"Professor, we don't think we can carry the microbes on the meteorite, right? I haven't touched the meteorite. ”

Niu Dazhi rubbed the clothes on his body with his hand, and had the illusion that he was no longer clean.

Lu Xiuwen said in an easy-going tone: "Don't be nervous, I asked you to come back for testing, just to make sure that the microorganisms in the meteorite have not spread out."

"Theoretically, you should not be contaminated with these microorganisms, and testing is just a routine."

While several people were talking, an astronomy professor from the University of Aerospace Science and Technology came over with two graduate students to communicate with Lu Xiuwen.

Since this meteorite came from outer space, it involved the field of astronomy.

"Professor Lu, this is an order from the headquarters, and I am responsible for conducting astronomical research on this meteorite." The professor of astronomy at the University of Aerospace Science and Technology stepped forward to shake hands with Lu Xiuwen.

"Hello, welcome, Professor Lang, please take a seat first, please take a seat first." Lu Xiuwen shook hands with him and invited him to sit down.

This astronomy professor is named Lang Tongguang, and he is also a pivotal figure in the domestic astronomy community.

Due to the emergence of the Star Beast World, astronomy has been popular in recent decades.

Fang Yuan felt that this Professor Lang Tongguang was a little familiar, as if he had seen it on TV news.

After the two finished the polite exchange, Lang Tongguang asked directly: "When can I see that meteorite?" ”

"We're doing microbial protection, and when we're done, we can go and see it. It will probably take another hour or so, can Professor Lang wait? Lu Xiuwen looked at the time on his watch.

An hour is not a long time, and Lang Tongguang also learned that microorganisms were found in the meteorite, so he applied to the headquarters, and he knew that the microorganisms in this meteorite might come from other planets, which has important research value for astronomy.

Next.

The crew of the Shenzhou successively carried out microbial tests, and after confirming that there was no problem, they were allowed to go home.

Fang Yuan and the others didn't leave, and when they saw Lu Xiuwen and Lang Tongguang discussing the meteorite, they came over to listen.

About an hour later, a researcher walked over and reported to Lu Xiuwen, "Professor, the protection work is complete. ”

"Is it time to see a meteorite?" Lang Tongguang was a little anxious.

After all, this is a meteorite with microorganisms, and it is very likely that it comes from another planet where life exists, which is a major breakthrough in the study of astronomy.

Prior to this, humans had found fossils of microorganisms in meteorites hundreds of thousands of years ago, but never found living microorganisms.

This time, it was really found that a live microorganism was found in the meteorite, and the excitement in Lang Tongguang's heart was indescribable.

Fang Yuan and the others also followed to see the meteorite.

The group walked to the laboratory where the meteorite was stored, put on protective clothing, and then walked in to see the meteorite up close.

The meteorite is still that meteorite.

Fang Yuan not only saw it, but also touched it.

However, when I see this meteorite again, it feels completely different.

The shape has not changed, but when I first saw it, I didn't know that there were microorganisms in it.

Now, when I see this meteorite again, I know that there are microorganisms in it that may have come from an extraterrestrial, and this feeling is subtle.

This meteorite is large, about five meters in diameter, and has an irregular shape.

To the naked eye, this meteorite is a stone with a high mineral content, and there is nothing special about it.

From the point of view of elemental analysis, the main elements are iron and silicon, and there is nothing surprising about it.

"Professor Lang, are the microbes on this meteorite really alien creatures?" Eve looked up and down curiously, and asked a question.

"It's not certain yet. However, this star should not actually be called a meteorite, according to the information found, it is actually an asteroid. Lang Tongguang corrected.

"Asteroids? Can five meters be considered an asteroid? The crowd was surprised.

Because this stone, if it is considered a meteorite, it is considered large, but if it is considered an asteroid, it is too small.

"Yes, according to the rules of asteroids, stars with a diameter of more than three meters and less than three hundred kilometers are called asteroids. Although this star is small, it does meet the criteria for an asteroid. Lang Tongguang confirmed.

Fang Yuan blinked his eyes and said, "You mean to say that this stone orbits around the sun?" ”

"Yes, this asteroid is a near-Earth asteroid, although it is small, but because the orbit is very close to the Earth, humans have actually discovered it......"

Lang Tongguang began to explain in astronomy: "If this asteroid is not brought back by you, every time it orbits the sun, when it is close to the earth, it will be affected by the earth's gravity, which will make the orbit deflected at a small angle, and there is a possibility of hitting the earth in the future."

However, because the asteroid is so small that even if it crashes into Earth, it will not cause a catastrophe, so the astronomical community did not issue an early warning.

"In fact, an asteroid like this one, which is five to ten meters, appears in the Earth's atmosphere on average once a year.

"The energy released is about the equivalent of an atomic bomb, but most of it will be vaporized in the atmosphere, so it won't have much impact on the planet."

Several people didn't expect that such a five-meter-diameter stone would be an asteroid, and they were a little surprised.

Fang Yuan asked curiously: "So how big does it have to be for an asteroid to crash into the earth to cause a disaster?" ”

"An asteroid with a diameter of about 50 meters hits the Earth once in an average of 1,000 years, producing an explosion equivalent to the Tunguska explosion of the early 20th century. An asteroid of this magnitude hits the earth, and the earth can still withstand it, and the problem will not be too serious if it exceeds 100 meters. If an asteroid were to reach a kilometer in diameter, it would be devastating. Lang Tongguang patiently answered several people's questions.

"Are there a lot of asteroids like this?" Fang Yuan asked.

"At present, the number of asteroids found by humans in the solar system is 120,000."

Lang Tongguang continued to popularize science: "However, the orbits of most asteroids are between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. That is, most of them are in the asteroid belt.

"The orbit of the asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

"In the solar system, the closest planet to the Sun is Mercury, followed by Venus, and then Earth.

"Mars is in the outer circle of the Earth's orbit, and beyond the orbit of Mars, there is the asteroid belt, and then Jupiter."

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