The stars, but they become the gray wind

Individual humans require a relatively harsh environment to reproduce themselves.

Because he needs a bunch of equipment to perform somatic cell cloning or parthenogenesis on himself

If there are no recessive genetic diseases, then only 1 bar of nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere, water and the Earth's biosphere are needed for self-replication.

So the von Neumann machine that humans want to build is a mature industrial system. Do we need to learn to wind ourselves up?

The entire human industrial system has lower environmental requirements than a single human

Imagine an asteroid hits and primitive humans may become extinct

But humans with industrial systems can prepare some new facilities (which can be seen as some parts of this giant machine)

Even if the asteroid is not stopped

You can also hide in a bunker and maintain life artificially

Obviously, the difficulty of the Feng machine in different environments varies greatly.

Human civilization is currently a relatively inefficient machine.

3% annual economic growth rate

Relatively efficient and highly adaptable to the environment

But it depends on the specific situation

So the direction of making Fengji is to see how difficult it is to adapt to the environment?

Most of the time, civilizations can always gain more qualitative capabilities by expanding their scale.

The self-replication of a von Neumann self-replicating machine depends on the environment

Exponential growth if the environment allows

But it's obviously not sustainable

The only one who can meet this condition is Feng Ji, no matter how inefficient he is, he still has no intelligence.

But in reality, exponential and unlimited growth in space basically requires super intelligence.

So setting up ASI is a must, but if the environment is beautiful, there is no need for intelligence.

So is it necessary to create a special group for Fengji that proliferates in space?

Although it is called Fengji, it is actually a Gestalt civilization

The device has no fixed unit form at all

It's not a bunch of machines that look alike together.

It just plans and builds new factories or other facilities according to local conditions, just like humans do today.

The design drawings can be different for each one

Fengji's equipment can be allowed to produce all parts

It can create many other possible structures

It's just that these structures also include structures that are almost exactly the same as itself.

So it can proliferate and expand, just like human machine tools and 3D printers can also process almost any shape.

How to further integrate this process of self-replication and production of more complex products.

Chapter 173: Towards another possible Earth?

In this new universe, the engineering fleets from the Sky Star Civilization and the Glass Eels have begun to build infrastructure such as star gates and anchored wormholes within the Milky Way in this side of the universe. A large number of transport ships and engineering ships loaded with von Neumann self-replicating machines are heading towards the star systems around the "gate" and have begun to carry out stellar-level celestial engineering and superluminal transportation networks in those star systems.

At the same time, a large number of unmanned research vessels and exploration vessels, as well as a very small number of manned research vessels, began to explore various parts of the Milky Way in this universe. Calisi and others volunteered to take on the task of exploring the inner area of ​​the Orion Arm in order to see what the earth in this universe looks like.

With the closing of the high-dimensional mirror-warp bubble and the distortion of starlight, the Fantasy Light silently slid into the high-dimensional space and headed towards the unremarkable yellow dwarf galaxy inside the Orion spiral arm.

…………

Solar System, Jupiter Lagrange Points, Trojan Asteroid Swarm

A huge uninvited guest emerged from the high-dimensional mirror warp cavity and hid on the dark side of an asteroid with a diameter of 300 kilometers.

The Ultima Thule deployed its own electromagnetic wave frequency band communication array on the outside of the ship to monitor the communications and radio waves from the small blue and green water ball in the solar system. The information it monitored also made several people feel shocked.

AFP News: The sixth anniversary summit of the Mars M7 Alliance will be held in Brussels, Belgium soon.

The agreement officially signed in 1997 gave rise to the historic M-7 Mars Alliance, officially ending the Cold War standoff between the US and the Soviet Union during the early stages of the Mars Race. The leaders of the M-7 countries will hold an annual summit in Brussels to discuss the next phase of expansion plans for the existing Happy Valley base on Mars.

Xinhua News Agency: The second phase of construction for my country's third large-scale lunar mining base has been completed recently. The Chang'e-19 transport spacecraft will carry astronauts and lunar base staff for launch at a later date.

According to ITAR-TASS (Russian News Agency), the joint US-Soviet James-Zvestia lunar base opened its doors to the public on Sunday. Hundreds of tourists from Earth visited this first lunar base, which carries symbolic significance for the history of mankind.

(AFP) News: The Soviet economy has soared since the turn of the century. Gorbachev implemented highly successful reforms since taking power in 1986, leading to a remarkable economic boom in the new century. The Soviet Union has recently become the world's leading exporter of lithium and iridium. Riding on the global electric vehicle market boom, the Soviet Union has made significant industrial progress in the new century.

[AP News (Associated Press, Associated Press) reported: On the eighth anniversary of the Johnson Space Center bombing terrorist attack, many local residents and families of the dead and injured spontaneously went to the memorial to the victims to hold a memorial event.]

Xinhua News Agency: The Mars Happy Valley base's asteroid tug, Ranger, will soon officially begin landing and surveying the Kronos asteroid. The mission's goal is to tow the Kronos asteroid into Mars orbit and conduct mineral mining.

"What... is this?" Looking at the information received from the direction of Earth, the usually steady Yuki was dumbfounded for the first time.

