What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 663 Ambitious Space Program

The emergence of the Hanma R7 can almost be considered the pinnacle of mass-produced automobiles in China today.

Although the design team was a startup, Tang Wen provided references for almost the vast majority of cars on the market and clearly indicated the SUV concept.

From a purely automotive perspective, SUVs without a ladder frame and with front-wheel drive are worthy of criticism, but they significantly reduce manufacturing and maintenance costs.

Most importantly, compared to the numerous copycat workshops and car manufacturers relying on enthusiasm at the time, the Hanma R7 took into account all aspects of the troubles from road conditions to maintenance to usage, since even auto repair shops were not common these days.

After the acquisition of Saab began at the beginning of the year, a large number of Saab engineers joined the development of Hanma R7, mainly to tune the chassis and powertrain. The 4.0T turbocharged V8 engine from BMW was cut into a 4-cylinder 2.0 naturally aspirated engine, but it still has good power and reliability.

The initial development of the Hanma R7 is now basically complete. The design team is focusing on road tests across the country and strictly managing the supply chain ecosystem to ensure quality through full-chain management.

Zhao Hande nodded repeatedly as he listened. He had visited many local car factories in various cities, most of which were originally tractor or motorcycle factories. Their understanding of car development was simply to buy a car model, make a mold of the outer shell, and then quickly manufacture and launch it to the market.

As for different environmental tests, maintenance cost assessments, paint corrosion resistance, frame strength... only God knows.

Apart from FAW, the eldest son of the industrial giant, and SAIC, a joint venture with Volkswagen, which have some semblance of a clear path, no other company has ever manufactured cars with such a clear and comprehensive approach. This is almost revolutionary for the domestic automotive industry.

More importantly, it only takes about two years to establish this route, and Gaijin is dragging the entire industry forward.

"Don't be fooled by the high R&D costs of the Hanma R7. I believe its quality and reputation are enough to achieve amazing sales, and the final cost will be lower than that of a half-handmade, poorly made car."

Tang Wen was very confident in his vision for the future, and Zhao Hande had no doubts either, but after thinking for a moment, he added:
"This Jeep... SUV is better than the Hanma S9. That car is too luxurious and not suitable for going to the countryside. This SUV has a higher chassis and can carry more. Townships should be equipped with SUVs instead of Santanas."

Oh?

Tang Wen raised an eyebrow slightly. Did Lao Zhao mean to carve out a piece of SAIC's market share? The Santana and Audi 100 are practically the official designated vehicles now. Even if the demand in rural areas is carved out, it would still amount to at least tens of thousands of vehicles, which is a market that cannot be ignored.

Zhao Hande seemed to have seen through his thoughts and explained:

"Sedans are subject to class restrictions and purchase price restrictions, and by default, they are generally no more than 20 yuan. However, many towns and forestry units need off-road vehicles, so there is no upper limit. Buying an imported off-road vehicle starts at 40 yuan, and if it is that... Nand Knudze, it will cost 70 yuan."

Off-road vehicles are not only expensive but also can only be imported, and parts are hard to find. If the Hanma R7 could cover all these aspects, it would be a good way to save money.

"Don't worry, the high-end version has four-wheel drive. Its performance is definitely not as good as the Land Cruiser, but it will be fine for more than 80% of the time, which is enough for 99% of daily use scenarios."

After saying that, Tang Wen seemed to remember something and continued:

"Actually, the most suitable vehicles for grassroots use now are pickup trucks in the 10 to 15 yuan range. We, like Lao Mi, have vast land and a lot of unpaved roads... But we need to solve a small problem first."

"what?"

"Let's classify pickup trucks as small off-road vehicles, since the cargo bed can't hold much stuff anyway."

At this time, the impact of car classification had not yet become apparent, and after careful consideration, Zhao Hande did not see any problem:
"It's nothing, we can just add it in the next feedback collection."

……

China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)
Tang Wen's exclusive Hanma S9 customized executive edition drove into the compound.

To facilitate frequent operations in Beijing and Shanghai, the automaker made minor bulletproof modifications to a small batch of Hanma S9s. The main modifications included inserting partitions into the doors, replacing the glass with bulletproof glass and run-flat tires, replacing the 4.0T engine with a more powerful Chrysler Hemi 5.6L supercharged V8 engine, and purchasing expensive custom paint from BMW. The dark green exterior reflects a rich sense of depth and exudes a strong sense of intimidation.

Although it can't compare to a real private car service, it's enough for a basic trip.

