The countdown to interstellar voyage has begun.
Shortly after collecting the bodies of the space beasts, in order to replenish the resources consumed by the mother ship during this period before departure, the first asteroid mining finally began.
An asteroid not far away became the target this time.
This asteroid is quite large, about six kilometers at its widest point and three kilometers at its narrowest point. Its surface is covered with ice and snow. Because it is close to the sun, its tail stretches out a hundred kilometers long tail, which looks spectacular.
Fortunately, during the detection, the thickness of the ice and snow on its surface was not large, only tens of meters thick, and there were a large number of iron meteorites inside, as well as a large number of other elements.
Humanity does not consume a lot of water resources, but metals consume the most. This mining is mainly about collecting metals, and a meteorite like this is enough to replenish all stocks.
Hundreds of early engineering robots, loaded with a large amount of materials and tools, began to land on the asteroid. In the next period of time, they will clear the ice and snow on the asteroid, level the ground, build simple power plants and lay lines.
In addition, they will have three engines mounted on one side of the asteroid to keep them from drifting too far.
The entire tee project took less than a week.
Immediately afterwards, the second batch of engineering robots pushed modular factories that looked like giant containers and set off towards space. The plasma flames spewed out from behind the robots from time to time, constantly spitting out, and gradually landed like fireflies one by one. Meteorite.
The modular factory slowly floated down according to the designed position. The hidden buckles arranged on the ground were locked seamlessly with the bottom of the factory, and the factory began to gradually unfold.
These are truly unmanned factories. There are no extra lights or passages extending in all directions. A large number of huge metal smelting equipment with complex structures, either circular or cylindrical, are crowded into a pile, making full use of all space. .
Not long after it was rolled out, a huge metal pipe with a diameter of nearly thirty meters slowly rose up like a giant beast waking up. Its pipe mouth was pointed straight at an open space not far away. The next moment, a terrifying magnetic field emerged from the pipe. Dissipated in pipes.
Soon the ground began to soften like a liquid, absorbing matter as it continued to extend downwards
The reason why this metal pipe has such a large diameter is that it is telescopic and has hundreds of layers of metal pipes nested inside. According to the design, it can penetrate to a depth of five kilometers underground and absorb minerals.
Asteroid mining technology is already quite mature in the Bosian civilization, and there is a complete set of procedures. As a human being who has inherited and absorbed this technology, even though it is only the first time, everything is orderly and familiar.
…
Time will soon arrive in April 2020, and humans have been parked in space for four years.
All preparations for the voyage have been completed. For safety reasons, even the numerous grooves and grooves in the outer armor of the mother ship have been repaired, making the entire spacecraft as shiny as new. Even those that are far from being scrapped have been used. All parts that have been used for a certain period of time have been replaced.
In the past month, countless spacecraft maintenance engineers with various detection instruments can be seen everywhere, repeatedly testing every corner in an attempt to discover possible hidden dangers.
…
Unknowingly, the originally peaceful and peaceful social atmosphere became tense and depressing.
Although a large number of news media are repeating propaganda and inspiration every day, as time goes by, everyone's face becomes more and more anxious and uneasy.
Even Luo Yuan often feels hesitant in his heart.
After all, this is an adventure with an unknown future. Maybe it is a long march for mankind to regain its glory, or it may be a road of no return for mankind, but no matter how hesitant it is, the time of departure is still approaching day by day.
The route of the Star Road has already been determined.
Barnard's star system, located about 6 light-years from Earth, is the target this time. On the one hand, this star was chosen because it is relatively close. For this first voyage, too far a distance is too risky for humans. The risk is too great.
On the other hand, it is because it emits the weakest light. This is a red dwarf star, which is an ancient late-life star. It emits a faint dark red light and is a good hiding place.
In fact, due to the astronomical distance between the two civilizations, detecting each other is not as easy as imagined. Even the most advanced detection system and the most efficient computer are powerless in the face of the vast starry sky.
And because they are so far apart from each other, they move in light-years.
A light-year distance is the distance that light travels in one year. For example, the star Bo is 28 light-years away from the earth, and it takes 28 years for the light it emits to reach the solar system. This means that the image of Bo star that humans get is completely a historical picture from 28 years ago.
And the reverse is also true.
It has now been less than five years since the Bo Xing advance force was annihilated. In other words, for at least the next 23 years, human actions will be completely invisible, unless the opponent has developed super-light detection capabilities that do not rely on light, or Battleships fly faster than the speed of light.
No matter how the former hides, the human target has been locked, while the latter's situation is slightly better, at least there is still a period of invisibility.
But this is just the worst case scenario!
Generally speaking, as long as its detection system still relies on light, the fainter the light area, the lower the chance of being discovered. Like the vast black area between stars, if you want to find a spacecraft, the low chance can be completely ignored. Regardless, humans cannot hide in the dark realm forever. It is a zone close to an absolute vacuum, and it is almost impossible to obtain material replenishment.
It may be possible to "live frugally" and hide like a mouse for decades, but the price paid is the restriction of human development.
In the past six months, a total of 240,000 newborns have been born in humans, of which 50,000 were born with the help of mothers and the remaining 190,000 were produced in laboratories. At this growth rate, the number of humans will double in more than ten years. The spacecraft will become more crowded and unable to accommodate any more people.
Therefore, humans must find a new star system to live in temporarily.
According to the detection of the mother ship, there are rocky planets and gaseous planets in the Barnard star system. Whether it is used as a resting place to supplement resources or as a permanent development option, it is quite suitable. It is completely a position that can be advanced or retreated.
As for the harsh and cruel environment there, it is not worth mentioning for humans who have already begun to enter interstellar civilization.
As long as enough time is given, with today's scientific and technological strength of mankind, it is completely possible to transform a planet, it just depends on the efficiency.
"Mayor, here's the good news from the Antimatter Laboratory!" At this moment, secretary Chen Xinjie pushed open the door with a happy face.
"Oh!" Luo Yuan took the document and flipped through a few pages. His frown suddenly relaxed slightly: "The energy conversion rate has reached three million to one!"
In fact, the first antimatter experimental preparation factory has been built half a year ago, but because the technology is not yet fully mature and safety is not fully guaranteed, it has been in a state of technical verification.
Even the production is within a safe dosage range. After all, this is a spaceship. Once an accident occurs, it will be enough to cause serious consequences and damage.
"It's a pity that this kind of thing is too dangerous and cannot be produced in the spacecraft. It can only be used as a technical reserve." Luo Yuan then said to Chen Xinjie: "Send a commendation announcement and let their laboratory continue to work hard!"
"Okay, Mayor!"
Chen Xinjie left quickly, and Luo Yuan picked up the information again and looked through it, full of joy.
Don't look at the energy conversion rate of only 3 million to 1. In fact, when this ratio is reached, large-scale antimatter production is basically mature. With the energy production efficiency of nuclear fusion furnaces, it is basically 6 million tons to 10 million tons of pure water. , one ton of antimatter can be produced.
It may be too luxurious to use as a power source, but as a decisive strategic weapon, it is far from being measurable by its superficial value!