"Is this... still the familiar Di Erling Ba Dan Cu Umbrella Liu Jiu Qiu?"

"It obviously doesn't seem like it..." The expression on Renlong's face was beginning to become unbearable.

"Speaking of which... is this some kind of hypersighted worldline? Isn't human civilization in this world developing a little too fast?"

"If I'm not mistaken, this world is still in 2003 AD, right?"

"From the radio waves leaked from Earth, it seems that this world already had a manned Mars landing in 1995. And it was a three-way competition between a large multinational corporation, the United States and the Soviet Union?"

"This... I think I need some time to slow down..." Carlisle felt that her three views were shocked by the speed of development of human beings in this world.

What no one noticed was that because of the huge mass of the spacecraft when it just escaped the jump, the orbit of an asteroid with a diameter of only 1.1 kilometers was disturbed and began to shift slightly. Under the continued influence of Jupiter's gravity, this asteroid will break away from the Trojan asteroid group and fly towards the inner solar system within a few months.

.........

The Corrector's shell slid out of a hangar beneath the Fantasy Light and entered stealth mode, flying towards the inner solar system hundreds of millions of kilometers away at a speed close to 1/10 of the speed of light.

At the Happy Valley base on the surface of Mars, Peters, as the head of the entire base, is confirming the real-time operating status and data of the Ranger asteroid tug.

Now, the Ranger was approaching the asteroid Kronos, beginning humanity's first asteroid landing. The asteroid, displayed on the large screen at the Happy Valley Mars base, grew larger as the distance decreased. Peters, surrounded by the expectant gazes, felt a surge of pressure. Due to the 20-minute communication delay between Earth and Mars, the operation had to rely on Happy Valley, located on the Martian surface, to provide support for the Ranger asteroid tug. Peters was well aware of the mission's importance and historical significance, but the fact that Happy Valley's computing and communications capabilities were far inferior to those on Earth was undeniable. Despite eight years of infrastructure construction, Happy Valley's facilities were still limited by spacecraft capacity and the scale of the Mars base. Furthermore, a recent malfunction of the communications relay satellite in orbit around Mars had severely limited the base's communication bandwidth. Limited funding and spacecraft capacity made this issue difficult to resolve quickly. A new communications relay satellite and spare parts would take at least six months to arrive. This series of problems weighed heavily on Peters, the current head of Happy Valley Mars.

"Commander Peters, thermal sensors confirm the temperature is normal." An operator sitting in front of the display reported to him.

"Good. Let me know as soon as it starts to heat up."

"Ranger, this is Happy Valley Base. Please report the current situation."

"Happy Valley, this is Ranger. We are currently 200 meters away from the asteroid Kronos. The visibility is good and the scenery here is simply beautiful." Compared to Peters, the base director who is under great pressure in the base, the voice of the asteroid tugboat driver and leader of this operation in the communication channel seems extremely relaxed. The old man with white hair, thick beard and a little balding on his head looks at the gray asteroid not far away from the hanging window.

"The status report says everything is normal, no anomalies have occurred."

"Got it, everything is normal, we can act at any time." As soon as the words fell, a fairly standard Russian sentence came from the communication channel.

"Commander, Extravehicular Activity Team reports, stage preparation items have been reviewed, and Kuznetsov preparations have been completed."

"Disable forward response control system and initiate extravehicular activity."

"I hope he won't get too conceited during this historic moment of landing on the asteroid?" The white-haired old man joked to an old colleague of his who was working outside the warehouse and was almost the same age as him.

"I'm quite surprised that he can still wear a helmet at his age." The young co-pilot smiled.

"So, how's it going out there, my dear Gregory?"

"She is so beautiful beyond words..." Outside the cabin, an old man in a white spacesuit held the handrail at his side with one hand, looking at the asteroid that was almost within reach.

"Don't get too excited, your wife might be watching the live broadcast on TV." The slightly hoarse voice of a veteran of the Mars base came from the radio inside the helmet.

"Don't forget, the only reason you are outside the cabin instead of me is because you were lucky. You drew two damn queen cards in the card game two days ago." The white-haired old man's unconvinced voice sounded from the radio built into the helmet.

"Haha, but by now, I'm sure you've gotten used to being second, Edward."

Just as the two were chatting during their break, the Mars base officially issued the order to start landing on the asteroid.

Kuznetsov, an astronaut from the Soviet Union, untied the safety rope on the handrail outside the asteroid tug cabin and pressed his hand on the start button of the jet pack.

"Kuz, are you ready to make new history?"

"Always be prepared, my dear friend."

"Start to detach from the Ranger!" Kuznetsov released the armrest, activated the jet pack for extravehicular activity, and began to slowly approach the asteroid not far away.

…………

On the other side of the Earth, people watched the live broadcast with a delay of nearly 20 minutes. On this side of the Earth, they had just received the images and news that the asteroid tug was approaching the Kronos asteroid.

"Today we have made history together, as humans will land on an asteroid for the first time... This is the result of our joint efforts..."

Witnessed by countless reporters, the heads and directors of the space agencies of the United States and the Soviet Union appeared quite enthusiastic. The newly appointed NASA director was so happy that he wanted to open a bottle of champagne that he had collected for many years to celebrate this historic moment.

