Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 278 The Moon Landing is Just the Beginning (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

These young people, barely in their early twenties, after achieving success in both mathematics and aerospace, immediately began to talk at length about nuclear balance and nuclear deterrence.

This is like a young person who, after suddenly becoming rich, doesn't think about how to spend their money or satisfy their material desires, but instead spends every day preparing for the end of the world, wanting to use all their money to build some kind of safe house—it's as strange as that.

Lin Ran said softly, "Sister Xiaoman, I know you can't understand right now, after all, our Earth has been maintained under the veil of peace and warmth for forty years."

The collapse of Soviet Russia, America's pretense, the fragmentation of Europe, and China's policy of keeping a low profile have collectively created these forty years of peace.

But peace is just an illusion; hidden beneath this veil is still a world where the strong prey on the weak, and the rise to power of the previous American president is a sign of this.

We cannot wait until that moment arrives to prepare; we need to prepare in advance.

The purpose of building a new nuclear deterrent is to achieve a better peace.

You may not understand now, but you will gradually understand in the future.

Lin Ran knew that the Cold War was over, but the essence of the Cold War, the essence of what makes humans human, would not change.

The fact that Fred's son could become president, and that Aldrin would rather forgo his posthumous fame than not roar in anger, shows just how badly American society has deteriorated.

When unrest occurs in America, the world system it either leads or helps build will crumble, inevitably leading to global instability.

Under these circumstances, Lin Ran was well aware that the more abnormal his behavior, the greater the turmoil he would cause.

A common man is not guilty of carrying a jade.

But when a commoner carries a sharp weapon and can spill blood ten meters away, the situation is different.

"The nuclear balance jointly constructed by the Soviet Union and America in the 60s is no longer suitable for this era, and we need to build a new nuclear balance."

Lin Ran concluded.

Li Xiaoman wanted to say something more, but Lin Ran waved his hand wearily: "Let's call it a day. Neither of us can change the other's position through words."

Only experience can change one's perspective. My ideas about lunar nuclear deterrence are still just ideas, and we have plenty of time to verify whether my ideas are correct.

That's all for today, Sister Xiaoman.

Li Xiaoman nodded heavily.

Lin Ran stayed at Tongji Wenchang Hospital, but naturally he didn't have any free time.

Their mission this year includes the reusable Burning 1 rocket and the redesign of the Saturn V rocket.

From the rocket itself to the navigation system and the control system, everything needs to be significantly optimized.

Simply put, apart from the engine needing to be reused, almost everything else needs to be changed.

Then, preliminary research on building an electromagnetic launch device on the moon should begin now.

Lin Ran has many responsibilities, the most important of which is recruiting people.

Large-scale recruitment.

After the Apollo moon landing, Apollo Technology became an extremely sought-after asset in Shanghai.

No matter which local government report is submitted, Apollo Technology must be mentioned.

This is a remarkable achievement for our Shenhai private enterprises! This is a great result of our innovative urban economy, and a fruitful outcome of strengthening the source function of scientific and technological innovation after the internationalization of our factor market.

In the past, whether it was government reports or development plans, Shenhai only planned three high-end industries:
Integrated circuits, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence.

Then, we will accelerate the development of six key industries: electronic information, automobiles, high-end equipment, advanced materials, life and health, and fashion consumer goods.

Now all of these have been expanded to include aerospace.

Originally, relying solely on COMAC was not enough to support the development of the entire industry. Now, with Apollo Technology, relying on Apollo Technology and COMAC, Apollo Technology can definitely support aviation, and COMAC can make do. With everyone complementing each other, it makes sense to call for vigorous development of the aerospace industry.

This has resulted in almost every kind of benefit available, from land and tax breaks to bank loans.

A large state-owned bank in Shanghai granted Apollo Technology a credit line of 10 billion yuan.

The reason for granting credit rather than attracting investment is that Lin Ran is currently still in Wenchang and is still in the hospital.

If he doesn't go, Song Nanping has no choice but to agree.

