Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 541: Making empty promises is just a way to trick people into raising funds!

In this day and age, talking about rocket recovery is absolutely a pipe dream!

Knowing everyone would be surprised, Qin Liang continued to explain the plan.

The primary function of the first-stage rocket is to send the payload out of the atmosphere. This is the most fuel-consuming stage. During the entire launch process, it goes almost vertically upwards. So... after the first-stage rocket separates from the second-stage rocket, the first-stage rocket is almost in the air above the launch site.

As long as the first-stage rocket has some fuel remaining, it can fall vertically back down, just like a helicopter, and land on a recovery platform near the launch site.

On the recovery platform, there are two robotic arms, like chopsticks, that grip the rocket perfectly...

Everyone was stunned into silence. This...

Principal Qin, are you telling us a science fiction story?

how can that be!

If anyone else had said that, the meeting would have ended. We're in the aerospace industry, not science fiction. But Principal Qin is different. Every technological approach he proposed has been proven to be feasible.

just now……

Who says only the space shuttle can be reused?

The rockets we develop can be reused, and most of the spacecraft we develop can also be reused. This will greatly reduce the cost of going into space!
"Principal Qin, this second-stage rocket..."

"Recovering the second stage rocket is quite difficult. We've first developed a recoverable first stage rocket, and then we'll study the recovery of the upper stage," Qin Liang said. "Just the recovery of this one stage rocket alone could take us ten or even twenty years of hard work. This is a protracted war, and we can't rush it."

The second stage rocket has already left the atmosphere, and it is not easy for it to re-enter the atmosphere.

However, this does not mean that the first stage rocket cannot be recovered. See Starship for details. The second stage rocket and the living quarters on it can be combined and the whole thing can fly back, and it can also fly to the moon and Mars!
Of course, that's all for the future. First, we need to recover the rocket using the first stage to significantly reduce operating costs.

"So, our manned spaceflight won't be possible for another twenty years?"

"Of course not. As long as the rocket is successfully developed, it can go up. It's just that in the initial stage, our reusable rocket can only be used once."

Everyone was relieved. If it were twenty years before a manned spacecraft could be launched, that would be a bit too far.

"President Qin, if you put it that way, our aerospace project will require a huge investment." Director Deng frowned. Even though Northwestern Polytechnical University is very profitable, we probably don't have the capacity to support such a massive project!

Look at the US and the Soviet Union; their manned spaceflight was funded and managed by the state. We are just a company.

"That's right, we can't do it on our own, so we need to raise funds from the public."

"What do you mean?"

“Several universities of ours will join forces to establish a dedicated Starship Company.” Qin Liang glanced at the aerospace veterans again: “Of course, our national team can also join in, since we still need you to provide things like launch sites. However, the company will be privately owned and will not be affiliated with the state. We will also need to raise a large amount of funds from the market.”

In recent years, with the deepening development of the market economy, many people have come to understand the basics of joint-stock companies. If they lack funds, they issue stocks to raise capital from the market; however…

"Principal Qin, the amount of money we need is astronomical. Is there that much money on the market?" Director Deng continued to ask.

"Of course we can't rely on the domestic market alone. Our company is global!" Qin Liang said with a smile. "There are so many space enthusiasts, including some billionaires. What's the use of all that money they make? They should take it out and support humanity's space program!"

Internationally!
Everyone was even more shocked.

"Foreigners aren't stupid..."

"Director Deng, how can this be considered foolish? This is a dream. What's the difference between a life without dreams and a salted fish?"

A reusable rocket and a large spaceship—what kind of dream is that? If we're talking about science fiction, the Space Shuttle is clearly far more futuristic!
"We need to set a higher goal." Qin Liang looked at everyone present: "Gentlemen, when the Apollo rockets were being launched one after another, did you ever think that humans would soon be able to land on Mars?"

This is no joke!

In the 1960s and 70s, as the Apollo program continued to unfold, most people believed that a successful landing on Mars would definitely be achieved in the next decade.

The results of it?
After the Apollo program ended, the grand exploration of space came to a close!
Needless to say, the Americans later lost the ability to even return to the moon, let alone land on Mars!
Countless NASA employees are also reminiscing about how glorious the Apollo era was, when the whole of America listened to them! Countless universities cooperated with them in research and development!

“Principal Qin, from a technical point of view, landing on Mars is much more difficult than landing on the Moon,” Director Deng couldn’t help but say.

The moon revolves around the earth. As long as a rocket is launched from the earth and flies towards the moon, once it passes the point of gravitational equilibrium between the two, it will be pulled by the moon's gravity. The distance of 380,000 kilometers is not very far.

What about Mars?
Mars, like Earth, revolves around the sun.

Sometimes, they will turn to the same side of the sun, at which point they will be closest.

