After receiving the news that the gold reserves were about to be exhausted, Zhao Changxing had to allocate two more people to be responsible for searching for gold mines.
Of course, other rare element deposits will also be found, but they are not as urgent as gold mines.
This reduced the strength of the No. 2 comprehensive base construction team, which originally only had 19 people left, to only 17 people. The two people who specialize in searching for gold mines either stay in the Spark spacecraft and control the previously launched geological exploration satellite to search for suspected mineral veins, analyze data, or drive the Falcon 2 spacecraft directly to conduct field exploration.
Time passed by bit by bit, and even though there were only 17 people left to build the No. 2 Comprehensive Base, the general framework of the No. 2 Comprehensive Base was slowly taking shape. Above the foundation are walls, and within the walls are rooms according to the plan, including living areas, leisure and entertainment areas, canteens, and a huge playground with a height of 2,000 square meters...
As long as key facilities such as life support equipment are installed, it can be backfilled and covered.
But without those key facilities, it's just an empty shell.
During this period of time, the two people who were dedicated to searching for gold mines traveled to almost every peak, every plain, and every canyon on Sedna.
The Falcon 2 spacecraft can easily take the two of them to any place on the planet.
However, every time high hopes are met with disappointment. Every suspected gold deposit was disproven after field exploration.
Of course there are other gains in this process. In fact, during this operation, they discovered mineral deposits such as lead ore and tin ore, and also found a water mine with extremely high purity and huge reserves - it is estimated that about 10 million tons of water can be mined. It is roughly equivalent to the water storage capacity of the West Lake on Earth, and a dry ice mine that can also be called a huge scale.
At this stage, dry ice, also known as carbon dioxide, is the main source of carbon in human bases. After reducing carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen through a series of means, the carbon can be used for industrial purposes, and the oxygen can be used for breathing.
However, all the mineral deposits found by the prospecting team are of lower priority and are not urgent at this stage. The gold mine that is most urgently needed by the human base has always been elusive and has not been discovered.
At this stage, the general framework of the No. 2 Comprehensive Base has almost been completed. Almost all the remaining equipment requires the participation of gold to manufacture.
The development of the situation pushed Zhao Changxing almost to the edge of the cliff.
It is obviously not feasible to dismantle the remaining equipment and recycle and refine the gold for use in the manufacture of new equipment. At this stage, all the facilities and equipment possessed by mankind are necessary, and nothing will work without any link.
"If it doesn't work, let's stop using gold."
Zhao Changxing felt furious. But in this way, if other elements are used instead of gold, although the relevant equipment can barely be built, the performance and safety cannot be guaranteed at all.
Short circuit, poor contact, fire, deformation, etc. Just think about it, there are dozens of possible failures. To depend on such a device for survival is no different from committing suicide.
After hesitating for a long time, Zhao Changxing gritted his teeth and gave up the plan.
Seeing that in a few months, the third generation of humans will reach adulthood, but the completion of the No. 2 Comprehensive Base is still far away, everyone is very anxious.
As the fourth generation of children gradually grew up to four or five years old and gained the ability to run around, the spaceship of the Spark became increasingly crowded.
Of course, if you squeeze in for a while, even if the living experience will be reduced, it is not impossible. But seeing that so much labor cannot be liberated, and human construction plans have almost been put on hold, there may be no progress for a long time, and no one will be able to sit still.
Zhao Changxing has devoted almost all his mobile power to the task of finding gold mines, but time is still passing by in vain.
One day, when all the people involved in the prospecting operation returned empty-handed, a person on duty in the Fire spacecraft suddenly and anxiously sent a communication request to Zhao Changxing.
"Dad, it's not good, it's not good."
Her voice was full of panic and eagerness.
Zhao Changxing's heart suddenly lifted, but his voice remained steady and strong: "Don't be anxious. Speak slowly, what's going on?"
"The survey equipment on the spacecraft has just discovered an asteroid with a length, width and height of about 1900*1500*600. It, it is approaching our planet..."
Zhao Changxing suddenly stood up.
"What are the orbital parameters? What are the speeds?"
"The speed is 405 meters per second, orbit parameters, orbit parameters...according to the current orbit calculation, it will directly hit our planet in about half a year..."
