Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 277 Star Wars 2020
"No, could it be that we've been misled all along, and that landing on the moon was actually a very easy thing?"

In a conference room at Blue Origin's headquarters, Bezos and his executives were watching a live broadcast of China's lunar landing and return to Earth.

华国的这次登月任务，发射时间是在燕京时间的2021年的12月25日上午9时30分，回到地球是GET 195:18:00，这表示从发射开始经过了195小时18分钟。

也就是说林燃回地球是在燕京时间的2022年1月2日中午12时58分，换算成硅谷的时间，则为1月1日的晚上8时48分。

Despite it being the first day of the new year, none of Blue Origin's executives got a day off; they all had to stay at the company and watch the live stream.

Blue Origin is an example of this, and so is SpaceX.

Bezos doesn't even allow people to participate remotely via Zoom.

This is to prevent you bunch of idiots from going on vacation to Hawaii, Miami, or Florida.

As for the virus, these executives are all extremely afraid of death, so there's absolutely no way they could get infected. Besides, they would have had to be tested before attending the meeting.

Bob Smith and Dan Christiansen are still there, but Dan Christiansen is still the vice president in charge of engineering, while Bob Smith has been removed from the CEO position by Bezos and is now just a senior advisor in name only.

Upon hearing Bezos's words and seeing the face of the young Chinese man on the live stream, the executives present were at a loss for words.

Because they know what Bezos wants to hear. Bezos definitely wants to hear executives say that we can absolutely do a moon landing, and that we just need to do this and that.

The problem is that landing on the moon is not as easy as it seems.

Out of professional ethics, no one would say such a thing.

However, some people dare to say it.

That's Bavish Patel, the CFO of Blue Origin.

"I agree with Jeff's point of view. The difficulty of landing on the moon has been overestimated because there has always been a force leading us down the wrong path. Even though the Apollo program has already achieved this, we keep having to think of new methods."

I believe we can absolutely replicate the Apollo moon landing, just like China's Apollo technology, and complete the lunar landing through a Saturn V spacecraft's rendezvous with the moon!

The name Bavish is common in India, especially in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, while Patel is one of the most common surnames in India.

That's right, he is an Indian-American executive who graduated from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

(This is what Bhavesh Patel looks like, a slightly cunning Indian of Indian descent)
He continued, "While we may not be able to achieve the same low cost as Apollo technology, in terms of time, restarting the moon landing mission might not be much slower than them."

The executives present exchanged glances. Bob Smith and Dan Christiansen looked at each other, and they both saw the same meaning in each other's eyes.

Dude, do you know what you're saying? Aldrin just said on the moon that America didn't have enough workers, and now you're saying that even though it will cost more money, we can complete the moon landing in about the same amount of time.

Reverting to the Apollo moon landing technology is certainly feasible, but where will the people come from? You can't just magically transform workers from space.

The labor shortage here is not just a feeling of Aldrin or anyone else; there is also data to prove it. A joint study on the aerospace and defense workforce conducted by the American Aerospace Industry Association (AIA), the American Aerospace Institute (AIAA), and Ernst & Young shows that the aerospace industry is facing a severe labor shortage, with 30% of workers over the age of 55 and a turnover rate of nearly 7%, which is still rising.

Compared to China's massive manufacturing industry, they face a very simple problem: manpower.

Bavish Patel continued, “In my view, our biggest problem is that we don’t have enough engineers, but this problem can be solved by advanced manufacturing technology and large-scale recruitment of workers from India.”

In places like New Delhi, Bangalore, and Satish Dhawan, there are enough experienced and skilled workers that, with Silicon Valley's elite engineers leading India's workforce, we are fully capable of creating miracles like Apollo technology.

The reputation of people of Indian descent is not yet tarnished, Boeing has not suffered a series of setbacks, and India does indeed have a certain aerospace industry.

Don't assume that America's top management understands the problems with Indian workers. On the contrary, they think Indian workers are a good option because they speak English, are obedient, have low wages, and are relatively loyal.

Before the scandal broke, Patel's words were somewhat plausible.

At this time, there was already a company called Tata Boeing. Tata is the Tata Group, one of India's famous conglomerates. It was a joint venture between the Tata Group and Boeing, located in India, and was the global manufacturing center for Apache fuselage and 737 vertical tail structure.

(Boeing’s office building at the Boeing India Engineering and Technology Center in Bangalore, which covers 43 acres and is Boeing’s largest facility of its kind outside of America.)

The collaboration between American aerospace companies and Tata extends far beyond Boeing, also including Tata Sikorsky Aerospace Ltd., the famous Sikorsky, based in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Ltd., specializing in aircraft wings, is the sole global supplier of tail fins for Lockheed Martin's C-130J/LM100J models.

If even established companies are like this, then Blue Origin is even more so.

This statement not only convinced Bezos, who was also swayed by the idea, but also made the executives present think it had potential.

