In the episode titled Prometheus, a bunch of terrorists hijack the ship and menace to destroy it if the USAF don't let them escape.
If the hyperdrive generators, they turn the entire Nevada into a smoking crater.
Looking at wikipedia, quickly, we see Nevada has the following dimensions:
- Width 322 miles (519 km)
- Length 490 miles (788 km)
Say it would create a 519 km wide crater.
The chicxulub crater is 180 km wide only (haha), and was created by an asteroid impact which released 100 teratons of energy.
I have been toying with this calculator.
One thing that seems sure is that the depth of a crater is only worth a fraction of its radius, actually.
Example, the Lonar crater. Depth is 10% of the width.
Another example, the Barringer crater, is 1.2 km wide, and 170 m deep.
These are deep craters. There are many other craters which are actually flater than those, but erosion could also be a reason of such a flatness.
On Mercury, nearly all craters show that they're particularily flat, which means a very limited depth, inferior to the ratios we have for the examples I cited above 1).
Same deal for Mars, they're extremely flat.
So 10% of the width, for the depth, is an acceptable basis.
With the calculator, it proves to be a good method, as using a radius of 900,000 km, based on chicxulub, 180 km / 2 x 10, we obtain figures in the 2-3 digit teratons, depending on the nature of the terrain.
So with a radius of 259,500 meters (we need to input 2,595,000 into the calculator), let's see what that calculator gives.
Cratering Energy: 3.16 e6 gigatons and 8.25 e7 gigatons, for hard granite and nickel-iron respectively.
In the next part, Unnatural Selection, the replicators have turned Halla into their sweet home. They have leveled the planet's surface, and covered it with blocks.
SG-1 wonders what they can do to destroy that thing.
So, hum, that planet could deal with an explosion worth of several hundreds of teratons, maybe even one petaton, and that would just feed the blocks with energy?
This is not meant to prove that the Prometheus could generate that much energy.
It would, on the contrary, simply reinforce what I've been considering nearly a given, being that hyperspace, for some reason or another, is a formidable source of energy, and anything related to hyperspace multiplies yields tremendously.
Sure, the generator was going to explode before an hyperspace window would be opened, but with so much energy and an hyperdrive ready and just asking for a flux of energy to actually open a window, we can pretend that there would have been a weird side effect caused by the hyperdrive anyway.
The other solution would be that there's a huge amount of naqahdah on the Prometheus.
The last solution is that the character just threw a figure like that. However, many gigatons worth of energy is hugely likely, considering the amount of energy naqahdria can release, for the sheer absurd small size of a warhead, and naqahdria is only an isotope of naqahdah. I wouldn't say more than one order of magnitude of energy above naqahdah, max.
All in all, this would just feed the replicators with energy. These neutronium eating buggers are really tough beeyatches.
Scene: Sam's room
She is finding some useful equipment. You can see a plan formulating as she looks it over. She goes to work by first taking the cover off the communication panel.
Meanwhile with Al's help, Crewman 2 has been successful at stopping Jonas' diagnostic program.
Jones (to herself): "There we go."
Julia (as she hears a new sound): "What's happening?"
Jonas: "They're activating the hyperdrive generators.
Julia: "While we're on the ground? Is that such a good idea?"
Jonas: "No, it's not." (Jonas sees that Crewman 2 has been successful at activating the engines.) "Unless you're deliberately trying to create an overload."
Julia: "I don' t understand."
Jonas: "The hyperdrive generators create an enormous amount of energy and if it's not channeled into creating a hyperspace window it can cause some serious problems."
Julia: "You mean it could explode."
Jonas: "With enough force to turn the entire state of Nevada into a smoking crater, yes."
Smith: "That's right, but I wouldn't worry about it. As long as our demands are met, it won't come to that."
She is finding some useful equipment. You can see a plan formulating as she looks it over. She goes to work by first taking the cover off the communication panel.
Meanwhile with Al's help, Crewman 2 has been successful at stopping Jonas' diagnostic program.
Jones (to herself): "There we go."
Julia (as she hears a new sound): "What's happening?"
Jonas: "They're activating the hyperdrive generators.
Julia: "While we're on the ground? Is that such a good idea?"
Jonas: "No, it's not." (Jonas sees that Crewman 2 has been successful at activating the engines.) "Unless you're deliberately trying to create an overload."
Julia: "I don' t understand."
Jonas: "The hyperdrive generators create an enormous amount of energy and if it's not channeled into creating a hyperspace window it can cause some serious problems."
Julia: "You mean it could explode."
Jonas: "With enough force to turn the entire state of Nevada into a smoking crater, yes."
Smith: "That's right, but I wouldn't worry about it. As long as our demands are met, it won't come to that."
Looking at wikipedia, quickly, we see Nevada has the following dimensions:
- Width 322 miles (519 km)
- Length 490 miles (788 km)
Say it would create a 519 km wide crater.
The chicxulub crater is 180 km wide only (haha), and was created by an asteroid impact which released 100 teratons of energy.
I have been toying with this calculator.
One thing that seems sure is that the depth of a crater is only worth a fraction of its radius, actually.
Example, the Lonar crater. Depth is 10% of the width.
Another example, the Barringer crater, is 1.2 km wide, and 170 m deep.
These are deep craters. There are many other craters which are actually flater than those, but erosion could also be a reason of such a flatness.
On Mercury, nearly all craters show that they're particularily flat, which means a very limited depth, inferior to the ratios we have for the examples I cited above 1).
