Ding Yidong, an internationally renowned nuclear physicist and missile scientist. That is a well-known master, and he presided over the design of the famous FAA-type intercontinental missile and the DA-type pocket atomic bomb. Ding Yidong can also be said to be a weapon expert.
But in this peaceful age, the possibility of war is already very small. Because of policy needs, governments of various countries are more inclined to invest funds in moon bases, so the amount of military appropriation is getting smaller and smaller. There is no use for it.
Under such circumstances, Ding Yidong resolutely came to the moon base and participated in the construction here. Here he can play a bigger role. For example, he participated in the design of several nearby nuclear power plants, and he also designed the anti-asteroid missiles in the base.
But the main reason is because there is an experimental material that the earth does not have—helium-3!
Normally, one of the most common helium atoms consists of two neutrons and two protons, and helium-3, as an isotopic gas of helium, has an atomic weight of 3 and only one neutron.
It is a good material for nuclear fusion. Because there are no neutrons in the thermonuclear reaction using helium-3, it will not produce radiation when using helium-3 as an energy source, and will not bring harm to the environment. It is a clean and clean energy source.
However, helium-3 reserves on Earth are too scarce to be used as an energy source in large quantities. This kind of thing that doesn't exist on the earth is abundant on the moon. According to the results of lunar exploration, the content of helium-3 on the moon is estimated to be more than 1 million tons!
Therefore, Ding Yidong wanted to use helium-3 to design an unprecedented weapon on the earth-helium-3 nuclear bomb!
"Jack, we can use helium-3 to develop nuclear weapons!" Ding Yidong said solemnly, "After thirty years of development, the base has stored at least one thousand tons of helium-3, why not use these ready-made raw materials ?"
Helium-3 is hidden in the lunar soil, and when the lunar soil is heated above 700 degrees Celsius, elemental gas of helium will appear. Since the establishment of the lunar base, billions of tons of mines have been dug, and there is indeed a reserve of one or two thousand tons of helium-3.
Jack sighed, he already understood what Ding Yidong was thinking, "Then, Professor Ding, why was your proposal rejected?"
"Well, it's not because the helium-3 nuclear bomb has never appeared..."
Ding Yidong showed a bitter expression, "Their pursuit of conservative nuclear bomb technology is to maximize human safety, which I can understand."
"I also know that a weapon requires constant testing and modification from design, production to final equipment, and it takes at least five or six years. However, although there are some risks in adopting my plan, it can free up more Lots of energy!"
"The materials needed for a hydrogen bomb are deuterium and tritium. Deuterium can be extracted directly in water without any particular difficulty. But tritium is more troublesome and must be produced industrially. The cost of one gram of tritium is about 30,000 US dollars! If converted into energy, Do you know how big this is?" Ding Yidong said sadly.
"By freeing up this energy, we can do more things! The construction period alone can be reduced by more than two months!"
"Jack, you believe me once, I will definitely make the helium-3 nuclear bomb! I designed it very early, and I have simulated it countless times in the computer. It has been practiced. But my plan is really no problem!"
Jack moved his butt, he really didn't know how to reject these famous and stubborn scientists. In fact, Ding Yidong's plan is a huge gamble. If it succeeds, it will free up a lot of energy and save a lot of time, and human beings can develop better. If it fails, it may be destroyed here.
He carefully considered and pursued the most stable plan, but in the end it was not necessarily safe. In fact, people don't have enough time, six months is too little, and it will take at least seven or eight months to leave the moon safely... One more day of delay means more danger!
One of the most time-consuming, or the driving force. Manufacturing nuclear bombs in the traditional sense does require a lot of energy and time. But even so, scientists still dare not gamble, and they cannot afford to fail.
Faster solution, less secure, saves time. A safe solution consumes a lot of money and is slightly more secure, but in the end the security is not always the same. This is a dilemma.
As the leader of the base, he has no way to escape and must make decisions.
After a long time, Jack let out a long breath, and finally said slowly, "Oh, you have to know, the resources in my hand..."
"An atomic bomb, a small atomic bomb will do!" Ding Yidong said, "Like a hydrogen bomb, a helium-3 nuclear bomb must be ignited by an atomic bomb. Within three months...no, within two months, I will definitely be able to produce A small-yield helium-3 nuclear bomb! I promise!"
Seeing that Ding Yidong has issued a military order, Jack has also secretly strengthened his determination, "I can allocate the manpower to you. But I only have one quota for the small atomic bomb. If it fails, there will be no more..."
"Don't worry, I understand!" After understanding Jack's subtext, Ding Yidong suddenly felt better and shouted at the top of his voice.
"By the way, what do you mean by the billion-ton nuclear bomb? You wrote that plan?" Jack asked puzzled. He recalled the plan he had read...it was crazy, It can be said how bold people are and how productive the land is.
"Yes, I wrote that plan!" Ding Yidong straightened his back, with a bit of fanaticism in his tone, "If my helium-3 nuclear bomb is successful, I can use it to create a gigaton nuclear bomb." The ultimate nuclear bomb!"
"Thermonuclear weapons have almost no upper limit. According to my calculations, a one-gigaton ultimate nuclear bomb can generate an extremely powerful propulsion force. One bomb can directly blast our spaceship into the sky!" He hugged his arms I made a gesture.
"My plan is more trouble-free. After the spacecraft has an initial velocity, we will use conventional rockets to fine-tune the direction."
"In my plan, the ignition temperature of helium-3 is 100 million degrees, but the explosion of the atomic bomb can only reach about 50 million degrees, and the temperature is still a bit worse. So I plan to let the atomic bomb ignite a hydrogen bomb first, and then let the hydrogen bomb Let's ignite the helium-3 nuclear bomb!"
"I will first design a small helium-3 nuclear bomb with a million-ton equivalent. If the experiment is successful..." Ding Yidong stared at Jack.
Jack slammed the table violently, "If you succeed, I will definitely let them consider your plan again!"
Use a hydrogen bomb to ignite another ultimate nuclear bomb! What a crazy idea, Jack was a little shocked. But as a man, as a soldier, I still like this violent and wild weapon from the bottom of my heart.
The most important thing is that although Ding Yidong's plan is risky, it saves too much time. It only needs one ultimate bomb with a yield of one billion tons, and the freed up energy can be used for other things.
What is the concept of a gigaton nuclear bomb? I don't know, it has never happened in history.
The 50 million-ton "Big Ivan" bomb possesses huge energy, which can produce an earthquake of magnitude 8.1. Windows can be shattered 900 kilometers away, and the shock wave can circle the earth three times.
What about billion tons? 20 times that of Big Ivan!
One ton of helium-3 can generate 10,000 megawatts of electricity, and the destructive power brought by the instant detonation is equivalent to 1.5 times that of the "Big Ivan" bomb, which is the equivalent of 75 million tons. In other words, in theory, only 13.3 tons of helium-3 can be used to make the ultimate billion-ton nuclear bomb.
This is the power of nuclear fusion, the power of the sun, and the infinite power of nature.
Jack fell silent, whether to gamble or not to gamble. He still can't make up his mind for a while, he can only see if Professor Ding Yidong's experiment can be successful.