Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 304 Johnson did a pretty good job!
"Mr. President, I agree with you. I think President Kennedy's concerns about nuclear weapons in space in the early 60s were not unfounded."

Once the Soviet Union's nuclear-powered satellite technology is mature enough, they are very likely to push for the deployment of nuclear weapons in low Earth orbit.

As we have speculated in the past, nuclear weapons were launched into space along a southward trajectory over Antarctica.

The signing ceremony of the Outer Space Treaty held at the United Nations will be a very suitable opportunity.

If they signed the treaty without hesitation, it means they have no intention of implementing it.

Therefore, we also need to take further action.

President Johnson, I believe we should increase investment in GPS, and ideally, make our GPS satellites nuclear-powered, increasing the number of GPS satellites to improve positioning accuracy. This would also allow it to serve not only as a positioning tool but also to monitor the weaponization of Soviet/Russian near-Earth orbit.

Starlink satellites are at an altitude of 550 kilometers, while GPS satellites are at an altitude of about 2 kilometers. This altitude will affect latency.

Starlink's latency is approximately 25 milliseconds, but if the satellite altitude is increased to 2 kilometers, the latency will increase to at least 134.7 milliseconds.

At the same time, the number of GPS satellites was very small; only four were launched initially, and the number gradually increased later.

Because a GPS receiver requires the cooperation of four satellites to calculate its position.

This number of satellites is clearly inconsistent with Lin Ran's vision for building a satellite internet.

It's not that the number is insufficient; it's certainly enough. Four satellites are more than enough to support a plain text blog application. Even for a text application, a latency of 137 milliseconds is negligible.

However, if we want to move satellite internet forward, then the more satellites there are and the higher their altitude, the better.

Therefore, Lin Ran then took out a plan from his briefcase: "President Johnson, this is the Starlink system I designed. It will make it impossible for Soviet satellite missiles or missiles launched from the ground to escape detection. It will be able to monitor global movements in real time."

Lyndon Johnson took the proposal and immediately noticed the staggering numbers: "Ten thousand low-altitude satellites?"

Professor, are you kidding me? Even if I doubled NASA's budget, this would still be an astronomical figure that we couldn't possibly achieve.
And is 10,000 satellites really necessary?

Lyndon Johnson thought Lin Ran had gone mad; the proposals he put forward after returning from a month-long seclusion were beyond description.

The Vietnam War and the Great Society program are draining the federal budget, and NASA's Apollo moon landing last year also burned through a lot of money.

The entire federal government's financial situation can be described in four words: strapped for cash.

It was precisely because the federal budget was squeezed dry throughout the 60s that the Bretton Woods system was abolished in the 70s. If it hadn't been abolished, the liberal camp would have been unable to continue.

So in a sense, the US can change the rules of the game at will. Western Europe and the Four Asian Tigers can support America, while China, the only country in the Soviet bloc that could support America, was turned against by the Soviet Union itself.

It would be strange if the Soviet Union had won the Cold War.

Lin Ran explained, "Based on reusable rockets, this plan is entirely feasible. Our reusable rockets are expected to be tested this year, and they can reduce the cost of satellite transportation to less than one million US dollars."

In other words, the cost of sending 10,000 satellites into low Earth orbit is less than 10 billion US dollars.

This system consists of four parts.

First is the Global Positioning System, or GPS for short. We plan to deploy 24 satellites in a medium Earth orbit at an altitude of 2 kilometers, distributed across six orbital planes.

Each satellite broadcasts its position and precise time signal, and ground receivers can calculate a location accurate to several meters by receiving signals from at least four satellites.

This is crucial for our military, providing a significant boost to both missile targeting and troop coordination.

Our soldiers know where they are, whether they are in the jungles of Baiyue or on the Atlantic Ocean.

Furthermore, GPS can also be used for civilian purposes, such as aviation navigation and ship positioning, enhancing our economic and international influence.

Lin Ran did not explain the GPS system in detail, because the Ministry of National Defense itself was promoting the development of GPS.

“The second part is reconnaissance satellites,” Lin Ran pointed to a satellite design diagram. “These satellites will operate in a low Earth orbit at an altitude of 250 kilometers and will be equipped with high-resolution cameras and signal sensors.”

We can monitor the movements of Soviet and Russian military bases and fleets in real time, and even their missile launch preparations.

The resolution is sufficient to identify the types of vehicles on the ground, and signals intelligence can also intercept their communications.

