Warship of Great Power

The orbital module is the Dragon spacecraft. Before the successful construction of large stainless steel starships, this was the best means of transportation to and from space.

However, the service module at the back of the Dragon spacecraft is larger. If there is not enough fuel, it will not be able to bring the personnel back.

"In order to better complete the mission, we have also prepared a third starship, which also has a Dragon spacecraft hanging on it, to be responsible for the response." Max introduced.

Although it is said that there is insurance, we still cannot slack off in the preparations that need to be done. Just like when Dongfang builds a space station, there must be a spacecraft on the ground that is always on standby. Once something happens to the space station, especially the docking spacecraft on the space station. When something goes wrong, rockets have to be launched from the ground to bring them back.

"We have to spend a lot of money for this moon landing," Qin Tao said.

"Yes, but that's okay. If you don't need it this time, you can still use it next time." Max said.

This is true. The general reserve spacecraft will be used in the next launch and cannot be wasted.

Anyway, Qin Tao just listened. The specific work arrangements were all Max's and he didn't have to worry about anything. The two of them talked while walking forward and came to the astronaut preparation cabin.

Spaceflight activities are serious. Astronauts usually start making various preparations within 24 hours before liftoff, including emptying their intestines to avoid sudden onset of symptoms during launch.

Zhao Dong and Pan Chun were both veterans, so there was nothing to worry about. Carlos was always excited when he went to heaven for the first time. Although he didn't have to do anything but be a passenger, he didn't know how to do anything. To worry, like the commander of a spaceship.

"Zhao, we must not be nervous before launching, especially when breaking through the black barrier."

"Pan, we are going to the moon together this time. If you need any help, just ask. Even though I am a passenger and a member of this mission, I will never leave you behind."

When Qin Tao walked in, he happened to hear this sentence and suddenly became curious: "Is Pan Chun coming up?"

"Yes, Pan Chun has always wanted to go to the moon and have a look, so this is the chance for him." Zhao Dong smiled, who wouldn't want to go up there? But there are always people who want to stay. After all, the current lunar module is too small and can only accommodate two people.

"There will be opportunities in the future. Our Starship Company's lunar tickets will be available every year." Max said.

Anyway, the title of No. 1 is the most important. Whoever goes up after that will not have much fame. It doesn’t matter if you go first or later.

Zhao Dong nodded and continued to prepare. The medical staff were busy coming and going, and it was not convenient for Qin Tao to stay longer, so he came out soon.

November 11th is a famous festival. In later generations, this festival was called Singles’ Day, and later became Hand-Chopping Festival. But today, here, this festival has a more important meaning: Moon Landing Day!

The three astronauts walked out of the small building and took a car to the launch tower. Under the launch tower, many people were already standing.

"This time the launch window happens to be during the day, which is pretty good." Qin Tao looked at the blue sky without a trace of clouds and nodded with great satisfaction.

"Yes, it's just right to see off our expedition team, and the photos taken will be more beautiful." Max nodded. What he valued most was the publicity effect.

With the successful launch of the lunar module, there was a sensation all over the world. By the way, the stock price of Starship Company rose a lot. Max was so happy that he could not close his mouth. Their Starship Company was listed separately, and they made a lot of money on the stock market. All the money they have can be used to invest in research and development. They are embarrassed to take money from the group. They have to turn the aerospace industry into a profitable project. Only then can they be capable.

"Report to President Qin that preparations for the first moon landing have been completed. Request to depart, astronaut Zhao Dong."

"Pan Chun."

"Carlos Elu!"

"Set off!"

Pan Chun and Zhao Dong made a skillful backward turn from the right. Carlos, because he was anxious, actually turned to face Zhao Dong, and then changed directions again, which was a bit funny.

This was a live broadcast, so the whole world saw Carlos' performance. The originally serious departure ceremony was made a bit nonsensical.

The three people carried the life support system in their hands, walked to the launch pad, took the elevator, and came to the Dragon spacecraft at the top. This spacecraft has performed manned launch missions more than once and is now very mature. Except for the service module captain below. Except for one paragraph, there is almost no difference.

Zhao Dong was the first to go in, and Carlos was the second. Before entering, he waved to the camera: "Goodbye Earth, Moon, here I come!"

Carlos got into the Dragon spacecraft. The camera inside the spacecraft captured his figure. It can be seen that he was still a little nervous. When fastening his seat belt, he actually stuffed his seat belt buckle into Pan who came in after him. Chun's seat, so when Pan Chun came in, he found that his seat belt could not be inserted, and then he discovered Carlos's mistake.

"Carlos keeps having problems. Will there be an accident during the flight?" Someone asked Max worriedly.

Max smiled: "That's good. This way, if something happens, it can be blamed on Carlos, and maybe the insurance company won't have to pay compensation."

As a result, the person who asked the question was very embarrassed.

"Carlos was just trying to relieve the tense atmosphere. These small actions of his will be recorded in history." Qin Tao said.

