My science and technology museum

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

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

This kind of efficiency may not be achieved by the space agency, but it is normal for the Future Science and Technology Institute, which is already fully intelligent.

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

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

It will inevitably affect subsequent testing.

A vicious cycle is formed.

Therefore, from the day the Hammer Plan began, it was destined not to fail.

Xu Lei was confident, but he didn't dare to relax. After all, no one knew when extraterrestrial civilization would 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.

Although some goods were received after multiple screenings, we faced a very serious problem.

He didn't have enough influence to buy viewing rights.

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

If the fusion power plant project had not been successfully completed and put into use, his current influence would be less than 20 million.

Of course, the main reason is because the institute's mission is focused on the 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 to when he and Li Chengzhe were in charge.

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

Fortunately, as long as we wait for the heavy hammer cruiser to be successfully launched and ensure the normal use of various functions, with this manufacturing experience, it will be much faster to build the second and third ships in the future, and the process will be more modular, reducing the need for scientific research. personnel input.

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

According to Xingtong's current comprehensive analysis of energy, the construction of about ten fusion power stations can meet the country's energy needs.

Taking 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, ten fusion power stations alone are estimated to have an impact of at least more than 10 million.

In addition to the current 20 million, it is enough to obtain a second-level civilization's technological exhibits.

Further expand the strength of human civilization.

What's more, this is just the beginning.

When the country completes a qualitative leap, future technology can consider investing in and building fusion power stations overseas.

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

If fusion energy is truly globalized, its influence may increase by tens of millions or even hundreds of millions.

With so much influence in hand, when choosing technology exhibits, you don’t have to be limited to ordinary second-level civilizations. You can even try technology exhibits from third-level civilizations with greater value.

In any case, once the Heavy Cruiser is put into service, humans will have the ability to freely navigate within the star system, and can use the resources of major planets to manufacture more technological products.

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

Humanity was born on the blue planet Earth. It took more than five thousand years for humans to reach the level of first-level civilization, but it may not even take a hundred years for second-level civilization.

Of course, these are still in Xu Lei's plans for the time being, but it is not easy to actually realize them.

"Next, when the Hammer Cruiser is assembled and started testing, we will focus on 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 to do it as soon as possible first." Let’s get to 30 million.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, Xingtong suddenly woke up on his own, and a three-dimensional holographic projection appeared.

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

"What's going on?" Xu Lei looked a little strange when he heard the familiar voice coming from his ears.

This was the first time he encountered such a thing.

As the core intelligent 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 primary authority over Xingtong from a very early stage.

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

The main splicing work of the space elevator and the construction of the Guanghan Palace lunar base were inseparable from Xingtong's assistance.

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

Especially after the last traces of extraterrestrial civilization appeared on Earth's stars, Xu Lei made Xingtong pay special attention to the solar system.

Although it is not yet certain where the extraterrestrial civilization came from, at least we must know whether the enemy has reached our doorstep.

Otherwise, if you don’t even know this bit of information, I’m afraid it will be difficult to win.

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

It was indeed a bit strange to upload a log to him as well.

But Xu Lei understood that it was impossible to make mistakes with Xingtong's ability. Since there was such an unusual operation, it only meant that the situation was more complicated.

With his brain running rapidly, Xu Lei quickly came up with a plan in his mind, straightened his body and gave the order decisively.

"Check."

"The Tiangong Space Telescope operation log has been retrieved."

After receiving Xu Lei's order, Xing Tong finished this sentence very formally, and then projected a familiar holographic screen.

Xu Lei quickly took a closer look and found that the content above 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 lunar bases, the space station has almost become a transfer station for resource transportation.

The functional role has been greatly reduced compared to before.

Under this circumstance, the space agency still characterized it as a space experimental research capsule due to various considerations, and installed the most powerful space telescope to observe celestial objects in space.

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

The sunlight reflected from Neptune dims for a very short time, then returns again.

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

So there are only two possibilities.

Either there is a problem with the sensor itself, or external factors cause the starlight to dim.

