Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 469 The Twilight of the Empire

Valentin wanted to rebuild the N1 rocket and return to the moon through the efforts of the Russians themselves, as a tribute to the tireless efforts of Soviet engineers in the history of the lunar landing.

He thought of Korolev, the great architect who, under rudimentary conditions, single-handedly sent mankind into space for the first time.

All his grand plans were painstakingly developed step by step from the most basic, almost manual calculations.

He thought of Grushko, the engine genius bound by dogma and personal grudges.

Even though the N-1 failed, its NK-33 engine remains one of the most powerful masterpieces in human history.

Those engines that they sealed away had been coveted by Westerners for a long time.

That was the Soviet engineers' belief in the limits of thrust!
To elaborate further, although the N1 engine failed, the NK-33 engine was a success. It is an engine that uses an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle.

This is a design with extremely high technical difficulty.

Its vacuum thrust-to-weight ratio reached an astonishing 136.66:1, which remains at the top level to this day.

America has never had a successful experience in the field of oxygen-enriched engines.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Space Agency inherited a large number of unused NK-33 engines, which were secretly stored in a warehouse in Samara due to the cancellation of the N-1 project.

Valentin recalls that their engineers jokingly called it the "engine forest," little did they know that they would have to expend a great deal of effort to revive the technology to build such engines.

In the 1990s, America's Aerojet company saw the enormous value in these engines.

They purchased approximately 36 to 40 NK-33 engines at a very low price and shipped them to their factory in Sacramento, California.

Aerojet conducted a detailed technical analysis and ignition test on these used engines and found that the Soviet Union was not lying.

They conducted the first NK-33 ignition test since N1's bankruptcy on a test bench in California, and the results confirmed the performance parameters claimed by the Soviet Union, proving that the engine fully met the design specifications.

Later, the company dedicated itself to replicating the NK33 engine, but they only succeeded halfway. They could only modify the old engine, but they were unable to build an exact replica themselves.

The problem is that the existing ones are limited; there are only about thirty units left, and once they're used up, they're gone.

Later, the NK-33 became a relic of history, turning to dust.

As for the Russians themselves? They have no need to return to the moon, and therefore no intention of restarting NK-33.

Just as NASA was unable to rebuild the Saturn V, the Russian space agency was also unable to rebuild the NK-33.

The good news is that NK-33 has been restarted due to the successful Apollo moon landing, although progress has been limited.

Valentin's plan was to go back and persuade the Kremlin to restart N-1, and in the meantime, to secure more resources for the NK-33 engine and speed up the process.

Unfortunately, the report at the Kremlin was not so pleasant.

Clearly, the bigwigs had completely different ideas from him.

The Kremlin's conference rooms are huge and luxurious.

The long, polished table reflected the light from the crystal chandelier on the ceiling.

Valentin, fueled by a sleepless night of fervor and technical data from China, reported on his lunar resurrection plan.

The seats opposite him were filled with people, all of whom were at the core of power in this palace.

Sitting at the very edge was his direct superior, Dmitry Bakanov, the director of the space agency.

Valentin wasted no time and briefly explained the situation.

"My friends, I am not here to make a request, but to deliver a victory that is fifty years overdue."

We found the real reason for the failure of the N-1 rocket and found a solution.

This data proves that there was nothing wrong with the structure of the N-1 and the NK-33 engine; the failure was due to the computational delay in the control system.

We don't need to redesign the rocket; we just need to restart the project using our own resources!

We will replicate the N1 rocket and, with our own ingenuity, plant our flag on the moon! This is also the best tribute to the Soviet engineers!
The Chinese side offered a very low price, only 20 billion RMB, and they were willing to transfer all the data to us.

This quote is indeed low. A complete and successful N1 rocket quote is still in RMB. For the Russians, they can pay with RMB obtained through oil or other resources, which is equivalent to no cost.

This is already a super discount that Lin Ran gave out of respect for Korolev.

Valentin's tone was full of passion and pride, but he was met with a long silence.

The first to speak was the director of the space agency, Dmitry, whose voice was calm.

"Comrade Valentin, I understand your enthusiasm."

N-1 is our pride, especially for our technicians.

But for the general public, this is the past—a dark history of failure, without success, and devoid of any joy.

As Dmitri finished speaking, his voice grew increasingly somber.

"Therefore, your suggestion to restart on your own is not feasible in 2026."

The reality is that our opponent is not America from back then.

Our main competitor is China, which has achieved far more on the moon than America did back then.

Their base on the moon is comparable to a small town, and their lunar electromagnetic orbit is comparable to the town's railway.

Their latest rockets have surpassed all our designs in terms of reliability and payload capacity.

Your plan requires hundreds of billions of dollars.

It requires us to restart the supporting production lines that have been shut down, to retrain the semiconductor technology talents that have been lost, and to rely entirely on our own capabilities.