Several people were already chatting and laughing, while other people in the launch base had mixed emotions.

The veteran experts of the national team looked at the big screen and didn't know what to say. Our Shenzhou spacecraft has matured and is currently building a space station. In short, they are all wandering around the earth. But what about the Starship Company? Already landing on the moon!

No matter how hard I try, I can't catch up!

Time passed slowly, launch preparations were carried out in an orderly manner, and the countdown finally entered.

"Our rocket is new, and it will surely create the same miracle again." Max is full of expectations. He entered space in the shortest time last time, and he can do it this time too!

"Don't worry about this. It doesn't matter even if you go around a few more times. Safety comes first." Qin Tao was a little confused.

"No, no, time is the benefit. The shorter the time, the higher the utilization rate of our spacecraft, and the faster the cost can be recovered."

As he spoke, the countdown had reached zero and the rocket began to ignite.

"They all ignited successfully, with the greatest thrust!" Looking at the data fed back by the rocket, Max's hands clenched into fists, yeah!

Eighteen rocket engines provide powerful thrust. After trembling slightly, the entire rocket flies into the sky, faster and faster!

A large number of people were watching at the scene, and even more people were watching the live broadcast. Globally, at least 500 million people were watching this live broadcast!

As long as you have money, you can go to heaven and even go to the moon!

The live broadcast screen switched to the interior of the Dragon spacecraft. At this time, three people were lying on the seats, bearing the overload of the rocket taking off. Carlos was taking off for the first time. At this time, he was extremely nervous. He tightly grasped the armrest next to him with both hands. .

Pan Chun gritted his teeth, "Brother, I know you're nervous, so there's no need to grab my arm so hard."

"The overload of a rocket taking off is very large, so it is not the most suitable means of transportation into space. Our Mingzhou Group is developing a new generation of flying tools. Using a space plane to enter space will make passengers feel like flying on an airplane. There will be too much reaction." If the live broadcast is just showing pictures, it won't be very interesting, so there must be commentary, and such a task naturally falls on Zhang Zhong.

While he was live broadcasting, he was inserting personal information at the same time, and the name of the strategic deception bureau chief was not for nothing.

"Okay, now the first-stage rocket falls off and the second-stage rocket ignites. As you can see, the whole process is relatively stable. Zhao Dong and Pan Chun both behave normally. As for Mr. Carlos, I think he is better than me. It can better arouse the emotions of the audience.”

What is Carlos doing? This restless guy has already begun to play with the pen in his hand.

There are various procedures when going up to the sky. Although there is a big tablet in front of you, you still need to have a notebook in your hand. The three people all hold the record book of the launch procedure in their hands, and they also hold pens.

At this time, Carlos was trying to put the pen down, and then watched the pen float up. However, because he had not really entered space yet and was not completely weightless, the pen in Carlos's hand would fall every time he let go. It fell on his stomach, so he picked it up again and let go again. He was having fun playing with it. He was probably trying to determine when he would be able to float completely and enter space completely.

"The first-stage rocket is returning. This is also a new technology developed by Starship Company. It allows everything that can be reused to be reused, which can greatly reduce launch costs. Moreover, this brand-new rocket uses liquid oxygen. The methane engine is also a new generation engine that has been officially put into use after many experiments.”

The first batch of rockets used Lao Maozi's NK-33 engine. Qin Tao bought all the engines in stock at one go. Starship Company also used these engines to build it. However, this liquid oxygen kerosene engine can The number of reuses was not high enough to meet the needs of the Starship Company, and Max had no intention of using these engines as main engines.

Later, a large number of engine experts, including Lao Maozi's experts, worked together. This liquid oxygen methane engine improved by using NK-33 gradually matured and became the most reliable power of the Starship Company. , in addition to reuse, it is also preparing for landing on Mars.

"We all know that the two raw materials, liquid oxygen methane, can be produced using the Martian atmosphere. If you want to fly to Mars and return safely, you must use this raw material. The Starship Company's goal is Mars, and they have always They are all preparing seriously. We have reason to believe that Starship Company can complete this mission... Hey, it's floating. The pen in Carlos' hand is floating. This means that they have truly entered space and are completely weightless. In condition!"

This launch was as perfect as the last one. All the rocket engines ignited together to push the Dragon spacecraft into space, accumulating enough speed. So next, it can escape the earth's gravity in less than one circle around the earth and fly to the moon. !

Max's face was filled with excitement.

"I knew it would work, it must be possible! Our liquid oxygen methane engine is the most advanced in the world!"

In the past, connecting a large number of engines in parallel was considered foolish. For details, see Lao Maozi's N1 moon landing rocket. The first-stage rocket had thirty NK-15 engines connected in parallel. It exploded once when launched, and exploded four times after four launches. Lao Maozi could only give up this unreliable rocket and also gave up the moon landing plan.

However, that is only because the technology in the 1960s and 1970s was backward. Now, the technology is constantly maturing and can already connect a large number of rocket engines in parallel!

