Earth has fewer than 10^4 satellites. Taking apart Mercury over year-like timescales would mean enough equipment to remove a thousand tonnes of rock and metal per hour in every square metre.
I’m sure a superintelligence can find a way to do that, but I’m pretty sure that the optimal solution won’t be a flock of duck-sized probes nibbling it to death, no matter how numerous.
Earth has fewer than 10^4 satellites. Taking apart Mercury over year-like timescales would mean enough equipment to remove a thousand tonnes of rock and metal per hour in every square metre.
I’m sure a superintelligence can find a way to do that, but I’m pretty sure that the optimal solution won’t be a flock of duck-sized probes nibbling it to death, no matter how numerous.