Asteroid scare prompts calls for space research

With images of fireballs slashing through the skies over Russia still fresh in people's minds, China's top asteroid scientist called for greater research into the dangers asteroids pose.

Major space powers have become more aware in recent years of the threat posed by objects hurtling toward Earth, but more needs to be done, said Zhao Haibin, an asteroid researcher at Purple Mountain Observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

On Feb 15, a rock 17 meters in diameter smashed into a frozen lake on the outskirts of the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in the Urals. Its shockwaves injured 1,200 people and damaged thousands of homes.