Advanced Players in Arc

"Chairman, this is the slipway. Please be careful and try not to get close to the edge of this slipway."

As soon as the last airlock was opened, the moment Dong Chen and the others walked out, Niu Baichuan began to remind Dong Chen to pay attention to safety.

When he originally wanted to ask Dong Chen if he would be uncomfortable walking on such metal ground wearing electromagnetic shoes, he suddenly realized that the chairman next to him was not an ordinary chairman. He had entered space much earlier than him. Yes, various world records were set at that time.

He quickly looked from Dong Chen's head to his feet, and paid attention to Dong Chen's walking posture. Sure enough, he found that he was walking more smoothly than himself. When he came back and looked at his young face, he couldn't help but feel dissatisfied.

"I understand. I am still very concerned about my own safety." Dong Chen nodded to show that he knew, then looked around and said, "Tell me about this spaceship. What stage of construction are you at now?" ?”

"Seeing that the task execution date is coming soon, it should be almost completed, right?"

"Okay, Chairman," he breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the Chairman would not run around or do some kind of spacewalk and float around to see the ship's plan from a full perspective.

"This spacecraft that is about to carry out a mission to Mars does not yet have an official name, so the tentative name within the group is "Yuanhang 001". It is 247 meters long. When completed, it will be the largest autonomously powered space flight equipment owned by the group. , and will also be the largest autonomously powered space flight equipment in the world."

As the director of this space station, Niu Baichuan is very attentive to the things under his management, so he has all the information at his fingertips and explains it clearly to Dong Chen.

Although the length of this spacecraft is only 247 meters, it is far worse than the 1,000-meter-long Tiangong Space Station, and even worse than the 1,100-meter-long New International Space Station under construction.

However, in terms of usage classification, it is really the largest autonomously powered space flight equipment in the world.

The space station is big. Many people even say that as long as the main thruster is added, it will be a huge spaceship. Anyway, there is no air resistance and no gravity in space. So you can fly wherever you want, as long as you have fuel. Enough, it is not impossible to fly out of the solar system.

This is also the difference between the space station and the spaceship, which are both space flight equipment. That is, the space station can only fly around the earth because it has no main engine and no independent power source, while the spaceship is different. It has a main engine. , that’s how you can fly wherever you want.

And it’s not that easy to transform a space station into a spaceship.

Some people have thought about this a long time ago, especially during the Cold War. Both Mao Xiong and Ying Jiang thought about directly changing the space station into an interstellar battleship, but didn't they give up later?

Only after trying it will you know that it is quite good to float next to the earth like this. What do you want to do on your own? What do you want about an interstellar battleship?

Yes, the space station can accommodate people and load cargo. It is also equipped with a small engine and can also shift orbits. It is not much different from a spaceship except that it is a little cumbersome to drive.

At most, the space station has many cabins, while the original spaceship only has one cabin, which is like a barrel.

But if we really install a high-thrust engine on the space station, we can ensure that the space station will fall apart due to uneven force during acceleration. Especially the body of the original International Space Station does not look strong.

After all, that was how it was originally designed. Due to technical and cost issues, nothing was done about the spacecraft at all.

Although it is not possible now, many people have not given up this idea.

Isn't it because the technology is not up to par... Well, there is also the reason why there is not enough money. This is not a problem. Time can solve everything.

One day, when the technology is suitable and a country is willing to spend crazy money, people on earth will always build a space station that takes into account both.

Originally, they thought they would have to wait many years, because apart from the International Space Station, no country in the world has the strength to build a space station. Even if there is, it is only at the PPT stage.

However, the ever-evolving science fiction works have given them many satisfactory answers.

Especially in several science fiction movies, animations or TV series that reflect the near future world, they all contain the design ideas of spaceships that can be realized with today's technology, that is, the kind of spacecraft with connected cabins. It has a straight main body and a rotating gravity simulation chamber connected in a circle like a "big pendulum".

Such equipment is just like the current multi-module, truss structure and building block hybrid structure International Space Station model, but it has changed from an awkward and complex shape to a shape that is more susceptible to stress.

Unexpectedly, within a few years, the New Tiangong Space Station built by the Arc Light Group on the basis of China's Tiangong Space Station, which was not suitable for use as a spaceship, was born.

And its shape is what people have seen in previous fantasy designs and near-future science fiction works. In theory, it is a spacecraft that can fly to the distant stars with a main thruster and enough fuel.

Even because of this, some countries have advocated the "arc light threat theory", saying that with the main engine and weapons, it becomes a space battleship.

However, with the explosive development of the Arc Light Group, when the space station can really be turned into a space battleship or even a space aircraft carrier, they will not talk about it.

This is just like a joke about "suspected chemical weapons" and "really chemical weapons". The difference between the two words means different treatment.

Many people were waiting for the Arc Light Group to transform the Tiangong Space Station into a spaceship, and then drive it out to explore new areas of space. As a result, the Arc Light Group actually safely turned it into a space station and developed it into a tourist attraction.

I don’t know how many people behind this scolded the Arc Light Group for squandering resources. Instead of exploring the starry sky for the future of mankind, such a good thing would stay at home and collect money to open a scenic spot.

Of course, there are still few such people, and most people can understand it. After all, if there is no money, this "spaceship" will not fly far.

Arclight Group is not a state agency, and there is no state financial support behind it. It is a completely private enterprise. If it cannot make money, it will have to wait to die.

Moreover, the Arc Light Group is already the most cutting-edge technology group on earth. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a science fiction drama in itself. Being able to enter the civilian market is a step in the development of technology. The Arc Light Group has done a good job. .

The next nine space stations were built at the same time, the moon base and the moon were built, etc. These were all projects that shocked the world, and even after getting rich, they did not forget about technological breakthroughs. This is not a spaceship bound for Mars. It's almost finished.

