Page 32 - 201006 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - June 2010

June 2010_june_july_2009.qxd 30/06/2010 11:48 PM Page 32 32 NASA: Civilization will end in 2013 (possibly) NASA: Civilization will end in 2013 (possibly) By Rik Myslewski in San Francisco In 2013, the earth will be attacked from space, with one possible outcome being mind- bogglingly severe disruption to our tech-centric way of life. "The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years, we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity," says Richard Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division. "At the same time, our technological society has developed an unprecedented sensitivity to solar storms." Fisher's comments came during the run- up to last week's Space Weather Enterprise Forum 2010, at which scientists gathered to discuss how to prepare for the massive solar storms set to strike the earth in 2013. "We know it is coming but we don’t know how bad it is going to be," Fisher told the Daily Telegraph. "It will disrupt communication attributable to impacts of geomagnetic storms relevance behind such notions as people start devices such as satellites and car navigations, could be of unprecedented levels," the report thinking that since it is happening in Hollywood air travel, the banking system, our computers, concludes. The cost of hurricane Katrina, it cannot be true but the simple fact of the matter everything that is electronic. It will cause major estimated to be between $81bn and $125bn, is that a Hollywood rendering of the Mayan problems for the world." would be piddling when compared to the effect prophecies, in no way, undermines the truth and The earth has been battered by solar of a "future severe geomagnetic storm relevance of the ancient civilization. If storms before, but never has civilization been so scenario," which the report estimates could run Hollywood were to make a movie about the BP vulnerable, since it's now so dependent upon as high as $1 trillion to $2 trillion in the first oil spill it would not render the real life situation both electrical and electronic infrastructure. year. Depending on damage, the report a farce. In pre-electronic and barely electrical contends, full recovery could take 4 to 10 years. Recent earthquakes include last nights 1859, a "perfect space storm" shorted out Scary estimates, indeed, but — as with aftershock of the Mexicali earthquake which telegraph lines in the US and Europe, causing that other scary eventuality, global climate struck in the heart of the Mexican desert with a numerous fires. It also made the Northern change — preparation could help mitigate the 7.2 quake on Easter Sunday. The aftershock Lights visible as far south as Rome, Havana and effects of another "perfect space storm". took its time in coming but still measured 5.7 on Hawaii, according to NASA — contemporary Fisher told the Telegraph that the Richter Scale and according to Kate Hutton, accounts relate how a group of campers in the precautions could include, for example, creating a seismologist for CalTech, such things are to be Rocky Mountains were awakened by an power-grid backup systems so that if expected and are in no way out of the ordinary. "auroral light, so bright that one could easily transformers or giant load-balancing capacitors Then a day before yesterday on the 13th of June read common print. Some of the party insisted are fried by a solar outburst, Plan B could go a 6.1 quake struck off the coast of the Japanese that it was daylight and began the preparation of into effect. "If you know that a hazard is coming island Honshu. A day before that a 7.5 quake breakfast." ... and you have time enough to prepare and take struck off the coast of the Nicobar Islands In 1921, a solar storm induced ground precautions, then you can avoid trouble," he province of India and a Tsunami warning was currents that crippled the New York transit said. issued. system. In 1989, another solar storm brought You can keep tabs on what the sun is The trend of the recent earthquakes down the entire Quebec power grid due to those throwing at us at the US National Oceanic and shows more concentration on the coastal pesky ground currents, and plunged six million Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather countries touching the Pacific Ocean. From people into darkness on a cold, cold Canadian Prediction Center. But don't worry too much — Asia to North America almost all coastal night. after all, if the Mayan calendar is correct, we regions have been affected by tremors of some Fischer sees serious trouble ahead from need not fret about 2013. sort with the more affected regions being East the 2013 peak solar activity attacks. "I think the Asia and Easter Australian regions. issue is now that modern society is so dependent Recent earthquakes To watch a detailed map of the recent on electronics, mobile phones and satellites, earthquakes click on: much more so than the last time this occurred," portray worrying seismic http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recente he said. "There is a severe economic impact qsww/ (See below) from this. We take it very seriously. The trends economic impact could be like a large, major hurricane or storm." In the recent weeks, we have seen an astounding That economic impact could be a "space amount of seismic activity and this is causing to weather Katrina," according to a 2008 report be something that is worrying a lot of from the US National Academies of Sciences' environmentalists, seismologists and geological Space Studies Board entitled Severe Space analysts. The true reasons behind the recent Weather Events: Understanding Societal and earthquakes have not been disclosed and I have Economic Impacts. a feeling that it is more because of government "Strong auroral currents, which wreaked control over the media. Perhaps the truth is havoc with the telegraph networks during the something that they do not want us to know. The [1859] event," the report warns, "can disrupt Mayan prophecies of the world calendar ending and damage electric power grids and may in 2012 are something that a lot of people are contribute to the corrosion of oil and gas beginning to take seriously. pipelines. When a movie is based on such a "Economic and societal costs prophecy, it tends to undermine the truth or