In addition, Apollo Technology certainly cannot accept foreign investment. Besides not accepting foreign investment, what is the entry ratio for private capital? Can institutions like Tencent, which also have foreign investment behind them, invest?
Or should we allow Chinese entrepreneurs to invest in their personal capacity?

These are all numerous and complex issues.

Even Tencent's stock price rebounded from its trough after investing in Apollo Technology, with consecutive gains exceeding 20%.

The market response was enthusiastic.

Therefore, the current approach is simply to grant credit lines, allowing Apollo Technology to recruit extensively in the market.

Lin Ran also has enough appeal.

In short, your past experience in study abroad consulting will come in very handy.

Apollo Technologies is about to begin a large-scale recruitment drive.

It was already pitch black outside the window when a wave of hunger washed over Xia Nanfeng, making him realize how much time had passed.

Life in Göttingen was so dull and boring.

Especially during holidays like New Year's Day, when you don't have to go to school or the laboratory, it's easy to feel lonely staying in your own faculty apartment.

Of course, due to the recent virus outbreak, we don't usually need to go to school.

After reading another paper, Xia Nanfeng felt that he had completed his task for the day. He could now browse his phone for a while and then play some games.

He doesn't play Genshin Impact; he's recently become obsessed with Slay the Spire, a tower-climbing game that's great for killing time.

"Apollo technology has caused global instability, and China has demonstrated unprecedented technological ambitions, attempting to reshape the world order through technological breakthroughs."

Xia Nanfeng glanced at the name of the media outlet where the report was published: The Mirror. He curled his lip. Needless to say, it was another boring China threat theory.

Everywhere you look, people are talking about China's moon landing. From Apollo Technology to Lin Ran to Aldrin, even when he's far away in a foreign country, Xia Nanfeng can still see related news reports.

He opened the 2012 class group of the School of Chemistry at National Chiao Tung University, and sure enough, everyone in the group was talking about Lin Ran and Apollo Technology.

This long-dormant group has recently become active again because Jiaotong University alumnus Lin Ran successfully completed his lunar landing, becoming the first Chinese person to land on the moon in just one and a half years.

Even if you don't check it for a day, you can still get 999+ views.

There are tons of Lin Ran emoji packs, and the captions for each pack are all "Lin Ran God".

Aside from memes and other content that doesn't offer much real information, the discussion still mainly revolved around Lin Ran and the moon landing.

"You guys didn't see it, but Old Lin was laughing so happily at the New Year's Eve party this year." This was posted by a classmate who is still doing postdoctoral work at Jiaotong University.

The photo also included a picture of Lin Zhongqing grinning.

"Of course I'm happy. The debate over whether Shanghai Jiao Tong University or Fudan University is the No. 1 university in Shanghai has been completely resolved. This is something that no previous university president could achieve."

Then, a whole bunch of Lin Ran raised their index fingers, accompanied by an emoji that said "Shenhai Jiaotong University No.1".

"I feel like Old Lin is a bit lucky. Not to mention that the importance of science and engineering has skyrocketed since he came here, state-owned enterprises in the manufacturing sector have been stepping up their efforts, offering more and more salaries and general contracts. And to think that a genius like Ran Shen could emerge is just incredibly lucky."

"Yes, it's like a political achievement falling from the sky, with people eagerly seeking it out. I reckon that at the education system meeting this year, Old Lin won't need to say anything; he can just bring a banner that says 'Jiaotong University landed on the moon,' and whatever anyone asks him, he can just hold up the banner."

"Yeah, it's insane. If I were from Fudan University, I would have a mental breakdown."

"To be honest, besides the moon landing, have you forgotten about another major event this year?" "What major event?"

"The International Congress of Mathematicians, would they dare defy the world and not award it to the God of War? Solving the twin prime conjecture and not getting a Fields Medal? Obviously impossible, this year Jiaotong University also has the first Fields Medal winner independently trained in China, which is something to brag about!"

"Burning God is really like a pie falling from the sky. Not only will Old Lin benefit, but the entire Jiaotong University will benefit from it. Putting aside the fact that Jiaotong University graduates are a perfect match for Apollo Technology, just looking for a job, you can bring up the moon landing when you talk to the interviewer about Jiaotong University, and people will naturally look at you with more respect."

