"Call the command center, this is the Explorer 7 spacecraft, please answer if you receive it!"

Zheng Xiang, who was standing in the captain's room, was overjoyed to contact the command center through the quantum communication system.

"Roger, please!"

"The captain of the Explorer 7 spacecraft reported that during the investigation of the asteroid ring, our ship discovered a titanium-iron alloy all-metal planet with a diameter of 35 kilometers."

"The command center received, please keep an eye on the planet at all times, provide navigation information, and wait for the follow-up expedition personnel to arrive."

"Understood!"

This is a call that takes place in a working spacecraft within the asteroid's ring.

In addition to being used to increase the volume and mass of the star, of course, the various resources inside cannot be missed.

Earthlings who are in the initial stage of space development cannot let go of any resources, especially when the earth's resources have entered comprehensive storage and protection.

Therefore, a total of 100 50,000-ton small exploration spacecraft are active in the entire ring belt to carry out detailed scientific investigation missions.

The asteroid ring belt is a dense area of asteroids in the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, which has been counted by the 120437 asteroids that have been numbered, and 98.5% of the asteroids are found here.

Since the asteroid belt is the region with the highest concentration of asteroids, estimated to number as many as 500,000, this region is called the main belt.

With so many asteroids being able to be condensed in the asteroid belt, Jupiter's gravity plays an even bigger role than the Sun's gravitational pull.

The asteroid belt is formed by a group of stars (planetary predecessors that are smaller than planets) in the primordial solar nebula.

However, because of the gravitational influence of Jupiter, these stars are prevented from forming planets, causing many stars to collide with each other and form many debris and debris.

The asteroid belt is very thin and several spacecraft have passed safely without incident.

Asteroids in the main belt are divided into three groups according to their spectrum and main form: carbonaceous, silicate and metallic.

In addition, collisions between asteroids may form groups of asteroids with similar orbital characteristics and color, and these collisions are also a major source of dust that produces zodiacal light.

The asteroid belt contains two main types of asteroids, at the outer edge of the asteroid belt, close to the orbit of Jupiter, dominated by carbon-type asteroids rich in carbon value, which account for more than 75% of the total.

Compared to other asteroids, carbon-type asteroids have a reddish color and very low albedo.

Their surface composition is similar to that of carbonaceous meteorites, and the chemical composition and spectral characteristics are the same as those of the early solar system, but they lack some lighter and volatile substances (such as ice).

Near the inner part, 2.5 AU from the Sun, silicon-containing asteroids are more common, spectra show that their surfaces contain silicates and some metals, but the composition of carbonaceous compounds is not obvious.

This suggests that they are significantly different from the composition of the original solar system, possibly due to the melting mechanism of the early solar system, which led to the result of differentiation.

These asteroids have high reflectivity compared to carbon-type asteroids, accounting for about 17% of the entire population in the asteroid belt.

There are also asteroids of the third category, which account for about 10% of the total number of metal-type asteroids.

Their spectra contain iron-nickel-like lines that appear white or slightly red, without the characteristics of absorption lines.

Metal-type asteroids are presumed to have been formed by devastating impacts with a core dominated by iron-nickel matrix. Within the main belt, metallic asteroids are mainly distributed in orbits with a half-major diameter of 2.7 AU.

The total mass of the entire asteroid ring is about 6×10^18 tons, which is about one thousandth of the Earth.

This is a considerable source of wealth, in which asteroids dominated by carbon and silicon will enter Mars and become part of Mars.

Of course, metal-type planets are mainly mined for metal resources, and are used for various construction purposes, such as the construction of spaceport stations, the construction of various types of spaceships, etc.

As with the Earth's near-Earth space junk cleanup, all but the asteroids left as specimens will be cleaned up.

This is not only for the sake of resources, but also for the sake of security.

In the future, as the center of Earth's power, there will definitely be an incalculable number of various spaceships shuttling within the solar system.

Although there is no way to navigate the universe without a detour, crossing the asteroid belt will definitely become a shortcut.

Military spacecraft may be completely indifferent to these asteroids due to their strong external defense capabilities, but civilian spacecraft are not.

A slightly massive asteroid that hits a civilian spacecraft may be a tragedy of shipwreckage and death.

So it is still necessary to clean up, and the same situation applies to the Kuiper belt.

In this way, you can not only ensure the safety of navigation, but also obtain a lot of resources, killing two birds with one stone, why not?

The three largest asteroids in the asteroid belt are Homo sapiens, Marriage and Vesta, all with an average diameter of more than 400 kilometers.

There is only one dwarf planet in the main belt, Ceres, with a diameter of about 950 kilometers.

These four stars will also be retained, but will need to undergo a series of retrofits and eventually become freely moving planets that can be used as weapons platforms.

After the construction is finally completed, they will roam freely in the solar system as an important firepower point against external dangers.

If we use the analogy of the equipment on the original earth, it is probably the existence of mobile anti-ship missile vehicles and the like.

Of course, due to technical and resource constraints, this huge project will have to wait for some time before it can officially begin.

Even if all the asteroids and microasteroids in the asteroid belt were concentrated on Mars, it would not be enough to increase the volume and mass of Mars to the extent that it is Earth.

Therefore, the moons of Jupiter, which are outside Mars, will also be pushed over and become part of Mars.

In short, the transformation of Mars is the principle of making up for the deficiency with more than is lost, and resources are excavated from various places to replenish on Mars.

Soon, a 100,000-ton scientific research spacecraft came to Zheng Xiang's boat, and then, a traffic boat approached.

"Mr. Song, why are you here?" Zheng Xiang looked at the visitor and asked in surprise.

"I'm happy to see Hunter, so come and see for yourself! This is the first pure metal planet we have discovered. ”

As the head of the geological expedition of the asteroid ring, Song Gongming heard that a pure metal asteroid had been discovered.

It's really like a pervert who has been locked up for ten years and has prostituted a stunning beauty, and he can't resist the impulse in his heart, so he immediately wants to come over in person and conduct a field trip.

Zheng Xiang still has some understanding of the virtues of these scientists, so he doesn't care.

He stepped forward with a smile, shook hands with Song Gongming and said hello, put on a spacesuit, and personally accompanied Song Gongming to land on this lovely asteroid.

The two spacecraft hovered above the landing crew, providing sufficient protection against the impact of other asteroids.

But Song Gongming didn't care about safety at all, as long as he could meet the scientific research object he was extremely interested in, he would not have any worries.