Of course, it cannot be launched at this time, otherwise by the time the spacecraft passes by, the two will no longer be at their closest distance. After all, this distance is as high as 5460 million kilometers, which is more than a hundred times the distance between the Earth and the Moon!
The spacecraft will be launched before the two are at their closest point. Only after the two have passed their closest point will the spacecraft have a chance to reach the vicinity of Mars!
Therefore, launching a rocket to land on the moon is possible as long as the ground weather conditions are met, but launching a spacecraft to Mars would only be possible once every few years.

As for the farthest distance between the two sides, it is 400 million kilometers on either side of the sun!
To date, humanity has only launched a few Mars probes. The launch mass required to land humans on Mars would be enormous.

"Yes, it is much more difficult, but if we give up completely because of the difficulties, we will never be able to land on Mars. When Armstrong landed on the moon, he said that it was one small step for mankind, one giant leap for mankind. Now, it is up to us to take the second step!"

Tu Lao, Qi Lao, and the others all had complex expressions on their faces.

While everyone else is still considering manned spaceflight, Qin Liang has already thought about landing on Mars. This is definitely something he's rushing towards!

"So what do you plan to do?" Old Qi asked.

"First, we need larger rockets. The kind we just mentioned, with a near-Earth payload capacity of 25 tons, is definitely not enough. The near-Earth payload capacity needs to be at least 100 tons. Therefore, the thrust of our liquid oxygen methane engine also needs to be further increased to 200 to 300 tons, with multiple engines running in parallel."

As for how to proceed... Qin Liang was confident. As long as he followed Musk's plan, there would be no problem. After all, in the long run, Starship's plan was the most likely to succeed.

"The rocket is divided into two parts, the lower one can be understood as a super-weighted booster. After it is launched, it is recovered, refueled, and can be launched again. The upper stage not only contains the spacecraft, but also a large number of fuel tanks and engines."

According to Musk's plan, Qin Liang continued, "In space, we also need to build a refueling space station. After all, once we reach Earth orbit, the fuel will be almost used up. Once the upper stage is refueled in space, we can fly directly to Mars. To achieve large-scale deployment, we need to prepare at least one hundred rockets."

One hundred!

What do you mean?
Everyone was shocked.

"Mars is different from the Moon. It's too far from Earth. If only two or three people go there, they will definitely be lonely. If hundreds of rockets fly to Mars, they can carry hundreds or even thousands of people. This will allow us to start interstellar migration directly. Of course, half of the rockets will also carry various production equipment."

On Mars, we can start production directly, saving everything from being transported from Earth!

This is what long-term planning is all about!
"Growing potatoes on Mars?" Old Qi couldn't help but ask.

"Not just potatoes, but other products, especially rocket fuel," Qin Liang said. "Our liquid oxygen methane engine can use fuel synthesized on-site on Mars. After all, taking off from the surface of Mars requires a lot of fuel."

Oxygen is easy to find; as long as water or ice can be found on Mars, it can be electrolyzed into hydrogen and oxygen.

The oxygen in the gas can be used for human respiration or liquefied and used as an oxidant for spacecraft. As for the methane fuel, carbon is also needed. This requires capturing carbon dioxide from Mars, separating the carbon atoms, and then reacting them with hydrogen to produce methane.

Although hydrogen can be used as fuel, its processing is extremely complicated, and there's the troublesome issue of hydrogen embrittlement, a problem that seems unsolvable.

Since 95 percent of Mars' atmosphere is carbon dioxide, methane is clearly a more suitable candidate.

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Principal Qin, did you come prepared all along?"

Manned spaceflight is just the first step; flying to the moon is nothing compared to this. Our ultimate goal is to fly to Mars!

"Not really. Since we're having a space conference today, I'll just give a brief overview," Qin Liang said with a smile.

This is not just a simple statement; it paves the way for human spaceflight for fifty or even a hundred years!
"Of course, flying to Mars is just a long-term dream, but I believe that this dream alone can attract many people to invest money in our Starship company."

What?
Was that just empty promise? Was it all just to lure people into investing?

The expressions on everyone's faces became quite interesting.

"Everyone, that's roughly my plan. From now on, how our manned space program proceeds depends on everyone's opinions. We need to be democratic, after all." So-called democracy is actually the least efficient behavior. Look at Europe, just wanting to install a traffic light at an intersection requires surveying public opinion, holding countless meetings, and various coordination efforts. In the end, it took four or five years to finally install it.

In this process, everyone's rights are fully protected, but... the efficiency is at its lowest. Such a society cannot make any further progress.

Once they get used to this efficiency, we will leave them far behind.

Take the electric vehicle industry as an example. When they are used to spending five years designing a new car, we have already iterated two or three generations in the same amount of time. How can we catch up?

Of course, for new cars that are completed in one or two years, defects are not a problem, the road test period is not a problem, there are many guinea pigs willing to test the new car for free, even if the self-driving technology touted by the salesperson causes a car accident, even if the high-end hidden door handles cannot be opened from the outside during the accident... they have to accept it. The elites who pursue technology do not care about these things.

"I think Principal Qin's plan is the best," Director Deng stated first.

