[ClearCase_guy]

Is asteroid the general term for all of the above? The news story seems to be about a "Meteoroid: a rock in space", so I'm curious why they didn't use that term.

[AntiGuv]

If I remember correctly, the AP Handbook advises using "asteroid" for all space rocks that don't enter the atmosphere in order to avoid confusion. Most American journalists follow AP style.

[RadioAstronomer]

Often the smaller asteroids are called meteoroids and the larger ones are called planetoids. Note: Even though a planetoid can approach the size of a moon, since it is in solar orbit, it cannot be classified as a moon.