Chapter 17 - Torn meteorite
When the source of gravitation exerts force on an object, because the distances from the points on the object to the source of gravitation are different, the magnitude of the gravitational force is different, resulting in a gravitational difference and a tearing effect on the object. This gravitational difference is the tidal force.
amplify this concept to the universe, the tidal force is ubiquitous.
When an object is large enough, it is a source of gravity.
In space, whether it is the glowing sun or the blue star itself, or the moon orbiting the blue star, as well as many planets in the solar system, all belong to the source of gravity.
But under normal circumstances, tidal forces cannot tear an object into pieces. The simplest example is the Blue Star itself.
The blue star itself is affected by the two gravitational sources of the moon and the sun. The tidal phenomenon on the blue star is the embodiment of tidal force, but the blue star itself is not torn apart by the gravitational force of the sun and the moon.
But the meteorite that will hit the Blue Star this time is different.
First of all, its size is not large, but it is not small. After entering the Earth-Moon system, it is affected by the triple gravity from the moon, blue star and sun.
In terms of the strength of the meteorite itself, it would not be torn apart by the blue star’s gravitational force, but who made it threaten the safety of the blue star, was drilled and then blasted in the center?
The nuclear bomb detonated on the meteorite by the Federation did indeed split the meteorite into two pieces, but it also destroyed the original internal structure of the meteorite.
To put it simply, the nuclear bomb detonated by the Federalists not only exploded the meteorite, but also cracked the two parts that had exploded.
If you just leave it alone, that’s fine, but when the meteorite’s trajectory is gradually approaching the blue star, and it is increasingly affected by the blue star’s gravity, the problem arises when it is simply captured by the blue star’s gravity. .
It’s like a bed sheet. Of course it won’t be torn when three people pull it when it is in good condition, but when someone pokes a big hole in the sheet and pulls the sheet twice, the remaining piece is torn by three people together. It is easy to tear the bed sheet by following the broken place.
So the same thing is true, the already cracked meteorite is subjected to the dual action of the blue star and the moon’s gravity, plus the sun’s gravitational influence, under the triple force, the cracked meteorite is torn into three parts.
It doesn’t matter if the meteorites are torn into three parts. If they continue to fly according to the previous orbit, it is nothing more than three meteorites passing the blue star.
But the problem is that when the meteorite is torn apart, it splits into three parts and its weight is also reduced. This makes the three meteorites captured by the blue star’s gravity and fly towards the blue star.
This incident is a small matter on the cosmic scale, but it is just a few meteorites, whether it is to the moon or the blue star, it is just a trivial dust.
In fact, meteorites ranging from dozens of tons to hundreds of tons fall from blue stars every day, but most of them fall in uninhabited places or are burned out by the atmosphere before they hit the ground, and they can truly fall to the surface to form The number of impacts is very small.
So the matter of meteorite impact, from the perspective of the universe, is really nothing.
But from another perspective, the impact of the meteorite is dying.
Fortunately for modern human civilization, science and technology have reached a certain level, and mankind has begun to set foot outside the home planet, and has a certain degree of tolerance and defense against disasters of this degree, and can more or less preserve humanity in the face of disasters. The fire of civilization.
But what if the meteorite impact occurred in the past when human technology was not so advanced?
There is no need to push forward for too long. It was only in the eighteenth century two hundred years ago. If a meteorite impact of this size occurs, then human civilization can be like dinosaurs, leaving the keyboard with both hands and playing GG.
Because of the technological level of the steam age two hundred years ago, it is simply unable to cope with such a disaster, and it is impossible to even dig a refuge.
However, even if modern human civilization has gradually begun to have the power to deal with such disasters, our ability to deal with disasters is still limited.
The rescue operation that gathered almost all the resources on the Blue Star was almost half successful, but now the meteorite that should have been pushed out of the impact orbit was not only pulled back by the Blue Star’s gravity, but also split into three pieces. The leaders of all countries who knew about this had their blood pressure full instantly, and their hearts jumped to 120.
We haven’t gotten a piece of four kilometers, and now there are three more five kilometers. All the previous efforts have been huge. The crisis facing humanity has not been alleviated at all, but has become more serious.
Faced with this situation, leaders of all countries want to curse: What a cheating!
But now that the four meteorites are smashing towards the blue star, it is impossible for them to give up blocking, and they will point their middle fingers when the meteorite falls. Therefore, although they wanted to quit, the leaders of various countries held an emergency meeting to discuss How to deal with the immediate crisis.
“At present, four meteorites are flying at a speed of 11.5KM/S super-blue star. If there is no accident, they will hit the blue star in a few hours.” A scientist from the United Nations Action Team was holding a report at this time. The leaders of the countries participating in the meeting reported that in addition to reporting the time of the meteorite impact, he also gave the impact point of the meteorite: “According to orbital calculations, the location of the meteorite impact is likely to be North America and the Pacific Ocean. .”
Scientists did not mention the disasters caused by the impact, because everyone knows that if all four meteorites fall, then there is no need to think about what will happen in the future. Humans are likely to be extinct like dinosaurs.
So the top priority is to find a way to stop these four meteorites and prevent them from hitting the blue star.
at least not let them all fall.
“Now, what can we do to intercept those meteorites?” The leader of Yan Nation was the first to ask in the face of this dangerous situation. At this time, only the leaders of the top five Blue Stars can still consider interception. .
“In fact, we have no good solution. In these few hours, even if we want to launch the spacecraft before performing the interception mission, there is not enough time, there is no time for refueling, and there is no ready-made spacecraft.” The British leader was very heavy at this time, and the expression on his face was also desperate.
Britain, as an island country, has neither sufficient depth nor sufficient resources, and its ability to respond to such world-class disasters is really limited.
However, the leader of Lucia had different opinions at this time. He said very firmly and forcefully: “We still have a last resort! Our Lucia spacecraft is still in space, and with them there are more than 20 we launched. A nuclear bomb! These nuclear bombs are enough to crush these meteorites!”
The words of the leader of Lucia dazzled everyone. This is indeed their last resort and the only good news for now.