Russian asteroid takes space geeks by surprise

Space geeks were caught by surprise this morning when they heard an asteroid had struck Russia hours ahead of another one they were already expecting to zip past Earth at a safe distance, yet closer than many communications satellites, later today.

An asteroid about 150 feet in diameter, 2012 DA14, was to pass by our planet later today. While only a fraction of that size, the one that struck Russia was estimated at 10 tons -- the size of a standard school bus -- and collapsed roofs, broke out windows, left a crater near a city in western Siberia and sent a thousand people to hospitals for medical help.

Some experts said the two asteroids may have been related, but others said the Russian rock was in an entirely different trajectory.

The event might have been much more tragic in previous years, when the U.S. and old Soviet Union were on hair triggers during the Cold War, but even today, one Russian leader blamed it on a secret American weapon, and others citizens assumed it was some sort of rocket.

Online videos show a fireball streaking across the sky, overpowering even the daytime sun at one point.

Russia knows about asteroids; one just smaller than the DA14 that will zip by later today, struck the Tunguska River area in 1908, flattening about 825 square miles of forest land.

While one observer noted that Bruce Willis won't be able to save us from an approaching asteroid -- referring to his role he played in the movie "Armageddon," a Facebook post observed that "Asteroids are nature's way of asking 'How's that space program coming?'"

While there wasn't much we could do about 1908's asteroid, today we might have the technology available to avert disaster, provided we have the time and resolve to put the resources in place.