Once upon a time, science fiction writers loved to describe how people of the future will achieve such power that they can not only change the climate on Earth and the outlines of the continents, but also rebuild the entire solar system for their needs. Many of these projects today seem ridiculous, some are seriously discussed. But for some reason, no one asks the question: would such a restructuring violate the existing natural balance?
THE DREAM OF OVERCIVILIZATION
The famous Soviet astrophysicist Nikolai Semenovich Kardashev proposed in 1964 a scale for ranking hypothetical alien civilizations in terms of the degree of energy use. The scale defines three types: a type I civilization uses all available resources available on its home planet; type II civilization uses all the energy of its star; Type III - their own galaxy. In the future, the "Kardashev scale" was expanded by adding type IV civilizations, using the resources of their universe, and V-th - the entire "multiverse".
It is clear that we are not able to detect civilizations of the last two types, since their activity does not differ for us from the laws of nature, but the first three can be identified by "cosmic miracles", that is, by processes that violate the laws of nature. Our civilization is still very far from even Type I, since at present we use only 0.16% of the planet's energy "budget". The most powerful source of energy we have today is atomic decay. Perhaps, over time, it will be possible to master thermonuclear fusion. And the example of these technologies clearly shows how they can affect the life of the planet. Say, in the Soviet Union, 124 underground nuclear explosions were carried out in the interests of the national economy, and at least three of them ended in the release of radioactive substances to the surface: for example,the explosion of "Kraton-3", carried out on August 24, 1978 in Yakutia, led to the fact that a radioactive cloud covered the expeditionary camp, in which eighty people settled. Infection of vast territories also occurred as a result of accidents at nuclear power plants in Pripyat (Chernobyl, Ukraine) and Fukushima-1 (Japan).
It turns out that we still cannot cope without serious problems even with the first stage of the development of the energy resources possessed by our planet. What will happen when earthlings want to become a type I civilization?
SPARE PLANET
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Despite the more than modest capabilities of modern astronautics, entire scientific communities are enthusiastically discussing the prospects for the colonization of nearby planets, as well as their upcoming terraforming. Say, humanity needs a "spare planet" in case something goes wrong on Earth and it is necessary to urgently evacuate.
Of course, in order to populate another planet, it is necessary to change the climatic conditions on them in such a way that they more or less correspond to the narrow range in which a person can exist. For example, it is proposed to aim several comets at Venus, changing their trajectory in such a way that, by their fall, they contribute to the spinning of the planet around the axis, and the water ice contained in the cometary nuclei becomes the basis for future oceans. Over Mars, on the contrary, they are going to detonate high-power thermonuclear charges in order to melt the glacier hidden under the soil layer and trigger the "greenhouse effect". At the same time, for some reason, none of the designers takes into account that such powerful strikes on any planet lead to an increase in volcanic activity and the ejection into space of a large number of fragments of the planetary crust. As a result, an extended cloud of meteoroites will arise in the inner orbits of the solar system, where the Earth is located, which, on the one hand, will complicate interplanetary navigation, and on the other, will begin to fall out in large numbers on us, unpredictably affecting the climate.
As part of another project, being worked out by astrophysicist Martin Fogg, it is proposed to "ignite" Jupiter, that is, launch a thermonuclear self-sustaining fusion reaction in its atmosphere, which will turn the giant planet into a small star of the "brown dwarf" type. According to the calculations done, the heat emitted by the artificial mini-star will be enough to turn the system of Jupiter's satellites into a habitable zone: a huge ocean will appear on Europa, rivers and seas on Ganymede. But again, there is a danger: at present, the orbital dynamics of the planets of the solar system is in equilibrium, and the giant planets make a significant contribution to the overall stabilization - who can say what will happen if Jupiter turns into a star whose dynamics will obviously differ from the planetary one? Will the gravitational balance be disturbed,which will affect the stability of the Earth's orbit?
KILLER STARSELIER
In addition to projects for the improvement of the solar system, scientists are actively discussing the concept of starships, which will someday become the first step towards a Type II civilization. In this regard, the propulsion system is very popular, which was invented in 2000 by the Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre and which theoretically can "deceive" the laws of physics by accelerating the starship to speeds exceeding the speed of light. To do this, the mover changes the space-time geometry, transforming it into the "Alcubierre bubble".
However, there are two difficulties that cannot yet be circumvented. To create a “bubble”, a breakthrough of the so-called “negative energy” is required, and to generate it, ordinary energy is required, comparable in power to that generated by the Sun. Let's say the problem can be solved somehow. However, even in this case, a danger awaits us, which is still difficult to assess. In 2012, physicist Jason Major calculated that subatomic particles scattered in interstellar space would accumulate at the front edge of the "bubble", and when it decelerates, they will turn into a narrow stream of hard gamma radiation that will burn everything that is in the way. For example, the Earth or another inhabited planet.
GALAXY WILD
In 1960, astrophysicist Freeman Dyson suggested that a Type II civilization, in order to fully utilize the energy of its star, must build an artificial sphere around it using the material of the planets. Based on this assumption, he urged astronomers to look for similar spheres that should emit in the infrared range, and the radiation spectrum will have anomalous characteristics.
Since then, Dyson's concept has been criticized many times. Firstly, it makes no sense to build a complete sphere, since it will be unstable at the poles, and in this sense, a ring located at the star's equator looks much more preferable, as the American science fiction writer Larry Niven described. Secondly, the construction of such a sphere (or even a ring) randomizes the entire planetary system, which will inevitably lead to catastrophes, the scale of which is difficult to imagine. Better, perhaps, not to touch something that was created by nature and “works normally” for billions of years.
Dyson's mistake also lies in the fact that he directly extrapolated into the future the trends in energy consumption characteristic of the first half of the twentieth century, when modern industry was just being created. But at the beginning of the 21st century, we see the opposite process: industrial products are miniaturized and become more energy-efficient. It may well be that more advanced civilizations have further improved their technologies and they have no need to create a "Dyson sphere", and we, with our plans for a global restructuring of everything and everyone, will seem to them to be ordinary savages who do not value the world in which they live.
Anton Pervushin