The name for a solid object traveling through space that strikes Earth's atmosphere is a meteoroid. Here's the breakdown:

* Meteoroid: A small piece of rock or metal traveling through space.

* Meteor: The bright streak of light we see when a meteoroid burns up in the Earth's atmosphere. This is often called a "shooting star."

* Meteorite: The piece of a meteoroid that survives its passage through the atmosphere and lands on Earth.

So, the object itself in space is a meteoroid, but the event of it entering the atmosphere and burning up is called a meteor. Only the remnants that reach the ground are called meteorites.