Same deal for Mars, they're extremely flat.
So 10% of the width, for the depth, is an acceptable basis.
With the calculator, it proves to be a good method, as using a radius of 900,000 km, based on chicxulub, 180 km / 2 x 10, we obtain figures in the 2-3 digit teratons, depending on the nature of the terrain.
So with a radius of 259,500 meters (we need to input 2,595,000 into the calculator), let's see what that calculator gives.
Cratering Energy: 3.16 e6 gigatons and 8.25 e7 gigatons, for hard granite and nickel-iron respectively.
In the next part, Unnatural Selection, the replicators have turned Halla into their sweet home. They have leveled the planet's surface, and covered it with blocks.
SG-1 wonders what they can do to destroy that thing.
TEAL’C: Perhaps we can take advantage of the situation.
CARTER: Detonate the hyperdrive, you mean. An overload would cause a pretty big explosion.
O’NEILL: Big enough to be worth it?
CARTER: I honestly don’t know, Sir.
O’NEILL: Go.
Sam leaves.
O’NEILL: Get a message to Thor. Let him know how massively he screwed up.
Jack gets up and Jonas follows. They walk along the corridors towards the room where Sam went.
JONAS: Hey Colonel. Colonel, I don’t think this is going to work.
O’NEILL: If Carter says she can do it….
JONAS: Yeah, but if explosives and weapons worked, the Asgard would have won their war.
O’NEILL: I suppose you want to talk to these bug people?
JONAS: Don’t you?
O’NEILL: No.
JONAS: Maybe we can reason with them. If we blow this ship, then we lose that option altogether.
O’NEILL: If we blow the ship, I won’t care.
JONAS: Colonel, I don’t think that you fully appreciate what they’ve become.
O’NEILL: Replicators who look like we do.
JONAS: More than that. Sir, this is a huge leap in their evolution.
O’NEILL: Jonas! They are replicators.
They enter the room where Sam is and see Fifth standing there with her.
O’NEILL: Carter? What’s going on?
CARTER: Everything’s fine, Sir. We were just chatting. He carried us back here, Sir. One at a time. So we’d be more comfortable.
JONAS: Thanks.
FIFTH: It was not difficult.
CARTER: Apparently Sir, we’re invited to dinner.
FIFTH: At his request.
O’NEILL: Who’s?
FIFTH: First.
O’NEILL: And you are?
FIFTH: I was Fifth. The others are merging with our replicator brethren but they will return soon.
O’NEILL: Yeah, you wanna let him know we’ve made other plans?
FIFTH: Exploding your vessel would only serve to feed energy to the replicator blocks on the surface of the planet. Your food stores have already been taken to the temple.
CARTER: Detonate the hyperdrive, you mean. An overload would cause a pretty big explosion.
O’NEILL: Big enough to be worth it?
CARTER: I honestly don’t know, Sir.
O’NEILL: Go.
Sam leaves.
O’NEILL: Get a message to Thor. Let him know how massively he screwed up.
Jack gets up and Jonas follows. They walk along the corridors towards the room where Sam went.
JONAS: Hey Colonel. Colonel, I don’t think this is going to work.
O’NEILL: If Carter says she can do it….
JONAS: Yeah, but if explosives and weapons worked, the Asgard would have won their war.
O’NEILL: I suppose you want to talk to these bug people?
JONAS: Don’t you?
O’NEILL: No.
JONAS: Maybe we can reason with them. If we blow this ship, then we lose that option altogether.
O’NEILL: If we blow the ship, I won’t care.
JONAS: Colonel, I don’t think that you fully appreciate what they’ve become.
O’NEILL: Replicators who look like we do.
JONAS: More than that. Sir, this is a huge leap in their evolution.
O’NEILL: Jonas! They are replicators.
They enter the room where Sam is and see Fifth standing there with her.
O’NEILL: Carter? What’s going on?
CARTER: Everything’s fine, Sir. We were just chatting. He carried us back here, Sir. One at a time. So we’d be more comfortable.
JONAS: Thanks.
FIFTH: It was not difficult.
CARTER: Apparently Sir, we’re invited to dinner.
FIFTH: At his request.
O’NEILL: Who’s?
FIFTH: First.
O’NEILL: And you are?
FIFTH: I was Fifth. The others are merging with our replicator brethren but they will return soon.
O’NEILL: Yeah, you wanna let him know we’ve made other plans?
FIFTH: Exploding your vessel would only serve to feed energy to the replicator blocks on the surface of the planet. Your food stores have already been taken to the temple.
This is not meant to prove that the Prometheus could generate that much energy.
It would, on the contrary, simply reinforce what I've been considering nearly a given, being that hyperspace, for some reason or another, is a formidable source of energy, and anything related to hyperspace multiplies yields tremendously.
Sure, the generator was going to explode before an hyperspace window would be opened, but with so much energy and an hyperdrive ready and just asking for a flux of energy to actually open a window, we can pretend that there would have been a weird side effect caused by the hyperdrive anyway.
The other solution would be that there's a huge amount of naqahdah on the Prometheus.
The last solution is that the character just threw a figure like that. However, many gigatons worth of energy is hugely likely, considering the amount of energy naqahdria can release, for the sheer absurd small size of a warhead, and naqahdria is only an isotope of naqahdah. I wouldn't say more than one order of magnitude of energy above naqahdah, max.
All in all, this would just feed the replicators with energy. These neutronium eating buggers are really tough beeyatches.
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