Those who face the wall, but are in the Nascent Soul stage.

Chapter 77 Propellantless Spaceship Faction
"I knew it would be like this." Dongfang Mingxi shook her head. She looked around and, seeing that no other Space Force officers were paying attention to her, leaned slightly towards Zhang Beihai: "What do you think?"

Zhang Beihai answered her with a technical statement: "The specific impulse ceiling for chemical fuels has been reached."

Dongfang Mingxi shook his head: "It's too early to reach the peak. The ultimate technological development can cover up the shortcomings of the basic theory. If we are just traveling within the space of the solar system, chemical fuel might actually be enough. After all, the universe is a vacuum, and constant speed travel does not require fuel consumption. Acceleration, deceleration and turning are where fuel is burned."

Zhang Beihai said, "That's not enough."

Dongfang Mingxi said, "That's enough within the solar system!"

Zhang Beihai frowned and said, "Even if you loaded all the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen on Earth onto the spacecraft, the weight of the fuel would reduce the effective payload to near zero. This isn't a generational gap that technological improvements can bridge—"

Dongfang Mingxi asked, "Why build such a big one? We're just going to travel around in the solar system."

Zhang Beihai was speechless for a long time before he finally said, "We need to push the battle line beyond the Oort Cloud."

Dongfang Mingxi ignored him: "Well, you have quite a vivid imagination."

...

The debate on stage continued, but the propellantless spaceship faction was clearly defeated. The traditional spaceship faction was far superior to these young people in terms of knowledge, breadth of perspective, and even the ability to use words and phrases.

"Young people are visionary, which is good. Propellantless spacecraft do indeed offer a bright future, and everyone agrees on that. But the reality we face now is that controlled nuclear fusion has not yet been put into practice."

Whether future propellantless spacecraft will utilize microwave propulsion, electrostatic propulsion, or nuclear fusion radiation propulsion remains inconclusive. As the future of the aerospace industry, I hope you won't make the mistake of taking a giant leap forward. We've already experienced it once, and we understand the value of being grounded and practical.

"Isn't it really the 'valuable' nature of aerospace valves?" Researcher Zhang said in a defiant manner.

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

"You silly child, we're just trying to be helpful..."

"Xiao Zhang, come down here right now, don't embarrass me up there."

The old aerospace engineer who argued with Xiao Zhang had no children, no teachers or apprentices, and had devoted his entire life to the aerospace field. Such a great person would obviously not be hurt by those words.

He said slowly in a dignified voice, "Now we have more efficient catalysts and lighter storage tanks."

"But we're facing the Trisolarans, who can block basic science!" Researcher Zhang's voice trembled for the first time. "Are we just supposed to stay trapped in the solar system?"

Someone immediately warned alertly: "Escape is illegal, Researcher Zhang. What you said is really dangerous. There are Space Force comrades here. Be careful what you say."

The old astronaut said coldly, "You also know that the Sophon has locked down human science? The more this is the case, the more we should build a staircase in this sealed-off situation. It's irresponsible to fantasize about unrealistic elevators."

"Well then, both technological approaches require continuous investment," the meeting's moderator, an aerospace expert and chief of staff of the Space Force's Technology Department, began.

"Where would we find so many resources?" someone said.

At this stage, maintaining a single-track scientific research path is already difficult enough, and the relentless allocation of resources has placed immense pressure on the scientists and engineers present. If, after consuming so many of humanity's resources, satisfactory technological results are still not produced, the mental pressure of feeling like a 'historical sinner' is unbearable for most people.

Discussions on the technological approach have been ongoing for years. In the past, the two sides simply argued and that was it, since building a space fleet was still a long way off. But things are different now.

The first "space ladder" is having its first set of guide rails laid and will be operational soon. This will greatly enhance humanity's ability to transport supplies into space, making the construction of space docks and space warships practically feasible. Under these circumstances, a simple, direct order was issued:
You must determine your main attack strategy within three months.

"How about this? The Space Force comrades are here too. After all, they will be piloting the future space battleships. Why don't we ask the future space battleship pilots for their opinions?" A young engineer from the propellantless spacecraft faction tried to muddy the waters and win over some allies in this debate.

The meeting moderator shared this intention: "Then, let's hear from the Space Force comrades. Don't worry, the following content won't be recorded—close the doors and windows, and recorder, put down your pen. Let's hear some frank words." Space Force comrades to speak? Who starts?
The five Space Force advisors simultaneously looked at the most senior and highest-ranking person present.

"Political Commissar Zhang, what are your thoughts on the future warship design?" the host asked.

All eyes turned to him as Zhang Beihai stood up, clearly stating his position.

"I'm a proponent of propellantless spacecraft." His voice was steady. "The enemy is traversing between stars, and our technological compromises could very well be the culprit that leads to the demise of human civilization. I believe that sticking to the chemical rocket route is using a familiar technological shell to cover up the fear of the unknown; it's blatant ostrich thinking."

The eyes of the young people who advocated for propellantless spacecraft lit up, while the veteran astronauts leaned back heavily in their chairs, and someone let out a cold snort.

Someone asked:
"You're a soldier, so I don't blame you for not understanding the difficulties of tackling technical challenges. But do you really think we can build a propellant-free spacecraft in our lifetime?"

The speaker was the same old aerospace veteran with no children and the longest service. He was the most stubborn proponent of chemical fuel rockets, and it was his words that silenced the proponents of propellantless spacecraft.

As the anchor of the meeting, his attitude always brought immense pressure, and now, that pressure was falling on Zhang Beihai.

“I don’t know,” Zhang Beihai said. “But I do know that if we don’t bet everything on the future now, the phrase ‘in our lifetime’ will soon lose its meaning.”

"Nonsense. Space research is not a gamble. Do you think you can produce results just by betting all your resources on it?"

Zhang Beihai's tone remained unchanged: "We have to give it a try."

"Try? This seemingly insignificant word represents a shift in the entire country's research direction, a waste of trillions of yuan in resources, and the abandonment of countless related devices. Are we using these costs to gamble on a future that is already locked in?"

Zhang Beihai's response was: "Sunk costs should not be taken into consideration when making major decisions."

"Then you soldiers can go and build it!" the old aerospace engineer said angrily, flicking his sleeve.

Zhang Beihai's gaze remained calm.

The old astronaut suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and an inexplicable sense of unease enveloped him. But before he could even process the meaning behind those gazes, someone shouted, "The Wallfacer is here!"

The conference room door was pushed open, and the person facing the wall walked to the center of the room.

Luo Qing glanced at it and said only one sentence.

"I'm a proponentless spaceship proponent."

Three possible paths for a propellantless spacecraft

Microwave propulsion:

It consists of a conical reflecting cavity and a microwave generator. The microwave generator emits microwaves, which bounce back and forth within the reflecting cavity, generating thrust in a specific direction.

Electrostatic propulsion:
The method utilizes the asymmetric electrostatic field generated by applying a high voltage to the two electrodes of a capacitor of a specific shape to create a tiny distortion in the surrounding spacetime, thereby generating thrust. (This approach has been heavily criticized for violating the laws of conservation of momentum and energy.)
Nuclear fusion radiation propulsion:
By generating energy through nuclear fusion and propelling it through plasma radiation, spacecraft can theoretically achieve high speeds.

Those who enjoy building spaceships can give this a try. Complete it as homework and collect it in the next class.

There are two more chapters, in the afternoon or evening.

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(End of this chapter)