Most importantly, due to the extensive modifications, a new front fascia and headlights were installed, along with a gold and black two-tone paint scheme. The front of the motorcycle also features a retractable pure gold Pegasus statue, giving it a more robust and stable overall style that is quite different from the original 740.

After this series was released, many people followed suit and bought it, and even with a price tag of one million, more than a dozen units were sold.

Tang Wen's car had the license plate "First A·GJ001" and a gold-plated "G" logo above the front wheel. As soon as it entered the compound, everyone knew that the man had arrived.

After greeting the people who were there to greet him, he went straight to an office and saw the old man who had been hunched over under the window raise his head.

"Oh my, I was wondering why the birds in the alley were chirping when I went out today. It turns out it was Mr. Tang! Don't rush me, your moon landing plan is right here."

Qian Lin'an looked up from his manuscript, smiled at the person who had entered, and casually tapped the scattered papers on the table.

"I never expected you to come back here."

"It's still more comfortable working in the old place... I just finished a few proposals, please take a look, boss."

"No, no, we're just cooperating on equal terms at best."

Tang Wen quickly stopped Qian Lin'an from standing up, sat down opposite him and went straight to the manuscript with the most drawings, which was the only one he could understand.

What you see at first glance is... the space shuttle?
It was a rather special-looking rocket, with three Saturn V F1 engines mounted at the tail. It was smaller than the Saturn V, but what was special was that the second stage and above was a small space shuttle.

Next to it is another identical rocket, except that it has a normal fairing on top, and below it is a description of the lunar landing plan:

这种新火箭代号G7，直径9米、总重1800吨，一级搭载3台F1液氧煤油引擎总推力2100吨，二级搭载3台J2液氧液氢引擎总推力265吨，三级则根据任务需求灵活改变。

If a three-stage configuration is adopted, an additional stage rocket and a newly developed J2 lightweight engine (6 tons of vacuum thrust) will be added, bringing the total weight to 70 tons. This will allow a 27-ton payload to be sent to the moon, which is exactly the weight of the lunar lander.

If the third stage is replaced by the Space Shuttle, the Space Shuttle has an empty weight of 7 tons and a maximum takeoff weight of 55 tons. It can be sent directly into orbit by a rocket or sent directly to the moon, and its final mass upon arrival would be around 18 tons.

Clearly, this is a plan involving two rockets, two launches, docking and landing in lunar orbit, and then detaching and returning using the Space Shuttle.

It is exactly the same as the CASA lunar landing plan in 2028.

Tang Wen immediately realized that the benefits were reduced rocket development difficulty and cost. The G7 rocket was much lighter than the Saturn V, and its cost and manufacturing time were significantly reduced. It also made effective use of mature components from the Saturn V.

Although the two G7 rockets have more parts than one Saturn V rocket, their cost is relatively lower, so the probability of success is also higher.

Another advantage is that the space shuttle can rush into the atmosphere at a faster speed when returning from the moon, using aerodynamic deceleration to reduce fuel consumption, which can indirectly bring back more equipment and supplies, or more lunar soil.

“A very… sound idea, but Professor Qian, we have neither experience with the Space Shuttle nor with docking in space, let alone on the moon.” “So this is Plan B, a future plan for long-term trips to the moon.”

As Qian Lin'an spoke, he picked up a small space shuttle model and a globe from beside the table:

"Besides the space shuttle being reusable, the lunar lander is also reusable. The lander keeps moving up and down on the moon like an elevator, and we just need to send fuel tanks over periodically."

The space shuttle acts as a shuttle, responsible for the Earth-Moon round trip and docking with the lander. With routine lunar landings, it won't be necessary to build and launch a single shuttle like with Apollo; only fuel tanks will be needed, allowing for the rapid establishment of lunar bases.

Watching Qian Lin'an's space shuttle circle between the globe and the pen holder that served as the moon, and dock and separate from the water cup that acted as the lander, Tang Wen was filled with awe.

He was just dabbling in it, but Professor Qian had already seriously considered colonizing the moon!
NASA's future plan to return to the moon will be similar, except that it will be achieved using Starship.

Qian Lin'an, whose thoughts seemed to drift into space along with the model in his hand, continued speaking:
"As for Plan A, which aims for a rapid moon landing, it's even simpler:"
The first G7 rocket, carrying a lander and an enhanced Shenzhou spacecraft, weighing a total of 60 tons, was sent into low Earth orbit. The second G7 rocket carried a booster rocket with an enhanced fuel tank. This stage of rocket docked with the lander-spacecraft combination, forming a new combination weighing 120 tons that flew to the moon.

