Chapter 699 The first step towards the sea of ​​stars

 At present, the commonly used rocket shell material in the world is aluminum alloy. Just like the aircraft shell, aluminum alloy is the lightest. In some overheated parts, materials such as titanium alloy are used, which are thin and strong.

However, Starship Company used stainless steel to make the rocket casing. The stainless steel rocket shining brightly in the sun attracted the attention of countless people.

It is not only bright, but also thick!

Ordinary rockets are made into a shape that is thin on the top and thick on the bottom in order to pursue the goal of reducing air resistance. However, the starship in front of us is equally thick on the top and bottom!

This is also necessary. The thicker the rocket, the shorter it will be when carrying the same fuel. In this way, the rocket's hull will be stronger. Only some aerospace departments that do not have the strength to make rockets thicker will continue to increase the height. , eventually causing the rocket to flutter during flight. This short and thick rocket has a relatively high safety factor.

However, generally speaking, thick rockets have larger engines rather than multiple engines connected in parallel. The rocket now standing on the launch pad does not seem to be much smaller than the Saturn V of the year, but it is not as big as the Saturn. For an engine as powerful as V, it relies on parallel engines, which makes people full of doubts about it.

At that time, the Soviet Union's N1 rocket repeatedly exploded due to parallel engines. Is this method suitable now? Will there be an explosion?

"Now, the fuel filling inside the rocket has been completed, and the entire launch has entered an irreversible process. We are confident that we can complete the test launch of this rocket." Wan Zhenfu, the head of Starship Company, did not show up. The person speaking now was Max. It is also more suitable for this kind of occasion. In front of countless reporters, he gushed: "Back then, Armstrong left his first footprints on the moon. He also left a famous saying. For him, this is a small step. This is a big step for all mankind. And now, we can also proudly claim that the launch of our starship MK1 is a small step for our starship company, but it is a big step for all mankind. Big step, this means the beginning of our conquest of Mars!"

“Excuse me, do you really think this kind of starship can land on Mars?” a reporter asked.

"No." Max's answer was straightforward: "The engines we currently use do not have the ability to be reused. We are only using these engines for initial verification. In the future, we must overcome engine reuse technology and rocket recovery technology. As well as refueling technology in outer space, only when these technologies are realized can we have the ability to fly to Mars. Now, we are just a small step, but this is a determined step!"

"Excuse me, after the release of your Starlink project, it caused quite a shock around the world. Some environmentalists believe that this plan will change the appearance of space and bring about problems such as light pollution and space debris. Regarding this issue , what do you think?"

"Today is the press conference for the launch of Starship MK1. I can refuse to answer your questions, but I am very friendly to my journalist friends and always answer all questions." Max said: "We are not sorry for what didn't happen. We are worried. We are warriors who conquer space. We want to challenge the unknown. When the Wright brothers invented the airplane, some people will definitely say, don’t fly, it is dangerous, you will fall to death! When Gagarin flew out of the earth for the first time , when entering the universe, some people will definitely say, don’t go, it’s dangerous, you will become a martyr! There are always some people who are not enterprising. Not only do they not seek to make progress themselves, but they also block others from pursuing progress, and they also find all kinds of things. Use reasons to stop the progress of others, especially those so-called environmental experts. What is their purpose? It is to eliminate human technology and make humans regress back to primitive society, where they eat hair and drink blood, so as not to change the environment of the earth."

In the underground command center of the launch site, Qin Tao couldn't help but sigh as he listened to Max's answer outside: "Sure enough, his ability to brag is not inferior to mine. He makes such a fuss, avoids the important and ignores the important, hits the point directly, and exposes the ugly faces of those environmental experts. People think that Starship Company has been persecuted, and Starship Company, which pursues progress, will establish a positive image."

“That’s not necessarily true. If he attacks environmental experts like this, I’m afraid many people will resist him.”

"Really? That would be interesting." Qin Tao looked at his wife Zhao Ling, his eyes bright.

"The epitaph of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the great father of spaceflight, is engraved with this famous saying: The earth is the cradle of mankind, but mankind will not live in the cradle forever. From the beginning, they will walk through it carefully. Leave the atmosphere, and then conquer the solar system. Now, the space agencies of various countries are cowards, so this great and sacred mission is completed by our starship company!" Max continued: "Since the birth of human beings, there have been 3 million Years of history, during this period, countless species have perished. Although we humans have become the masters of this planet, we are still fragile. An extraterrestrial meteorite may make us completely extinct, just like the extinction of the dinosaurs. If that time comes, what will our descendants think? They will ask their grandfathers, grandmothers, great-grandfathers, and great-grandmothers, "Why don't you work hard, why don't you continue to move into space?" If we had the ability to navigate the universe, would we still have to worry about the destruction of the earth? We at Starship Company want to be the savior of mankind! "

The reporters below were stunned. Then, I don’t know who applauded. Then, more people started to applaud. They seemed to have forgotten that Max didn’t mention how to deal with the problems caused by Starlink at all.

 Drawing a pie, talking about ideals, or the lofty ideals of all mankind, this is Marx's routine, and this routine looks very much like that.

 After the press conference, Max came to the underground command center. The atmosphere here was already tense.

Generally speaking, the launch command center will not be too far away from the launch site, which facilitates on-site command at any time in the event of an accident. However, at the same time, the launch command center must ensure safety. After all, the rocket is filled with easily If the burning object explodes, it will spread to the surrounding areas.

If it is in a mountainous area, the command center and the launch site are separated by a mountain. It is safest to hide behind the mountain. If it is a plain, the only option is to dig the command center underground. Even if there is a fire and explosion on the ground, it will not be affected. arrive.

Of course, that is just the worst-case scenario. No one wants that to happen. They would rather see the rocket soar into the sky.

