2016-12-06T00:53:30+0000

ANASA scientist expressed a grim assessment of humanity’s ability to defend itself against an oncoming asteroid or comet crash, at a presentation on Monday. And he advocates building a defense system comprised on a rocket capable of intercepting one those sort of threatening space rocks in order to mitigate or possibly eliminate the ability for an asteroid or comet to wipe out our species.

During a presentation at the annual American Geophysical Union meeting,Joseph Nuth, a researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center spoke about the grave dangers large asteroids and comets pose to life on Earth. While acknowledging the chances of a collision with a rock big enough to pose an existential threat are quite small, he opined that an extinction-level event was not unthinkable, especially given the history of the planet.

“Things like dinosaur killers, they’re 50 to 60 million years apart, essentially,” he told AGU attendees. “You could say, of course, we’re due.” The agency has found what it estimates to be 90 percent or more of near-Earth objects larger than a kilometer — big enough to cause significant devastation to life on Earth.

While most scientists are paying attention to a surprise asteroid that’d headed for Earth (hi there, Queen guitarist Brian May!) Nuth emphasizes we should also spend our energy and attention on looking at comets, which usually orbit the sun with on a set path but sometimes flyby Earth in an aberrant manner. Nuth cites two instances in 1996 and 2014 when comets nearly crashed into Jupiter and Mars, respectively.

“The biggest problem, basically, is there’s not a hell of a lot we can do about it at the moment,” he said.

NASA recently opened up a planetary defense office, and while its investing a lot of money and time into augmenting our ability to spot oncoming rocks that could pose a threat, we still have no way to actually stop a large asteroid or comet from hurtling right into the planet.

It sounds like a science fiction movie, but Nuth seriously recommends we build a interceptor rocket fitted with a nuclear bomb that could potentially stop an asteroid or comet, or at least reduce the damage it could induce. He also suggests we build an observer spacecraft that could be launched to conduct more in-depth study of a nearby that’s raising alarms. If the observer finds the treat credible, we can just fire off the interceptor in time to create a deflection.

Nuth stressed that this is just his suggestion, and that NASA certainly has no official opinion or thoughts on such a plan. “We’re talking a considerable amount of money,” he said. “The NASA request would probably be for several hundred million dollars to produce one of these spacecraft.”

That might be money well spent. We won’t always have Bruce Willis around to save our asses.

Photos via Pixabay

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A conspiracy theorist whose mum believes he was 'murdered by his enemies' vomited two litres of black fluid shortly before he died, an inquest heard.

Max Spiers, 39, sought to expose government cover-ups and visited Poland to speak at a conference before he died on a sofa 24 hours later.

Just days before his death, the dad-of-two had texted his mum Vanessa Bates the chilling message: "Your boy's in trouble. If anything happens, investigate."

Mr Spiers, a world-renowned conspiracy theorist from Canterbury, Kent, was said to have been probing into the lives of well-known figures in politics, business and entertainment.

He made a name for himself investigating UFO sightings and alleged cover-ups.

The UFO expert was found dead in mysterious circumstances in Poland (Photo: YouTube / Max Spiers)

His mum, 63, said: "I think Max had been digging in some dark places and somebody wanted him dead."

Mr Spiers, who went to school with Orlando Bloom, had visited Poland after holidaying in Cyprus with a friend, who later discovered his body.

The inquest at Canterbury coroner's court into his death in Otwock on July 16 opened on Monday after his body was repatriated.

Polish authorities had initially dismissed his death as being down to natural causes, but a post-mortem examination at Margate Hospital, Kent, was unable to determine how he died.

In a statement, coroner's investigations officer Caroline O'Donnell said: "When they returned, Mr Spiers became ill with a high temperature and was weak.

"The following day, Mr Spiers vomited two litres of black fluid.

Video thumbnail, British conspiracy theorist who was found dead in Poland

Vanessa Bates and son Max Spiers (Photo: Facebook)

"The friend called a doctor who attempted resuscitation before pronouncing him dead."

Mr Spiers had lived in America for a few years, but had returned to Canterbury to stay with his mum before jetting off to Poland.

Vanessa, an English teacher who also buys into the theories, said: "He was making a name for himself in the world of conspiracy theorists and had been invited to speak at a conference in Poland in July.

"He was staying with a woman who he had not known for long and she told me how she found him dead on the sofa.

"But I think Max had been digging in some dark places and I fear that somebody wanted him dead.

"Max was a very fit man who was in good health and yet he apparently just died suddenly on a sofa.

Max's mother believes her son may have been poisoned (Photo: Gofundme)

"All I have is a death certificate from the Polish authorities that it was from natural causes, but no post-mortem was done so how can they tell that?

"They are also refusing to release any paperwork about it to me because, absurdly, I don't have his written permission."

Coroner Alan Blunsdon told the court he was still awaiting a report from Polish authorities.

He also hopes to secure funding to have Mr Spiers' laptop and mobile phone forensically analysed.

Fellow conspiracy theorists, UFO investigators and bloggers have claimed the circumstances of the death suspicious.

On one website, blogger Project Camelot wrote: "The entire circumstances are suspicious and I urge everyone to encourage the release of details about what really happened and call for an autopsy."

Another, Craig Hewlett, added: "If it wasn't true what he talks about then why would they kill him? Healthy people don't just get sick and die, they get poisoned."

His mum added: "It's been a long time coming, but I'm just relieved that at last something is happening and there is a proper investigation and inquest."

She previously spoke of her belief that her son was murdered: "These people (who Max was mixing with) appeared to be involved with some very dark and dangerous areas of the world.

"I was afraid that as he was gaining popularity and fame that perhaps someone would want him out of the way, i.e. not alive any longer. I believe somebody's killed him.

"He has a brother, Josh, and sister, Becky, who are both devastated, as are his two boys. We all want answers to this and I will continue to fight to get to the truth."

Mr Spiers was buried in Canterbury after his family had his body flown home a week after his death.

The inquest continues.