Of course, the former doesn't matter, but if it's the latter, then the situation is out of control, and anything can happen.

Especially since there were traces of extraterrestrial civilization previously.

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

It was obvious that Xing Tong also noticed that something was abnormal after analysis and calculation.

In addition, the Tiangong astronaut only has primary authority and cannot operate Xingtong for more detailed calculations. He can only handle this matter.

After figuring out the key, Xu Lei did not speak immediately. He pondered for a few seconds before starting to issue instructions one after another.

"Xingpu, detect the status of the Tiangong Space Telescope."

"Testing completed."

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

"calculating……"

…

In the eyes of outsiders, an almost negligible error does not warrant the mobilization of troops, or even the highest authority of Xingtong.

But Xu Lei knew very well that a thousand-mile embankment collapsed in an ant nest, and he was responsible for the fate of the entire human civilization.

There can be no carelessness.

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 are no problems.

In other words, the cause of the data error is probably something that just blocks the reflection of sunlight, and the size is not too small.

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

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

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

The abilities that Xingtong usually displays are far beyond the reach of human beings with only the basic permissions. This time, with Xu Lei's authorization to activate the advanced permissions, its computing speed can only be described as terrifying.

You want to know that the last time you used high-level permissions, you still cleared the mysterious program from extraterrestrial civilization.

Not long after.

When Xingtong stopped calculating, the scene where the error occurred was immediately constructed on the holographic screen.

"Complete calculation, simulating screen..."

"Is this?" The moment he saw the picture, Xu Lei's pupils shrank suddenly.

Looking closely, I saw an asteroid flying just 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 thirty astronomical units from the sun.

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

Maybe there is a ninth planet inside.

It is not surprising to find an asteroid near the orbit of Neptune. The key is that according to Xingtong's calculations, it is moving at high speed.

If unfortunately it flies towards the earth star, it is likely to be a huge disaster for mankind.

The dinosaurs, once the overlords of the Earth and the planet, experienced major changes in the environment of the Earth and the planet precisely because of the impact of an asteroid, eventually leading to the extinction of the race.

Thinking of this, Xu Lei's heart suddenly became excited. He must seize the time to find out the orbit speed of this asteroid and its diameter.

"Xingtong, can you determine the flight path and diameter of this asteroid?"

Unfortunately, the answer given by Xingtong made him slightly regretful: "I need to continue to observe and compare it before I can finally determine its flight trajectory."

But Xu Lei soon regained his fighting spirit.

This matter is related to the safety of the earth and the stars. Xingpu can calculate it through its own ability, but to ensure absolute accuracy, it must continue to observe the celestial body suspected of being an asteroid, which takes a certain amount of time.

Fortunately, Xing Tong has discovered the other party's traces, and it is not difficult to find him.

In the next moment, Xu Lei seemed to have thought of something again, and stood up suddenly with firm eyes: "There is no need to do this in secret. I need experts in this field."

The discovery of a high-speed flying asteroid may affect the entire human race. In this case, letting relevant experts know can determine the true situation more quickly.

In this way, humans can 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 to avoid causing panic.

After all, the specific status of the asteroid is not yet certain.

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

So even if it really needs to be announced, it will have to wait until the true situation of this asteroid is known.

Although it was already night, Xu Lei's emotions were completely aroused, and today was destined to be a sleepless night.

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

…

…

Half an hour later.

"Dean Xu, we must pay attention to this matter. If we are not careful, it will bring a crisis of destruction to our human civilization."

After learning about the asteroid situation, Wu Chuping's expression became very solemn, and he reminded Xu Lei extremely solemnly that no one had expected the good news that the cruiser was about to be assembled, so he turned around and poured cold water on it.

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

It can more accurately observe the orbit data of the asteroid.

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 towards 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 will not come close to Earth."

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

Seeing the other party like this, Xu Lei regretted informing him about the matter tonight.

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

For Wu Chuping, due to his rigorous attitude toward science, he must go all out even if there is a trace of risk.

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

It could be said that he would not be able to relax no matter what before the orbital data of the asteroid was officially determined.

