Vol 4 Chapter 699: A meteorite

Shenzhou changed its orbit inward from the geosynchronous orbit and entered the return procedure.
"A meteorite with a diameter of about five meters appeared in front of it. It is expected to be captured by the earth's gravity and fall into the atmosphere." The Shenzhou crew found a UFO on the radar and confirmed it through observation and reported it.
"Five meters in diameter? This meteorite is a bit big." Han Youwei's first reaction was that the meteorite was too big.
Eve was not sure, frowned and asked, "Youwei, will this meteorite hit the ground?"
"It is not 100% sure. Whether it can hit the earth depends on the density of the meteorite and the main substance. If it is ice, it will burn out in the atmosphere. If the main element is iron, it will definitely hit the ground. , And the power is huge." Han Youwei met an article about meteors and meteorites that she had read before.
"So, is the five-meter-diameter meteorite very big?" Eve was still not sure.
"If the main material is iron and rock, this diameter is already very large, if it is ice, don't worry." Han Youwei explained again.
Niu Dazhi scratched his head and asked strangely, "Are meteorites still made of ice?"
"Of course, the temperature in the universe is very low, and most areas are close to absolute zero. Is it weird to have ice cubes?" Eve turned her head instinctively.
Fang Yuan learned about the data of this meteorite and asked, "Can you confirm the main material of this meteorite?"
Zhao Anya replied: "From the point of view of spectrum analysis, the main elements are iron and silicon, which are denser. According to this mass, after being captured by the earth's gravity, it will fall into the atmosphere and become a meteor hitting the ground. The impact power will It is very large, and the situation will be worse if it hits the city.
"However, most parts of the earth are oceans, even on land, the proportion of cities is relatively small, so the probability of hitting cities is relatively small."
Fang Yuan thought about it, looked at Yang Yuping in the video communication, and asked, "Professor, do I need to break this meteorite?"
If a meteorite with a diameter of five meters hits the ground, its power is indeed quite terrifying.
However, for Fang Yuan, one punch can explode.
Yang Yuping waved his hand and discouraged him and said: "It is not suitable for breaking. After breaking, the fragments will fall into the atmosphere and will indeed burn out. There is no need to worry about hitting the ground.
"However, your current position is in the synchronous orbit of the earth, where there are a large number of satellites. If you break this meteorite, a lot of debris may be scattered into the synchronous orbit, and hitting the satellite is a huge loss."
Fang Yuan nodded and said, "This pair, then directly pull this meteorite into the spacecraft and bring it back to the ground. Is this plan OK?"
"This plan is okay, and meteorites have research value. However, in the Shenzhou test flight plan, there is no plan to leave the spacecraft and carry space materials back, so you need to apply to the headquarters." Yang Yuping frowned, not I hope that the return of the Shenzhou ship will be unexpected, so I have the idea of ​​doing more than doing less.
"Then apply to the headquarters. I'll go out and bring the meteorite in." Fang Yuan felt that this plan was feasible.
"Wait, don't worry." Yang Yuping turned around to discuss with other researchers.
Ten minutes later, the headquarters' decision was passed down.
Sitting in front of the video communication, Yang Yuping said in a serious tone: "Fang Yuan, the headquarters has agreed to your plan. However, before touching the meteorite, 32 tests must be done.
"Confirm the main material composition in the meteorite, and whether there is radioactivity and so on.
"After confirming that all tests were correct, the meteorite was dragged into the A1 transport compartment of the Shenzhou and the A1 transport compartment was completely sealed off.
"All personnel who come into contact with meteorites must undergo strict quarantine and disinfection before returning to the cockpit."
Fang Yuan knew these steps were necessary, so he nodded and agreed.
There may be many possibilities for a foreign meteorite.
If there are a large amount of radioactive elements in the meteorite, human body diseases may occur in close contact.
Therefore, radioactivity testing must be done.
Similarly, there are quarantine and disinfection.
Although the possibility of encountering aliens in the universe is very low, there is still a possibility.
Alien creatures include not only intelligent creatures like humans, but also bacteria and viruses.
Therefore, foreign meteorites may also contain viruses and bacteria from other planets.
If this kind of foreign microorganisms really enter the earth, it may cause a disaster.
Although the probability of this situation is very small, once it happens, the consequences are disastrous.
"Take Zhao Anya over and carry out a comprehensive inspection of the meteorite before towing it into the transport cabin of the Shenzhou." Yang Yuping emphasized it again.
"Okay, I see." Fang Yuan agreed and looked back.
Zhao Anya has already assembled the oxygen supply system and small power plant required for space on the battle suit.
Because she doesn't have the ability to fly in space, she needs to be equipped with a power device on her battle suit to avoid floating in space and unable to return to the spacecraft.
Of course, with Fang Yuan, the probability of this happening is very small, but the power plant still needs to be installed.
After obtaining permission from the headquarters, Shenzhou slightly changed direction and flew in the direction of the meteorite.
When the meteorite was close to the distance of three kilometers, the operation of capturing the meteorite officially began.
Fang Yuan and Zhao Anya passed through the long passage of Shenzhou. Before they reached the exit gate, the passage behind them was closed, blocking the air.
Fang Yuan glanced at Zhao Anya sideways and asked, "Are you nervous?"
Zhao Anya spread her hands and asked, "What can I be nervous about?"
"This should be your first outer space mission, right? Just go for a stroll in outer space without any training. It sounds very exciting." Fang Yuan smiled.
"I don't think it's a problem, it's almost the same as swimming in the sea." Zhao Anya was not worried at all.
After all, there are several super fighters on the Shenzhou, even if there is an accident, they can be remedied, and there is really no need to worry.
The door rose slowly.
Since there is no air in outer space, the air in the tunnel is like a strong wind, and it rushes out all at once.
The two reached out and grabbed the edge of the door, pushed hard, and flew forward.
Eve was in the second officer's seat of Shenzhou and reported the location of the meteorite: "The meteorite is in front of you on your left, three kilometers away."
Fang Yuan's flying speed was fast, and he flew over first, and then the instrument on his back scanned the meteorite in all directions.
This meteorite is very large, five meters in diameter, equivalent to two stories high.
After a while, Zhao Anya arrived and used "Star Energy Spectrum Analysis" to inspect the meteorite.
All the inspections were completed, and the data was subjected to preliminary analysis before the ground command center responded.
"The meteorite is all normal and can be brought back."
Hearing the command, Fang Yuan stretched out his hand to hold down the meteorite, pushed in the direction of Shenzhou, and dragged it into the A1 transport cabin.