Dr. Kaku: THE POWER OF A HUNDRED BILLION SUNS
HARNESSED FOR ONE SINISTER PURPOSE.
THIS TIME, THE EMPIRE MIGHT STRIKE FIRST.
I'M DR. MICHIO KAKU.
I'M A THEORETICAL PHYSICIST AND A SCIENCE-FICTION FAN.
JOIN ME AS I SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE SCI-FI SCIENCE.
AS A KID, I LOVED ALL THOSE SCI-FI MOVIES
WITH THEIR DEATH RAYS AND LASER CANNONS.
THE BAD GUYS ALWAYS HAD SOME AWESOME WEAPON IN SPACE
THAT THEY WOULD USE TO THREATEN EVERYONE HERE ON PLANET EARTH.
IT'S A CHILLING BUT INTRIGUING CONCEPT.
A PLANET BUSTER MAY BE THE ULTIMATE WEAPON
IN A FUTURE GALACTIC ARMS RACE.
BUT IT MAY ALSO PROVIDE THE ULTIMATE PROTECTION
AGAINST AN ASTEROID STRIKE.
I'M GONNA SHOW YOU HOW I THINK WE COULD CREATE ONE.
IF I'M GONNA BUILD A WORKING DEATH STAR,
IT MUST HAVE A DEVASTATING BEAM WEAPON,
WHICH IS CAPABLE OF DESTROYING A PLANET.
AND I MUST BE ABLE TO AIM IT AT ANYTHING I LIKE.
BUT FIRST, I NEED A SCI-FI REALITY CHECK.
THE GUYS ALREADY LIVING IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY
HAVE THEIR OWN IDEAS ABOUT WHAT A DEATH STAR SHOULD DO.
IT'S THE ULTIMATE WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION,
CAPABLE OF OBLITERATING AN ENTIRE PLANET.
IT COULD DESTROY A WHOLE PLANET IN A SINGLE BLAST.
TOTAL ANNIHILATION.
BOOM, DONE, OVER, DONE WITH.
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A TALL ORDER,
BUT INCREDIBLY, THERE ACTUALLY IS SOMETHING ALREADY OUT THERE
THAT CONTAINS MORE THAN ENOUGH POWER.
THE BAD NEWS IS THERE'S ONE POINTED RIGHT AT US.
1967, THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR.
GOVERNMENT SCIENTISTS ARE MONITORING SPACE
FOR HOSTILE SOVIET ACTIVITY.
SUDDENLY, OUT OF NOWHERE,
THEIR SATELLITES DETECT HUGE BURSTS OF RADIATION.
TENSION MOUNTS.
THIS MUST BE A SOVIET NUCLEAR TEST,
PERHAPS ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON.
BUT THE SCIENTISTS SOON REALIZED
THAT WHAT THEY DISCOVERED IS SOMETHING FAR MORE DEADLY.
WHAT THEY HAVE DETECTED ARE DYING NEUTRON STARS
THAT, IN THEIR FINAL MOMENTS,
SHOOT OUT BEAMS OF ENORMOUS ENERGY.
THEY'RE CALLED GAMMA-RAY BURSTERS,
AND THEY ARE THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE,
SECOND ONLY TO THE BIG BANG ITSELF.
THEY SOUND LIKE THE PERFECT DEATH STAR.
THIS IS THE BINARY STAR SYSTEM W.R. 104,
WHICH INCLUDES TWO VERY MASSIVE STARS.
WE SEE, AS THE TWO STARS ORBIT EACH OTHER,
MATERIAL THAT'S FLOWING OUT AND FORMING DUST.
ONE DAY -- AND THAT DAY MAY BE TOMORROW,
AND THAT DAY MAY BE 10,000 YEARS FROM NOW --
THAT STAR WILL EXPLODE AND FORM A GAMMA-RAY BURSTER.
WE'RE VERY UNLUCKY WITH THIS PARTICULAR BINARY STAR
BECAUSE WE ARE LOOKING STRAIGHT DOWN THE GUN BARREL.
AND IT'S A TRULY MASSIVE GUN.
NOT ONLY WILL THE EXPLOSION BE INCREDIBLY POWERFUL,
BUT THE ENERGY IS ALL FOCUSED IN ONE DIRECTION.
AND IN THE CASE OF W.R. 104, THAT'S RIGHT AT PLANET EARTH.
