Great Country Academician

On the other side, Jinling.

To the east of Qixia District, in the Xiashu area between Jiangzhen and Rongju, in a newly built aerospace base, a huge space shuttle is lying quietly in the giant assembly center factory.

After the initial manned spaceflight project was launched, Xinghai Research Institute found a piece of land in the remote suburbs of Jinling to build a space center.

In addition to the necessary buildings for aerospace projects such as the launch center and the general control center, this space center also has a huge assembly center.

This huge space shuttle was assembled in this assembly center.

In fact, it would save more money if the assembly and launch of the space shuttle were moved to other space bases. However, Xu Chuan acquired land and built a new space center of his own near Jinling not only for the development of the aerospace field. of.

Although assembling and constructing space shuttles and completing space missions are indeed the core tasks of this space center, in addition, the manufacturing and development of intelligent industries and the construction of a set of standards belonging to Xinghai Research Institute are also tasks of this space center. .

Just like the design, construction and assembly of this space shuttle, it is a good example.

Under the leadership of Academicians Weng Yunzong and Chang Huaxiang, and led by the Xinghai Research Institute/Aerospace Research Institute, while completing the construction of the space center, it also partially completed the intelligent production of the equipment center.

For example, building an unmanned production and assembly workshop can complete the assembly or processing of some parts through hardware and software such as intelligent/modular transportation equipment and transportation pipelines, robotic arms, and intelligent control centers.

In addition, last year Xu Chuan came up with a plan to build a structure that meets the standards of the institute and uses big data and intelligent systems to control the research process and material product suppliers. He also conducted a preliminary project on the assembly of this space shuttle. experiment.

Although there were many problems encountered during the process, at least it was completed completely, providing a lot of experience and foundation for the subsequent overall rollout of Xinghai Research Institute.

Standing in the factory, Yang Han, the general manager of the Air Force Equipment Division, and Academician Tian Xinyuan, the chief designer, looked up at the huge machine parked in front of them, their eyes full of excitement, excitement and shock.

The first space shuttle equipped with an electric propulsion system-aerospace engine and a miniaturized controllable nuclear fusion system is completed!

It can be said that this is a miracle in the history of aerospace and will also usher in a new reform in the history of aerospace!

"Incredible, I didn't expect you guys to actually do it."

Standing in the crowd, a researcher from the Air Force Equipment Department wearing black-rimmed glasses pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose and sighed with a shocked look in his eyes.

Although he already knew about the completion of the space shuttle before coming here, when he saw this behemoth with his own eyes, I am afraid not only him, but also the experts and professors of the entire Air Force Equipment Department were shocked.

This is a super aircraft with an astonishing length of 68.6 meters and a wingspan of 41.4 meters.

Although its size is still some distance from the An-225, the largest aircraft in history, it is already close to the An-225's brother An-124. Overall, it is just that the wings are shorter.

If placed in a commercial airliner, its size would be comparable to the queen of the skies, the Boeing 747, except that the wings would be shorter.

Standing next to Xu Chuan, Academician Tian Xinyuan, the chief designer of the Air Force Equipment Department, stared at the space shuttle in front of him, and said thoughtfully: "Compared to the space shuttles of the United States and Hongsu, the wings of your space shuttle It seems like it’s going to look a lot longer?”

Although the space shuttle does not belong to the category of fighter jets, he who has been focusing on the aerospace field for many years has keenly noticed the differences between the space shuttle in front of him and the space shuttles developed by the United States and Hongsu.

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded, saying: "Yes, compared to the space shuttle over there, the wingspan of this space shuttle is about one-half longer."

"Because of the different flying methods?" Tian Xinyuan added after thinking for a while.

Nodding, Xu Chuan said: "Well, the space shuttle in the United States relies on external boosters for takeoff and orbit. Most of its wings are designed only to provide support in the atmosphere when landing. A certain amount of thrust to save fuel.”

"But ours is different. Its flight method is more similar to traditional civil aviation airliners or fighter jets. It needs to use a long and narrow take-off runway to take off. Only when it reaches the critical point will it switch to the power output mode and change the flight angle. Into orbit.”

"So the lift provided by the wing is quite important to it. Setting the wing wider and longer can provide more lift in the atmosphere."

On the side, Tian Xinyuan stared at the space shuttle not far away, thought for a while and said: "What about the load? How big can its load be?"

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and replied: "This is a usage environment with different scores."

"Under the critical point of the atmosphere, its payload can reach about 120 tons, which is slightly lower than the Boeing 747. If you want to carry supplies into low-Earth orbit and climb gravity wells, its load will be slightly lower than previously designed. It can reach up to 61.45 tons."

"As for it breaking away from gravity and entering outer space, the load capacity is meaningless to it. However, the cargo hold capacity of this space shuttle is about 330m, which can carry supplies."

"Hiss~!"

Hearing Xu Chuan's introduction, the visiting experts and professors from the Air Force Equipment Department gasped.

Three hundred and thirty cubic meters of space, which is almost the size of the International Space Station.

The assembly of the International Space Station took several years to gradually launch and assemble the core module, experimental module and other components.

If this space shuttle takes off once and successfully enters orbit and enters outer space, it will be equivalent to launching a complete space station into space at once.

In fact, the 330 cubic meters of space Xu Chuan mentioned is the cargo hold capacity of this space shuttle.

This does not include other use areas, such as the cockpit, power module, astronauts' living and activity module, etc.

You must know that its size is only smaller than the wingspan of the Boeing 747, and its fuselage itself is not much smaller.

The cargo hold capacity of the Boeing 747 passenger aircraft is as high as 670 cubic meters. In other words, in comparison, only half of the space of this space shuttle can be used to carry supplies, and the rest is occupied by various instruments and equipment.

But despite this, the supplies it can carry, especially when in outer space, are still amazing.

With one replenishment, a large-scale activity base or small space station can even be established on the moon.

Compared with traditional launch vehicles and manned spaceflight, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a new revolution in the aerospace field.

Among the crowd, Chief Yang Han from the Air Force Equipment Department was even more shocked and excited. While listening to Xu Chuan's introduction, he was taking deep breaths to control his emotions.

Regardless of other things, the infinite endurance of this space shuttle alone, whether in the atmosphere or above low-Earth orbit, is unparalleled by any turbojet aircraft.

And the huge and spacious space allows the space shuttle to cruise in low-Earth orbit forever in a form similar to a space station.

But there is no doubt that its maneuverability and sensitivity are also unmatched by the space station.

The space station is fixed in orbit and cannot escape, but this space shuttle is completely different. It can come down from low-Earth orbit at any time, enter the atmosphere and maintain the ability to move.

This alone is enough to form an unimaginable strategic deterrent to the outside world.

"By the way, speaking of, do you have a name for your space shuttle? What is it called?"

In the factory, Yang Han suddenly came back to his senses, looked at the behemoth in front of him and asked curiously.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, "Of course."

"Its name is 'Xinghai'."

After a pause, he looked up at the huge space shuttle in front of him, and continued: "Although it has the same name as the institute, the sea of ​​​​stars represents the dream of the institute and also represents my dream. Looking up at the sea of ​​​​stars, it is the future!"

PS: The second update has arrived, please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket from the big guys.