Oh my Gawd, we may have finally found some science Republicans are willing to believe in:

Rep. Lamar Smith on Friday called for hearings on space science and exploration, following the aftermath of the meteor that landed and an asteroid making its close fly by of the Earth. […]

“We have been spending millions to find and track asteroids and comets, but the indications are that this one was so small that we aren’t even looking for objects of this size,” [Rep. Dana Rohrabacher] said in his own statement. “What concerns me even more, however, is the fact that we have no plan that can protect the Earth from any comet or asteroid. So, even if we find one that will hit us, we might not be able to deflect it.” [...]

Rohrabacher said in his statement that he plans to work with Smith to expedite a hearing on planetary protection as soon as possible.