After launching a satellite, the rocket will only become space junk? Maybe it can also protect the earth!

On November 5, the Long March 6 carrier rocket successfully launched the "Sustainable Development Science Satellite 1" satellite. This was the 42nd rocket launch by China's space industry this year, ranking first in the world in terms of the number of launches and success rate.

Do you know where the rocket goes after the satellite is launched? In addition to becoming space junk, the last stage of the rocket can actually be used to save the earth? Come and learn more with Teacher Li.

Just like a train has different carriages, rockets are also divided into the first and second stages, and the last stage is called the final stage. The first few stages of the rocket are like dumplings with thin skin and large fillings, and the fillings are fuel. Rocket launch is to send satellites into outer space by burning fuel and continuously accelerating. After the first stage fuel is burned out, the first stage is thrown away. Because the shell of the first stage rocket weighs more than ten tons, continuing to fly with it will affect the continued acceleration of the rocket. Similarly, after the second stage fuel is burned out, the second stage must be thrown away. At this point, you must understand. Only the final stage rocket carries the satellite into the target orbit. After the first few stages are burned out, they fall to the earth. This is why the launch of the rocket requires calculating the landing area and even evacuating the population in advance. It is not good to hit the flowers and plants. Musk's famous skill is to let the first stage rocket return to the earth intact and reduce costs by reusing it.

After the last stage of a rocket sends a satellite into the target orbit, it becomes a huge piece of space junk floating in space. In order to prevent this piece of space junk from exploding, it is necessary to drain the remaining fuel and short-circuit the battery. It would be best if the last stage could leave orbit and enter the atmosphere to burn up. However, most rocket last stages do not have the ability to leave orbit and often float in orbit for many years. During this period, if they are unfortunately hit by other debris, an avalanche effect may form, generating a large number of small fragments, threatening the normal operation of satellites.

Since the final stage has entered orbit, can it be transformed and turned into treasure? Chinese researchers have proposed a final stage orbit test plan, which is to carry scientific instruments on the final stage to conduct scientific experiments. Some people abroad have come up with a brilliant idea and proposed to transform the box of the final stage rocket into a space hotel to develop space tourism.

In fact, the final stage can also be used to protect the Earth! If an asteroid hits the Earth, in addition to using nuclear weapons to blow up the asteroid, the most reliable way is to launch an impactor to knock the asteroid off its orbit. But the man-made impactor is too light to deflect the asteroid to a safe distance. At this time, if you bring the final stage of the rocket to hit it, you can give full play to the weight advantage of the final stage and deflect the asteroid to an orbit farther away from us. Calculations have found that if the aircraft is used to control the final stage to hit the asteroid, a Fat Five rocket can have the effect of three Fat Fives. It can be said that big guys have great wisdom. At critical moments, the final stage of the rocket can be used to protect the Earth!