Having been with Wu Chuping for so long, Xu Lei also knew a little bit about his character and temper. As long as it was something that the other party was serious about, it was almost impossible to persuade him with words.

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

that's all.

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

Work on the hammer cruiser is temporarily on hold.

It just so happened that all components of the cruise ship were basically manufactured. Now the main task is to carry out final debugging in preparation for assembly, which will not affect the manufacturing progress of the project.

Otherwise, the entire institute will be shut down.

It is worth mentioning that regarding this matter, Wu Chuping can be said to have personally gone into battle to check the observation data sent from the Tiangong Space Telescope, hoping to determine the orbit of the planet.

Xu Lei was relatively straightforward. Not only did he let Xingtong track the asteroid in real time, he also forcibly obtained the telescope permissions of overseas observatories and used them to jointly observe the vicinity of Neptune's orbit.

Under normal circumstances, Xu Lei would not let Xingtong do such a thing, because it would affect the reputation and reputation of future technology.

But as the saying goes, use extraordinary methods in extraordinary times. This is also to ensure accuracy.

——

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

But this result is extremely heavy and makes people lose hope.

"According to the calculation results, it is determined that this asteroid comes from the Kuiper belt, has a diameter of about 20 kilometers, changes its orbit due to the influence of Neptune's gravity, and is currently moving toward the inner solar system at a speed of 50,000 kilometers."

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

March 31st, weekend.

Binjiang City, Longfor High-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, their eyes always fixed on the holographic screen in front of them.

Just now Xingtong announced the results of its observations over 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 did think 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 headed for the Earth's star.

And its 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 was allowed to hit the Earth, it would be an exterminating blow to mankind.

He never expected that no news would come from the extraterrestrial civilizations he was on guard against, and that instead, humanity itself would be in danger of extinction first.

Considering the seriousness of this matter, he specially called the core personnel of the research center to let them know about the current crisis that mankind is encountering and to formulate a response plan as soon as possible.

When the virtual screen constructed by Xingtong finished playing, 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 mankind is at a critical moment of life and death."

"We must take action immediately." The last sentence is full of power.

But everyone present understood that when this 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.

Therefore, there is actually not much time left for mankind. If we want to ensure the safety of the earth and planet, 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 but smile bitterly and shook his head with complicated emotions.

Li Chengzhe, who was next to him, immediately took up the conversation after hearing the sound: "Who says it's not the case? Human civilization is at a stage of rapid development, but we encountered this kind of thing."

As the saying goes, Jiang is still hotter when he is old. Compared with the performance of Gu Sanlin and Li Chengzhe, Pei Hongyin, who came all the way from home to the company, still looked calm and unfazed.

"There is nothing to be afraid of. We are not the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. I don't believe we can't solve an asteroid." He still spoke domineeringly.

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

As Pei Hongyin said, if faced with such a catastrophic disaster in the past, human beings might not have been able to resist it.

But now that humans have become a first-level civilization and have mastered controllable nuclear fusion technology, coupled with the upcoming heavy hammer cruiser, they are capable of dealing with this asteroid crisis.

However, in order to have the equipment to deal with the crisis, I am afraid that we need to unite the power of all mankind to produce it.

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

After all, there are still at most seven or eight years left for mankind, and all global forces must be involved.

What's more, this crisis is about every human being. It makes no sense to just let future technology spend money and efforts to deal with it.

In addition, Xu Lei is not prepared to continue to hide this matter. Since it is related to everyone's safety, everyone has the right to know.

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

This time, he was asking Xu Lei.

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

"I am going to officially hold a global press conference in the name of future technology tomorrow to announce this matter to all mankind. How to survive this crisis requires discussion by global forces." Faced with Wu Chuping's inquiry, Xu Lei paused for a few seconds. Then he gave an extremely solemn answer.

And this decision was affirmed by everyone present.

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

An asteroid with a diameter of twenty kilometers will collide with the Earth and the planet 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.

In this case, it is very necessary to prepare in advance to ensure the continued stable operation of society. Only in this way can we provide enough power to reverse the predicament.