After the propulsion rockets ran out of fuel, the lander-spacecraft combination turned around, decelerated, and docked in orbit. At this point, it still weighed about 40 tons, similar to Apollo... and that was it.

"We can be confident in successfully completing several low-Earth orbit docking tests, and even if unexpected events occur, the risks are manageable."

Tang Wen: "I can sense that you have even more uses for designing the G7 rocket."

"You have a keen sense for the aerospace industry."

Qian Lin'an nodded with satisfaction, and then explained:
"Because the second stage uses the high-specific-impulse J2 engine, the G7 rocket can send a 60-ton payload into low Earth orbit in its basic second-stage configuration."

The answer is already clear:

"space station?"

"Exactly. The reason why the Saturn V was phased out was not only because it was too expensive, but also because of its limited uses. It had a theoretical near-Earth payload capacity of 120 tons, but due to its space and configuration, it could not be fully utilized, which was a waste of effort. In fact, rockets with a payload capacity of 20 to 50 tons are sufficient to meet almost all space needs."

The basic G7 variant is just right for undertaking the mission of a large space station. Once the space station is built, and we launch a few more propulsion rockets and space shuttles, we can carry out Mars landings, Venus landings, and so on, using the same method..."

Qian Lin'an's description revealed a blueprint for a future solar system exploration plan based on the G7 rocket, which made Tang Wendu gasp in astonishment.

He painted a rosy picture for Professor Qian, but the latter turned around and produced an even bigger and bigger one in return, leaving Professor Qian sweating profusely.

So this is what aerospace scientists are like. No wonder countries consistently limit the budgets of their space agencies; if they really loosened the restrictions, no amount of money would be enough.

The G7 may seem cheaper than the Saturn V, but that's just a prelude to a massive number of advanced missions in the future!

That day, Qian Lin'an was neither lying to himself nor exaggerating. As long as there was a plan, he would indeed try his best to throw as many humans as possible into every celestial body in the solar system.

Keep in mind that at this time, the International Space Station had only just begun construction, and Shenzhou V had not yet been successfully launched. His confidence completely exceeded Tang Wen's imagination.

"Cattle!"

Tang Wen gave a thumbs up, then said firmly:
"As long as objective conditions permit, I will absolutely support it even if it means selling everything I own!"

Money... he no longer cares about such mundane things; as long as he's investing in oil, that's enough.

To ordinary people, money can control everything, but Tang Wen now knows that money is just a tool or means to control resources. As long as it can create value and be spent, it is meaningful.

Qian Lin'an was also very excited. In this era, most people who could understand his ideas lacked resources, while those with resources found it difficult to comprehend the grandeur of his vision.

At least in the matter of landing on the moon, Tang Wen did indeed invest in his dream. For an aerospace scientist whose thoughts had long since flown into space and light-years away, such support was undoubtedly a great blessing.

Einstein's last regret was quantum mechanics, Stephen Hawking's regret was not seeing a picture of a black hole, and the only wish of astronauts is for bigger and thicker rockets and astronauts to fly farther.

……

Rio de Janeiro

Itamar stared in astonishment at the thin, somewhat pale American in front of him, and asked incredulously:

"Is everything you're saying true?"

"If my words are not enough to prove it, here are some other documents."

Jonathan opened the backpack, and Aveiro took it and examined it. He found that it was indeed a top-secret plan document from Prism Building, but it was a photocopy, not the original.

"Why a photocopy? This could be a forgery."

"The original is with a friend of mine, and you will see it soon."

"What do you mean?"

"He has gone to Russia, where he will make a public statement to international journalists."

These words shocked Itamar and the others even more, but they also confirmed the truth of what Jonathan had said.

On those documents containing key information, the words "Divine Retribution" were clearly visible in large print.

The burning sequence determined by meteorological experts, the number of airdrops, the number of incendiary bombs dropped, and the total amount of rain bombs were presented to them in great detail, and the pages even had a photocopy of the "top secret" watermark.

That's terrifying, absolutely terrifying!

They could hardly imagine that the catastrophic events that meteorologists called El Niño were actually orchestrated by Prism Building, who disregarded the entire Pakistan for the sake of a few Hans!
Jonathan: "As you can see, although I work for them, my conscience is constantly condemning me. I cannot be complacent about the animals that are choked to death by the smoke and lose their habitat because the forests are burned, and I cannot forgive myself for the permanent damage I have done to the environment."

This is the greatest crime in human history, a desecration and harm to all humanity and all living things on Earth, one that will be difficult to recover from even after hundreds of years.

(End of this chapter)