This will give us an absolute advantage in intelligence.

For example, we could detect any unusual Soviet activities in Cuba in advance, thus avoiding a passive situation like the 1962 missile crisis.

The third part is communications satellites. We will deploy a group of satellites in geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of 3.6 kilometers to ensure secure communications worldwide.

Even in the most remote battlefields, our commanders can maintain real-time contact with the Pentagon, without relying on vulnerable ground facilities.

Finally, there are early warning satellites, which will also be deployed in geostationary orbit and equipped with infrared detectors to capture the thermal signals of missile launches.

They will cover the globe, especially in key regions of the Soviet Union and Russia.

Once the launch is detected, we will have a few minutes of warning time, enough to initiate defensive measures.

I call this whole plan the Star Wars program!

Lin Ran thought to himself, "It feels so good to spend American money and do my own thing."

He was also confident that Lyndon Johnson would agree to the plan.

After a moment of silence, Lyndon Johnson looked up at Lin Ran and said, "Professor, I can pass it, I can use all my political power to push it through, but it needs to be my proposal."

Lin Ran immediately understood what Lyndon Johnson meant, just as he had guessed.

A president needs to be rich; a president without money is worse than a dog.

As you can see, after becoming president, President T kept attacking Federal Reserve Chairman Powell, applying extreme pressure to get him to cut his salary, because if interest rates weren't lowered, the federal government wouldn't have money, and the president wouldn't be able to do anything, and four years would have passed.

A wealthy president, on the other hand, needs to spend the money and achieve remarkable political achievements.

Even though the moon landing proposed by Kennedy was realized under Johnson, it was still counted as Kennedy's achievement.

Even today, when the media reports on the moon landing, they still have to repeatedly emphasize the 1961 moon landing speech, Lyndon Johnson? Even though he was in the White House and had always been the one supporting NASA, the public didn't care at all.

Without a doubt, during Lyndon Johnson's four-year term, his own projects, the Vietnam War and the Great Society, were a complete mess.

The former has gone from a blitzkrieg to a disastrous war, and as for the latter, the core of a great society is the Civil Rights Act, so this cannot be entirely considered his achievement.

As the pain of the Vietnam War intensified and became more apparent, Lyndon Johnson needed to have enough achievements and his own projects.

At this juncture, Lin Ran's timely presentation of "Star Wars" was undoubtedly a great gift, an unprecedented one.

If this grand gift could be accomplished for just $10 billion, Lyndon Johnson would definitely be tempted.

Because the $100 billion is not a one-time payment, but rather a multi-stage payment, and he has two years left in his term, at most $20 billion in those two years. If he is re-elected for another four years, then he will definitely have to continue to spend this money, and it would be best to complete Star Wars during his term.

If he doesn't get elected, the price he pays is only $20 billion, which will be paid by the federal government, not by him personally.

And if Star Wars is ever successfully built in the future, it will also be his achievement.

That's why Lyndon Johnson's first sentence was, "This needs to be my solution." If it becomes "you, the professor's design, the professor's solution," then what's the point of me doing anything?

Lin Ran smiled and said, "Of course, Mr. President, this is certainly your proposal."

I didn't mention anything about it during my interview with Cronkite this morning.

This is a plan I came up with during my seclusion on the island of Hawaii. Once this plan is finalized, it will reshape the global strategic landscape, and America will completely lock down the Soviet Union's strategic space.

And in the process of future historians writing this history, the person who laid the foundation for the Cold War victory will be you: Lyndon Johnson.

After listening, Lyndon Johnson had a strange feeling welled up inside him, an illusion of the treatment Johnson had given him in the past: an incredibly powerful mix of persuasion, entanglement, flattery, threats, and reminders of past favors and future advantages.

Are you Johnson or am I Johnson? But he didn't care much, because in Lyndon Johnson's view, this was the professor making a gesture of goodwill towards him.

"The founder of the Cold War victory, that's a great title," Lyndon Johnson thought. "As expected, the professor is still on my side."

America is relatively normal now. Compared to the future, where you have to choose between two bad candidates and one who isn't so bad, the current presidential election depends on whether you've accomplished anything.

As for the Star Wars program, once it's launched, even with a change of president, it's a $10 billion business that will only continue to burn through money.

Capital surrounding the entire industry chain will spontaneously push NASA to continue advancing this plan.

With the Cold War situation only intensifying, this is a train that, once started, will not stop.

