This star is going to the moon

Chapter 471 The American: "My skills are also developed step by step, one small step at a time!"

The American delegation had good reading comprehension skills, and the translation quality of the intelligent translator provided by the Chinese delegation was also quite good, so they were able to find the key to the problem after "considering the context".

The key question is... are these reports really accurate?

"It should be credible because Lu Yun participated in these projects, and the timeline matches the one mentioned by the chief engineers of the previous projects."

“That’s right. Lu Yun’s credibility in this regard is much higher than that of the Chinese aerospace officials. The Chinese aerospace officials always hide things and then suddenly appear.”

"Yes, and the timelines that Lu Yun gives are never delayed; sometimes they are even brought forward."

"When will our SLS rocket make its maiden flight next year? We must not let the Long March 10 heavy rocket take the lead."

"Don't worry, the SLS is scheduled to make its maiden flight next April, while the heavy-duty Long March 10 is scheduled for July, so the advantage is on our side."

"That's good!"

"It's not good, because if we calculate according to the timeline we just did, their timeline will be the same as ours for returning to the moon. If something happens and we have to postpone it, then the time could be dangerous."

"The Chinese didn't say it would definitely be a manned moon landing in 2024 or 2025. That timeframe would be too tight for them. Moreover, the Chinese are very cautious about things without precedent. So I feel that they will conduct multiple tests like our Apollo manned moon landing program decades ago, rather than conducting two tests like the Artemis return to the moon program before launching a manned moon landing."

"You mean they will test the unmanned lunar orbiter in 2022, the unmanned lunar lander in 2023, then launch two rockets in 2024 to conduct a combined lunar orbit exercise with the lunar orbiter and lander, and finally repeat the 2024 operation in 2025 to conduct a manned lunar landing?"

"Yes, that's in line with what the Chinese have always done."

"But that was before Lu Yun joined. Now Lu Yun is one of the bellwethers in the Lao-Chinese aerospace field. His views are highly valued by the Lao-Chinese government. If the manned lunar landing in 2024 is Lu Yun's idea and he guarantees that there will be no danger, then Lao-Chinese government will most likely adopt it."

"Yes, and things are different now than they were decades ago. Automation technology is more advanced, and lunar landing is a strong area for China. Perhaps they really will adopt the mission process of two unmanned tests followed by a direct manned lunar landing."

"Does that mean it's really possible for China and Laos to carry out a manned lunar landing mission in 2024 or 2025?"

"Yes."

"That's bad. Our timeline for returning to the moon has suddenly become very tense..."

Although they were a little nervous, the Americans still felt that "the advantage was on their side."

After all, SLS did have some delays, but that's in the past. Since China announced its manned lunar landing plan, Congress has increased funding for the Artemis program, accelerating the overall progress.

In addition, the SLS is already faster than the Long March 10 Heavy, and the entire rocket has already been built, unlike the Long March 10 Heavy, which is still in a semi-finished state. Therefore, the SLS rocket will definitely take off earlier next year.

Moreover, performance is one thing, but how you boast... oh, how you articulate your dreams and future is also very important.

In the afternoon, it was the American delegation's turn to demonstrate their real skills!

Many national space agencies and space companies participated in this International Astronautical Congress, but it is clear that the main focus of this congress was the Chinese and American representatives, while other countries, whether official or commercial, were just there to make up the numbers.

So they just glanced at their stuff and moved on, while everyone waited to see the key plans from the Chinese and Americans.

This includes representatives from government agencies and commercial companies in other countries.

Everyone loves a good show. The timeline of the Chinese and American "manned lunar landing package" sparked a lot of discussion this morning, and even more people watched the announcement of new information about the American Artemis program this afternoon.

Then, everyone heard the American talking at length about... heritage and ideals.

"As early as the beginning of this century, we envisioned returning humans to the moon; that was the 'Constellation Project'!" (Uplifting music plays here)
"The Constellation program is a combination of the Ares series rockets and the Orion spacecraft. The initial Ares I launch vehicle was used to launch the Orion spacecraft to complete crew exchanges on the International Space Station."

"Its design is very interesting. The first stage is a five-stage solid rocket, derived from the solid boosters of the Space Shuttle."

"The second stage rocket used a J-2X liquid engine, which uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as fuel. This was one of the engines on the Saturn V."

"Yes, almost all the core technologies of the Ares I rocket come from the legacy of the Space Shuttle era or even earlier, and the same is true for the subsequent Ares series rockets. This can significantly reduce the development cycle, and the use of existing components can also greatly reduce costs."

"Ultimately, we will use the super launch vehicle 'Areon V' to carry the Orion spacecraft 'back to the moon,' but at that moment, disaster strikes..."

"For the sake of world peace and the fight against terrorism, the Federation has poured all its funds into the war on terror, and has had to cancel the already low-cost Ares series rockets." (Somber music plays here)
"But we didn't give up!" (The music rouses again)
"After we protected the world from the shadow of terrorism, we revived our plan to return to the moon and developed an even more powerful super rocket—the SLS space launch system!"

The space enthusiasts looked at each other in bewilderment as they listened to this.

They are very familiar with this thing. The initial version of the SLS launch vehicle had a low Earth orbit delivery capacity of about 70 tons, while the final version of the cargo three-stage launch vehicle will have a delivery capacity of 130 tons.

The fundamental reason this plan was ultimately implemented was its low cost.

The main reason is that it made extensive use of the technological legacy of the previous Space Shuttle and Ares series, almost "assembling" the "greatest" launch vehicle in human history.

Taking the initial version of the SLS launch vehicle as an example, its first stage rocket used the RS-25 liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen engine left over from the era of four Space Shuttles, and it was equipped with two solid booster rockets from the Space Shuttles.

The first stage of the SLS launch vehicle was modified from the 8.4-meter diameter fuel tank of the Space Shuttle, a module that was previously often referred to as the "Orange Tank".

The orange tank on the space shuttle serves only as a fuel tank; its function is to deliver fuel to the space shuttle's engines, and it has no propulsion capability itself.

On the SLS, the bottom of the "orange canister" was modified to connect to the rocket's main propulsion system, directly housing the engines of four space shuttles.

It can also be considered a kind of "removing the middleman".

The second stage of the SLS uses the RL10B-2 upper stage liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen engine, the same engine used in the upper stage of the Delta IV launch vehicle.

In a sense, from the Saturn V to the Space Shuttle, then to the Ares series, and finally to the SLS space launch system, American technology has been passed down from generation to generation, step by step.

Yes, a kind of "small steps and quick pace" approach used by some older Chinese.

But even under these circumstances, the US space agency managed to turn "low cost" into "serious overspending"!
They've turned "mature technology" into "continuous delays"!
And you still have the nerve to say that?

Are you waiting for praise with that expression?
Okay, no, instead they turned to talking about the Orion spacecraft, which will be on its maiden flight next year with the SLS rocket to carry out an unmanned lunar orbit test mission.

That's quite an oddball!

(End of this chapter)