WE BELIEVE THAT THESE STARS SHOOT THEIR GAMMA RAYS
OUT ALONG THE POLES OF THE STARS.
SO, WHEN THIS STAR EXPLODES, IT WILL SHOOT GAMMA RAYS OUT,
AND SOME OF THOSE GAMMA RAYS WILL INTERSECT WITH THE EARTH.
ALL LIFE ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH MIGHT BE WIPED OUT.
THERE'S NO QUESTION
ABOUT THE DEVASTATING POWER OF GAMMA-RAY BURSTERS,
BUT HOW CAN I USE THEM FOR MY PLANET-BUSTING DEATH STAR?
A GAMMA-RAY BURSTER IS LIKE A SPINNING GYROSCOPE.
WHEN IT GOES PAST THE TIPPING POINT,
IT RELEASES A BURST OF RADIATION
THROUGH THE NORTH POLE AND THE SOUTH POLE.
NOW, AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION MIGHT BE ABLE TO AIM
AND THEN FIRE THE GAMMA-RAY BURSTER IN ANY DIRECTION,
CREATING A WEAPON OF COSMIC DESTRUCTION.
SO, IF I COULD SOMEHOW CONTROL THIS KILLER EVENT,
I'D HAVE MY VERY OWN DEATH STAR.
SETTING ONE OFF IS A BIT LIKE PLAYING GALACTIC PINBALL.
TO FIRE A GAMMA-RAY BURSTER AT WILL,
YOU NEED TWO THINGS --
FIRST, A NEUTRON STAR.
THEY ARE HEAVIER THAN OUR SUN, BUT ONLY A FEW MILES ACROSS.
PACKED WITH ENERGY,
THEY ARE HIGHLY UNSTABLE AND RIGHT ON THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE.
SECOND -- AN OBJECT BIG ENOUGH
TO PUSH IT PAST THE TIPPING POINT.
A DWARF STAR SHOULD DO THE TRICK.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS.
IMAGINE THAT THE HOLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PINBALL MACHINE
CONTAINS A NEUTRON STAR, A DYING STAR.
NOW, NEUTRON STARS ARE UNSTABLE.
IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO TIP ONE OVER AND HAVE IT EXPLODE.
[ BELLS DINGING ]
IMAGINE THAT A PINBALL REPRESENTS A DWARF STAR.
IT'S ATTRACTED BY THE ENORMOUS GRAVITY OF THE NEUTRON STAR.
AND AS A DWARF STAR PLUNGES INTO THE NEUTRON STAR,
IT TIPS IT OVER, CAUSING AN EXPLOSION,
A GAMMA-RAY BURSTER, THE GREATEST RELEASE OF ENERGY
SINCE THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE.
[ BELL DINGING ]
IT HAS THE EXPLOSIVE ENERGY OF 100 BILLION STARS,
CONCENTRATED INTO BEAM WITH A KILLING RANGE
MEASURED IN THOUSANDS OF LIGHT YEARS.
[ BELL DINGING ]
I THINK I CAN COME UP WITH A WAY OF SETTING ONE OFF.
FIRST, I NEED A NEUTRON STAR
THAT HAS A WHITE DWARF CIRCLING AROUND IT...
SOMETHING LIKE W.R. 104,
THE GAMMA-RAY BURSTER THAT'S POINTED AT EARTH.
NOW WE NEED TO SHIFT SOME PLANETARY BODIES AROUND.
THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT
IS TO USE WHAT'S CALLED A GRAVITY ASSIST.
I'LL NEED A VERY LARGE SPACESHIP,
SOMETHING WITH ENOUGH GRAVITATIONAL PULL
TO FLY ALONGSIDE AN ASTEROID AND ALTER ITS COURSE
INTO THE ORBIT OF A WHITE DWARF STAR.
IN TURN, THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL OF THE ASTEROID
WOULD FORCE THE WHITE DWARF TO CHANGE ITS ORBIT
AND SEND IT CRASHING INTO THE HEART
OF THE DYING NEUTRON STAR, TRIGGERING THE VAST EXPLOSION.
TURNING A GAMMA-RAY BURSTER INTO A DEATH STAR
IS RIGHT AT THE EDGE OF OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIVERSE.
IT COULD TAKE US CENTURIES TO MILLENNIA
TO MASTER THIS COSMIC TECHNOLOGY
AND MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
BUT WITH SOME CLEVER IDEAS,
WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO BLOW UP ENTIRE PLANETS A BIT SOONER.
