Chapter 618: Be bolder in your thinking
Of course, the main reason is that simply choosing a rocket launch base at the equator cannot bring about a qualitative improvement in the rocket's carrying capacity.
Increasing the level by a few percentage points based on the original level will not solve the fundamental problem.
However, if the idea is bolder, it may completely change the situation.
"Launching a rocket from the moon makes it easier for the spacecraft to reach the desired speed, so that asteroids with a diameter of more than one kilometer can be greatly affected. Moreover, because the gravity on the moon is very small, the same rocket can have a larger payload capacity."
Compared with launching rockets on the blue planet, launching rockets on the moon has many advantages.
The first advantage is that there is no atmosphere on the moon, so there is no air resistance, which makes it very easy for the rocket to take off after being launched on the moon.
The second advantage is that the first universe on the moon is very low, only 1.7 kilometers per second, which is about a quarter of that on the blue planet, making it easier for spacecraft to enter orbit.
The third advantage is that since the moon revolves around the blue planet, as long as the rocket is launched at the right time, a greater relative speed can be generated between the spacecraft and the blue planet.
In addition, there are many other advantages to launching rockets on the moon , such as less space debris around the moon.
Of course, at the same time, launching rockets on the moon also has many disadvantages.
These include the lack of oxygen needed for fuel combustion around the moon and fewer suitable launch times.
The most important point is that the moon had not yet been developed at that time, and there was no rocket launch base at all.
It is almost impossible to build a rocket launch base on the moon within a year.
However, this did not make Xu You give up the idea of building a rocket launch center on the moon.
"Even if it cannot be completed within a year, this project should be started sooner or later. In the future, there will be more asteroids that may approach the blue planet, and if we want to explore farther beyond the Earth, launching a rocket on the moon is definitely a better choice." Xu You thought.
According to current data, the probability of these three asteroids eventually entering low-Earth orbit is very small. Even if they do enter low-Earth orbit, current technological capabilities are sufficient to ensure the safety of the blue planet, but there will be some side effects.
The plan of launching a spacecraft on the moon and colliding it with an asteroid to change the asteroid's orbit can be considered as an alternative plan.
After a detailed evaluation, Xu You has finalized his plan and presented it to everyone at the meeting.
"My idea is to build a rocket launch base on the moon after the next moon landing project begins, and use the launched spacecraft to collide with the asteroid. By launching rockets on the moon, we can not only make the spacecraft reach a higher speed, but also increase the payload weight to give the spacecraft the greatest momentum. In this way, even if the asteroid with the largest mass enters low-Earth orbit, I am confident that I can use the impact of the spacecraft to make it leave the blue planet."
After hearing Xu You's idea, everyone looked at each other, as if they were somewhat skeptical about Xu You's idea.
“Academician Xu, do you really think we can successfully build a rocket launch base on the moon before the three asteroids approach the blue planet?”
After everyone hesitated for a while, someone finally took the lead in raising his question.
And, this is also a question that most of the people present have.
With our current aerospace technology, we can indeed send astronauts to the moon, but to accomplish a mission of this level is not as simple as just sending astronauts to the moon.
You know, even building a rocket launch base on the blue planet might be a problem in a year.
There are very few countries in the world that are capable of doing this.
"No, I didn't say that we must complete the construction of the lunar rocket base before these three asteroids approach the blue planet. It would be best if we can complete it, but it doesn't matter if we can't. In any case, we will never let the asteroids really hit the blue planet."
After hearing what Xu You said, some people already understood what Xu You was thinking.
"Academician Xu means that this is just an ideal plan. We just need to do our best. It doesn't have to be used for the three asteroids that will approach the blue planet in a year?"
Xu You also laughed when he heard this:
"Yes, that's what I mean. If it can be used in a year, that would be the best. If not, that's fine too. We'll just do our best when it can be built."
After listening to Xu You's explanation, everyone felt relieved.
Xu You continued, "Of course, this does not mean that we have enough time to prevent asteroid problems that may appear in the future. We must go all out on this plan. This is not just for these three asteroids, but also for larger asteroids that may appear in the future and pose a greater threat to the blue planet."
Xu You knew that about 65 million years ago, an asteroid with a diameter of about ten kilometers visited the Blue Planet and had a huge impact on it.
This is probably the reason why the dinosaurs became extinct.
"With our ability to explore the moon, it is not an easy task to build a rocket launch base on the moon. Of course, at the same time, because the moon is still in the early stages of development, the rocket launch base we build on the moon can save a lot of unnecessary parts and does not need to take many protective measures like on the blue planet."
When launching a rocket on the blue planet, one needs to consider the various impacts of the rocket on humans, including the landing location of the rocket debris, etc. All of which require precise calculations, and it must land in an uninhabited area.
There are no living creatures on the moon, so there are fewer things that require attention.
It can be said that as long as the most basic capability of rocket launch is available, the other parts can be considered later.
Next, Xu You continued to explain his detailed plan, including the batches of rockets to be launched to the moon, the personnel and supplies to be carried, the improved lunar rover and drones, the site selection of the rocket launch base, the launch time, etc., no matter how big or small, all the details were taken into consideration .
For such a Xu You, everyone could only nod their heads repeatedly. Apart from respect, there were no other words to describe him.
