A big country of aerospace with black technology

The universe is vast and boundless.

It not only says that the universe is huge, but also emphasizes the emptiness of the universe.

Within the universe, there are a large number of vacuum zones.

Although these cosmic spaces are not very empty from a quantum perspective.

But on a macro scale, the matter here is indeed very thin.

This also leads to the fact that when conducting deep space navigation, we have to consider the issue of material replenishment.

At present, almost all deep space probes use working fluid propulsion.

It relies on the reaction force when the working fluid is ejected to propel the spacecraft into flight.

In fact, in this era, almost all power machinery used uses working fluid for propulsion.

However, this method has major drawbacks during deep space navigation.

That is working fluid propulsion, which requires carrying a lot of working fluid, which will further increase the mass of the spacecraft.

However, there is no such disadvantage in propelling without working medium.

Because no working fluid is required, a large amount of mass can be saved in terms of fuel.

"We are currently more optimistic about solar sail propulsion."

Zhou Xuan from the Deep Space Exploration Institute was talking on the stage.

This is the venue for a seminar on future space navigation methods.

It is mainly for research and discussion on future exploration of the outer planets of the solar system.

"Sunlight is already very faint outside the orbit of Jupiter."

"How are you going to solve this problem?"

Zhang Xingyang was a little curious, had they ever thought about this issue.

Solar sails mainly use the light pressure generated by sunlight shining on a huge canvas to propel the spacecraft.

Just like those traditional sailing ships, sailing in the universe.

But there is a problem, that is, there must be strong enough sunlight to be able to support such a sail.

"We have no plans to use solar sail technology beyond the orbit of Jupiter. We mainly intend to use this technology within the asteroid belt."

"Within the asteroid belt, the intensity of sunlight can generate enough thrust to propel the light sail."

Zhou Xuan obviously came prepared. Even if Zhang Xingyang raised a question, she didn't panic at all.

"Beyond the orbit of Jupiter, we intend to use laser sail technology."

The laser sail looks similar to the solar sail, and the main thrust comes from the huge canvas.

But the source of thrust between the two is not the same.

Laser sails, as the name suggests, derive their thrust from lasers.

The laser device on the propulsion sail will continuously illuminate the canvas to generate thrust.

As for the power source of the laser device, it mainly comes from the internal nuclear battery.

Of course, such a laser propulsion device is a product of this era that has to be compromised.

In later generations, there was a more advanced laser propulsion infrastructure.

That is an ultra-high-power laser emitting device built in the asteroid belt.

Through precise interstellar positioning, the laser can be irradiated onto the laser sail on the spacecraft sailing in the outer solar system.

Because the density of matter in the universe is quite low, it will not weaken as quickly as it does on the surface of the planet.

Therefore, this method of sailing is actually very economical.

Of course, when there is danger, these ultra-powerful laser emission devices are also a line of defense for the solar system, capable of burning interstellar pirates who cause trouble, or small meteorites discovered by detectors scattered throughout the solar system.

This can also be regarded as an important manifestation of infrastructure construction in the interstellar era.

"With laser sails, we can weave metal wires into a mesh to reflect laser light and generate thrust. This makes it lighter than the reflective film of a solar sail and can also produce greater thrust."

Zhou Xuan briefly introduced their technical route forecast for laser sails.

In fact, this also shows that the Deep Space Exploration Institute itself is actually more inclined to adopt the laser sail solution.

But in reality, not everyone likes propellant-free propulsion.

In this world, some people like it and some don't.

"Sorry, I don't agree with the refrigerant-free promotion plan just introduced by Director Zhou."

After Zhou Xuan finished speaking, Geng Bo raised his hand to indicate that he wanted to speak.

Zhang Xingyang nodded and agreed with him to start speaking.

As the host of this meeting, Zhang Xingyang himself has no preference for any technical route.

In his eyes, both routes have their own shortcomings.

"First let's talk about the issue of solar sails."

Geng Bo began to express his opinions.

"Director Zhou just admitted his shortcomings. He is too dependent on the sun and can only be used in the inner solar system."

"This is also the reason why I don't agree with the solar sail solution. In the inner solar system, because of the distance problem, we can definitely use the working medium propulsion solution."

Most of the people present work within the aerospace system.

Geng Bo just raised his head and everyone understood what he meant.

In the inner solar system, because the distance is not very far.

The use of working fluid propulsion actually has advantages in terms of speed and cost.

Moreover, there are actually a lot of technologies in the field of working fluid propulsion in China, and they are relatively simple to develop.

"In the outer solar system, there are still big problems with using laser sail propulsion solutions."

"The most important thing among them is the laser device!"

Geng Bo's words directly hit the point where Zhou Xuan just avoided the important and ignored the light.

Laser equipment is one of the few scientific research fields in China that is at the international first-class level.

But even if it is world-class, it cannot miniaturize high-power lasers.

Allowing the spacecraft to carry such a device greatly increases the weight.

So the so-called weight reduction without working fluid propulsion actually becomes impossible to talk about.

Zhang Xingyang knows that this is the helplessness of this era.

Change to more than a hundred years later, after the space infrastructure is completed.

After having a group of high-power laser devices in the asteroid belt, no one will still worry about the problem of laser sails.

"Then if you use working fluid propulsion, can you solve this problem?"

At this time, Zhou Xuan's temper also rose a little.

Ignoring the rules of the venue, he started a fight with Geng Bo without his consent.

"Quiet!"

Zhang Xingyang slapped the table, forcing the two people above him to calm down.

"We are sitting here today just discussing feasible deep space navigation options in the future."

"It's not that we need to determine the winner of each plan!"

Zhang Xingyang's words are a bit like giving a thumbs up.

But he doesn't have any good ideas. In fact, in the future era when deep space exploration will become more and more frequent.

There are more such quarrels and they are more intense.

Behind this, it involves more than just technical issues.

What's more, it's a struggle for interests.

Since Geng Bo is in the Rocket Research Institute, he is definitely more interested in working fluid propulsion.

Zhang Xingyang didn't have any good solutions to this problem.

After all, he himself also serves as the director of the Rocket Research Institute.

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