my tech museum

Chapter 308 The Sudden Crisis

After the efforts of all the staff of the research institute during this period, the components of the heavy hammer cruiser have basically been manufactured, and will be transported to the near-Earth space port for assembly soon according to the original plan.

At that time, the heavy hammer cruiser will also truly show its glory.

This kind of efficiency may not be possible for the space agency, but it is normal for the fully intelligent future technology research institute.

The assembly of the heavy hammer cruiser is undoubtedly very exciting, but it is also full of risks.

If it cannot be activated in the end, it will mark the failure of the Heavy Hammer Project, which will be a big blow to all personnel.

It is bound to affect subsequent tests.

Form a vicious circle.

So from the day the Heavy Hammer Project started, it was doomed not to fail.

Xu Lei is confident, but he dare not relax himself. After all, no one knows when extraterrestrial civilizations will break into the solar system.

In this embarrassing situation, he deliberately entered the upper space of the science and technology museum, hoping to find other advanced technology exhibits suitable for human civilization.

After repeated screening, although some goods were received, they faced a very serious problem.

He doesn't have enough clout to buy viewing rights.

The previous vigorous product price reduction activities did usher in a wave of influence, but the market is becoming saturated after all, and the influence points that can be earned are relatively limited.

If the project of the fusion power station had not been successfully completed and put into use, I am afraid that his current influence would be less than 2000 million.

Of course, the main reason is that the center of gravity of the research institute's mission is on the heavy hammer cruiser. If only some personnel from the Chinese Academy of Sciences participate in the construction of the fusion power station, the speed will inevitably be much lower.

It is completely incomparable with when he and Li Chengzhe were in charge before.

The core components of the heavy hammer cruiser were basically completed before they were built into a fusion power station.

Fortunately, as long as the heavy hammer cruiser is successfully launched and the normal use of various functions is guaranteed, with this manufacturing experience, the subsequent manufacturing of the second and third ships will be much faster, and the process will be more modular, reducing scientific research. staff input.

At that time, more people can be assigned to the construction project of the fusion power station, and we must seize the time to completely complete the domestic energy reform.

According to Xingtong's current comprehensive analysis of energy, about ten fusion power stations will be built to ensure the country's energy demand.

Take various living facilities to a whole new level.

After all, some provinces have a limited population and can share a fusion power station with other provinces, so a total of fifteen fusion power stations is more than enough.

What's more, the ten fusion power stations alone are estimated to bring at least 1000 million influence.

In addition to the current 2000 million, it is enough to obtain a technological exhibit of a second-level civilization.

Further expand the strength of human civilization.

More importantly, this is just the beginning.

After the country completes a qualitative leap, Future Technology can consider investing in the construction of fusion power stations overseas.

Although this is equivalent to helping the development of overseas forces, it is a good thing from another perspective, because when they completely abandon traditional fossil energy and use future technology fusion energy, the energy system of the manufacturing industry will also be controlled by future technology .

If the globalization of fusion energy is truly realized, I am afraid that the influence will increase by tens of millions or even hundreds of millions.

With so much influence in hand, if you choose science and technology exhibits, you don't have to be limited to ordinary second-level civilizations, even the more valuable third-level civilization science and technology exhibits can be tried.

In any case, when the Hammer Cruiser is in service, humans will have the ability to navigate freely in the star system, and can use the resources in the major planets to manufacture more technological products.

The process of becoming a second-level civilization will only be faster.

Human beings were born on the blue planet Earth, and it took more than 5000 years to enter the first-level civilization, but perhaps the second-level civilization may not even be a hundred years old.

Of course, these are still in Xu Lei's plan for the time being, and it is not easy to make them come true.

"Next, when the heavy hammer cruiser completes the assembly and start-up test, we will focus on the influence." After a long time, Xu Lei put away the tedious thoughts in his mind, and set a small goal for himself in a low voice: "Strive for it as soon as possible." Let’s reach 3000 million.”

But as soon as the words fell, Xingtong suddenly woke up spontaneously, and a three-dimensional holographic projection appeared.

"The operation log from the space station has been uploaded, and there are errors in the data after system analysis. It is recommended to check and confirm as soon as possible."

"What's the situation?" Hearing the familiar voice next to his ear, Xu Lei's expression was a little weird.

It was the first time he had encountered such a thing.

As the core brain of future technology, Xingtong can bring great convenience no matter it is applied to any field.

For example, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has had the primary authority of Xingtong from a very early age.

In recent years, as the influence of future technology has further expanded and gradually entered various fields, Xingtong can naturally be seen everywhere.

At the beginning, the splicing of the main body of the space elevator and the construction of the Guanghan Palace Moon Base could not have been done without the assistance of Xingtong.

