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Glassing (edit)

Revision as of 01:05, January 17, 2011

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(Moving the Assembly here. Also some edits in the first paragraph to make the extent of glassing more clear. And adding two glassed colonies to the list.)
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[[File:7inTheSky.png|thumb|right|260px|A orbital lance strikes Reach's surface.]]
[[File:7inTheSky.png|thumb|right|260px|A orbital lance strikes Reach's surface.]]
[[File:Halo3 E3 TRAILER 2007 720p30 ST 6300Kbps 002 0001.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Two {{Class|CCS|Battlecruiser}}s perform a low range glassing of [[Voi]].]]
[[File:Halo3 E3 TRAILER 2007 720p30 ST 6300Kbps 002 0001.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Two {{Class|CCS|Battlecruiser}}s perform a low range glassing of [[Voi]].]]
Glassing, a destructive process which signifies an end to life as it once existed on a planet, begins with the discovery of an enemy controlled world — actions taken by Covenant fleets varies and is based on the moral or decisions of the [[Fleet Master]], in many cases the Covenant will either begin glassing the planet or deploy ground forces for various reasons to either destroy enemy moral or to secure a [[Forerunner]] artifact. A [[Minor Prophet]] is assigned to most Covenant fleets to oversee the destruction of a human world; before the fleet is permitted to destroy a planet, the Prophet performs a religious ritual - this process lasts an hour, and when completed, the Prophet declares by which religious significance, marked by a glyph, will the world be destroyed. There is currently only one known instance of a [[Kholo|human world]] having a glyph burned into its surface.<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe|Halo: Evolutions]]''', ''[[The Return]]'', ''pages 494-496''</ref>  The Covenant will then begin glassing the planet by moving their large warships close and blanket the world with a series of crisscrossing orbits to ensure that every square millimeter of the surface is destroyed.<ref name="Strike"/> Throughout the war, the Covenant have been known to utilize two methods of glassing.
Glassing procedures typically begin once a fleet has achieved air and space superiority on an enemy controlled world. The specifics of the glassing process vary depending on the strategic significance of the planet or the orders of the [[Fleet Master]]. A [[Minor Prophet]] is assigned to most Covenant fleets to oversee the destruction of a human world. In certain (possibly all) instances, before the fleet is permitted to destroy a planet, the Prophet performs a religious ritual - the Prophet declares by which religious ideal of the Covenant, marked by a glyph, will the world be destroyed. There is currently only one known instance of a [[Kholo|human world]] having a glyph burned into its surface.<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe|Halo: Evolutions]]''', ''[[The Return]]'', ''pages 494-496''</ref>  The Covenant will then begin glassing the planet by moving their large warships close and blanket the world with a series of crisscrossing orbits to ensure that every square millimeter of the surface is destroyed.<ref name="Strike"/>  
 
Throughout the war, the Covenant have been known to utilize two methods of glassing:


===Orbital bombardment===
===Orbital bombardment===
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Subsequently, the atmosphere is saturated with soot and ash thrown up from the initial impact, subjecting the planet to a nuclear winter. As the initial impact area cools, the surface is covered by extensive areas of molten soil, and is comparable to active volcanic sites in some parts of the world, on a larger scale depending on the extent. The destructive process leaves the planet unable to recover to its former state without terrestrial intervention. Dependant upon the planet, the conditions and the destruction, it is possible for the atmosphere of a planet to boil away from the process<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 8''</ref>, though large planets do not suffer this.
Subsequently, the atmosphere is saturated with soot and ash thrown up from the initial impact, subjecting the planet to a nuclear winter. As the initial impact area cools, the surface is covered by extensive areas of molten soil, and is comparable to active volcanic sites in some parts of the world, on a larger scale depending on the extent. The destructive process leaves the planet unable to recover to its former state without terrestrial intervention. Dependant upon the planet, the conditions and the destruction, it is possible for the atmosphere of a planet to boil away from the process<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 8''</ref>, though large planets do not suffer this.


===Low range bombardment===
===Low-range bombardment===
The second method is used when a ship must effectively destroy a ground target from low range. This method involves focusing plasma though a magnetic envelope from the [[Energy Projector|energy projector]] located on the underside of the ship, and then discharging the plasma as a narrow beam. This method of low-range glassing is not a common occurring method especially when orbital bombardment is being used, but in many battles where major ground engagement are occurring large Covenant warships and more smaller warships will use this method specifically. This type of glassing is also used to excavate areas of interest for the Covenant, such as unearthing the [[The Artifact|portal]] to the [[Installation 00|the Ark]] during the Battle of Earth.
The second method is used when a ship must effectively destroy a ground target from low range. This method involves focusing plasma though a magnetic envelope from the [[Energy Projector|energy projector]] located on the underside of the ship, and then discharging the plasma as a narrow beam. This method of low-range glassing is not a common occurring method especially when orbital bombardment is being used, but in many battles where major ground engagement are occurring large Covenant warships and more smaller warships will use this method specifically. This type of glassing is also used to excavate areas of interest for the Covenant, such as unearthing the [[The Artifact|portal]] to the [[Installation 00|the Ark]] during the Battle of Earth.


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