Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 245 Money is a suitable candidate (Seeking monthly votes)
"money?"

As a key figure in China's aerospace industry who returned from America, Mishin naturally knew this name.

“Yes, money would be a suitable candidate,” Glushko nodded.

He continued, "You need to understand that money's influence on China goes far beyond aerospace and missiles; its reach extends to semiconductors as well."

The Panda brand radios we use today, the portable calculators used in China for mortgage loans, and even the light-emitting semiconductor technology that we have always coveted but never obtained, are all inextricably linked to it.

Qian single-handedly spearheaded China's development in the high-tech field.

When NASA is led by Chinese professors, I think finding funding might be a good approach that could help us solve the problems facing N-2.

Five years ago, Glushko's proposal would have been considered a pipe dream: cooperating with a country that is primarily agricultural with a small amount of light industry? What a joke.

But it's not like five years ago, when China was the most watched country in the Soviet bloc at the Leipzig Trade Fair every year.

Everyone was curious about what good products China had brought this time.

If at the beginning, the Soviet Union's Zelenograd Microelectronics Center still had the idea of ​​catching up, now their desire to catch up has become increasingly weak.

As time went on, they discovered that in the consumer goods sector, they not only saw no signs of catching up, but the gap between them was actually widening.

In terms of consumer electronics, primarily radios, tape recorders, portable calculators, and televisions, China is among the top tier of the entire socialist camp.

The Panda brand TVs launched by China were still based on vacuum tube technology, and there was no technological gap between China and the Soviet Union and East Germany. However, China's products were slightly better in terms of user experience, design and yield rate.

In addition, China has a certain price advantage, which has led to China gradually becoming synonymous with the production of consumer electronics within the socialist camp.

Even East Germany was in talks with China about introducing pure silicon production technology and light-emitting diode technology, and the two sides were discussing technology exchange.

Therefore, it doesn't seem so abrupt to talk about cooperating with China in the field of technology now.

Given Lin Ran's miracle, it's not impossible to replicate it in Soviet Russia.

After thinking for a moment, Mishin said, "Money might be a suitable candidate, but don't forget, we also face a very real problem."

That is, the relationship between Soviet Russia and China was not good, and it was too difficult for us to achieve this level of cooperation.

After all, aerospace technology, especially rocket technology, is related to strategic weapons.

The more advanced the aerospace technology, the closer its relationship with strategic weapons.

Cooperating with China is far too sensitive.

Glushko asked, "Are you worried about the R-36?"

Mission nodded and said, "Of course, if China's missiles had a range of more than 10,000 kilometers like the R-36, I think the Kremlin, not the White House, would be the ones having trouble sleeping."

The R-36 is the predecessor of the famous R-36M. It entered service last year and is the first intercontinental ballistic missile in Soviet/Russian history that could truly threaten the American mainland.

Glushko shook his head: "No, I think you're worrying too much."

The core of a rocket is its engine. What we need are our Chinese comrades to help us design the rocket, since they won't be involved in engine production.

Even if China obtained all the blueprints for the R-36 and knew our design concepts, what could it do?
To be even more specific, even if China knew how we designed the engine, the technical difficulties involved, and how we solved the problem of the excessively large combustion chamber, even if they knew all of this, they still couldn't build the engine required for an intercontinental ballistic missile of the same class as the R-36.

Because engines require the production of special alloys that are resistant to high temperatures and oxidation, for use in the combustion chamber and nozzles.

Highly precise key components, such as fuel injectors and turbine blades, are required to ensure reliability and performance.

We are holding China back in the field of materials; knowing only design is useless.

Just as professors at NASA can do many things that ordinary people cannot, this is thanks to America's strong industrial base.

Even if he is a professor, does that mean he can stand up to us or NASA if he returns to China?

I'm afraid that's impossible.

Therefore, we should not be afraid to cooperate with China. On the contrary, we should make the most of the wisdom of the Chinese people and use their wisdom for our own purposes.

"Two consecutive Fields Medal winners have been of Chinese descent. Our camp clearly has the world's largest Chinese community, yet we don't know how to utilize it. Isn't that the most foolish thing to do?"

From Glushko's perspective, not cooperating with China would be a waste of resources, and the benefits of cooperating with China would far outweigh the risks.

The professorship was a fluke; didn't Chen Dehui also get a Fields Medal? That was also a fluke; hasn't China's semiconductor industry developed rapidly? Even East Germany couldn't catch up?
As for intercontinental ballistic missiles with ultra-long range, the Soviet Union and Russia did not deploy them until 1965. How long will it take for China to overcome the problems of high-precision materials and high-precision processing?

At least in the semiconductor field, China has to rely on East Germany's optical systems and cannot develop all the technologies on its own.

As long as they control the materials, advanced processing equipment, and production processes, it will be of no use for China to know more about their technological development.

Mission's worries were completely unfounded.

After listening, Mishin seemed thoughtful, but he still hesitated. "But the premise of this matter is that the money is really as powerful as the professor's."

