2 big space rocks hours apart spotlight danger from the sky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A space rock even bigger than the meteor that exploded like an atom bomb over Russia could drop out of the sky unannounced at any time and wreak havoc on a city -- and contrary to Hollywood, there isn't much the world's scientists and generals could do about it.

Some former astronauts want to give the world a fighting chance, though. They're hopeful Friday's cosmic coincidence -- Earth's close brush with a 150-foot asteroid, hours after the 49-foot meteor struck in Russia -- will draw attention to the dangers lurking in outer space and lead to action, such as better detection and tracking of asteroids.