When Old Cat observed Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I again the next night, the star's brightness increased again. The comet's speed was extremely fast. It was probably the fastest moving celestial body in the Solar System. It could travel more than 70 kilometers per second, while an ordinary asteroid's speed was only 20 kilometers per second.
With the same mass, the energy carried by the comet was 13 times that of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period. If Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I really hit Mars, the catastrophic consequences would be far more spectacular than the fifth mass extinction on Earth.
Mars's volume and density were much smaller than Earth's. The comet had enough energy to throw a large amount of material into orbit. This would create a huge crater on the surface of Mars and form a debris belt. From then on, Mars would have a sparse ring of light.
Of course, Tang Yue and Mai Dong wouldn't be able to see this scene. Comet Old Cat Tomcat-Mai I would come from above the ecliptic plane of the Solar System and would definitely hit the northern hemisphere of Mars. Kunlun Station would probably be destroyed at the moment of impact, and the space station would be torn apart by the ejected debris.
"How is it?
Which one is the comet? "Tang Yue asked.
Old Cat shifted its position and pointed to Tang Yue on the monitor.
On the screen was a starry sky. This was a picture taken by the Joint Space Station's survey telescope. It had been tracking the comet that had intruded into the Solar System.
To Tang Yue's surprise, Old Cat's paw was pointing at a very dim dot of light. It was inconspicuous among the bright stars, and it was different from the comet in Tang Yue's mind.
He thought that he would see a bright comet, but it was too late.
"Unfortunately, the space station's Dawn module was destroyed. Otherwise, we could use a telescope with a larger caliber and higher precision. That way, you would be able to see it more clearly."
Old Cat said, "This is Comet Tomcat-I. It's flying towards the sun at high speed. In the three minutes that you've been staring at the screen in a daze, it has already flown a distance of more than 12,600 kilometers."
Tang Yue rubbed his chin.
If it had been in ancient times, this comet would probably have been labeled as a "demon star from the heavens, an ominous omen." Whether it was Chinese or Chinese, the ancients had a bad impression of comets. The Chinese called it a jinx, representing bad luck, while the Westerners thought it was a sign of God's dissatisfaction and anger.
After all, anyone would feel uneasy knowing that something huge was approaching them from above, whether it was a nuclear warhead or a comet.
Tang Yue suddenly thought of something. "Old Cat, do you think this thing could be an interstellar missile?
It's a super long-range weapon made by some extraterrestrial civilization. It flies so fast, like a missile … Don't you think it looks like it? "
"It doesn't look like it."
Old Cat glanced at him and shook its head. "According to the spectral analysis, more than 95% of this thing's structure is water. The remaining components are carbon dioxide, nitrogen, ammonia, and methane. These substances will quickly evaporate once they get close to the sun. If it's a missile, I think it has to have at least an iron-tungsten core or a three-phase bomb."
"That means it's actually an interstellar water delivery man?"
"Yes."
Old Cat nodded. "A considerable portion of the water on Earth might come from comets. Billions of years ago, before life was born, a large number of asteroids and comets hit Earth, bringing with them all kinds of rare metals and water. It might even include organic molecules."
"If it can land on Mars, and I'm just saying if … without affecting Kunlun Station and the space station … wouldn't we have water to replenish ourselves?
We won't be able to use up all that water in our lifetime. "
"Impossible. What are you thinking?
Do you think it will form a lake or an ocean when it hits? "
Old Cat shook its head. "All the water contained in the comet's nucleus will evaporate instantly in the high heat of the impact, melting into the Martian atmosphere. You won't be able to get a single drop of water. Of course, this little bit of water won't be able to make the Martian atmosphere moist. It's equivalent to pouring a bottle of mineral water in the middle of the Sahara Desert."
"I'm just thinking." Tang Yue curled his lips.
"The only way to get water from the comet …"
"What is it?" Tang Yue asked.
"You have to fly up and force it to stop, just like Deep Impact," Old Cat replied. "Then you can get as much water as you want."
When Old Cat said something like that, it proved that it was quite impatient with Zhang Heng's stupidity.
"Have you calculated the orbit of this thing?"
Old Cat shook its head. "It's still under observation."
Tang Yue knew that the comet couldn't hit Mars … The probability of the two celestial bodies colliding was lower than a bullet hitting a bullet, but he still couldn't help but worry. In the past, Tang Yue wouldn't have worried about a comet. Of course, it wasn't his turn to worry, but ever since Earth disappeared, the universe had become a place of danger in Tang Yue's eyes. The originally empty, dark night sky seemed to be hiding fierce beasts.
Since it could swallow Earth in one gulp, it wasn't impossible for it to drown you with its spittle.
"Mr. Cat?"
"Miss Mai Dong, is the light sensor of the S1 battery pack working normally?"
"The solar panel is working fine. The light sensor is in good condition," Mai Dong replied. "The repair work is very successful."
Mai Dong's mission had been successfully completed. She had successfully replaced the damaged circuit. Tang Yue even praised her for her talent as an electrician.
Old Cat curled its lips in disdain.
Talent wasn't needed to be an electrician.
Talent was needed to be Electrician Liu.
"Mr. Cat, here is part of the organized history of the history of European science and technology and agriculture, as well as brief biographies of several people in the history of Western philosophy."
Mai Dong sent the document to Old Cat. "I have St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Leibniz, and Descartes."
"Hmm …" Old Cat glanced at it. "Tang Yue, have you finished organizing it?"
"That's about it. But are you going to put Pythagoras and Democritus into the history of philosophy or the history of science?"
Old Cat thought for a moment. "The history of philosophy."
"After all, the earliest science was natural philosophy," Mai Dong said. "Philosophers are also scientists."
"But Aristotle is a big villain in the middle school physics textbooks," Tang Yue said. "Almost every class has to pull him out and criticize him."
"The next person is Francis Bacon … Ah, no, Bacon."
"Next are Nicolae and Bruno."
"Then Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo … These people should be put in the history of science. The philosophers worth mentioning at this stage should be Barclay and Spinoza."
Old Cat rambled on.
They were organizing and recording the history of science and philosophy. They were writing biographies of famous people in history. Science and philosophy were listed as separate histories, alongside the chronicles of human civilization. This would make the records more organized. In addition, they also organized the development of agriculture and industry into separate books. From slash-and-burn farming to the use of fertilizers, from the first industrial revolution to the birth of semiconductors, the history of mankind slowly flowed through this small scientific research station.
"Kant … and Hegel."
"This person is Schopenhauer!"
"Don't mention Freud here. Mention him when you write about psychology. Don't forget Nietzsche. Do you hear me, Miss Mai Dong … Nietzsche is in the wrong era."
"Damn, I told you last time, Tang Yue. Marx is not from the Soviet Union!"