The production process is becoming more and more mature, and the electronic equipment is becoming more and more advanced. As long as the rocket engine does not explode, it will not affect other rocket engines.

"Yes, our aerospace technology ranks first in the world." Qin Tao was also very satisfied: "Next, let us send them to the moon."

In the live broadcast room, Zhang Zhong, who was in charge of the commentary, was full of excitement: "Everyone in front of the TV, everyone has seen that we have successfully completed the first step of the launch. Now, the orbital module is running in the earth's orbit. When they arrive When it reaches perigee, it will ignite again and embark on the journey to the moon!"

"Let's take advantage of this time to introduce the aerospace aircraft. The most complete solution at present is to combine them into orbit." Zhang Zhong was still obsessed with deception: "Currently, the East already has advanced H-6K and H-6J. As long as Improve this kind of aircraft and let it carry an aerospace plane on its back. When it flies to Mach 2 at an altitude of 20,000 meters, the ramjet engine of the aerospace plane will be ignited, and then it will continue to climb into outer space."

Zhang Zhong's deception is for certain people. This thing can not only be used for space tourism, but also has powerful military purposes!

The people at NASA didn't rest. Although it was already night here, they were still observing the launch of Starship Company. They couldn't do anything, they could only watch.

"Aerospace plane? This project shouldn't be from the Starship Company. It's probably an official project from Dongfang. They can use this kind of aircraft to launch it at any time, and it can fly to us in half an hour!"

"Yes, we have to report this to our superiors. We need to ask them to allocate funds. We need to study more advanced projects so that we can offset the growing advantages of Easterners in space."

Regardless of whether they can do it or not, they have to apply to their superiors. NASA is too hard and can never get enough scientific research funding. They have to find opponents and new projects.

They looked at the live broadcast again. At this time, the spacecraft had begun to accelerate, and the three astronauts were about to embark on the road to the moon.

"Hmph, the thrust of the rocket is not strong enough and it has to be launched twice. It is not comparable to our Apollo project." They murmured again and despised it.

The Saturn V rocket used to be huge and the most powerful tool for mankind to conquer space, but now, Americans can no longer build the same rocket.

Starship Company only has one rocket, with a near-Earth carrying capacity of only 60 tons, half of the Saturn V, and a lunar orbit carrying capacity of only more than 20 tons, so it must be divided into two.

However, no matter one or two, as long as it can fly to the moon, land and come back, that's enough!

"The second-stage rocket is working normally and will shut down after thirty seconds to perform the star-rocket separation action."

"The Yuanwang-3 survey ship reported that the speed of the orbital module has reached the second cosmic speed!"

One piece of news continues to come in.

With the first experience, this second fastest flight into orbit went smoothly. The orbital module left the moon and embarked on the journey to the moon. The live broadcast also came to an end for the time being.

"Dear viewers in front of the TV, our first phase of live broadcast has ended. When the orbital module is captured by the moon's gravity and docks with the lunar module, we will conduct a second live broadcast. At that time, our astronaut Pan Haru and passenger Carlos will officially begin their journey to the moon, and humans will set foot on the lunar surface for the first time!"

first! As soon as he said this, the people at NASA were probably going to be so angry that they were about to explode. However, the international consensus has become increasingly clear. In the eyes of everyone, the Apollo moon landing program was a scam. Now , Starship Company is the first real trip to the moon!

Moreover, Carlos also wants to be the first person to set foot on the moon, and he will not give up on striving for this status!

Qiongzhou launch base.

Max and Qin Tao left the hall, which was already crowded with countless reporters.

"Mr. Qin, three astronauts are currently flying to the moon. How do you feel at this time?"

"Mr. Marks, how will the rest of the journey be? What is the chance of success for the first docking in lunar orbit?"

"Is this double docking method as reliable as the single docking of the Apollo spacecraft?"

Among the countless questions, Max heard the last question at once.

"We do not have the ability to build a giant rocket like the Saturn V in just a few years, nor do we have the ability to launch 13 rockets in five years and maintain a good launch record. Nor can we use crude rockets. The computer completes the flight control." Max said: "So, if compared with the Saturn V, we are indeed inferior, but we just want to say that for now, our starship is the most advanced rocket in the world. Saturn Five may have existed before, but now, it is not worthy of comparison with us.”

The reporter who asked the question fell silent.

"Next we have to rush to the Capital Measurement and Control Center to complete the follow-up work there. Dear journalists, I know you are eager to report on this feat in the history of human spaceflight, but I am very sorry that I cannot accompany you for the time being."

There are also measurement and control agencies here, but they are not comparable to those in the capital, so it’s time to go to the capital next.

"Mr. Marks, have you ever prepared for the worst?"

"I can't be the first person to land on the moon. This is already the worst thing. Can it be worse than this?" Max looked at the reporter: "I was originally very depressed, but seeing you, I don’t think so, after all, you don’t have the qualifications.”

The reporters on the side laughed.