Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 398 New Possibilities
"Unbelievable! When I was a kid, I watched science fiction movies and thought this kind of technology wouldn't be realized for hundreds of years. China has brought the future to the present."

"As a PhD student in physics, I can tell you that the design of this superconducting coil is revolutionary. The use of a permanent shaded area is simply a brilliant idea, but heat dissipation is a big problem. I hope to see more technical details."

"What is America doing? We're setting up a flag on the moon while China is building highways. Is this still called a space race? It feels like we've already fallen behind."

"Fantastic! This is real space exploration! I hope to see more countries join in, instead of just engaging in empty talk on Earth."

"Technology is a double-edged sword. I am proud of human progress, but I am also worried about the risks that this technology may bring."

"I feel like I'm seeing what the future looks like. Will traveling to the moon be like taking a high-speed train?"

"My country is amazing! This is true great power responsibility! But I want to say that India will not be absent from future space exploration!"

"I think this is very likely. We must find a way to contain China; they are moving a little too fast."

There are many comments below.

People in Japan and Korea generally don't dare to breathe on their skin.

The fact that China and America joined forces to make an example of someone is one aspect, while China's exaggerated technological progress is another.

In the past, everyone has been emphasizing land-based nuclear deterrence and sea-based nuclear deterrence, but China is actually lacking in the latter.

Because China's technology in the field of nuclear submarines is still relatively weak, its position is easily exposed. Coupled with the dense array of satellites in the sky, its sea-based deterrence is quite weak.

But the lunar electromagnetic orbit has made the world aware of a new possibility: nuclear deterrence in space.

Although China did not do this, such an option appeared in China's list for the first time.

At least they have a choice; other countries don't even have one.

Lin Ran really knows how to choose, and he really treats this as a standard consideration.

"Hello everyone, I've been getting a lot of requests from people in the comments section to do a live stream and talk about it."

Even my colleagues told me, "Professor, you haven't done a live stream in a long time. On this big day of the official test, you should still do a live stream to talk about it."

If you go live, the number of viewers will increase dramatically.

I said okay, I thought I'd do a live stream and chat with everyone, and also take you all a look at our control center before launch.

Apollo Technology announced the test time well in advance: 8 PM on August 29th, as an early gift.

Lin Ran quietly started his live stream two hours earlier.

While it was indeed possible to go unnoticed without a notification, the fact that he started a live stream immediately placed the topic at the top of the trending search lists on Weibo, Douyin, and Bilibili shows that it was impossible to go unnoticed at all.

"This time, the most important thing is actually the test."

The proper orbit is 20 kilometers long, but ours was only 5 kilometers. And what we launched wasn't a real spacecraft; it was a scaled-down prototype.

The main purpose is to test the lunar electromagnetic orbit to see if there are any problems and whether we need to make adjustments.

As we all know, there is a huge amount of heat generated at the moment of launch, and this huge amount of heat needs to be dissipated.

After all, the moon is a vacuum, and heat can only be dissipated through radiation.

Although you can't see it, we have actually built huge black wings on both sides of the track. Those black wings are radiators with carefully designed angles!

They can dissipate heat into space to the maximum extent possible.

This includes heat pipes inserted into the lunar soil below.

However, we cannot be certain whether a theoretically feasible solution is actually feasible in practice.

At the same time, we cannot be certain whether such a launch will allow the low-temperature superconducting materials in orbit to operate smoothly as expected.

In short, this is a test.

I know everyone is excited, and I am too, after all, this is of great significance.

Many self-media outlets have interpreted the meaning for everyone, but I'm just someone who makes rockets, what do I know about the meaning?

I won't go into too much detail here.

Today I'll mainly be having a casual chat.

Originally, it was an unmanned test, and Apollo Technology's official live stream would show footage of the astronauts.

Whether it succeeds or fails, it's not a big problem. If it fails, we'll collect data and see what needs to be adjusted. If it succeeds, we'll use the rest of this year to finish laying the orbit, speed up infrastructure construction, and complete the testing of the new spacecraft in the first half of next year.

What should we call the new spaceship? Can we please stop being so tacky? It never has a name. Can't we get Huawei's marketing team to come up with a name for you? Even though everyone criticizes Huawei cars as being like half of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, it's still better than Apollo Technology having no name or just something like "Burning One" or "Burning Two."