This spacecraft that is about to carry out a mission to Mars is actually similar to the Hermes spacecraft in "The Martian". It also has a straight hull and a rotating gravity simulation cabin. However, the difference is that the Arclight Group's spacecraft does not have a solar array. , so it looks "stronger".

The reason why this important free energy source was given up is because of the success of the controllable nuclear fusion reaction device in the lunar base some time ago.

With it, coupled with the Arclight Group's helium-3 mine on the moon, this spacecraft will have a steady stream of energy to use, and it will also use a solar array that looks like crunchy seaweed.

Coupled with the high-performance ion engine technology developed by Dong Chen, it will take less than 20 days for this spacecraft to fly to Mars during the optimal landing window. Even if it is made from the furthest distance, it will take up to half a year to reach Mars. .

This is definitely a super speed in the history of Earth's spaceflight. Any previous mission to Mars was rare and extremely troublesome.

At present, the fastest spacecraft or exploration satellites to transport Mars probes to Mars will take at least half a year to reach Mars, and this time occurs during the Mars landing window.

Otherwise, if the launch window is missed, the mission will not be carried out at all, and it will be abandoned directly, and then it will take a little more than two years to start the Mars mission again.

And this window period is not fixed, nor does it mean that the Earth and Mars have reached the closest point, but that it is still a few months away from reaching the closest point. This is the best time for you to launch the rocket.

It changes according to the change of the delivery vehicle, so you can only prepare in advance. If you are delayed due to something during this period, then I am sorry, not only the mission will be cancelled, but the economic loss and other losses will also be considerable.

To put it simply, both balls are spinning in circles, and they are also spinning around the sun. Everyone is on the same ecliptic, and the location is suitable. It is best to launch a spacecraft or detector from the earth and fly to the original place after a long time travel. When Mars is calculated to be at its closest point to the Earth, Mars also happens to appear at this closest point, just in time to meet the spacecraft detector.

Otherwise, if you miss this time, you will still have to chase Mars or wait for Mars. This situation is too risky.

Because if you wait for a period of time in the vast universe, your machine may encounter something. If the service life is reduced, it is still a good thing. If it is scrapped in the complex space environment, you will lose money.

If you are chasing Mars, let alone that. The reason why humans have to wait for this suitable window period is because the rocket capacity is limited. Even if the extra fuel allows you to chase Mars, the possibility of you catching up is not very high.

This is still in the state of transporting cargo. If astronauts are installed here, the variables will be even greater. Fortunately, humans do not yet have the ability to send astronauts to Mars, so that another tragedy will not occur in the history of human spaceflight.

So if you encounter such a situation, you have to wait 26 months and wait for the next window period before launching.

Of course, this kind of history will become a thing of the past.

Because Arclight Group’s technology allows humans to not be limited by the launch window, and is equipped with excellent ion engine technology and a controllable nuclear fusion reaction device that can provide sustained and strong energy, the spacecraft can shuttle to the earth in a short time. and Mars.

Even when Mars is the farthest away from the Earth, it can basically be reached in half a year. This is already the shortest time that current aircraft can launch during the launch window. This shows how great the contrast is.

"Chairman, the main frame part is now completed, and the rotating simulated gravity cabin, which is the main living cabin of the members, as well as the cockpit, passages, ion engine refrigerant storage tank, etc. are all tested normally."

"Currently under construction are the controllable nuclear fusion device and the main engine. Their completion rate has reached more than half. In addition, some internal living modules are still being installed. They will definitely be completed successfully before the mission is carried out."

Niu Baichuan followed Dong Chen from one side of the platform to the other while introducing him to the situation in detail.

"Well, the construction went very quickly, faster than originally planned. It's a good job." Dong Chen came to the side of the slipway and praised Niu Baichuan.

Watching Dong Chen gradually walk to the slipway, Niu Baichuan's heart was lifted. However, he was still very happy when he received Dong Chen's praise, "This, haha, the chairman has praised me."

"Actually, it's all the engineers who are working. They are the hardest workers. I just need to do the preparations well so that the engineers can eat well and rest well so that they can work wholeheartedly."

Dong Chen shook his head when he heard this and said, "Very good. You have done a lot. I will never forget any of the heroes you deserve."

"I remember that this spacecraft should also have two transport planes to carry, right? They will be used for landing on Mars. What is the progress of their manufacturing now? Is it completed?"

"It's done, Chairman," Niu Baichuan said, "Originally, the aerospace company had a task of transforming transport aircraft, because now the moon mission also requires a large number of transport aircraft to participate, and the Mars mission requires the transport aircraft to overlap, so it can Use it directly."

"There was a transport aircraft that was being refitted in the company before, so the two transport aircraft for the Mars mission are easy to solve. Once the hull is completely completed, the two transport aircraft can come up for mounting, because if they are mounted now, Some hinder the construction work on the hull.”

"That's good," Dong Chen looked around and saw the passage into the spacecraft that he passed by before and said, "Let's go inside and have a look."

"Okay, Chairman, please come this way." Niu Baichuan said with an invitation gesture.

"Um."

Dong Chen looked at the Mars mission spacecraft under construction one after another, and also used his break time to meet with the engineers on the space station to encourage them.

After all, this is the first manned Mars exploration mission in human history. It has never been done before in human history. Unlike the previous journey to the moon, which was already preceded by others, this manned Mars mission of the Arc Light Group, then It's definitely number one.

This spaceship is a very important means of transportation for this mission, and it is also the first spacecraft in human history that can conduct space voyages. Dong Chen is also a little excited.

PS: I insisted on updating during the Chinese Valentine's Day, and I was even moved by myself.