I'M DESIGNING THE MOST TERRIFYING WEAPON
IN ALL OF SCIENCE FICTION --
A DEATH STAR THAT CAN VAPORIZE AN ENTIRE PLANET.
AMAZINGLY, WE ALREADY HAVE THE BASIC TECHNOLOGY
IN THE FORM OF LASERS.
Dr. Kaku: OUR LASERS AREN'T QUITE THERE YET.
BUT IN THE FUTURE, CAN A LASER EVER BLOW UP AN ENTIRE PLANET?
THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING "YES,"
AND THE REASON IS THERE IS NO LIMIT TO THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY
YOU CAN PACK INTO A LASER BEAM.
SO, IN THE FUTURE, A DEATH STAR COULD BE ABLE
TO BLOW UP A PLANET LIKE ALDERAAN.
BUT MY PRACTICAL CHALLENGE IS --
HOW DO I GET ENOUGH POWER INTO A LASER BEAM
TO BLOW UP A PLANET?
THE KEY TO BUILDING A LASER IS THE LASING MATERIAL.
THAT'S A SUBSTANCE WITH ATOMS
WHOSE ELECTRON SHELLS ARE UNSTABLE...
USUALLY IN A GAS OR A CRYSTAL.
PUMP ENERGY IN, AND OUT COMES A BEAM OF PHOTONS.
BOUNCING THAT BEAM BACK AND FORTH
THROUGH THE LASING MATERIAL BETWEEN A SET OF MIRRORS
AMPLIFIES IT UNTIL THE ENERGY BUILDS UP DRAMATICALLY
AND YOU END UP WITH THE AWESOME POWER OF A LASER BEAM.
LASER LIGHT IS SPECIAL BECAUSE IT'S COHERENT.
ALL THE PHOTOS ARE MARCHING IN PHASE, IN LOCKSTEP,
SOMETHING WHICH IS NEVER FOUND IN NATURE.
IMAGINE THESE DOMINOES
ARE THE ATOMS INSIDE OUR LASING MATERIAL.
AT FIRST, THEY'RE JUST LYING THERE, DOING NOTHING.
BUT IF I PUMP SOME POWER INTO THEM, THEY'LL STAND UP.
THEY'RE ENERGIZED, BUT UNSTABLE.
IF I FIRE A PHOTO OF LIGHT INTO THEM,
THEY WILL COLLAPSE,
EACH ATOM RELEASING ANOTHER PHOTON OF LIGHT AS IT FALLS.
WHEN THE FIRST PHOTON HITS A DOMINO -- OR EXCITED ATOM --
IT TRIGGERS THE RELEASE OF A SECOND PHOTON,
VIBRATING PRECISELY IN PHASE WITH THE FIRST PHOTON.
THEN THEY, IN TURN, HIT THE NEXT DOMINO,
RELEASING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PHOTONS,
ALL VIBRATING IN PHASE.
THIS TRIGGERS A CHAIN REACTION.
EVENTUALLY, YOU HAVE TRILLIONS OF PHOTONS
ALL MARCHING IN STEP,
THEIR VIBRATIONS SYNCHRONIZED.
THAT'S WHAT WE CALL A LASER BEAM.
IF THERE'S NO LIMIT TO THE ENERGY
YOU CAN LOAD INTO A LASER,
IT SHOULD BE EASY ENOUGH TO BUILD A SCI-FI BEAM WEAPON.
BUT TO CREATE A LASER WHICH CAN BLOW UP AN ENTIRE PLANET --
WELL, THAT STRETCHES THE HUMAN IMAGINATION.
BUT SCIENTISTS RIGHT HERE
AT THE NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY
IN LIVERMORE, CALIFORNIA, MAY HAVE A CLUE.
YOU SEE, THEY HAVE BUILT THE BIGGEST LASER
THAT THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.
IT'S A MASSIVE PLACE,
A 10-STORY BUILDING THE SIZE OF THREE FOOTBALL FIELDS.
THIS LASER SYSTEM COST $3.5 BILLION,
AND IT'S 100 TIMES MORE POWERFUL
THAN THE NEXT-LARGEST LASER.
FOR A BRIEF INSTANT,
IT PACKS ABOUT 700 TRILLION WATTS OF POWER.
THAT'S EQUIVALENT TO THE OUTPUT
OF THREE QUARTERS OF A MILLION LARGE NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS,
ENOUGH TO COVER AN AREA
MORE THAN FIVE TIMES THE SIZE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS.