Lin Ran was a little embarrassed after reading the comments: "We don't do ToC business, so the name doesn't matter."

Okay, I'll make sure the marketing department colleagues are in charge of this work from now on, and I'll definitely come up with a catchy name for it.

Our new spacecraft employs a very, very radical design; it has no traditional fossil fuel engines, only Hall thrusters.

When launched from Earth, it is propelled by Burn-1 and its orbit is changed by Hall thrusters. When launched from the Moon, it is propelled by electromagnetic orbits to provide initial thrust.

Then there's its heat shield. As we all know, when a spacecraft returns to Earth, it experiences intense friction with the atmosphere due to its high speed, generating heat. This is where a heat shield is needed to prevent the spacecraft from burning up.

Any aircraft needs a heat-insulating design because the high speed of flight and the friction with the air cause the surface temperature to rise rapidly.

This is especially true for spacecraft that need to leave and return to Earth.

Therefore, spacecraft often have a dedicated thermal protection system. This system consists not only of the insulation layer but also requires good insulation inside, because there is a large amount of fossil fuel inside. If heat is transferred from the surface to the interior, it will explode.

On the moon, we will use automated systems and the extremely low temperatures of the lunar south pole to recoat the thermal insulation layer of the new spacecraft.

The idea of ​​applying a heat-insulating layer to the surface of a spacecraft using automated devices is easy to come by; America and Russia have both tried it before.

NASA succeeded.

They designed an automated spraying system called PAR Systems, but instead of spraying a heat-insulating layer on the surface, they sprayed a heat-insulating layer on the rocket's fuel tank.

(Liquid hydrogen tank that has just been sprayed using the PAR system)

NASA has used this automated painting system to significantly reduce a process that used to take months to just a few days.

More precisely, they shortened the 12-week period to 1 week.

However, NASA's automated painting system paints fuel tanks, most of which are cylindrical.

From a geometric point of view, the structure is simple.

Even if it is huge, its structure is still very simple.

Like the liquid hydrogen tanks that PAR used to primarily be used in rockets, it is a huge cylinder with a diameter of over 27 feet and a length of over 200 feet.

They use a special foam material for spraying, which mainly contains two different types of foam material. Then, PAR's internal automated system precisely measures these components in order to mix the thermal protection material to the exact ratio.

Apollo Technology, on the other hand, was painting irregularly shaped spacecraft. The painting equipment could adapt to spacecraft of all sizes, and the principle was the same.

"A very important point here is the choice of insulation materials. We choose composite materials for insulation."

The main process involves using high-temperature resistant resins combined with inorganic fillers such as silica and mica powder, as well as sublimated substances like selenium oxide and mercury sulfide, to create heat-insulating coatings.

However, during the firing process, the sublimated substances in these coatings will evaporate due to heat, and the remaining resin will form a microporous carbonized layer.

In other words, after the new spacecraft returns to Earth, its surface will have an unsightly black layer of material, which is the trace left after the heat insulation layer is worn away.

These can all be washed off.

The reason for this design is that many of the materials used can be obtained on the moon.

In other words, the heat insulation material for the spacecraft does not need to be obtained from Earth. Instead, it is mined and processed directly from the lunar surface, and then applied directly to the new spacecraft as a heat insulation coating.

In this way, we can further reduce the cost per transaction to the level of millions of RMB.

The most crucial breakthrough here is our new Hall thruster.

Traditional Hall thrusters have low thrust and high efficiency, but are usually only used for satellite orbit changes.

Our new thruster represents two major technological breakthroughs.

First, there's the increased thrust. By optimizing the anode structure and magnetic field layout, we nearly doubled the acceleration efficiency of the ion beam, meaning that with the same amount of electrical energy, our thrust is twice that of a traditional Hall thruster.

Secondly, there is the extension of lifespan. The key to the wear and tear of Hall thrusters lies in the erosion of the ceramic channels.

We employed a novel, corrosion-resistant ceramic material and optimized ion beam focusing, significantly reducing the impact on the channel. This allows our thruster to maintain high thrust output for a longer period.

So, how long would it take to get from Earth to the Moon using a fossil-fueled rocket to provide initial velocity and Hall thrusters for trajectory changes? With traditional Hall thrusters, it might take two to three months.

But our new thrusters can reduce this time to 10 to 14 days.

Sounds long, right? But don't forget, it consumes very little fuel, almost entirely xenon. This allows us to carry larger payloads.