Therefore, today's Tiangong space station also has access to part of the authority of the star pupil, aiming to help astronauts better complete various scientific research tasks and monitor the situation in space in real time.

Especially after the traces of extraterrestrial civilizations appeared on the planet Earth last time, Xu Lei made Xingtong pay more attention to the solar system.

Although it is temporarily impossible to determine where the extraterrestrial civilization came from, at least whether the enemy has arrived at the door must be known.

Otherwise, if you don't even know this bit of information, it may be difficult to win.

But under normal circumstances, if there is any problem with the data, Xingtong will report it to the direct user, that is, the astronauts in Tiangong.

It is indeed a bit strange to upload a log to him.

But Xu Lei understands that there is absolutely no possibility of mistakes in Xingtong's ability. Since there is such an unusual operation, it only shows that the situation is more complicated.

With his brain running quickly, Xu Lei soon had a calculation in his mind, straightened his body and gave orders decisively.

"Check."

"The operation log of the Tiangong Space Telescope has been called up."

After receiving Xu Lei's order, Xingtong said this very formally, and then projected a familiar holographic screen.

Xu Lei hurriedly took a closer look, and found that the above content was the observation data of the space telescope, but there was an error in this data.

Although very tiny.

It can even be ignored.

Because with the successive construction of space ports and moon bases, the space station has almost become a transfer station for resource transportation.

The functional effect has been greatly reduced compared to before.

In this case, out of various considerations, the space agency still characterized it as a space experiment research cabin, and installed the most powerful space telescope to observe celestial bodies in space.

The observation data uploaded by Xingtong mainly collected starlight through precision pointing sensors, but there was an extremely small period of time when the data fluctuated.

The sunlight reflected by Neptune dimmed for a very short time, then came back up again.

The precision pointing sensor collects the starlight formed by Neptune’s reflection of sunlight this time. Under normal circumstances, it is absolutely impossible to suddenly dim.

So there are only two possibilities.

Either there is something wrong with the sensor itself, or something outside is causing the starlight to dim.

Of course, the former has nothing to do with it, but if it is the latter, the situation is out of control, and anything is possible.

In particular, traces of extraterrestrial civilizations appeared before.

At this time, Xu Lei's mind was running quickly, thinking about the possible reasons for this error, and at the same time, he finally understood why Xingtong reported this operation log to himself.

Obviously, Xingtong also noticed something abnormal after analyzing and calculating.

In addition, the Tiangong astronauts only have primary authority, and cannot operate the star pupils for more detailed calculations, so he can only handle this matter.

After figuring out the key point, Xu Lei didn't say anything immediately, and after a few seconds of pondering, he began to give instructions one after another.

"Xingpupil, check the status of the Tiangong Space Telescope."

"Detection completed."

"Activate the highest authority to calculate the cause of the error. I want to know what caused the dimming of the starlight?"

"calculating……"

……

In the eyes of outsiders, an error that is almost negligible does not need to mobilize people, and even use the highest authority of Xingtong.

But Xu Lei is very clear that the embankment of a thousand miles collapsed in an ant's nest, and what he shoulders is the fate of the entire human civilization.

There can be no negligence of any kind.

Otherwise, if an accident does occur, there will be no room for maneuver.

Judging from the test results given by Xingtong, the state of the Tiangong space telescope is normal and there is no problem.

In other words, the reason for the data error is very likely that something just blocks the reflection of sunlight, and the volume is not too small.

But these are only Xu Lei's own judgments. If we want to be sure, we can only wait for Xingtong's calculation results.

Time passed by every minute and every second, but Xu Lei's attention never shifted.

He stared at the three-dimensional projection and holographic screen of the star pupils in front of him, wanting to know the final answer as soon as possible.

Usually, the abilities displayed by Xingtong are beyond the reach of human beings with only the primary authority. This time, under the authorization of Xu Lei, the advanced authority is enabled, and its calculation speed can only be described as terrifying.

You need to know that the last time you used high-level authority, it was to clear the mysterious program from the extraterrestrial civilization.

Soon.

When the star pupil stopped calculating, the holographic screen immediately constructed a picture of the scene where the error occurred.

"The calculation is complete, and the screen is being simulated..."

"This is?" The moment Xu Lei saw the picture, his pupils shrank suddenly.

Looking carefully, I saw an asteroid just flew in front of the observation point, blocking the light from Neptune, so the starlight in the observation data dimmed for a very short time.

Neptune is close to the Kuiper belt, the most mysterious place in the solar system.

Based on current human understanding of the Kuiper belt, it is determined that it is composed of small celestial bodies and protoplanetary fragments, and is about [-] astronomical units away from the sun.

If I had to describe it in a few words, it would be borderline, dark, and raw.

Perhaps there is still a ninth planet in it.