Both Bob Smith and Dan Christiansen felt that the plan was only feasible with the addition of Indian workers.

After a moment's thought, Bezos said, "Bavesh, how about this, you prepare a detailed feasibility report. Is a month enough time?"

Bavish Patel said earnestly, "Half a month is enough."

Bavish knew his opportunity had come. With a well-developed plan, the CEO position awaited him, along with bringing a large number of Indian workers to America.

Whether he recruits people in India himself or collaborates with the Tata Group like other "predecessors," he can make a fortune from it.

As for the ITAR and EAR regulations restricting foreigners from working in sensitive technology positions, requiring American citizenship or a green card, this is not a problem for Bezos and India, the target country for recruitment.

Chinese people might have to worry about public opinion pressure, but Indians have no problem at all. Bringing in 10,000 people is just a number in terms of financial expenditure for Bezos.

From Randolph Lin to Bavish Patel, Bezos is also doing well.

With this lunar mission going so smoothly, and considering the previous Apollo lunar landings, which were all successful, a total of 7 launches were launched, with 6 successful. The only failure was due to an oxygen tank in the service module exploding after launch.

Even with their one and only failure, they simply didn't land completely on the moon; they still managed to return safely to Earth after orbiting the moon.

Such a high success rate, achieved by a Chinese company in the 21st century with only a few billion RMB in just a year and a half (on the surface), has led countless aerospace professionals to reflect on whether the Apollo moon landing was the most efficient method.
Europe may lack technological reserves, but we do. America has a long tradition of archiving technical data from the Apollo moon landings. As for the loss of some non-standardized knowledge, that's not a problem. If the Chinese can handle it, why can't we?

Besides Bezos's interest in Blue Origin, SpaceX continues to insist on developing its own Starlink, which will be used to land on the moon. Moon Express has announced that it will launch an operation called Apollo Resurrection.

The mission aims to revive the achievements of the Apollo program from historical archives and send American astronauts into space.

Lunar Express also announced that it will complete its lunar landing by 2026.

This is a commercial space startup founded in 2010 and located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, focused on developing robotic spacecraft for the Artemis lunar program and Mars missions.

On August 3, 2016, they became the first private company to receive approval from the American government to conduct a lunar mission, and planned to send a small robotic lander to explore the lunar surface in the fall of 2017.

Of course, the result is that they have not yet been able to achieve a soft landing on the moon.

Even though they failed to achieve a soft landing on the moon, they still secured a commercial lunar payload services contract from NASA between 2018 and February 2020.

In some ways, America and India are quite similar; both are prone to boasting without any preparation, regardless of whether they can actually deliver.

The Moon Express project was launched because it secured a billion-dollar investment from Silicon Valley mogul Peter Thiel.

Whether it's a Chinese lunar landing or a privately-run operation, the impact on the commercial space industry will be enormous. Lunar Express is simply a company that, due to its past history, was the first to secure investment and announce its lunar landing plans. India's Tata Group has also stated its intention to collaborate with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to achieve a lunar landing within the next decade.

People including Masayoshi Son from Japan and the European Space Agency have all been inspired to replicate the Apollo moon landing.

Lin Ran's heroic act ignited everyone's desire to land on the moon.

As for Russia, it's busy with big events at the beginning of 2022.

When Russians saw the Soviet flag planted on the moon, they were deeply moved, especially since it was China that accomplished this feat.

"China did a great job. They carried a flag with the emblem of the Soviet space program. This is a sign of respect for our achievements. We feel both proud and heartbroken. Why were we able to aim for the moon in the 60s, but now we are stuck in the small International Space Station?"

"China has acknowledged the Soviet Union's contributions to the space program. Our history continues to inspire the world, and Gagarin will be proud that his legacy continues not only in Russia but also in China."

Russia is extremely contradictory. It wants to inherit the great contributions of the Soviet era, but it tries its best to deny the Soviet Union as an entity and the history it represents. Its main goal is to have all the benefits and not want to touch any of the bad.

"China's wonderful move reminds us that space exploration is a common heritage of mankind, and every country has a role to play. The Soviet emblem is a symbol of courage."

Of course, Russia is happy, but some countries are dissatisfied. Every country has made a contribution, so why wasn't our flag brought along?
This group mainly consists of European countries and India, and they feel they are being treated differently.

“Sister Xiaoman, I did what I told you at the beginning of the year before last, after we came back from Cherry Springs National Park: I replicated the Apollo moon landing.”

After returning to Earth, there will be a long period of quarantine and observation.

He, Aldrin, and Wei Xuhang were all like that.

But that doesn’t mean family members can’t visit.

Family members can communicate with the astronauts resting in their hospital rooms through transparent glass and communication devices.

Although this scene looks a lot like a prison visit.

Within a week, everyone who could get a number on the waiting list, including Pony, wanted to visit, but Lin Ran politely declined them all.

But Lin Ran couldn't refuse her parents and Li Xiaoman.