Its cost will skyrocket.

Valentin attempted to argue, "We can overcome this challenge using our existing domestic industrial capacity."

Another senior official interrupted, saying, "Comrade Valentin, we are not talking about romantic space epics; we are talking about national interests."

Reinstating N-1 is a political tool for us.

It can demonstrate our resolve to the world and serve as a symbol of our capabilities, but only if we don't pay too high a real price.

Our economy is already overburdened by the war; we cannot afford to restart N1 production entirely independently and complete the moon landing on our own.

Clearly, everyone sitting here understands the current situation in Russia, except for Valentin.

It's not that they don't want to rely on themselves, but that they don't have the ability to do so.

The current focus of industrial production capacity is on the military industry.

We'll get you people from somewhere to restart the N1 remake.

Resources, people, time—there are problems everywhere.

Finally, the person sitting in the main seat concluded:
"Comrade Valentin, we need to do this as soon as possible. Now that we have detailed information, and China's Apollo Technology is an expert in technology replication."

We should cooperate with them to strive to complete the lunar landing with the N-1 rocket by the end of this year, bringing a great victory to the people of the Russian Federation.

This matter is entirely in your hands.

As for your idea, I think it's excellent. In the collaboration, we can cultivate some of our own talent and involve them in this project.

The Chinese were in charge, but we needed to understand how they did it, master the entire production and manufacturing technology of the N1 rocket, and master the navigation system for the lunar landing.

He set the tone for the final decision.

Valentin remained calm on the surface, but inwardly he was dejected. His simple and fervent dream of "Russians' own glory" had been utterly thwarted by the Kremlin's cold pragmatism.

He believed that the mission of the Soviet space agency, which had been delayed for half a century, would ultimately have to move forward with the shackles of reality.

"What's the difference between this and 1966?" Valentin wondered to himself.

Because he suddenly realized that, although it was 2026, this was a meeting room in the Russian Federation, not Soviet Russia.

But the people sitting at the table, their thought patterns, their worries, their decision-making mechanisms, were exactly the same as those he had seen in the files from sixty years ago.

The Kremlin during Korolev's era, 1966. "Project N-1 is too dangerous, too radical. We cannot gamble the fate of the nation on an unproven technology."

"We lack funds, we lack advanced microelectronics technology, and we must prioritize political stability and military confrontation."

In 2026, the Kremlin will be nothing more than a replay of history.

"If history does not progress, history will not progress."

"I'm sorry, he can't wait. Your plan is too long, at least three years, at most five. Given our current situation, we might not be able to go to the moon until 2035. The Kremlin can't wait that long," Director Dmitry comforted him after returning to the space agency.

Russia certainly has its own lunar landing program. Their initial plan was to complete the technical preparations by 2030, but this was later changed to between 2031 and 2040, aiming to achieve the first manned lunar landing.

This plan is very dynamic and flexible, and given that they have already missed one deadline, it is full of uncertainty.

In the current situation, China's lunar landings are happening at a breakneck pace, and the construction of its bases is comparable to land reclamation. America has also completed several lunar landings. It's no wonder the Russians are anxious.

In the moon race of the last century, they were the only two participants. Now? International media discussions no longer include Russia in their discussions.

Everyone is paying attention to what progress China has made and how America is reacting.

It's impossible not to be anxious, but if you lack the ability, no matter how anxious you are, or how much you adjust your plan from the original 2031-2040 to before 2035, no one will care; it's just a sideline.

If it were just the Western world reacting this way, it would be one thing, but the dissatisfaction within China regarding their slow progress in the aerospace field is even more palpable.

Underneath news reports about the moon landing in Russia, there are mostly sarcastic comments about the Russian Space Agency, saying they are worse than they were in the 60s and are going backwards.

Dmitry continued, "We have no time, we have no resources, we need China's help."

Comrade Valentin, there's no need to be too emotional. America was able to land on the moon with the help of China, and she was able to use China's resources to help rescue astronauts. Why can't we?
Our goal is not to return to Soviet Russia, therefore we don't need to rely entirely on ourselves for the moon landing.

Dmitry's words of comfort seemed somewhat inadequate, while Valentin wondered if it was that we didn't have time or that the Kremlin didn't have time.
Do we need this victory, or does the Kremlin need it to consolidate consensus among all Russians and give them the illusion of returning to the golden age of Soviet Russia in the last century?
If combined with the victory at the front and the moon landing, Valentin believed that this would indeed have a good effect, giving the people a feeling of returning to the golden age.

But when Valentin thought of the infrastructure miracles accomplished by the Chinese on the moon, he couldn't feel happy at all, realizing that this feeling was an illusion.