The return trip from the moon to Earth will take less time.

Because the Moon's escape velocity is only 2.4 kilometers per second, the electromagnetic orbit provides the initial thrust.

Then, with just a few minor adjustments to the Hall thrusters, it can enter orbit to return to Earth.

We expect this process to be completed within 3-5 days.

Of course, there are also many technical challenges here. The first is the accuracy of the trajectory change.

While Hall thrusters provide more stable thrust than traditional chemical rockets, their thrust is smaller.

This requires our orbital calculations to be extremely precise, as even the slightest deviation could cause the spacecraft to deviate from its orbit.

Secondly, there's the power supply system.

Hall thrusters require a stable high-voltage electricity, which necessitates extremely high reliability from the spacecraft's nuclear batteries. These are precisely the areas we excel at.

In Lin Ran's live stream, the chat was flooded with comments again, everyone was immersed in this imaginative future world.

Or perhaps it's not in the future; maybe we'll see it next year.

Viewers watching the live stream thought, "10 to 14 days isn't a long time at all. Going to the moon is being described as if it's some kind of long trip."

However, nowadays, it seems that going to the moon is not much different from taking a long trip. A round trip to the moon costs one million RMB, which is affordable for wealthy families.

"I see some knowledgeable people in the comments section are already building aerial logistics drones and personal aircraft using refreshed Hall thrusters. It can only be said that the cost will not come down in the short term. We have to wait for the cost to come down."

Personal aircraft, which cost tens of millions of dollars, are probably not cost-effective or have a market compared to private jets.

Aerial logistics vehicles are even less cost-effective than unmanned trucks.

Reality is still a material world; people are thinking a bit too far ahead.

What's the name of the new spacecraft? I don't know. Its current internal codename is BY-2, or Lunar 2 Spacecraft.

The chat in the live stream:

"It sounds awful, I won't buy it because of such an awful name!"

"If you all think it sounds awful, then I won't buy it."

"If 'Burning God' is that name, I've thought about it and I'd better not go on a trip to the moon."

"Actually, when you think about it carefully, it's not that it sounds bad, it's just that it's not creative at all, you know? It's like the Lunar South Pole Ultra-Low Temperature Laboratory. It could have been called the Moon Palace or some other cooler name, but you chose to call it the Lunar South Pole Ultra-Low Temperature Laboratory, which doesn't inspire any imagination."

"Yeah, we stupidly called it Lunar Electromagnetic Orbit, but I saw a YouTuber call this project 'Steel Dragon on the Moon,' which sounds a million times better than Lunar Electromagnetic Orbit!"

The comments section was full of complaints.

Lin Ran couldn't help but smile wryly.

Time flies.

"Orbit in place, data link normal." Wei Xuhang's voice rang out in the official live broadcast room.

His tone was calm, but the Chinese audience could feel the excitement in his voice.

Actually, they might be excited, so they think Wei Xuhang is excited too.

The wind moves the flag, and the heart of the benevolent is moved.

Outside the base, Qian Fei, Li Cong, and Zhao Jianguo are conducting final checks.

At this time, there were four astronauts on the lunar base: Wei Xuhang, Qian Fei, Zhao Jianguo, and Li Cong. In order for the successful completion of this test, Apollo Technology arranged for its most elite astronauts, who had performed the most missions, to go to the moon.

At the ground control center, the engineers and experts from Apollo Technologies and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation held their breath.

As everyone knows, if today's test is successful, it will completely rewrite the history of humankind's journey into space.

At the ground control center, Lin Ran said, "The live broadcast ends here for now. I need to check the data from before this test. This data must be kept confidential and cannot be shown to you."

"I do not watch!"

"Don't show it to me, I can't understand it, and don't let the Americans see it!"

"Turn it off right away!"

None of the netizens wanted to see it, fearing that foreigners might see it; these are our treasures.

It's the same principle as in the past when China bought technology from abroad, but the foreigners wouldn't let the Chinese see how they operated it.

Lin Ran stood in front of the screen, his eyes fixed on the huge display screen on the wall, which showed a dense stream of real-time data.

At this moment, he made no unnecessary movements.

The entire control center fell silent, the volume dropping to a minimum. Everyone knew that Lin Ran was the key figure in the entire project, and the success or failure of every step depended on him alone.