“That’s right. Flying to Mars is a long-term goal, while manned spacecraft is a practical action at this stage.” Professor Pan nodded.

"As long as it can be reused, I have no objection," Professor Wei stated.

So everyone nodded in agreement.

"Old Tu, Old Qi, where are you?"

"Our aerospace system will strongly support this project," Elder Tu said. "Although it's a privately-owned enterprise, it's still part of our country's!"

The government certainly doesn't have the money to invest. Private enterprises have achieved a major breakthrough in manned spaceflight, and the government can also benefit. Although it will attract a lot of investment, those investments will only be investments, and the government will absolutely not have the right to interfere.

Moreover, even if there is external interference, as long as the company is located on our territory, the state can acquire it when necessary and transform it into a state-owned company.

Everyone agreed!

"Director Deng, then you can discuss the specifics and then announce it to the public. There may not be much external investment in the initial stage, but don't worry, as long as the project starts, people will see the potential of our project."

"Ah."

"Let's call our newly established company Starship Corporation!"

Across the ocean, NASA.

As the sun slowly rose in the east, James Montgomery Bergers yawned and walked into his office, where he saw his sexy female secretary swaying her hips as she approached.

"Director, the Easterners have announced a new space program."

"Hmph, what new plans could they possibly have? Ever since they parted ways with us, their spaceplane program has also come to nothing, hasn't it? In the field of aerospace, we are the strongest!"

As he spoke, he sat down in his large, comfortable chair, took the documents from his female secretary, and his eyes widened after just one glance.

"Flying to Mars? Are the Easterners launching another satellite?"

Are you kidding me!
Is flying to Mars even within the reach of current human technology? Even the United States can't do it, after all, the investment required would be hundreds of times that of the Apollo program! The Apollo moon landing alone has drawn criticism from many for the government wasting money.

just now……

He continued reading, his brow furrowing more and more as he looked.

To say that landing on Mars is a pipe dream would be considered by any aerospace expert, but after reviewing the entire technical plan, it seems... entirely possible!
"So, are people from the East really going to research technology to fly to Mars?"

"do not know."

"Call all engineers for a meeting immediately!"

Inside the meeting room, everyone was in high spirits.

"This route for liquid oxygen methane is truly unique!"

"That's right. The liquefaction temperatures of these two fuels are similar, so a common-bottom fuel tank can be used to reduce the weight of the outer shell."

"The combustion was very clean, with no residue and no hydrogen embrittlement."

"I heard that a low-thrust liquid oxygen-methane engine has been installed in the upper stage of the Long March rocket. The technology of the East is amazing."

Everyone was full of praise!

Bergs glanced at everyone: "Gentlemen, don't you think this plan is nonsense? Putting everything else aside, just vertical recovery alone is impossible!"

"Yes, it's definitely impossible with our technology, but Northwestern Polytechnical University has top-notch electronic technology. As long as we can precisely control the rocket's attitude, it's actually quite possible."

"Burns, you're really that optimistic about Eastern technology? Why don't you quit your job and go work for this crappy Starship Company?"

Burns fell silent.

In fact, he was genuinely tempted.

The Apollo era is over, and NASA is getting worse every day, especially with Star Wars, which is all hype but mostly fake! NASA hasn't benefited much from it.

Moreover, Star Wars was about fighting wars, while this project in the East is for the advancement of human space exploration!

The leap from the moon to Mars is enormous!
Most of the people present were idealistic and did not want their youth to be wasted by these bureaucrats!

Seeing Burns lower his head, Bergs finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Do you think NASA can participate in this project?"

Didn't you have the same idea?

Burns gave him a disapproving look.

"The East has no reserves in manned spaceflight. If NASA joins in, we can take the lead in this project. Then, we'll make them set up Starship's headquarters in the United States, and all research and development results will be ours!"

Burns rolled his eyes at him again. "You actually have this idea? What a joke! Why did our previous collaboration on spaceplanes at NASA fail?"
How could people from the East allow this company to have its headquarters located in the United States?
“Burns, since you like this project so much, then come with me to the East. We’ll talk to them!”

Burns glanced at him with a complicated expression, then nodded: "Okay!"

Dongfang, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Department of Aerospace Engineering.

"We're from NASA, and we want to see your Principal Qin."

"Principal Qin is unavailable. He has asked me to receive you all." Director Deng said earnestly.

"I'm the NASA administrator, and I've come to see one of your university presidents, and he's unwilling to see me?"

Beggs was furious.

"I'm sorry, Principal Qin is really busy."

Since you've come with no real sincerity, why would Principal Qin possibly come to see you?

Director Deng glanced at them and said, "If you insist on seeing Principal Qin, then you'll just have to wait."

"How long?"

"Maybe three to five days, maybe a few months."

"Hmph, how can you be so insincere! We might as well leave! Our American manned spaceflight technology is the most advanced in the world. Without us, your Mars plan cannot succeed."

"Then I'll take you there."

What?
These Easterners really don't care about them!

(End of this chapter)