As the ground zero area cools, the surface is covered by extensive areas of molten soil. When ground engagements are in effect, the Covenant will resort to low range bombardment, bringing their ships closer to the surface to destroy the area in question.
This is accomplished by either building up or focusing plasma though a magnetic envelope from the energy projector located on the underside of the ship, and then discharging the plasma as a narrow beam. A single CCS -class battlecruiser can glass approximately one acre of a planet's surface in fifteen seconds of sustained fire, with desert taking less time and deep ocean taking much longer to glass. Low-range bombardment is not performed solely by energy projectors; smaller Covenant ships like corvettes are equipped with bombardment guns that fire smaller, less-powerful lances than those utilized by capital ships.
The Covenant sometimes glassed areas while their ground forces were still in the vicinity, ruthless as they were to eliminate humans. During Great Schism , the Sangheili-led fleet uses Low-altitude bombardment for maximum efficiency to scorch the Flood down to the ground.
This method is the last-ditch effort should the Flood spreads uncontrollably and to quarantine the area to prevent further outbreak. The destructive process of bombarding the surface of a planet with plasma leaves the surface unable to recover to its former state without re- terraforming. During the glassing of a planet the Covenant focus on destroying the ecosystem of a planet, and will spend a considerable amount of time vaporizing any bodies of water the planet may possess, or at least reduces the remaining water to small, ash-choked pools.
The deeper the body of water is, the more time it will take to vaporize it. From orbit the world is simply a series of grays, blacks, and reds, [20] everything on the surface is charred and the air is littered with ash and dust. The ash and material left behind from the glassing resembles obsidian.
The glassing process does not render a world completely smooth; typically, internal scaffolding from structures can be found poking out of the "glass". The glass takes an extended period of time to cool down—as was the case with Draco III , where portions of the partially glassed planet was still hot nine years after its bombardment. Because of the extensive destruction brought by the Covenant, the only way the world could recover is by re-terraforming efforts.
The undertaking of such an effort would be massive and time consuming, ranging from a conservative years to over years given the manpower and technology at the time of such estimates.
It is apparent that such figures do not hold true in the post-war era, as Reach was at least partially reterraformed within thirty-seven years. Throughout the Human-Covenant War, areas of interest to the Covenant were left intact for reasons of study or retrieval; however, this was not common, as only a handful of planets were partially glassed and only when a Forerunner artifact was discovered.
While glassing is devastatingly powerful as an offensive tactic, doctrinal limitations prevented the Covenant from applying it indiscriminately in any combat situation. For example, "sacred" Forerunner artifacts, most notably the Halo installations , could not be targeted by glassing lest they are damaged by the bombardment. It was this reluctance to damage holy sites that allowed the UNSC Pillar of Autumn to land on Installation 04 , and its complement to eventually score a victory against the Covenant forces.
During the Raid on Reach , survivors from Battle of Installation 04 saw a certain area where the Covenant has yet to glass, due to their high interest in the Forerunner crystal. Glassing a planet even partially requires an enormous investment in time and resources, sometimes taking several days and necessitating the use of hundreds of Covenant warships that could have been used for other purposes.
This was the case with the Fleet of Inexorable Obedience 's attack on Etalan , prompting the fleetmaster to find an alternate way of destroying the world's inhabitants. Since the formation of the Covenant in BCE , the Covenant have used their ship-borne plasma weapons to threaten lesser species into a truce and their eventual induction into the Covenant. The Lekgolo were the first to be threatened with such destruction because of their transgressions against Forerunner technology before becoming the first outside species to join the Covenant in BCE.
Although ground forces were often deployed first, as UNSC forces were routed in space, the bombardment would commence. The destruction of a human-controlled world depends on many different factors, from the world itself and its defenses, to the requirements of the Covenant fleet and its commander.
Undeveloped human colonies such as atmospheric-contained habitats or stations are typically destroyed while the rest of the world is left unharmed. Well-developed planets that have been terraformed or inhabited are destroyed by many different methods.
It has been noted that areas of interest to the Covenant are left intact for reasons of study or retrieval; however, this is not common, as only three planets have been partially glassed, and only when a Forerunner Artifact was discovered.
The Battle of Earth culminated in the glassing of the city of Voi in Africa by Swords of Sanghelios , in an effort to contain a Flood infestation which had come to Earth only hours earlier. Rather than a leader power, this is treated as the unit's secondary ability, using the Y button to guide the beam at the cost of resources every second.
It lacks the power of typical glassing maneuvers seen in past canon to balance gameplay, much like Captain Cutter 's ability to fire a MAC blast at enemy targets. Halo Alpha Explore. Getting Started. Administrators Guidelines Online Chat.
Halo Recruit , Windows Halo: Fireteam Raven , Arcade cabinet. Cryptum Primordium Silentium The Cole Protocol Envoy Researchers say the blue color in the atmosphere likely comes from a rain of molten glass.
This super-hot glass rain is just one consequence of the close proximity between the gas giant alien planet HDb and its sun. A fresh set of observations of the planet in X-rays also suggest HDb has an outer atmosphere that is far larger than expected.
These surprise finds are all signals that so-called hot Jupiter alien planets are worthy of study on their own, even though they are hostile planets to life, researchers said. Hot Jupiters are large, roughly Jupiter-sized planets that become very hot by circling tight around their stars. These worlds have been described as planetary daredevils because they orbit so close to their parent stars that they risk being consumed.
Often, one side of the planet is tidally locked to the star, exposing that side to scorching hot temperatures, while leaving the other side permanently turned away. Certainly one of the earliest in film fiction. Add a comment. I'm sure there's been earlier descriptions, but that one's pretty seminal.
Not bad thinking. I admit I didn't think of lunar bombardment, but it's definitely a good answer. Heinleins earlier Starship Troopers has reference to bombarding bug planets from orbit with nukes, turning the surface into radioactive glass, and that was in Zibbobz Sounds like a pretty solid example.
Maybe not the earliest, but fairly early. Perhaps one of the earliest examples on film? Ash Ash 5, 1 1 gold badge 10 10 silver badges 42 42 bronze badges. Not quite what the question is asking - but as far as interpreting it, this is a valid answer for when the term first came into circulation - so this is still a very good answer!
Following are two much more recent examples of the use of the tactic of orbital bombardment to wipe out life on a planet, which are much more likely candidates as influences on the designers of Halo: Babylon 5 In the Babylon 5 series one of the major powers, the Shadows utilize a form of orbital bombardment to wipe out life on various offending planets.
Golding M. Golding Oldcat Oldcat 4, 21 21 silver badges 27 27 bronze badges. I don't see how either of these stories meet the criteria; planetary bombardment — Valorum.
Oldcat This doesn't make your answer any better. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. Sign up using Facebook. Sign up using Email and Password. Post as a guest Name. Email Required, but never shown. Upcoming Events. November Topic Challenge: Samuel R. Delany ends Nov
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