here because of Jupiter - that Jupiter catches enormous numbers of meteors that otherwise would have long since destroyed this planet.
On another note, Australia used to host a southern hemisphere meteor/asteroid observation service. However, the Howard government (loathed by about 50% of the population) decided to save money and shut it down. Given their obsessive vilification of unauthorised arrivals (in the form of refugees and asylum seekers), it's ironic that they decided to have no 'border protection' from an actual threat. (Looks like I'll just have to add this to the hundred million billion long list of things I can't stand about Howard.)
cheerio
rowan