"Today we, along with Helios Moscow and other partners, have taken another step towards a self-sustaining colony on Mars. After the Ranger tugboat has pushed the Kronos asteroid into Martian orbit and begun exploiting its resources, the Mars base will continue to grow and prosper."

"Today, we welcome the arrival of a new century and the beginning of a new era. All of this is thanks to all of you here. Without you, we would not have achieved what we have today."

After the directors of both space agencies gave speeches, the technicians in the control center once again focused their attention on the asteroid landing mission.

Finally, after a period of waiting, the image of astronaut Kuznetsov starting to land on the asteroid was transmitted to the Earth side after a 20-minute delay.

.........

"Currently, the distance is 100 meters, and it's getting closer..." Looking at the shrinking numbers on the laser rangefinder, Kuznetsov precisely controlled the forward speed of his jet pack.

"Three meters away from the asteroid...about to touch!" Kuznetsov stretched out his gloved left hand towards the asteroid that was already close at hand. The white space glove gently brushed across the loose surface of the asteroid. A light cloud of dust rose on the surface of the asteroid where the glove brushed across. Feeling the solid texture in his hand, Kuznetsov, who had been an astronaut for most of his life, smiled.

"Contact successful!"

"Woohoo!" There was a cheer in the control center of the Mars base, which maintained real-time communication with the asteroid tug. All the technicians present clapped their hands with joy, and Peters, who had been under great pressure, was relieved.

20 minutes later, on Earth, when this footage was seen, cheers broke out in the control centers of both space agencies.

.........

On the surface of the asteroid, Kuznetsov hammered in a U-shaped pin, fastened his safety rope to it, adjusted his body posture, and left the first human footprint on the soft surface of the asteroid.

He raised his head and looked up at the endless dark sky. The Ranger not far away was like the only firefly in the darkness.

…………

As billions of people around the world witnessed this historic moment, the Corrector's Shell, in a vacuum and completely hidden, also transmitted this image back to the Fantasy Light, far away in the Jupiter Trojan asteroid belt.

"The humans in this... world are truly... beyond our expectations..."

"This really makes me more and more interested... How far can it go?"

.........

After a series of sampling and survey work on the surface of the asteroid, the Ranger tugboat completed the despinning of the asteroid with the help of thrusters installed on the asteroid. Dozens of astronauts, with the help of jet packs, began to install cables and anchors on the surface of the asteroid.

"Asteroid despinning complete, anchor and cable installation commenced."

"Cable tension looks good, anchor point 36 is in place."

"Moving towards anchor point 37, the propulsion truss components are nearing completion."

After going through the rather complicated work of installing the propulsion brackets and cables used to fix the tugboat to the asteroid, the Ranger asteroid tugboat started its own deuterium-helium-three variable-ratio magnetic plasma fusion thruster. The liquid argon used as the propulsion fluid was heated in the reactor and ejected from the cross-shaped nozzle at the tail of the spacecraft at an extremely high temperature. Under the high thrust mode provided by a large amount of propulsion fluid, the orbit of the Kronos asteroid began to show slight changes.

Inside the cabin, passengers sitting in various places on the spacecraft felt a slight push on their backs and the vibrations from the spacecraft's thrusters in high-thrust mode, and subconsciously grabbed the handrails and supports around them.

"Acceleration is good, everything is normal."

.........

Just when the members of the asteroid tug thought that the mission was foolproof, Calisi, who was monitoring the scene through the Corrector's shell, keenly discovered that under the detailed vision provided by the Corrector, one of the anchors fixed below the surface of the asteroid had a submicron-level crack that was completely imperceptible to humans.

"Submicron cracks?" Renlong blinked in confusion.

"Hmm... It's not very obvious, but there's no doubt that this crack will cause the entire anchor and cable to come loose, and this asteroid-tugging mission will undoubtedly be in trouble."

…………

Under the influence of the huge tension in the cable, the submicron-level cracks on the threads of anchor rod No. 36 began to grow continuously. Finally, after the vibration caused by the asteroid tug exceeded the endurance limit, the anchor rod made of high-strength titanium metal broke. Following the break of the anchor rod, a series of chain reactions were triggered by the imbalance of cable tension. The remaining anchor rods also broke or loosened under the influence of the cable's tensile force that exceeded the limit. The instruments in the cabin of the asteroid tug issued a series of cable tension imbalance warnings.

"The asteroid is starting to shake violently! We must shut down the engine and switch to manual operation mode! Use RCS to stabilize and see if we can reduce the shaking!" On the asteroid tugboat, the experienced white-haired old man did not panic, but began to try his best to remedy this sudden accident.

But as more and more cables and anchors broke or loosened after being subjected to excessive tension, the spacecraft and the asteroid shook more and more.

"More cables are going to come loose!" Seeing that the tension values ​​of several cables on the instrument screen had risen to the dangerous red range, everyone on the tugboat realized the seriousness of the problem.

Seeing this, Kuznetsov decisively took the helmet hanging on the wall and buckled it on the sealed neck ring of his space suit.