Scholar’s Advanced Technological System

The history of the space shuttle can be said to have been around for a long time.

Since the completion of the Apollo program in the United States in the 1960s, the focus of R&D has been on the space shuttle that can be launched multiple times and maintained simply. In this space competition, the Soviet Union naturally followed closely, and successively launched three space shuttles, such as the Snowstorm and the Little Bird, and achieved certain results.

In this context, China is naturally unwilling to lag behind, and the corresponding plans are followed.

For example, the original code 863-204 project, also known as the "world-wide round-trip transportation system", in the early stage of project bidding, the domestic space experts broke out for a long time after the "space shuttle". Even the voice supporting the space shuttle once had the upper hand.

However, when everything seemed to be settled, the report was sent to Mr. Qian Lao, who had already retired to the second line.

After Mr. Qian’s reading the report, he only endowed nine words on it, and it was this short nine words that completely changed the technical route of the space shuttle that was almost already nailed, and also changed the aerospace industry in China. The future.

"The spaceship case should also be reported to the central government."

Looking back now, it is undoubtedly correct to make such a choice at the time.

The space shuttle is not as glamorous as it seems on the surface. Even if it is a superpower that is more powerful than the power of the whole country, it is difficult to support human dreams of free and returning to the sky.

In the United States, for example, the design life of Columbia is 20 years/100 launches, but the number of launches of all five space shuttles in the United States is more than a hundred times, and the cost per launch and maintenance is also high. Estimated value at the beginning of the design.

The Soviet Union was even worse. The three space shuttles were launched once. After the 1990s, the flying planes could not fly. One of the test machines was bought by Germany and placed in the museum.

Rather than tossing it up, it's better to use rockets and study how to recover the second-stage rocket. The cost is not necessarily much more expensive than the mature space shuttle technology.

However, the times are always changing.

If you look at the problem with a developmental perspective, any problem can be found in solving the problem.

Space Shuttle Assembly Center.

Standing next to the industrial robot, the gloved land boat picked up a metal bottle of metal bottle size from the plastic basket, took it in the hand and measured it, then got close to the port of the metal cylinder, along the The smooth metal surface is carefully looked at.

“How do you feel that it is a whole two laps?”

A series of bubbles pop up on the screen of the CNC machine.

Xiao Ai: [Sorry master! This is already the smallest size that Xiao Ai can do... qaq]

Lu Zhou: "Don't be like this, I haven't blamed you... you have done a very good job."

Xiao Ai: [Really? 0.0]

"……Ok"

Xiao Ai: [Happy! Φ(≧≦*)?]

Lu Zhou: "..."

At this moment, it is the enlarged version of the Hall propeller on the No. 3 wreck, which is the limit that can be processed by this CNC machine.

Lu Zhou did not try to make Xiao Ai make this thing smaller without sacrificing performance. However, from the current volume, the maximum diameter of the section is reduced by 1mm, not only the overall processing difficulty will be geometric. Growth, and the stability of the propulsion unit will also be seriously affected.

However, even if it is difficult to completely restore the technology on the Remnant No. 3, this imitation is quite a burdock.

The engine port with a diameter of 1.32 meters can be integrated with 200 Hall propulsion units. By supercharging and rectifying the plasma helium in the ionization chamber, the plasma plume that accelerates to one-thousandth of the speed of light can be injected backwards, resulting in maximum 200kn thrust.

The thrust of a single engine is 200kn, and the five engines add up to 1000kn.

Even with a full load of 50 tons, an acceleration of nearly 1 g can be obtained under gravity. Although it is faster than chemical rockets in acceleration, the advantage in the specific impulse makes it possible to carry itself to low-Earth orbit without carrying a heavy working medium.

The only trouble now is that a 100mw fusion cell is probably only enough to meet the needs of an x-type Hall thruster.

If he wants to meet the energy consumption of this Hall thruster, he must further upgrade the power of the fusion battery.

"It seems that we must increase the power of the fusion battery to more than 500mw... preferably 1000mw," staring at the Hall propulsion unit in his hand, Lu Zhousi said, "The power management system has to be improved... ...speaking, is there a way to integrate the ionization chambers of the five engines? Or simply get a bigger, more integrated Hall thruster with more propulsion units."

Put the Hall propulsion unit back into the plastic container and fix it. The boat turned away from the assembly center and went to an office in the main building next to it. He found the technical director of the Star Sky Space Shuttle Assembly Center.

Speaking of this waiting light, it is also a cow.

As an old professor who has participated in the 863-204 project, although he was an intern as a trainee and engaged in the design of the space shuttle, he still has a wealth of research experience in this field. Later, he worked as a professor at Jinghang University, where he worked in the aerospace field.

It is reasonable to say that such a cow is difficult to dig. However, after learning that the enterprise is always Lu Zhou, Lu Zhou intends to build a space shuttle, he did not even discuss the treatment, he took it without saying anything. The offer of Star Technology will rush to Jinling the next day.

From the day he took up the post of technical director, it has been more than a month since now.

Lu Zhou has always been very satisfied with his work.

How to design this space shuttle specifically, after all, is not his expertise, this professional thing, it is better to hand over to professional personnel to deal with.

"...The design of the space shuttle I have carefully studied. Considering the size of the power supply components and the electric propulsion system, more than 40% of the space has to be redesigned."

Lu Zhou: "What is more than 40%?"

Waiting for a moment, I gave a clearer statement.

"Probably from the wing position backwards, all have to be redesigned."

Lu Zhou nodded.

"You are an expert in the space shuttle. You can do it according to what you said. In addition, based on your experience, I hope that you and I can easily assess how much the entire project will cost?"

Waiting for a moment, Shen Guang said.

"Conservative estimates are $1 billion... Of course, before the new design comes out, no one can say how much it will cost."

$1 billion...

In terms of the cost of the space shuttle, this price is not expensive. After all, the Columbia has spent a total of 2.5 billion Americans from research and development to construction, and it is 2.5 billion years ago. It can be made with $1 billion, and it is largely a part of the design that has been completed before the 1990s to the millennium, and the assembly center can process most of the parts, only need to supply The basic raw materials can be.

However, although it is already ready for burning money...

The cost of this $1 billion is a bit beyond his budget.

Thinking of this, for a time, Lu Zhou could not help but be guilty of money.

Want to sell a little stock of East Asian power?

Although it is not listed, it is definitely not sold when it is sold. After all, individuals can see the potential of this fusion industry giant in the future. However, the Fuxi heap in Daya Bay has only begun to work. The Southeast Asia Power Grid project has just finished the first phase. At this time, it is too bad to go out.

Do you want to borrow money from the bank?

However, this is a spacecraft. This kind of investment cycle is long, and there are no obvious profit forecast projects. How easy is the loan.

Just as Lu Zhou hesitated, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Taking back the divergent thoughts, Lu Zhou looked at the door and opened the door.

"Please come in."

The door was pushed open and I saw the secretary of the assembly center's office and appeared at the door.

It seems that I didn't expect Lu Zhou to be here. The secretary saw a slight sigh after seeing Lu Zhou, but soon her face showed a pleasant expression.

"Professor Lu!"

Lu Zhou: "What?"

In an excited tone, she continued.

"The funds we applied to the space agency some time ago have already been approved!"