Glushko rubbed his forehead: "No, Comrade Vasily, we know very well that the professor is unique."

Although India claims that the professor is the second Ramanujan, we know very well that the professor is far superior to Ramanujan.

Even America itself couldn't find a second professor.

What we need to do is find a capable collaborator to lead and complete the N-2 project. We can only follow Comrade Korolev's technical route and cannot escape his constraints.

We need new brains to join us, and these brains need to be top-notch.

I'm not sure if the money will work, but I think cooperating with China is the most likely option.

China has the largest number of people of Chinese descent in the world. In the past, we were able to compete with America for German scientists. Why can't we compete with America for the support of Chinese researchers now?
There are 700 million people of Chinese descent, and one day, some talented individuals like professors will emerge from among them.

Shouldn't we start collaborating with China in the field of scientific research right now?

Glushko, a typical pragmatist, paused for a moment and then said, “Comrade Vasily, you should know that we have waited a long time for this opportunity.”

If it's Nikita, then our request will definitely not be allowed.

For well-known reasons.

Now it's Leonid.

Nikita wouldn't do it, so Leonid would.

Do you know why?

Mission, being the director, naturally possessed exceptional sensitivity: "Of course, to prove Nikita wrong and to justify replacing him."

Glushko nodded and said, "That's right, that's one reason. The second reason is that now that Leonid has come up, his desire to land on the moon will only become more intense."

During Nikita's time, Gagarin, as a Soviet Russian, became the first person to set foot on the moon.

Regardless of whether it was a joint US-Soviet moon landing or not, it was Soviet Russians who went aboard, and it was also Soviet Russia that held the power to distribute the lunar soil.

After landing on the moon, Nikita would send a gram of lunar soil as a gift to every country he visited, enjoying immense prestige.

"Sending lunar soil now will only remind the public that this was a lunar mission accomplished when Nikita was in power."

After Leonid landed, he was never able to go to the moon again.

Even more critically, our biggest rival, America, achieved a solo moon landing.

Therefore, the pressure from the Kremlin will only increase in the future, and N-2 clearly has technical problems that we cannot solve.

We need to bring in external resources to restart the entire lunar landing program.

And among external forces, is there anyone more suitable than money?

In the current camp, Fedorovich Utkin of the Dnipropetrovsk Southern Design Bureau might be a suitable candidate.

But it's clear that Glushko means that a new force needs to come in and break the current deadlock.

In essence, the Southern Design Bureau was no different from the Soviet space agency; they all learned the same tricks.

Glushko hopes to bring in experts from other schools to lead the development of N-2.

Mishin asked, "The problem is that Comrade N-2 Korolev couldn't solve this problem during his lifetime, and neither can we. So how can we guarantee that money can solve this problem?"

Glushko explained: "We don't necessarily need to build the N-2. What we need is a rocket that can send the Soviets to the moon. It's just called the N-2. It doesn't matter whether it's an improved version of the N-1."

Whether it uses the N-1 technical framework, which solved the problem of parallel operation of multiple engines, or whether it uses a new technical approach, is not important.

The most important point is that we need to shirk responsibility.

As I said before, the pressure on the Kremlin is mounting, and we are unable to resolve it, nor do we understand that we cannot solve it. Let money try to solve it, and let our comrades in China help us share the burden of the Kremlin's pressure.”

Mishin read out the second half of Glushko's unfinished line: "This is a good thing for us."

Only this can impress a seasoned technocrat.

It is clear that the pressure faced by Mishin and Glushko, these technical bureaucrats of the Russian Space Agency, was incomparable to that of the original timeline.

In the original timeline, Nikita failed to land on the moon, the Soviets failed to reach the moon, and the Soviets did not retrieve lunar soil to boast about within the socialist camp.

Leonid could not ignore the enormous achievement of the moon landing, even though Nikita had already gone down to the moon.

With this timeline completely altered, Leonard will only put increasing pressure on the Russian Space Agency.

Glushko genuinely felt that money would be a good option, but he also genuinely felt that his Chinese comrades were the perfect scapegoat.

If the other party can really do it, NASA has professors and our Russian space agency has money to help, so it's not a loss of face at all.

Mishin had clearly figured this out as well. "I understand. I will fully report our thoughts to the Kremlin."

As for why the Kremlin listens, the technocrats all say so, so how could the Kremlin not understand?

They hadn't even considered whether China would agree.

After all, this was a rare opportunity for China to master Soviet and Russian rocket development technology.

Even if, as Glushko said, without advanced processing capabilities and material manufacturing processes, having the technology is useless.

But having something is better than having nothing.

As a country with a long history and a vision for the future, China does not consider this useless.

Panzhihua enjoys sunny weather, even in winter, a stark contrast to the gloomy weather in Yanjing.

Area 51 can't even be found on a map.

Inside an unassuming gray building, the rooms are small but filled with a solemn atmosphere.

