Since ancient times, after our ancestors began to look up at the stars, human beings have never stopped the pace of exploration of the universe, with the change of the sun and the moon, human science and technology continue to progress, the process of exploring the universe is also accelerating.
People are looking for themselves in the exploration of the universe, and they also ask questions in the yearning for the universe, "Why do we live on earth?" "Are there other habitable planets besides Earth?" ”
"Are there any advanced civilization species on other planets besides humans?" "Can we get out of the way of the earth?" "To answer these questions, we may be able to find answers in the footsteps of exploring the universe."
The Avatar movie is partially excerpted
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="232" > human exploration of the universe</h1>
The first step to exploring the universe is to get out of the solar system, and what is the solar system? What does the earth look like when we step on it? As the saying goes, "the sky is round", and the globe we know as it helps us see the whole picture of the earth under our feet.
In fact, the earth is not a round sphere, but an irregular spherical body with slightly flattened poles and slightly bulging equatorial drums, seventy percent of the earth's area is ocean, and water resources are essential resources for biological survival.
This is why there are eight planets like Earth in the solar system, but only life has been found on Earth. The eight planets in the solar system, centered on the Sun, rotate and rotate regularly along a given orbit.
Earth simulation map
According to astronomers' observations and inferences, astronomers believe that there is a nebula in the most primitive state of the universe, and the nebula refers to a mixture of dust and gas in the center of the universe.
This mixture rotates since its formation, and the temperature and density of the continuous rotation process continue to rise, gradually forming a primordial sun in the middle of the nebula, and there are tens of thousands of similar nebulae in the entire universe.
So, outside the Earth is the solar system, and outside the solar system is the real universe. So the universe is so vast, is it only on Earth that truly advanced civilizations have been born?
In the vast universe we don't know if there are other planets of life that are also exploring with this problem, so why do we have to spend a lot of time and money to explore the universe?
Simulation of nebulae in the universe
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="236" > the necessity of exploring the universe</h1>
With the development of our economy and the rapid consumption of energy substances, scientists can't help but worry that with our current development strength, the remaining resources on the earth are far from enough for our use, and once the energy is exhausted, society will also stagnate.
The current challenges facing the earth are far more than energy consumption, but also the loss of species and global warming. As we expected, the damage caused to the earth by the rapid development of scientific and technological power and economic strength is irreversible.
Therefore, the development of space energy has become an option that we must consider and have to consider. If the earth suffers a crisis such as a planetary explosion and collision, will we humans have a spare place to live?
Imagine the destruction of the earth
Moreover, the exploration of space is of great help to the field of human medical development and the development of human communication and remote sensing. In the process of human exploration of the universe, what is actually tested is the comprehensive scientific and technological strength of a country.
Countries are hoping to find spare resources in space for the benefit of all mankind, and scientists are constantly looking for answers to mankind's unsolved mysteries in the universe. And in the past, our scientists are also constantly exploring.
Due to the particularity of the earth's geographical location, scientists have probed the other seven planets in the solar system, but have not found any planets suitable for human habitation, of which only mars have a similar structure to earth, but far from being suitable for human habitation, so scientists have set their sights on the outside of the solar system.
Picture of the main map of the universe
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="241" > the launch of Voyager</h1>
In the late 1970s, through the sophisticated calculations and long-term observations of scientists, the most suitable time point for launching the probe was finally found, which could help the probe successfully accelerate the escape with the gravitational acceleration of the planet, so as to avoid the gravitational capture of the planet at the same time.
So scientists cleverly used this astronomical phenomenon to successfully launch two probes, Voyager I and Voyager II. Voyager II was the first to reach Jupiter since its launch.
It was followed by Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and finally completed the mission, preparing to rush out of the solar system. But at the edge of the solar system, scientists were surprised to find that the probe seemed to have been "kidnapped" and could not transmit any signals, and even the experts of the space agency could not do anything about it.
According to the space agency's speculations, the probe may have failed due to insufficient operating memory. Some scientists have even said bluntly:
"It seems that the spacecraft has been reprogrammed or kidnapped, and we don't know the truth yet."
These years were put into the solar system of probes
Whether it is a machine failure or the existence of extraterrestrial life, we have no way of knowing. So now that it has reached the edge of the solar system, is Voyager II about to fly out of the solar system?
The answer is uncertain, Voyager II has been launched in the 1970s for more than four decades now, and now that the probe has reached the edge of the solar system, whether it will be able to break out of the solar system is still unknown.
The fuel on the probe is already extremely limited, and voyager one, which currently flies the farthest, has also run out of fuel during long space travel.
Travelers
This means that once the two probes lose contact with the earth, they can only drift alone in the universe as two time capsules carrying our human civilization.
Scientists have placed a record full of music on the detector, which also recorded the sounds of different regions, hoping to preserve and circulate the traces that we humans have left in the corridors of history.