After figuring it out, Lyndon Johnson looked up from behind his desk, a signature Texas smile spreading across his face, a smile that included both slyness and smugness.

“Professor, I also have some good news to tell you.” His loud voice echoed in the room, with a thick Texas accent.

Lyndon Johnson stood up, walked around the table, and extended a large hand to pat Lin Ran's shoulder warmly, his gesture exuding an irresistible friendliness.

It was as if all the past grievances between the two had vanished.

China's return to GATT at this juncture will undoubtedly bring new hope to the country.

Johnson chuckled, leaned back in his chair, and tapped his fingers on the table, making a soft "tap-tap" sound.

"Quick? Professor, this isn't a free lunch!"

I have to tell you, I've gone to great lengths over the past two years. Those conservative guys are like cats whose tails have been stepped on, clamoring that we can't do business with red countries.

"I need to pull them aside one by one and give them a good 'education'." He mimicked the tone he used when persuading the congressmen, narrowing his eyes and lowering his voice: "'Listen, buddy, this isn't politics, it's business! China has a billion people, do you want the Soviets to grab the market first?' More importantly, China's relations with the Soviet Union have been bad these past few years, which gives us an opportunity."

Lin Ran grinned. Although Johnson's treatment was useless to him, it seemed to work well for the other members of parliament.

Johnson's persuasive skills are indeed well-deserved.

“I can imagine there must be a lot of opposition in Congress,” Lin Ran said.

Lyndon Johnson grinned, stood up, walked around to Lin Ran's side, leaned down, his face almost touching Lin Ran's ear, and said in a deep and powerful voice: "Lin, this is my secret weapon—the Johnson treatment."

I approached the moderates in the Donald Party and promised them some budgetary support; I also won over a few members of the Elephant Party and promised to help them promote local projects.

You know, in Washington, everyone wants something.

He straightened up, patted Lin Ran on the shoulder, and said with a smug tone, "I even told them that this bill is part of the 'Great Society'."

Trade between the liberal camp and China will not be fully opened up all at once, but rather some trade will be allowed to start first.

Products like textiles, agricultural products, and consumer electronics.

Lin Ran asked cautiously, "What will their reaction be on the island? They probably won't accept it easily, will they?"

Lyndon Johnson waved his hand, and the smoke from his cigar drew an arc in the air.

Lyndon Johnson was clearly in a good mood after receiving the Star Wars program from Lin Ran.

He paused, then lowered his voice, "Of course they'll make a fuss. I've already had Rusk speak to several key GATT member countries."

Lin Ran then asked, "What about the domestic reaction? How will the public and the media view this? I'm worried it will affect your election next year, President."

Lin Ran has already started paying attention to Lyndon Johnson's election campaign.

It was all about timing and circumstance!
Lyndon Johnson's eyes sharpened. He walked back to his desk, placed his hands on the surface, leaned forward, and said firmly, "Professor, you don't need to worry about that."

With the Star Wars program in place, I knew how to manage public opinion.

I will have my team package this as an economic victory, not a political compromise.

This is to open up new markets for America's businesses and America's workers.

Who can object to making money?

Lyndon Johnson paused, a self-deprecating tone in his voice, "Besides, I just passed the Voting Rights Act, and the Vietnam War is in such a mess. Those who criticize me haven't even recovered yet!"

Lin Ran smiled and said, "Mr. President, I am very grateful for your efforts. This is of great significance to me and to many Chinese people."

At this juncture, Lin Ran has put Nixon, Fred, or Humphrey behind him.

Only President Johnson can help him accomplish this!

Johnson gripped Lin Ran's hand tightly, grinning. "Well done, Professor, let's do something big together!"

As Lin Ran walked out of the White House, the setting sun painted the Washington sky a golden red.

He stood on the steps of the White House, took a deep breath, and felt an unprecedented surge of power within him.

He knew that this was not just a victory in a deal, a small step in history, but more likely a giant leap that could turn the tide.

This step will change the fate of countless people.

Meanwhile, Lyndon Johnson returned to his desk, picked up the phone, and dialed Secretary of State Dean Rusk's number.

"Dean, I just spoke with the professor."

After the bill passes, you'll have to be prepared to deal with those guys from GATT.

We need to do this beautifully enough.

Lin Ran had originally planned to call Nixon after he got back that night, but now it seemed unnecessary, since Johnson was doing a pretty good job.

Nixon? We're not very familiar with each other.

As for Fred, he was even less familiar with him!

　It's a bit strange because some content has been deleted.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)