"Wait until I get back."
Zhao Changxing hung up the communication and rushed out of Base No. 1. Ignoring the confused expressions of the others, he directly drove the Falcon 1 spacecraft back to the Spark spacecraft.
He came to the observation room as quickly as possible, personally saw the observation data of the survey equipment, and saw the figure of the asteroid.
It was an asteroid that was roughly in the shape of an irregular strip. Its volume is approximately 570 million cubic meters, and its mass is currently difficult to estimate.
It is necessary to wait for a period of continuous observation to determine the gravitational interaction mechanism between it and Sedna Star, and only after knowing the mass of Sedna Star can we roughly calculate its mass.
But visual inspection shows that it is probably composed of rock, water ice, dry ice, etc. Based on this estimate, its mass is at least 600 million tons.
Such a huge mass, if it hits the Sedna star at the current speed of 405 meters per second, will release an energy equivalent to the explosion of approximately 12 million tons of TNT explosives.
If a hydrogen bomb of this magnitude exploded on the earth, it would also have a huge impact. But the more critical point is that not all the energy released by the hydrogen bomb explosion will act on the earth's crust. A considerable amount of energy will be dispersed in the form of heat energy, radiation energy, and shock waves. But the energy released by the impact of this asteroid will almost 100% affect the Sedna star itself.
And...the volume of Sedna is only about 1,700 times that of Earth. The mass is only one 6000th that of the Earth.
Without detailed calculations, Zhao Changxing could conclude that the impact of this asteroid would have a huge impact on the Sedna star itself. Its effects include but are not limited to strong earthquakes sweeping the world, mountain collapse, earth uplift, the instantaneous rise of tholin and various gases causing Sedna to have an atmosphere for a short time, etc.
Yes, the impact is not limited to the vicinity of the impact point, but will inevitably affect the entire world. There is no use hiding anywhere, unless, unless hiding in space.
But, what about the buildings that have been built on Sedna at this moment? What about Comprehensive Base No. 1? What about the No. 2 comprehensive base that is almost completed? What about planting bases and industrial areas?
Zhao Changxing has devoted decades of hard work to these buildings. At the same time, these buildings are also key equipment essential for maintaining human survival. Even if everyone can hide in the Spark spacecraft at this moment - squeeze as much as possible, but where will the food come from?
Even if all the food reserves at the moment can be moved to the Spark spacecraft, it can barely sustain it until the disaster is over, but after the disaster is over, where will the materials for reconstruction come from?
You know, at this moment, almost all the building materials brought from the earth have been exhausted. They have turned into buildings on the surface of Sedna, and it is almost impossible to dismantle them and bring them back to the Spark spacecraft in a short time.
"Dad, what should we do?"
The second-generation girl on duty in the Spark ship couldn't help but shed tears in her eyes.
Compared with the situation we are facing now, the previous construction progress that had to be stopped due to lack of rare elements is not worth mentioning.
Looking at the two crying girls, Zhao Changxing took a long breath, his expression remained calm and calm, and even had a little more of a smile that made people feel at ease.
"Don't cry." He comforted the two of them softly: "This kind of thing... will happen sooner or later."
"We have been living peacefully on Sedna for decades. It is impossible for such a long time without an accident... I have been wondering in what form this accident will appear around us. Is it an accident? An infectious disease? A huge engineering disaster? Was there an accident on the Spark spacecraft or the landing spacecraft was damaged? No matter what kind of accident, what is supposed to come will come..."
"There will always be a way." Zhao Changxing continued to encourage them: "This is not a big deal. Don't worry, we humans will not become extinct, definitely not. Don't cry, and prepare for a meeting later."
Zhao Changxing returned to Base No. 1 again and called everyone together again. When Zhao Changxing slowly told the current disaster in a surprisingly calm tone, everyone looked pale.
"We must first plan according to the worst-case scenario, that is, the impact cannot be prevented, and everyone must hide in the Spark spacecraft. We must first plan what to bring to the spacecraft and start executing it immediately. In In the process, we are waiting to learn more detailed information about this asteroid and determine whether there is a way to prevent it from hitting Sedna."
With Zhao Changxing's calm and orderly arrangements in times of crisis, everyone's emotions stabilized.