OF COURSE, HERE AT THE NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY,
THEY ARE CERTAINLY NOT TRYING TO BUILD A DEATH STAR.
IN SIMPLE TERMS, THE NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY
IS GOING TO PUT THE SUN IN A BOX.
IT WILL MAKE A TINY COPY
OF THE CONDITIONS FOUND ONLY IN THE HEART OF A STAR
OR IN A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION.
192 LASER BEAMS FOCUS 200 MILLION JOULES
OF ULTRAVIOLET LASER ENERGY
ONTO A TINY PELLET OF HYDROGEN ENCASED IN A GOLD TUBE.
THE PELLET IS COMPRESSED AT 20 TIMES THE DENSITY OF LEAD.
TEMPERATURES SOAR TO HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DEGREES.
PRESSURES INCREASE
TO 100 BILLION TIMES THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
THEN THE HYDROGEN IGNITES,
AND THERMONUCLEAR BURN SPREADS QUICKLY
THROUGH THE COMPRESSED PELLET.
THE HYDROGEN ATOMS FUSE
AND FORM HELIUM ATOMS AND NEUTRONS.
VAST AMOUNTS OF ENERGY ARE RELEASED.
THIS IS FUSION.
RESULT -- 100 TIMES MORE ENERGY THAN THE LASER PUT IN.
THE TECHNOLOGY USED AT THE N.I.F.
COULD BE PERFECT FOR MY DEATH STAR DESIGN,
BUT I NEED TO VASTLY SCALE IT UP.
I WOULD USE MILES OF TUBES TO HOUSE THE LASERS.
THEN I'D USE A FUSION REACTOR
TO CREATE THE POWER FOR AN EVEN BIGGER LASER --
MY DEATH RAY.
BUT EVEN IF I SCALED UP THE N.I.F. BY A FACTOR OF 1,000,
IT COULDN'T DELIVER DEATH STAR-STYLE DESTRUCTION.
TO PRODUCE ENOUGH LASER-FUSION ENERGY TO DESTROY A PLANET,
WHY, THIS STAR WILL HAVE TO BE HUGE,
MAYBE EVEN BIGGER THAN THE PLANET I WAS TRYING TO DESTROY.
I NEED SOMETHING MORE ECONOMICAL.
THE N.I.F.'s MULTIPLE LASERS HAVE GIVEN ME AN IDEA.
I'M DESIGNING A DEATH STAR.
I'VE JUST SEEN THE WORLD'S BIGGEST LASER SYSTEM
AT THE N.I.F., THE NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY.
Dr. Kaku: WHAT WE'VE LEARNED SO FAR FROM N.I.F.
IS THAT YOU CAN HAVE CONVERGING LASER BEAMS HIT A PELLET,
VAPORIZE THE SURFACE OF THE PELLET,
CAUSING MINI EXPLOSIONS,
WHICH CAUSE THE PELLET TO COLLAPSE, IMPLODE,
AND THEN EXPLODE IN A BURST OF FUSION ENERGY.
NOW THINK OF APPLYING THAT PRINCIPLE TO A PLANET,
USING LASERS TO VAPORIZE THE SURFACE,
CAUSING IT TO IMPLODE, THEN EXPLODE.
A WEAPON POWERFUL ENOUGH
TO SET OFF A DESTRUCTIVE REACTION LIKE THAT
IS THE WAY TO GO.
HARNESSING THIS EFFECT WOULD DEFINITELY BE MORE ECONOMICAL
THAN USING ONE SINGLE LASER.
MOST OF THE LASERS WE HAVE TODAY
DON'T HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE USED AS PLANET BUSTERS.
THEY USE HUGE AMOUNTS OF POWER
AND CAN DELIVER ONLY A SHORT PULSE
OF ULTRAVIOLET LASER ENERGY.
I NEED SOMETHING WITH MORE KICK.
JEANNE CAVELOS IS AN ASTROPHYSICIST.
SHE HAS A VERY GOOD IDEA ABOUT HOW WE COULD BEEF UP OUR LASER.
IF YOU NEED TO BLOW UP A PLANET,
YOU REALLY WANT THE MOST POWERFUL LASER BEAM YOU CAN GET.
X-RAYS ARE EXTREMELY ENERGETIC.
THEY HAVE VERY HIGH FREQUENCY,
AND SO THEY'RE VERY, VERY POWERFUL.
