“Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012,” the space agency said in a statement posted on its frequently asked questions segment of its website.

The U.S. space agency said predictions that the world will end in 2012 were based more in myth than in fact. NASA officials sought to debunk rumors that the Mayan calender has predicted the end of the world in 2012, saying the prediction is little more than misinformation.

“Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then — just as your calendar begins again on January 1 — another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar,” says NASA.

According to the ancient Mayan calendar, the 2012 winter solstice marks the end of a 144,000-day cycle. This cycle, which begins at the mythical Maya creation date, has already been repeated 12 times. The 13th will end in 2012, capping a full 5,200-year Mayan cycle of creation, according to those predicting the apocalypse.

The latest statement from NASA comes as the space agency has sought to downplay and debunk rumors put forth a by a number of websites in recent years. The space agency has repeatedly issued statements explaining a number of cosmological events, including solar storms and flybys of asteroids.

The Earth is always vulnerable to impacts by comets and asteroids, but giant impacts are rare, with the last major collision taking place 65 million years ago, ending the Age of Dinosaurs. Asked Monday whether the Earth is due for a near-earth encounter, NASA officials said they do not expect it.

“There are no known near-Earth objects in 2012 that present a credible risk to Earth,” said one NASA official. “None, zero, zip, nada.”

That said, NASA officials acknowledged that the Earth could face the threat of an asteroid in the future, adding that the astronomers remain on the lookout for such events.

“The Earth has always been subject to impacts by comets and asteroids, although big hits are very rare. The last big impact was 65 million years ago, and that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Today NASA astronomers are carrying out a survey called the Spaceguard Survey to find any large near-Earth asteroids long before they hit. We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs,” said the space agency.

Among the fears expressed by those predicting the apocalypse includes the theory of a rogue planet that has been dubbed “Nibiru” or “Planet X,” which is supposedly set to slam into Earth.

In a statement released by NASA, the space agency noted that Nibiru does not exist. The space agency also noted that there is not evidence that any object of that size is slated to impact Earth in the coming year.

“Nibiru is ridiculous because it doesn’t exist — it never existed as anything other than a figment of the imagination by pseudo-scientists who don’t seem bothered by a complete lack of evidence,” said astronomer Don Yeomans, manager of NASA’s Near-Earth Object program office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Still, among the more serious cases for a potential crisis in 2012 is the threat of solar storms disrupting communications throughout the U.S. NASA announced earlier this week that a major solar storm is likely to strike Earth later this month, warning that it could disrupt communication and GPS equipment throughout the country.

The storm could interrupt cell phone use in a number of countries, however, it remains unclear what effect the solar storm will have on everyday life. Experts says the storm is likely to cause temporary radio blackouts in some areas. Scientists at NASA and NOAA say they have provided warnings to electric companies, spacecraft operators, and airline pilots before a CME comes to Earth so that these groups can take proper precautions.