It is not surprising to find an asteroid near the orbit of Neptune. The key is that it is moving at a high speed according to the calculation of the star pupil.

If unfortunately it flies towards the earth and stars, it is likely to be a huge disaster for human beings.

Dinosaurs, once the overlords of the planet Earth, were hit by an asteroid that caused a major change in the environment of the planet Earth, and eventually the race went extinct.

Thinking of this, Xu Lei's heart suddenly rose, and he had to hurry up to figure out the orbital speed of this asteroid and its own diameter.

"Xingpu, can you determine the orbit and diameter of this asteroid?"

It's a pity that Xingtong's answer made him a little regretful: "I need to conduct continuous observation and comparison of it before I can finally determine its flight trajectory."

But soon Xu Lei regained his fighting spirit.

This matter is related to the safety of the earth and stars, and the star pupil can calculate it through its own ability, but to ensure absolute accuracy, the celestial body suspected of being an asteroid must be continuously observed, which will take a certain amount of time.

Fortunately, Xingtong has already found the trace of the other party, so it is not difficult to find him.

And the next time, Xu Lei seemed to think of something again, and stood up abruptly with firm eyes: "There is no need to do this in secret, I need experts in this field."

The discovery of an asteroid flying at high speed may affect the entire human race. In this case, only by letting relevant experts know can the real situation be determined more quickly.

In this way, human beings can also find ways to deal with it in sufficient time.

Of course, for ordinary people, this matter needs to be kept secret for the time being, so as not to cause panic.

After all, the specific status of the asteroid is still uncertain.

If it is finally calculated that the opponent's flight trajectory will not hit the planet, then naturally everything will be fine and there is nothing to worry about.

So even if you really want to announce it to the outside world, you have to wait until you know the real situation of this asteroid.

Although it is already night, Xu Lei's emotions have been completely mobilized, and today is destined to be a sleepless night.

After temporarily turning off the holographic screen in front of him, he immediately asked Cheng Fei to drive to the Nuclear Fusion Research Institute of Future Technology.

……

……

After half an hour.

"President Xu, we must pay attention to this matter. If we are not careful, it will bring the crisis of extinction to our human civilization."

Wu Chuping, who learned about the situation of the asteroid, became very serious, and reminded Xu Lei solemnly that no one expected the good news that the cruise ship was about to be assembled, and poured cold water on him when he turned his head.

Wu Chuping is the commander-in-chief of the space agency and has very rich experience. He is undoubtedly a very good helper in the face of such things.

It is possible to observe the asteroid flight orbit data more accurately.

The key is that Wu Chuping is trustworthy.

"Don't worry, Commander Wu, I will let Xingtong pay close attention to this celestial body." Xu Lei nodded at Wu Chuping, and then pretended to be relaxed and comforted: "Actually, there is no need to worry too much. Maybe we are too nervous. That asteroid doesn't come close to Earth."

"I hope so. I'll contact the space station right away." Wu Chuping responded casually, and immediately got busy.

Seeing the other party like this, Xu Lei regretted telling him about it tonight.

I'm afraid it's destined to be a sleepless night.

For Wu Chuping, out of a rigorous attitude towards science, even if there is a slight risk, he must go all out.

What's more, this is also related to the safety of human civilization.

It can be said that before the orbital data of the asteroid was formally determined, he couldn't relax anyway.

Having been with Wu Chuping for so long, Xu Lei has a little understanding of his character and temper. As long as it is something the other party is sure of, it is almost impossible to persuade him with words.

So Xu Lei didn't stay long for the next time, so as not to disturb the other party's work.

that's it.

In the next few days, Xu Lei and Wu Chuping put all their energy on the asteroid.

Work on the Hammer cruiser is temporarily on hold.

It just so happens that the components of the cruiser are basically manufactured, and now it is mainly for final debugging to prepare for assembly, which will not affect the manufacturing progress of the project.

Otherwise, the entire institute will be shut down for this.

It is worth mentioning that regarding this matter, Wu Chuping can be said to have personally checked the observation data sent by the Tiangong Space Telescope, hoping to determine the orbits of the planets.

Xu Lei was relatively straightforward. Not only did he let Xingtong track the asteroid in real time, but he also forcibly obtained the permission of the telescopes of overseas observatories to use them to observe the vicinity of the orbit of Neptune.

Under normal circumstances, Xu Lei would not let Xingtong do this kind of thing, because it would affect the reputation and reputation of Future Technology.

But as the saying goes, extraordinary methods should be used in extraordinary times, and this is also to ensure accuracy.

-

The observation lasted for ten days, and detailed results were finally obtained through calculation and analysis of the data observed during these days.

It's just that the result is extremely heavy, making people see no hope.

