Plans are being mapped out to protect Earth from rogue asteroids with nuclear weapons, it has been reported.
In documents developed by Los Alamos atomic weapons centre in New Mexico, nuclear missiles are cited as Earth's only defence against the growing threat of meteors and asteroids, the Daily Express reported.
Experts said that further research was required in order to determine the best method to destroy or deflect them.
Robert Weaver in an abstract submitted to the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting said that the goal was to study the effectiveness of using a nuclear explosive to alter the orbit or destroy a potentially harmful object.
Around 99 per cent of all asteroids capable of hitting the planet are currently undetected, leaving scientists and Government officials in the dark as to their size, speed or course.