Back-to-back asteroids harmlessly fly past Earth

[May 30, 2012]  PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- A newly discovered small asteroid has harmlessly zipped close to Earth -- just as scientists expected.

The 16-foot-long space rock, discovered on Memorial Day, passed by early Tuesday at a distance of 8,950 miles from the Earth's surface.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which tracks such flybys, said the asteroid -- dubbed 2012 KT42 -- was the sixth closest asteroid approach.

It was the second asteroid encounter this week. On Monday, another asteroid, measuring 69 feet across, flew by at a distance of 32,000 miles.

[Associated Press]

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