"Yes, this interview success rate can be increased by at least 10%. For aerospace engineering majors who are directly related to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation or Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, it's increased by 50%. I heard that this year, various institutes in China have been more active in recruiting at Jiaotong University than ever before."

They don't just need people from aerospace engineering; they also accept applicants from mechanical, electronic, chemical, and other fields.

Why didn't we have this good fortune back then?

"Sigh, I was born at the wrong time. I went to Jiaotong University a few years earlier and graduated a bit too early."

Xia Nanfeng smiled and posted a photo of himself and Lin Ran at the entrance of Jiaotong University. He had been scrolling for a long time before finding it and felt a little glad that he had kept the photo.

Otherwise, if I say I know Lin Ran, no one will believe me.

"It was a pleasure having coffee with the God of Burning~" Xia Nanfeng added another message after the picture.

"???"

"???"

A sea of ​​question marks.

"Wait, Nanfeng, how do you know the God of Burning?"

"Holy crap, this is like having a powerful backer to cling to!"

"I didn't expect there to be someone in the group who knows Ran Shen. I was just saying that we're level 12 and Ran Shen is level 15, so we do have some connection!"

This is the benefit of knowing a big shot; you'll also be considered a big shot yourself. Xia Nanfeng smiled slightly.

His smile quickly vanished as he discovered a large number of people were adding him as a WeChat friend through a group chat.

Xia Nanfeng knew without even thinking why these people had added him.

To put it bluntly, he wanted to see if he could get to know Lin Ran through him.

He sighed. Yes, he did have Lin Ran's WeChat account, and he could still see Lin Ran's Moments.

The latest one is before the moon landing.

But he wasn't familiar with Lin Ran. He had only added Lin Ran on WeChat years ago and asked him to help him with a study abroad consultation once.

At the time, Lin Ran was quite well-known at Jiaotong University, specializing in helping with study abroad consultations, including doctoral applications.

Xia Nanfeng admired the other party's information gathering and intelligence analysis abilities at that time. Who would have thought that this was only the other party's weakest ability? The other party was a pure scientific research master, a master among masters.

However, upon further reflection, he realized that he indeed needed top-notch information gathering capabilities to collect sufficient data on the Apollo moon landing within two years in America, so that he could successfully replicate the Apollo moon landing upon returning home.

Xia Nanfeng knew that her relationship with Lin Ran was so weak, so how could she talk about helping others make connections?

Taking advantage of the fact that she still had the other party's WeChat, Xia Nanfeng was even thinking of contacting Lin Ran directly through Boss Zhipin when she was looking for a job after finishing her postdoctoral studies.

He closed WeChat and opened Zhihu. The first thing Zhihu pushed to him in its news feed was: "How do you evaluate Apollo's remarkable moon landing?"

"Thank you for the invitation. It took a year and a half to land on the moon. Even if we include the preliminary research, it only took a little over six years from when I started my undergraduate studies. In those six years, I single-handedly built up the team, replicated the appearance of the Saturn V and the Columbia, and then personally served as an astronaut to go to the moon."

Meanwhile, considering that he also published three papers in the four major mathematics journals during this process, including a complete solution to the twin prime conjecture, if this is not divine, then what is?
An absolute academic genius, a top-tier figure spanning engineering and theoretical fields, a giant who ranks among the best in human history. In terms of the impact on humanity, he is currently not as influential as Newton or Einstein, and cannot yet be compared to Descartes.

After all, these have all impacted the scientific process, and the main work of Burning God at present is still focused on solving problems and replicating projects.

However, in terms of intelligence and ability, I believe he is undoubtedly the greatest in history, even more extraordinary than Newton and Einstein.

While Einstein certainly made groundbreaking contributions to the field of quantum mechanics, he himself did not work on the atomic or hydrogen bombs. Newton developed the three principles of nature and did a good job at the mint, but these were far less challenging than landing on the moon.

Ran Shen is an extremely rare top-tier figure who spans both theoretical and engineering fields. If he were to be nominated for academician, he would be deserving of both the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. What's even more formidable is his youth and the fact that he has already fully proven himself.