THE PHOTONS IN AN X-RAY LASER
HAVE A HIGHER ENERGY LEVEL THAN NORMAL LASERS.
THEY'RE POTENTIALLY THE MOST POWERFUL LASERS IN THE WORLD.
BUT AS SCI-FI FANS KNOW,
THE ACTUAL STRENGTH OF A DEATH STAR
WILL DEPEND ON ITS POWER SOURCE.
I THINK IT WOULD HAVE TO BE A THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR
IN THE CORE OF THE DEATH RAY.
OH, THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME KIND OF CRAZY GENERATOR
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DEATH STAR.
WHO KNOWS WHAT TECHNOLOGY THOSE GUYS HAVE?
YOU NEED A LOT OF ENERGY.
ONE WAY WE COULD POSSIBLY DO IT
WOULD BE TO POWER IT WITH NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS.
CHANNELING THE FORCE OF A NUCLEAR BLAST
INTO AN X-RAY LASER
WOULD PROVIDE THE POWER I NEED FOR MY DEATH STAR
IN ONE SIMPLE EXPLOSION.
THE TECHNOLOGY IS ALREADY HERE,
AND IT OFFERS POTENTIALLY UNLIMITED POWER.
THERE IT IS!
COME ON!
COME ON! COME ON!
Dr. Kaku: A PIECE OF ENRICHED URANIUM WEIGHING 20 POUNDS --
ABOUT THE SIZE OF A BASEBALL --
WOULD BE ENOUGH TO INCINERATE AN ENTIRE CITY.
ENRICHED URANIUM IS THE KEY COMPONENT OF A HYDROGEN BOMB.
THE EXPLOSION PRODUCES A SHOCK WAVE OF X-RAYS.
CHANNEL THESE RAYS THROUGH A LASING MATERIAL
MADE OF COPPER RODS,
AND YOU CAN CREATE AN X-RAY LASER BEAM.
BECAUSE THE POWER OF A HYDROGEN BOMB IS, IN THEORY, LIMITLESS,
WE REALLY CAN REACH DEATH STAR LEVELS OF DESTRUCTION.
A BASEBALL-SIZED PIECE OF URANIUM
CREATES THE INITIAL EXPLOSION
WHEN YOU DETONATE A HYDROGEN BOMB.
BUT WHAT MULTIPLIES THE BLAST
IS A TINY FUSION FUEL CALLED LITHIUM DEUTERIDE.
YOU CAN ADD MULTIPLE STAGES OF THIS FUEL TO THE BOMB
TO MULTIPLY ITS MAGNITUDE.
THERE'S VIRTUALLY NO LIMIT
TO THE POWER OF THE BOMB I COULD MAKE.
SO, I COULD USE A 100,000-MEGATON HYDROGEN BOMB
TO POWER MY X-RAY LASER.
IT WOULD FIT INSIDE A LARGE SPACESHIP,
AND IT MIGHT WELL DESTROY A PLANET.
BUT THE PROBLEM IS IT'S A SINGLE-USE WEAPON.
WHEN I FIRE IT,
THE H-BOMB BLAST WILL DESTROY MY DEATH STAR.
IT'S NOT VERY PRACTICAL.
I DON'T THINK DARTH VADER WOULD BUY ONE.
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
I'M DESIGNING A PLANET-BUSTING DEATH STAR --
REAL-WORLD TECHNOLOGIES HAVE GIVEN ME SOME IDEAS
TO TURN THIS SCIENCE FICTION INTO SCIENCE FACT.
FINDING A PRACTICAL POWER SOURCE IS STILL A PROBLEM.
A HYDROGEN-BOMB-FUELED X-RAY LASER
IS A ONE-SHOT WEAPON.
THE H-BOMB BLAST
WOULD COMPLETELY DESTROY MY DEATH STAR.
THE LASER-FUSION REACTOR I SAW AT N.I.F.
WOULD BE FAR TOO BIG.
BUT I COULD USE A TOKAMAK.
ITS HUGE, SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETS
PUT HYDROGEN PLASMA UNDER MASSIVE PRESSURE.
TEMPERATURES IN THE TOKAMAK'S DOUGHNUT-SHAPED REACTOR
SOAR TO 150 MILLION DEGREES CELSIUS
AS THE HYDROGEN ATOMS FUSE.
IN THEORY, IT CAN GENERATE
ALMOST 10 TIMES MORE ENERGY THAN YOU PUT IN.