"According to the calculation results, this asteroid comes from the Kuiper belt. Its diameter is about [-] kilometers. It is affected by Neptune's gravity to change its orbit. It is currently moving towards the inner solar system at a speed of [-] kilometers."

"According to the flight trajectory of this asteroid, it will eventually enter the gravitational range of the Earth and stars, and collide with the Earth and stars under the action of gravity."

May 3, weekend.

Binjiang City, Longhu Hi-Tech Park.

In the conference room of the research center, Xu Lei, Wu Chuping, Pei Hongyin, Li Chengzhe, Gu Sanlin and other core personnel all looked solemn, and their eyes were always fixed on the holographic screen in front of them.

Just now Xingtong announced the results observed in the past ten days, and built a virtual model to help everyone understand the seriousness of the matter.

When Xu Lei discovered this data error that day, after analysis, he indeed thought of a high-speed flying asteroid, but he never thought that the seriousness of the matter was far beyond his imagination.

This asteroid was actually heading for the planet Earth.

And its own diameter has reached an astonishing twenty kilometers.

You must know that the asteroid that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs was only about ten kilometers in diameter. If this asteroid is allowed to hit the earth, it will be an extinction blow to mankind.

In any case, he never thought that there would be no news from the extraterrestrial civilization that he was wary of, but instead, human beings themselves would encounter the crisis of extinction first.

Considering the seriousness of this matter, he specially called all the core personnel of the research center over to let them know the current crisis that humans are facing, so that they can formulate a response plan as soon as possible.

When the virtual screen created by Xingtong was played, Wu Chuping immediately added: "Xingtong's calculation results are basically the same as the data observed by our space agency. According to the flight speed of this asteroid, it will arrive in ten years. Earth star."

"Comrades, it is basically certain that human beings are at the moment of life and death."

"We must act now." The last sentence is full of power.

But everyone present understands that when the asteroid passes by other planets, its speed will be accelerated again due to various gravitational forces.

It is estimated that it will reach the earth star in seven or eight years at most.

So in fact, there is not much time left for human beings. If we want to ensure the safety of the earth and stars, we must find a way to reverse this situation.

"Before today, I would never have believed that such a thing would happen." Knowing the seriousness of the matter, Gu Sanlin couldn't help showing a wry smile, and shook his head with complicated emotions.

Hearing the sound, Li Chengzhe, who was next to him, immediately took over the conversation: "Who says it's not, human civilization is in the stage of rapid development, but this kind of thing has happened."

As the saying goes, Jiang is still old and hot. Compared with the performance of Gu Sanlin and Li Chengzhe, Pei Hongyin, who came to the company from home specially, still looks calm and calm.

"There is nothing to be afraid of. We are not dinosaurs 500 million years ago. I don't believe that we can't solve an asteroid." He still spoke aggressively.

Taking advantage of this gap, Xu Lei said again: "There are only two ways to stop this asteroid. Use a kinetic energy weapon to force it to change its orbit, or completely destroy it."

As Pei Hongyin said, if faced with such an extinct disaster in the past, perhaps human beings would have no way to resist it.

But now that mankind has become a first-level civilization, and has mastered controllable nuclear fusion technology, coupled with the heavy hammer cruiser that is about to enter service, it has the strength to deal with this asteroid crisis.

However, in order to have the equipment to deal with the crisis, I am afraid that we must unite the strength of all mankind for production and manufacturing.

At this time, relying on future technology alone is obviously not enough.

After all, there are at most seven or eight years left for human beings, and all global forces must participate.

What's more, this crisis concerns every human being in the first place, and it is unreasonable to only think about letting future technology pay for it.

In addition, Xu Lei is not going to continue to hide this matter. Since everyone's safety is at stake, everyone has the right to know.

Just as he was thinking about this, Wu Chuping's voice sounded again in the meeting room.

This time, he was asking Xu Lei.

"Dean Xu, the matter is now very clear, we must come up with a solution as soon as possible."

"I'm going to officially hold a global press conference tomorrow in the name of future technology to announce this to all mankind. How to get through this crisis needs to be negotiated by global forces." Facing Wu Chuping's inquiry, Xu Lei paused for a few seconds Then he answered very solemnly.

And this decision was affirmed by everyone present.

"Then I will report this to the superior immediately. Some things must be prepared in advance." Wu Chuping nodded and replied calmly, then got up and left quickly.

An asteroid with a diameter of [-] kilometers will collide with the earth and stars in a few years. For ordinary people, this news is basically the same as the end of the world.

When the news is announced to all mankind, no one can guarantee what kind of changes will occur in society.

Under such circumstances, it is very necessary to make preparations in advance to ensure the continued stable operation of society, and only in this way can we provide enough strength to reverse the predicament.

(End of this chapter)