We think it would be very difficult to build a launch tower on the moon. If someone else said this, and it wasn't Ran Shen who said it, everyone would immediately think it was impossible.

As for the God of Burning, we just think it's very difficult, but perhaps he really can do it.

At the same time, both the capital market and the government will have ample patience and resources to support him, allowing him to do what he wants to do. To put it bluntly, funds will flow in continuously.

I'm now looking forward to seeing how far Apollo technology can go. If we can make regular trips between Earth and the Moon, then Apollo's contribution will be greater than that of Copernicus and Bruno. If he built an electromagnetic launch tower on the Moon, he could be compared to Descartes. If we really make the Moon a forward outpost for humanity's journey into the universe, then I think Apollo can be compared to Newton and Einstein.

Of course, if we truly usher in the human universe era and leave our footprints throughout the solar system, then we will undoubtedly be the number one in the world, with no one able to rival us.

So, just as the god of fire said on the moon, landing on the moon was only the beginning, a small step, with a giant leap ahead.

Looking at this answer, Xia Nanfeng felt a sense of anticipation, wanting to see just how far this junior's miracle could go.

"Are you there?"

Another message popped up on WeChat.

Xia Nanfeng thought it was his ex-girlfriend. Ever since he graduated with a doctorate in Germany, his ex-girlfriend, with whom he broke up due to a long-distance relationship, would occasionally send him a "Are you there?" message.

Xia Nanfeng felt that she was being pathetic, unable to bring herself to delete the other person.

However, he noticed the ID that sent the message: Burning God.

This is the nickname he gave the other person after Lin Ran successfully landed on the moon; before that, he was Lin Ran's junior.

Xia Nanfeng immediately sat up straight:
"Yes, God of Burning, what do you need me for?"

There's no way to avoid calling him "Burning God." In the Jiaotong University alumni group, people joked that even Lin Ran's parents had to call him "Burning God."

"I remember you were doing your PhD in chemistry in Göttingen, you should have graduated by now, right?"

Xia Nanfeng was thrilled. Holy crap, the Burning God actually followed me!
"Yes, I have already graduated and am now a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute."

Lin Ran continued, "Well, because I was the one who chose the doctoral program for you back then, and you thought it had good prospects and was interesting. I remember it was a comprehensive project on MEET and nanostructure materials. I looked at your published papers, and I estimate that you should have graduated by now."

Xia Nanfeng: "Yes, my main research focuses on the multidisciplinary and multi-background research of enhanced geothermal system exploration and development technologies and potential. The main focus is on how nanostructured materials can be combined with geothermal systems to maintain a stable temperature."

At the end of last year, I gave a one-hour presentation at the Max Planck Institute on the topic of energy dissipation rate and fluctuations of 1D dissipative substitutes in isotropic turbulence.

I also have some understanding of quantum Monte Carlo methods and dynamic mean-field theory.

Lin Ran: "Nanfeng, it seems you guessed why I came to see you."

Xia Nanfeng was extremely excited, his heart was already back in China: "I guessed it. You want to build an electromagnetic launch tower on the moon, so thermal management is an unavoidable issue."

The lunar vacuum environment, without convection cooling, has a temperature range between -183°C and +118°C. Meanwhile, electromagnetic emission would inevitably cause heating, and a traditional aluminum alloy payload would melt directly at this temperature.

Therefore, both the launch tower itself, the rocket, and other spacecraft require thermal management. The payload needs to withstand high acceleration and thermal loads, and the launch tower needs to withstand rapid temperature changes.

Lin Ran nodded repeatedly, realizing he hadn't misjudged the person.

Although the University of Göttingen is not well-known globally and cannot compare with many universities in England, Canada, and Australia, those who can obtain a doctorate from Göttingen are certainly quite accomplished.

What's more, the other party was a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute.

"Here's the thing, are you available now? If so, let's schedule an interview now. If the interview goes well, I'd like to invite you to join us on behalf of Apollo Technology," Lin Ran typed.

"It must be convenient!"

　Two chapters to ask for monthly votes!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)