SCIENTISTS BELIEVE WE MAY BE LESS THAN 10 YEARS AWAY
FROM CREATING A WORKING MODEL.
A SUPER-ADVANCED TOKAMAK REACTOR
COULD EASILY FIT INTO MY DEATH STAR.
IT'S TRUE A SINGLE UNIT WOULD ONLY PROVIDE
ABOUT A BILLION WATTS OF POWER,
NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH TO DESTROY A PLANET.
BUT I THINK I HAVE A WAY AROUND THAT.
TIME TO TEST MY DESIGN WITH THE SCI-FI FANS.
[ APPLAUSE ]
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TONIGHT I PRESENT TO YOU,
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION,
THE PLANET BUSTER, THE DEATH STAR.
YOU KNOW, WHEN THE MOVIE "STAR WARS" CAME OUT,
THE CRITICS LOVED THE SPECIAL EFFECTS,
BUT THEY SAID, "A PLANET BUSTER? A DEATH STAR?
"GIVE ME A BREAK!
NO WAY CAN YOU BLOW UP THE ENTIRE PLANET ALDERAAN."
WELL, I'M A PHYSICIST.
WE KNOW THERE IS NO LIMIT TO THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY
YOU CAN PUT ON A LASER BEAM.
FIRST, I'LL BUILD A SPACESHIP AND FIT IT WITH AN X-RAY LASER.
ITS UNLIMITED ENERGY WILL MAKE A TERRIFYING DEATH RAY.
THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY YOU CAN PACK INTO SUCH A BEAM
IS ONLY LIMITED BY THE ENERGY SOURCE.
THEORETICALLY, YOU CAN PUT THE POWER OF A GALAXY
IN ONE LASER BEAM.
HERE WE'RE USING THE POWER OF THE SUN.
A TOKAMAK -- A THERMONUCLEAR FUSION REACTION
GENERATING ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF X-RAYS
WHICH ARE THEN FOCUSED INTO A COLUMN,
AND IT SHOOTS OUT AS AN X-RAY BEAM.
BUT THIS STILL WOULDN'T BE ANYWHERE NEAR ENOUGH
TO DESTROY A PLANET.
SO I'LL BUILT A FLEET
OF PLANET-BUSTING MINI DEATH STARS.
A THOUSAND OF THESE SHIPS WILL DO THE JOB.
MY FLEET WILL FLY INTO POSITION,
SURROUNDING THE ENEMY PLANET.
THEN EACH SHIP WILL TAKE AIM AT THEIR OWN PREDETERMINED SPOT
ON THE TARGET WORLD'S SURFACE.
WHEN THE ORDER IS GIVEN,
THE FLEET WILL RAIN DOWN
ITS DEVASTATING X-RAY LASER FIRE
EQUALLY ACROSS THE PLANET'S SURFACE.
THE IMPACT OF ALL THESE X-RAYS HITTING THE ATMOSPHERE
WILL CREATE AN ENORMOUS SHOCK WAVE,
A SPHERICAL BALL OF ENERGY,
WHICH WILL POUND THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH,
CAUSING IT TO CRACK OPEN.
THE PLANET THEN IMPLODES.
IT IMPLODES.
IT SQUEEZES BECAUSE OF ALL THE RADIATION HITTING THE SURFACE,
AND THEN IT EXPLODES AS A CONSEQUENCE.
HUGE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS WILL TEAR THE TARGET WORLD APART.
THE PLANET WILL BE TOTALLY DESTROYED.
I'D SAY THAT WITHIN 100 YEARS, THIS IS A WORKABLE DESIGN.
WE HAVE THE X-RAY LASER.
WE HAVE THE TOKAMAK.
WE HAVE A SPACE PROGRAM.
IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF ASSEMBLING IT
AND FOOTING THE BILL.
IT'S THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS THAT GETS YOU.
THESE LITTLE -- RELATIVELY LITTLE DEVICES
THAT ARE SWARMING AROUND THE PLANET
AND THEN ALL GO OFF AT THE SAME TIME,
SQUEEZE IT IN, BLOWS IT UP -- THAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT.
I DIDN'T THINK THAT IT WOULD TAKE THAT MANY
TO BLOW UP A PLANET.
THINGS JUST BLEW MY MIND.
IT WAS VERY IMPRESSIVE.
AND I JUST HOPE IT'S USED FOR GOOD AND NOT EVIL.