Before this unmanned test, Lin Ran had mentally rehearsed all possible risks countless times, but the real confirmation had to be completed at this moment.

His voice was transmitted to every corner through the internal communication system.

There was no impassioned tone, only almost cold instructions.

"Attention all departments, final confirmation is now beginning. Countdown: 60 minutes."

"Energy group, nuclear reactor output power, please confirm."

"Professor, the nuclear reactor output power is stable, reaching 200 megawatts, and is ready to deliver peak power at the moment of ignition."

This is the core of the entire test: the thrust of the electromagnetic track depends entirely on the massive electrical energy released instantaneously.

"Heat dissipation unit, radiant heat sink temperature, please confirm."

"Professor, all radiant heat sinks are within the design range, the heat pipes are working normally, and there are no abnormal fluctuations in the lunar soil temperature."

Lin Ran's gaze fell on the screen, which displayed temperature curves on both sides of the track.

In extremely low temperature environments, the efficiency of the heat sink is crucial, as even a tiny temperature fluctuation can affect the performance of the superconducting coil.

This is a physical precision check, which allows no room for error.

"Track calibration team, please double-check the straightness and flatness of the five-kilometer track."

"Professor, the laser calibration system shows that everything is normal."

Lin Ran nodded.

He knew that maintaining such precision under lunar gravity was a huge challenge. This relied on their independently developed lunar soil 3D printing foundation and high-precision automatic laying robot, as well as the superconducting track laying, which was carried out by one person working and one person calibrating.

"Please confirm the mass, center of gravity, and sensor status of the BY-2 payload group."

"Chief Engineer, BY-2 weighs 1000 kg, its center of gravity is at the design point, and all attitude control sensors and communication systems are functioning normally."

Although this test primarily validated the electromagnetic orbit, other critical systems on BY-2 also needed to confirm their initial status, and they needed to ensure that the spacecraft would return to Earth smoothly three days later.

"Please confirm the xenon gas reserves and thrust chamber status of the Hall thruster for the orbital change propulsion group."

"Chief Engineer, the Hall thruster xenon gas reserve is 100%, and the thrust chamber has been preheated."

"For the thermal protection group, please confirm the thickness and uniformity of the thermal insulation coating."

"Professor, the robotic spraying system has completed the second spraying of BY-2, and the thickness and uniformity of the heat insulation coating meet the design requirements."

Lin Ran mentally reviewed the entire process.

In the permanently shadowed areas of the moon, they used an automated spraying system to add a heat-insulating layer to the spacecraft.

Lin Ran nodded.

"Astronauts, please confirm that all systems are ready."

"The energy system is ready."

"BY-2 is connected."

"The track calibration is complete, with no deviations."

"Received, countdown begins."

As the countdown reached zero, there was no deafening roar of a rocket launch, nor any earth-shattering flames.

The superconducting coils on the track were instantly energized, and the powerful electromagnetic force propelled BY-2 forward.

At the bottom of BY-2, a powerful magnetic field and orbital coils generate traveling waves, like an invisible hand, pushing BY-2 into the sky.

It accelerates rapidly in orbit, from tens of kilometers per hour to hundreds of kilometers per hour, eventually reaching the Moon's escape velocity.

"Speeding 2.38 kilometers per second, derailing!"

The astronauts returned to the lunar base and looked at the data on the monitors.

Everyone's voices were filled with excitement.

The spacecraft traced a graceful arc at the end of its orbit before plunging into the darkness of space.

The astronauts kept their eyes glued to the screen until BY-2's signal entered its designated lunar orbit.

"It worked! We succeeded!"

In the live broadcast, the four astronauts held hands in pairs to celebrate.

Although it has not yet successfully returned to Earth, simply entering lunar orbit is already a huge step forward.

Qian Fei was deeply moved. From the time he was selected until today, he never imagined that he would be able to personally participate in such a magnificent project.

That evening, international media headlines were dominated by China's lunar electromagnetic orbit launch test.

The New York Times commented: "This is not a simple technological breakthrough, but a strategic victory. China is turning the moon into a springboard for humanity to enter deep space."

The Guardian commented: "Amidst tense international relations, this successful test sends a clear signal to the world: China has become the world's leading space power."

On Chinese social media, it was like a bomb had gone off.

The lunar orbit test may not actually have anything to do with a salary of 3,000, but every advancement in Chinese technology makes the RMB more powerful in purchasing power.

(End of this chapter)