Other countries have already built electromagnetic railguns with tracking capabilities on the moon, while we're still celebrating a moon landing?
Dmitry seemed to see through Valentin's thoughts. "Comrade Valentin, even if we rely on technical cooperation with China, we are still the third country to land on the moon. There are more than 100 countries in the world. Being in the top three is not shameful."

Valentin murmured, "Of course, third place isn't shameful, it's just compared to Soviet Russia."

Dmitry interrupted, “Comrade Valentin, Soviet Russia is gone! It no longer exists. We don’t need to compare ourselves to it. We are not it, and we probably can never become it again.”

Silence remained in the room for a long time.

Both of them knew that it was not a good thing to never be able to become it again.

If you're truly content with never being able to be it again, then why bother drinking water in Kiev?

In other words, Dmitry was making a pessimistic prediction about the war: they might win tactical victories, but strategically, victory was impossible.

When Valentin reappeared in Lin Ran's office, although his appearance hadn't changed, Lin Ran could clearly sense that a certain aura about him had disappeared.

Lin Ran couldn't quite put his finger on the specific quality, but it was probably the pride and tenacity unique to Soviet engineers. He had also sensed a similar quality in Korolev.

When they met in London, even when he pulled out the foundational algorithm for reusable rockets, Korolev only expressed his appreciation, not his admiration, as if to say, "I could calculate that too."

Lin Ran sat calmly behind his desk.

He knew that the person sitting in front of him now was no longer the engineer who longed to regain Soviet glory, but an envoy driven by political power.

Valentin then spoke with difficulty:

"Professor, I think we need your company's help."

Lin Ran already knew Valentin's purpose for coming.

Regarding the cooperation on the N-1 rocket, he had already communicated with Yan Jing, and Moscow had also communicated with Yan Jing in advance.

For Lin Ran, this conversation between the two was merely a simple political task.

"Of course, Apollo Technologies is a commercial space agency."

Lin Ran's answer emphasized the word "business," seemingly reminding Valentin that more money would be needed.

Valentin nodded: "Don't worry, we will definitely give your company the ideal compensation."

Lin Ran cautioned, "Our lunar landing collaboration with General Aerospace costs $100 billion."

That is based on the fact that we have already successfully replicated the Saturn V.

This time, we're going to start from scratch and replicate the N1 rocket, a product that has never been successfully replicated in history.

There were no engineers to consult, no historical data to refer to, only the technical information I found in America, existing within calculations and drawings.

"Considering our long-standing cooperative relationship and the friendship between Yanjing and Moscow, the payment will still be $100 billion, converted to RMB."

This offer is well within Moscow's acceptable range.

Valentin agreed without hesitation: "No problem, but Professor, please understand my situation."

The Kremlin needs a 'great victory' to declare to the world by the end of this year that we remain a space power.

And you are the only team that can get the N-1 rocket up in such a short time.

This price is not excessive.

money is not a problem.

But my personal request concerns people.

Valentin's gaze hardened, and he lowered his voice even further: "Professor, there is no objection to us signing a contract to let China Aerospace take the lead in the replication and launch of N-1."

But please, please allow and require more Russian engineers to participate in the entire project.

He held up his fingers and began to count: "It's not just about visiting and learning, but about core participation."

From software programming of digital controllers to the reconstruction of the NK-33 engine production line.

We earnestly request that you allow us to participate in these core processes.

Valentin's tone was almost pleading: "I hope this collaboration can become a project for talent development and technological reconstruction."

I hope that after we successfully land on the moon, we will also have the ability to rebuild this rocket.

This is the last thing we can do, and the final tribute, to those Soviet engineers forgotten by history.

He paused for a moment, and finally, in a tone filled with immense humiliation, said the most crucial words: "Please give us a chance to learn from you, so that the Russian space spirit can be continued through your technology."

Valentin made no secret of this; it was a case of stealing someone else's skills.

But it's still too sad to talk about.

The Russians are now trying to steal Soviet technology from China.

What made Valentin abandon his dignity and say these words was this old-school engineer's loyalty to the empire; he hoped to preserve the nation's legacy in this way.

If the 21st century truly is the era of commercial spaceflight, then it truly marks the beginning of humanity's journey into the universe.

So these sparks will give Russia a sliver of hope to stay on the table.

Looking at the old engineer in front of him, Lin Ran saw that even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there were still people who remained loyal to its remains, and he couldn't help but feel moved.

He also wondered if Chinese engineers had experienced the same thing when they transferred technology to the Soviet Union.
He sighed deeply, “Valentin Davarish, what you’re saying isn’t difficult.”

In Chinese culture, we have always been happy to help others.

Technology is meant to be disseminated, not monopolized.

He paused for a moment, then added, "But cooperation is a two-way street."

We hope to conduct a more in-depth study of the NK-33 engine's manufacturing process and fuel cycle system, rather than simply replicating it.

After all, I believe you also hope that the future N-1 will have the most reliable heart, don't you?

(End of this chapter)