In today’s Bulldog wrapup of technology and science news:

  • NASA using asteroid’s close flyby to test warning network
  • Facebook gets real about broadening virtual reality’s appeal
  • Get lost mom and dad! Amazon lets teens shop on their own
  • Zuckerberg sorry for virtual tour of devastated Puerto Rico
  • Apple teams with Steven Spielberg on video expansion

The details:

  • NASA using asteroid’s close flyby to test warning network

NASA is using an asteroid’s close flyby to test Earth’s warning network for incoming space rocks.

The small asteroid was on track to pass within 27,200 miles (43,800 kilometers) of Antarctica early Thursday.

Program scientist Michael Kelley said that’s “pretty close” as these things go. But he stressed there’s no chance it will hit us. Future space rocks might, though — thus this first-of-its-kind cosmic fire drill.

[VIDEO: Watch a Nasa asteroid detection video overview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_eEXScLFBA ]

“You never expect your office building to catch fire and to be trapped in there, but you have fire drills anyway,” he said Wednesday. “That’s what I’ve been using as kind of an analogy to what we’re doing here.”

Observatories worldwide — part of the International Asteroid Warning Network — have been zooming in on the asteroid called 2012 TC4 for weeks to test communication and coordination. Kelley said it’s gone well.

Until now, researchers relied on “tabletop” tests, simulations with no actual asteroids involved. The exercise will continue for another week, as observatories keep tracking the asteroid as it departs Earth’s neighborhood.

First spotted in 2012 and then disappearing from view until this past July, the asteroid is estimated to measure 45 feet to 100 feet (14 to 30 meters.). Kelley said astronomers should have a better handle on the shape and size of the rock — which they believe is oblong, like a potato — in coming days and weeks, as more observations pour in.

  • Facebook gets real about broadening virtual reality’s appeal

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg seems to be realizing a sobering reality about virtual reality: His company’s Oculus headsets that send people into artificial worlds are too expensive and confining to appeal to the masses.

Zuckerberg on Wednesday revealed how Facebook intends to address that problem, unveiling a stand-alone headset that won’t require plugging in a smartphone or a cord tethering it to a personal computer like the Oculus Rift headset does.

“I am more committed than ever to the future of virtual reality,” Zuckerberg reassured a crowd of computer programmers gathered in San Jose, California, for Oculus’ annual conference.

Facebook’s new headset, called Oculus Go, will cost $199 when it hits the market next year. That’s a big drop from the Rift, which originally sold for $599 and required a PC costing at least $500 to become immersed in virtual reality, or VR.

Recent discounts lowered the Rift’s price to $399 at various times during the summer, a markdown Oculus now says will be permanent.

“The strategy for Facebook is to make the onboarding to VR as easy and inexpensive as possible,” said Gartner analyst Brian Blau. “And $199 is an inexpensive entry for a lot of people who are just starting out in VR. The problem is you will be spending that money on a device that only does VR and nothing else.”

Facebook didn’t provide any details on how the Oculus Go will work, but said it will include built-in headphones for audio and have a LCD display.

  • Get lost mom and dad! Amazon lets teens shop on their own

Remember when your parents first let you shop at the mall by yourself? Amazon is trying to replicate that feeling for the digital generation.

The online retail giant said Wednesday that teens can now shop at Amazon on their own, if their parents let them. Adults can add up to four teenagers to their account, giving youngsters their own login information to buy stuff through the Amazon app. Parents can set spending limits, cancel orders and get notifications when something is bought.

The move by the Seattle-based company comes at an already rough time for stores that cater to teens. Abercrombie & Fitch’s revenue, for example, has fallen every year since 2014. And some teen retailers have filed for bankruptcy protection, including Aeropostale and Wet Seal.

For Amazon, getting teens to shop now could turn them into customers for the rest of their lives, said Brendan Witcher, an e-commerce industry analyst at Forrester.

Amazon.com Inc. said the new program is only for teens between the ages of 13 and 17. And the company said kids won’t be able to see their parent’s credit card information.

There’s no extra cost to use it, and parents don’t need to have a Prime membership to add teens to their accounts. But if they do pay for Prime, teens will also get access to free shipping, streaming video and Prime’s other perks.

  • Zuckerberg sorry for virtual tour of devastated Puerto Rico

Mark Zuckerberg has apologized for showcasing Facebook’s virtual reality capability with a tour of hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.

The Facebook founder and another executive discussed the platform’s virtual reality project through avatars in a video recorded live Monday.

The video begins with the avatars pictured on the roof of Facebook’s Mountain View, California, headquarters before heading to Puerto Rico by using a 360-degree video recorded by National Public Radio as a backdrop.

Zuckerberg later responded to critics, writing that his goal of showing “how VR can raise awareness and help us see what’s happening in different parts of the world” wasn’t clear. He says he’s sorry to anyone who was offended.

Facebook is also working to restore internet connectivity on the island and has donated money to the relief effort.

  • Apple teams with Steven Spielberg on video expansion

Apple is teaming up with award-winning director Steven Spielberg for its first major push into TV programming.

The iPhone maker is bringing back Spielberg’s 30-year-old anthology series “Amazing Stories” in its attempt to build an online video subscription service to challenge the digital networks operated by Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and HBO.

“We love being at the forefront of Apple’s investment in scripted programming, and can’t think of a better property than Spielberg’s beloved ‘Amazing Stories’ franchise,” NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke said in a statement Tuesday. NBC Entertainment works with Spielberg’s Amblin Television on the series.

Apple declined to comment on the deal. The Wall Street Journal first reported Apple had secured the “Amazing Stories” rights.

The series aired on NBC from 1985 to 1987 and won five Emmy awards for its mixture of science fiction and horror episodes, although the series was never a big hit in the ratings.

It marked a return to TV for Spielberg, who first made a name for himself directing the ABC film, “Duel” in 1971 before moving on to the movie theaters. His films include box-office blockbusters such as “Jaws,” ”E.T.,” ”Jurassic Park,” the “Indiana Jones” franchise and critically acclaimed pictures such as “Saving Private Ryan,” ”Lincoln” and “Schindler’s List,” for which he won an Academy Award for best director.