The desk was piled high with documents and several of the latest American science magazines (translated versions).

Dean Qian was always filled with emotion whenever he came to this office.

He came in large numbers.

I watched helplessly as the military books in this office slowly disappeared, replaced by the latest technology magazines.

The edges of the science magazines clearly show signs of frequent reading.

There were only birds chirping outside the window; there were no other sounds.

Area 51 lies like a silent monster in the heart of the Southwest.

Dean Qian could see that the envelope in the other person's hand had a hammer and sickle pattern printed on it, which was particularly eye-catching under the dim light.

The frown on the other party's brows clearly indicated that the matter was of great importance.

"You're looking for me?"

"Dean Qian, please sit down and talk."

I have important news to tell you.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the low rumble of the radio and the sound of the breeze outside the window mingling together.

"Comrade Kosygin of the Soviet Union will soon visit Yanjing, and he will bring along comrades from the Soviet Space Agency. Moscow has specifically requested your attendance. According to our information, the Soviet Union hopes that you will be in charge of the development of the N-2 rocket."

This meeting in Yanjing was essentially an interview.

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Dean Qian's eyes.

He frowned slightly, almost doubting that he had misheard, and repeated, "N-2 rocket? The Soviet Union wants me to be in charge of their lunar rocket development?"

"Yes, based on our speculation, the successful moon landing of Apollo 11 put enormous pressure on them."

Comrade Korolev's death was a further blow, and the development of the N-2 rocket suffered repeated setbacks. Comrade Leonid was clearly anxious and hoped to use your expertise to help them catch up on the schedule.

At that moment, the Chinese people could never have imagined that there was such a thing as blaming others across borders in advance.

"This is an unexpected request."

However, considering my experience working in Area 51, I really cannot and do not want to go abroad at this time.

Our work is multifaceted and our plans are at a critical juncture.

I should absolutely not have accepted this task at this time.

But without a doubt, this is a tremendous opportunity, a chance for our comrades to access the core technologies of Soviet and Russian spaceflight, and I am equally unwilling to miss such an opportunity.

"Since there's an interview, it means they're not sure if I'm suitable. So if I'm not suitable, we can send someone who's definitely capable," Dean Qian said in a deep voice.

"Oh, who?"

"I think Wang Xiji would be a suitable candidate."

My idea was this: I would make an excuse that I was too busy with work, and then let Wang Xiji meet with the colleagues from the Russian Space Agency, with me accompanying him throughout the meeting.

"We proposed a joint research and development model. Wang Xiji is currently in Moscow, and we often meet offline to discuss project progress, while Yanjing provides remote technical guidance," Dean Qian said.

Would the Soviet Union agree to this form of cooperation?

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate. The Raspberry Pi is far more important than Soviet rocket technology."

We're simply trying to talk about things with the idea of ​​not missing out if we can.

Although we are currently unable to participate in the space race between America and the Soviet Union, I believe that sooner or later China will be a part of this race.

"In that case, we must now do everything we can to build up our technological reserves," Dean Qian said.

What he didn't know was that it was because of the sacrifices of these predecessors that in the future, not only would China be sitting at this card table, but there would only be China and America at this card table.

“I believe that Xi Ji’s level is sufficient to host N-2. The more pressure he is under, the more energy he can unleash.”

With the support of China, I believe he will be able to successfully complete his mission.

I am confident, including about this interview.

"If Soviet Russia really wanted to seek external assistance, we would be the most suitable partner," Dean Qian added.

"Dean Qian, I'd also like to ask, would understanding their rocket design help us build intercontinental ballistic missiles?"

It was helpful, but only to a limited extent.

Understanding their philosophy and learning their methods will definitely be of great help to us in the long run.

In the short term, there are limited applications of their designs in the combustion chamber and engine fields, given our weakness in materials science.

In the medium term, if possible, I will communicate fully with Xi Ji and ask him to try using some metals that we can manufacture to build engines for testing when he is in charge of the project.

In this way, we can use this part of the result directly.

We can also provide them with the real-time computing capabilities of Raspberry Pi via remote fax, which is equivalent to using Soviet resources to research our own aerospace engine technology.

However, I need to discuss the specific reasons with Xiji again.

How should this project be packaged to make it appear as if it's for the benefit of N-2 workers?

"Is it possible for us to obtain the alloy formulas used in the Soviet/Russian aerospace industry?"

"It's possible, since we can always obtain specific parameters during our cooperation with them. It's possible to reverse engineer them using these parameters and the information they reveal, but we shouldn't have too high expectations. It's just a possibility."

Because the other party might be misleading us, I think it's possible to do it, but not really necessary.

Dean Qian is farsighted and has considered the short-term, medium-term, and long-term benefits, hoping to seize this unprecedented opportunity.

However, Soviet Russia made the mistake of habitual thinking, treating China as an ally of other socialist countries, and willingly doing only the tasks assigned to them by Soviet Russia.

　Here are two chapters, please vote for me!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)