Of course, considering that most people would be in hibernation during the voyage, fuel consumption would be relatively low. The fuel needed for a total of sixty years of acceleration and deceleration would amount to roughly 75 percent of current reserves.
In other words, once that portion was deducted, the nuclear fuel currently and prospectively available would last only eighteen years.
The new spaceship project was projected to take twenty years to complete. That was not too bad; the gap was small, and with enough effort, it might still be finished ahead of schedule.
But the Interstellar Dust situation would require at least another fifty years before it was suitable for humanity's current level of interstellar travel.
Could they really rush the construction of a spaceship, then gamble the fate of all humanity on setting out? Gan De fell silent as well.
Xu Zhenyi considered it before saying, "Over the past two-plus years, we've already built quite a few Hibernation Pods. Could we put some people into hibernation now to reduce resource consumption?"
"The spaceship project is just getting underway. If we activate the Hibernation Plan now, there is no chance the spaceship can be completed within eighteen years." Yue Yuan shook his head.
He had already made up his mind to cut the warship project. If the warship project was cut, the Great Cylinder Spaceship might be completed several years earlier.
Besides, the Hibernation Pods were meant for the future voyage. They could not be used during the construction era.
Although automated equipment had become highly intelligent, spaceship construction could not rely entirely on automation. Many delicate tasks and positions still could not do without people.
If there was no other way, they could only take the risk.
Of course, they could not rush headlong into danger. That would be no different from seeking death. Gan De had just said it himself: the scientific data was right there. Setting sail recklessly meant certain death.
Thus, even as Yue Yuan decided to cut the warship project, another mad supporting plan gradually took shape in his mind.
If there was truly no alternative, they would step up production of Hibernation Pods, halt everything except spaceship construction and Controlled Nuclear Fusion research, and send everyone not involved into hibernation. In that way, the nuclear fuel saved might just be enough to overcome the resistance of the Interstellar Dust.
Naturally, if they were truly going to do this, the relevant departments would still need to calculate every figure and formulate a feasible plan.
Though Yue Yuan had outwardly rejected Xu Zhenyi's suggestion, he had taken it to heart.
"Ah, if only so much Controlled Nuclear Fusion technology hadn't been lost." Gan De let out a long sigh, voicing the painful wish shared by nearly everyone in the base.
Indeed. If their technology had not regressed, Controlled Nuclear Fusion could very likely have been achieved within ten years. They could then use the abundant helium-3 on Callisto, or the hydrogen spread throughout interstellar space, as fuel.
The dust cloud formed by the Supernova Remnant contained vast amounts of hydrogen and its isotopes, but humanity had no way to use them.
Their actual technology was not up to the task; they could only stare at mountains of gold and silver and worry helplessly.
Seeing that no good solution would emerge anytime soon, Gan De changed the subject and sought hope in another direction. He set down his tablet, looked at Yue Yuan, and asked, "By the way, Chief Yue, what about the alien spaceship? Has there been any progress in the research lately?"
Yue Yuan shook his head. The moment Gan De mentioned the alien spaceship, he understood what Gan De was thinking.
"The main body has already been excavated. We're still digging out and clearing the silted soil inside, as well as some of the compartments—especially the cockpit. There have been no major discoveries so far."
Because the entire spaceship was buried in soil, excavation had progressed slowly in order to avoid damaging anything that might be valuable. It was no different from an archaeological dig.
As a result, even after two years, the cockpit had yet to be completely cleared.
Moreover, Yue Yuan had no real hopes for the alien spaceship. The main reason was that it was simply too dilapidated. It was filled inside and out with soil, and after clearing it, they had found that many places had rusted. It possessed none of the imperishable quality one would expect from the creation of an advanced civilization.
Thus, even before the disaster, everyone who knew of the spaceship had known that this wreck would never fly again. If they had not wanted to excavate it and study the materials it was made of, no one would probably even take it as scrap metal.
Of course, they would have to clear its entire front and rear sections before they could determine the final situation.
Yue Yuan estimated that everything should be finished in another year or so.
After that, Yue Yuan discussed the matter with the two scientists for half the day, but they still came up with no good solution. In the end, he could only send them back first.
It was understandable. One was an astronomer, the other a materials scientist; when it came to plans and strategies, they might not be as capable as the heads of other departments.
It was not a matter of whether they understood it or not, but of differences in the information they possessed.
Yue Yuan understood that clearly. Over the following days, he urgently convened multiple emergency meetings with every department. Scientists, experts, and other professionals from various fields attended as observers, providing specialized knowledge for reference on the proposed plans.
This method of holding meetings proved highly effective.
For example, someone might come up with a solution without knowing whether the things required or involved in that solution could actually be made. That was when experts in various fields needed to participate in the assessment.
It was like needing to cross a river and someone proposing to build a bamboo raft, while knowing nothing about the techniques required—what kind of bamboo to choose, whether the bamboo needed to be dried, how to bind it together, and a whole series of other issues. That was when an expert who understood bamboo rafts would need to provide the answers.
Through one emergency meeting and technical seminar after another, quite a few people proposed solutions, but without exception, none could be realized, or they only seemed feasible on the surface.
For instance, someone suggested reducing the output of the Nuclear Power Plant to save energy, keeping electricity only for essential facilities in order to conserve nuclear fuel.
Ordinary electricity, lighting, heating, and the like could all be replaced with fuel oil. Humanity had mastered the technology of synthesizing gasoline from Carbon Dioxide and hydrogen in the previous century.
The idea seemed feasible, but the person who proposed it had failed to realize that producing gasoline was merely an energy conversion process. It was not crude oil directly extracted and separated from nature. The fundamental energy needed to sustain that process still had to come from the Nuclear Power Plant.
And that was indeed the truth. What humanity lacked now was not forms of energy, but energy itself.
If the sun were still there, none of this would be a problem.
But now, after finishing another day of work, Yue Yuan returned to his residence. Yet with his mind full of worries, he could not fall asleep no matter what.
"Do we really have to Burn the Boats?" Yue Yuan leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling as he muttered to himself.
Since the nuclear fuel crisis had emerged, the mountain of responsibility had nearly crushed the breath from him. He was under immense pressure because he held immense power. If he made even one wrong decision, humanity could very well be doomed beyond redemption.
Therefore, every decision required deep consideration. He never left out any expert he needed to consult. Those experts had practically become his Think Tank, all because he feared some overlooked detail might lead to a fatal mistake.
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