"Yes, even today, watching how you accomplished this great feat, I still find it hard to believe you actually did it." Li Xiaoman's tone was full of emotion, referring to you rather than "us."

She felt that she hadn't been of much help in the process.

The Fabian Society's emblem? If that counts as assistance, it's probably less than one in ten thousand. Otherwise, it shouldn't be an emblem; it should be a Dragon Ball to summon Shenron.

"Landing on the moon is not difficult, and I don't think it will be difficult to terraform the moon in the future either. As long as it is within the limits of the physical laws of the real world, we can always find a solution."

"I think the difficulty lies in how to ensure a peaceful and stable environment so that we can gradually carry out construction," Lin Ran said with a wry smile.

Having experienced seven years of the Cold War, personally witnessed its atmosphere, participated in the Berlin Crisis negotiations in Geneva, and chatted with the English Defense Secretary about Project Dome in London, Lin Ran was well aware of the difficulties he might face in the future.

Peace is always a scarce commodity and cannot be taken for granted.

Li Xiaoman asked, "So what do you plan to do? I know that since you brought it up, you must be looking for a solution."

Li Xiaoman wanted to know Lin Ran's true thoughts, as she was worried that Lin Ran would lose control.

When a person, especially a young person, has an invincible past, has never failed, and believes that he will be equally invincible in the future, Li Xiaoman thinks that such a person is easily out of control, either a genius or a madman.

The two are separated by a fine line.

She felt she had to be the fire prevention line for Lin Ran's loss of control, although she didn't know how long she could do it.

Lin Ran said: "An electromagnetic launch tower on the moon."

When China's electromagnetic transmission towers are finally built and pointing towards Earth, it will be like having a powerful weapon, and the thought of killing will naturally arise.

Once it's built, it will be a strategic deterrent with a more substantial impact than nuclear submarines.

Indeed, as an individual deeply influenced by Cold War thinking, how could one not think about the pursuit of peace in the direction of nuclear weapons? As one of the founders of another spatiotemporal nuclear balance theory, how could one not hope to reconstruct a nuclear balance in 2020 that meets the current needs?

"Place nuclear weapons on the moon?" Li Xiaoman thought Lin Ran's idea was indeed crazy. "No, it would take at least three days to travel from the moon to Earth, and then what if they explode after passing through the Earth's atmosphere and pollute the entire atmosphere?"

She was secretly glad that she had asked.

Lin Ran explained, "From the perspective of nuclear deterrence, time is never the issue; the most important thing is the difficulty in interception."

Launching from the moon ensures it has sufficient initial velocity, meaning that even if existing anti-missile systems were completely overpowered, and even if they were to fully develop the Iron Dome missile system, they still wouldn't be able to intercept a nuclear weapon from the moon.

Atmospheric friction and combustion can be avoided technically, as hypersonic weapons themselves need to enter suborbital space and then return to low altitudes to finally explode.

Nuclear weapons are typically equipped with heat shields to protect them from the heat load during atmospheric reentry.

Launched from the moon, the return speed is 11 kilometers per second, with a higher heat load, but it is still technically solvable.

I don't know if you know about the B-52G bomber from 1966. Well, you probably don't.

Lin Ran was lost in memories. That day, Lyndon Johnson was very nervous and called to ask for his opinion.

Lin Ran felt that the main problem was that McNamara was too unreliable, and that asking him would yield more useful advice than asking McNamara.

"This incident is called the Palomares incident, when an American Air Force B-52G bomber collided with a refueling aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea near the village of Palomares in the province of Almería, Spain."

The collision destroyed the tanker, killing all four crew members, and caused the bomber to break apart, killing three of the seven crew members.

The bomber was participating in Operation Chromium Dome, a Cold War-era air surveillance mission that required bombers carrying nuclear weapons to fly continuously to maintain nuclear deterrence.

At the time of the accident, the B-52G was carrying four thermonuclear bombs. Three of the bombs landed on land near Palomares; the conventional explosives detonated, but the nuclear materials failed to detonate. The fourth bomb fell into the Mediterranean Sea and was eventually recovered intact after an extensive search.

Nuclear weapons are designed with safety mechanisms, and if they had such a high level of safety in the 60s, then they are even more so today.

There are several advantages to being on the moon: nuclear submarines might be found, but nuclear weapons are absolutely impossible to find on the moon.

Then, if launched from the moon at a speed of up to 11 kilometers per second, compared to the commonly used 6-7 kilometers per second hypersonic weapons, it would be impossible to intercept, ensuring its deterrent effect.

The Star Wars program is fake, but I will continue to ensure that the 2020 'Star Wars' program, which promotes world peace, is real!

Lin Ran calmly and deliberately shared his thoughts on nuclear balance in the new century, his face expressionless, speaking as simply as eating and drinking.

Li Xiaoman found it hard to understand: why not just focus on aerospace? There are countless things to do, like reusable rockets and repeated lunar missions, so why get involved in nuclear deterrence?

(End of this chapter)