Fiery asteroids smash into Earth 's atmosphere at such a stunning rate , it 's a wonder we do n't see fireballs raining down from the skies more frequently . A new NASA map from the space agency 's Near-Earth Object Program , reveals that more than 556 space rocks smashed into the atmosphere over a 20-year period between 1994 and 2013 . NASA 's Near Earth Object Program . The good news is most are small and harmless fireballs that disintegrate when they hit the atmosphere , the space agency said in a press release . An obvious exception occurred on February 15 , 2013 , when an asteroid as large as 55 feet in diameter with a mass of up to 10,000 tons crashed to earth in the Urals region in Russia , streaking through the morning sky in Chelyabinsk before landing in a fiery explosion that injured more than a thousand people and caused an estimated $ 33 million in damage . Russia starts cleanup after meteor strike . NASA said the Chelyabinsk asteroid was the largest to hit the Earth during the agency 's mapping period . Meteor streaks across Russian skies . Meteor blast at local school . Asteroids are defined by NASA as rocky bodies in space that orbit the Sun . Some of them are large enough to be considered minor planets . When pieces of an asteroid or comet break off from the main body , they 're referred to as meteroids . A meteor is actually the light that is seen in the sky when a meteoroid enters Earth 's atmosphere . A meteor shower is seen when lots of these smaller particles fall to Earth . According to NASA , meteroids are usually small , but can range `` from dust particle to boulder size . '' Meteor showers put on quite a show . The NEO Program helps detect and track space rocks that could cause a potential danger to Earth . `` The new data could help scientists better refine estimates of the distribution of the sizes of NEOs , '' NASA explained . `` Finding and characterizing hazardous asteroids to protect our home planet is a high priority . '' The space agency has increased its efforts at finding and tracking potentially dangerous space objects with the idea of developing ways to protect the Earth from one , should it ever become necessary . NASA is also developing an Asteroid Redirect Mission called ARM . In a plan that sounds a lot like science fiction , NASA wants to redirect a space rock into orbit around the moon by the 2020s so astronauts can study it more closely . The mission could also help develop ways to deflect an asteroid should one be found on a collision course for Earth . NASA 's All Sky Fireball Network .
A new map shows an asteroid barrage across planet Earth . NASA detection program reveals hundreds of asteroid strikes . Asteroid in Chelyabinsk , Russia , was largest to impact planet during mapping . NEO Program helps find potentially dangerous space rocks .