So since scientists can use the time and place to launch probes, can we humans also use space equipment to rush out of the solar system?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="250" > how humans left the solar system</h1>
In the history of the earth, a total of two species have emerged to become the overlords of the earth at different times, the first is the dinosaur, and the second is the human. According to our existing fossil specimen research, dinosaurs can become the hegemon of the earth because of their size and the aggressive organs they evolved.
Then man can evolve into the hegemon of the food chain mainly because humans have evolved a wise brain. The disappearance of the dinosaurs was, scientists have speculated, was an event in which a planet hit the Earth.
Now that humans can send probes out of Earth, if Earth is hit or other devastating, can humans escape with tools? Or was it inspired to promote the development of human civilization in the universe?
In fact, according to our existing technology, it is not enough to send humans out of the earth, because if we want to achieve this goal, we must first consider the following questions.
Earth's once overlord dinosaur
1. Energy efficiency
In order to complete the goal of sending human beings out of the earth, the first problem is energy, according to our existing scientific and technological means, due to the current efficiency of coal and oil, our use of chemical energy can not reach 100%.
Some scientists estimate that according to the current rate of chemical energy we use chemical energy, even if all the energy materials on the earth are piled together, with the existing scientific and technological capabilities, they will not be able to use the chemical energy released by it to send a mountain away from the earth.
Earth Energy themed images
2. Distance problem
If there's enough energy, another measure of whether we can get out of the solar system is distance, and here we're involved in a concept that is light-years.
Because the distance between stars is too far away to be judged in conventional units of measurement, the scientists used another unit, namely, the light-year.
Although "light-year" has a "year", it actually refers to the distance of a year at which light walks in a vacuum, that is, the distance unit. According to scientists' calculations, a light-year can be about 946 billion kilometers.
But to this day, scientists can't be sure how far we are from the solar system, that is, where the edges of the solar system are.
Cosmic nebula imaginary map
Voyager One, as the farthest probe to fly, has been flying for more than forty years and has just flown into the territory of the Oort Cloud, and scientists currently judge that the probe is still in the territory of the Oort Cloud.
And according to scientists' estimates, Voyager One could take tens of thousands of years to fly out of the territory of the Ault Cloud. This means that with our existing technology, it may take tens of thousands of years to fly before it can leave the solar system.
Of the eight planets we currently know, Pluto is the farthest from the Sun, and farther than Pluto is the region of the Oort Cloud. So even if we can increase the speed of the aircraft to the speed of light, with our current technological strength, it is impossible to let humans sit in the aircraft and leave the solar system alive.
3. The human body's own factors
Long-term flight, first of all, requires that the outer periphery of the spacecraft has enough protective materials to adapt to the wear and tear of long-term flight, and the internal items for human survival must also be prepared perfectly, enough water and enough food, which are essential.
The most important astronauts in the annual manned spaceflight need to be carefully screened, not everyone can meet the criteria for adapting to long-term flight, and even if the vehicle only flies to the boundary of the Ault Cloud, it has taken 40 years to fly out of the solar system.
cosmonaut
4. Scientific and technological level
If you want to overcome the distance problem and fly out of the solar system, in a limited time, it seems that only by speeding up can this goal be achieved. If it is fast enough, can we reach the limits of human lifespan and take humans out of the solar system?
According to Einstein's theory of relativity, "no object can move faster than a photon," and the fastest movement of objects scientists currently finds in nature is the propagation of light.
So if our flight speed can reach the speed of light propagation, can we achieve the purpose of flying over the solar system? One point that we cannot ignore here is that only photons with a mass equal to zero at rest can reach the speed of operation at the speed of light.
The speed at which light travels is very fast
None of the other items with a stationary mass of zero can increase their speed to a speed comparable to that of light energy. So here is the problem, with our current stage of science and technology, there is no way to increase the speed of the massive aircraft to the speed of light.
And if you only speed up, without optimizing the material and structure of the aircraft's periphery, the aircraft is bound to be damaged by the ultra-high-intensity flight process, according to Newtonian mechanics, "the speed of object movement is related to mass."
If a flying machine full of life and necessary materials wants to achieve a speed comparable to the transmission of light, our current stage of science and technology is undoubtedly a fantasy.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="268" > conclusion</h1>
With the current degree of human energy development, it is undoubtedly impossible to escape from the earth in the event of a devastating disaster, because this not only requires scientists to break through the development progress in the astronomical direction, but also requires a qualitative leap in the efficiency and measures of energy use.
Even if we reach the speed of light with our current technological strength, there are endless problems that need to be solved, such as the allocation of energy and the limits of the human body's ability to withstand. But it also inspires humanity to keep exploring and breaking through.
The vast universe brings us endless reverie and expectation, and the earth that gave birth to life is so exquisite and unique. There are still many unsolved mysteries waiting for us to understand.
Imaginary map of the cosmic nebula