 “Half an hour, the countdown begins!”

From the ten-hour countdown to the current half-hour countdown, the rocket is getting closer and closer to takeoff, and the atmosphere on the scene is getting more and more tense.

Max was very calm. He glanced at the picture on the big screen in front, and then at the staff around him. There were Eastern faces and Western faces. If everyone could work together for a common dream of flying, it would definitely be great. It’s not easy, it reflects his Max’s leadership ability.

“The Yuanwang-1 space survey ship is already in place and will fully cooperate with our actions!” Wan Zhenfu said to Max.

 “Well, I hope they can work.” Max nodded.

The meaning of this sentence is also very clear: If this rocket explodes when it takes off, there will be no aerospace survey ship. Although he is confident in front of the outside world and strict in front of his subordinates, in reality Even though he himself was not 100% sure.

“It will definitely work, our rocket will definitely succeed.” Wan Zhenfu said.

 “Definitely? Why?”

"Because we have bought insurance for the rocket. If it fails, the insurance company will pay us a large sum of money." Qin Tao's voice came.

buy insurance? Get compensation? Max's eyes lit up: "Mr. Qin, how did you find a company willing to insure us?"

“Of course it depends on connections.” Qin Tao said: “The Green Venture Company opened an insurance business, and I told them hello, and they underwrote it for us.”

In the original plan, the Green Venture Company was just a shell company, the kind that would go bankrupt after buying an aircraft carrier. However, the person in charge of the company was so powerful that she became the Queen of Blockades. She really started blocking ships and also started to block ships. Moving towards the financial industry, the last time we made a fortune during the financial crisis, there were green companies. Of course, their companies also have insurance business, so it is easy for them to underwrite it.

Moreover, this is just the beginning. Every rocket launch in the future will be escorted by green innovation companies.

 “Fifteen minutes to prepare!”

 Time is still passing by.

 “Three minutes to prepare!”

No one spoke, and Qin Tao and others also looked at the big screen, where the stainless steel rockets were still reflecting the dazzling sunlight.

 The sound of countdown sounded.

Ten, nine, eight…three, two, one…light the fire!

First, a puff of white smoke came out from underneath the rocket, and then fire appeared. The huge rocket body began to shake, as if it was excited. The next second, the rocket body began to start, and its movement was very slow. Very slowly, the flames below began to appear in the lens, and the air waves rolled and soon enveloped the entire launch site.

 Spectacular, this is the most spectacular rocket launch scene, and it is also the largest rocket in China! Outside, countless cameras were focused on the rocket taking off. Looking at the rising rocket, it looked like a giant dragon from the East. Its speed was getting faster and faster, until it finally disappeared, just at the launch site. It left a huge plume of smoke pointing straight into space.

 “Succeeded, we succeeded!”

 A cheerful voice sounded.

This is the first test flight of Starship MK1. For them, as long as it does not blow up on the launch pad, it is considered a complete success. As for whether it can be put into orbit in the end, it is no longer important.

Max is also very excited: "Great, it's successful, we can take over the construction task of the International Space Station! Our carrying capacity is the strongest, which can save them a lot of rendezvous and docking work!"

At present, the most important space project in the world is the International Space Station. The construction of this space station is divided into three stages. From 1994 to now, the first stage is carried out, which mainly carries out 9 missions between the US space shuttle and the Mir space station. We gained valuable experience through rendezvous and docking. The second phase started in 1998 with initial assembly.

According to the plan, in November 1998, the first component of the International Space Station: the Dawn functional cargo module built by Damao and paid for by the United States will be launched. In December, the Unity node module built by the United States will be sent into the space shuttle Endeavor. orbit and successfully docked with Dawn. In this way, an initial space station with the capacity to carry 3 people was built.

In the later stage, it will continue to conduct multiple launches and complete the final assembly in space. The completed International Space Station will be 110 meters long and 88 meters wide, which is roughly the size of two football fields, with a total mass of more than 400 tons. If it relies on There will be dozens of launches of the space shuttle and the Proton rocket. After all, the largest component, the Dawn launched by Da Mao, is just a big guy of 24.2 tons, while the American Star Service Office, It is a 19-ton behemoth. After the two are docked, the weight is 43.2 tons. Later, two auxiliary modules were docked, making the initial International Space Station form a behemoth with a total mass of 73 tons.

Now, if the Starship MK1 is used to launch, it will be enough in one go. There are even other auxiliary modules, weighing more than ten tons, that can be launched into orbit at one time. This kind of carrying capacity is definitely the first in the world. Yes!

 The successful launch means that their rocket has commercial launch capabilities. Now they not only rely on the Mingzhou Group for funding, but they can also make money themselves.

“The first-stage rocket fell off and the second-stage rocket ignited successfully!” Another exciting news came.

“Okay, great!” Wan Zhenfu was very excited. The second-stage rocket ignited, and the rocket was successfully launched!

“Engine No. 6 is malfunctioning!”

"Shut down immediately!" Max shouted: "Synchronize the No. 3 engine on the opposite side!"

This is the advantage of having multiple engines. When it was first launched, three engines actually did not start. But now, the second-stage rocket has failed, so we can simply turn off two more engines. This is no problem, because there are still four. !

This is a bit like a multi-core CPU. After it is produced and tested, it is found that some cores have problems, so the problem cores are simply blocked and then sold. It is just that I7 has become I5, and I5 has become I3. Others are not affected.

Now, even if the two secondary rocket engines are turned off simultaneously, it can still continue to fly without causing a serious reduction in thrust.

“Dongfeng tracking is normal!” came the reply from the Yuanwang space survey ship.

“Accurate entry into orbit, we finally achieved a complete success!” Max looked at the curve on the big screen and said excitedly: “This is a moment worth celebrating. We have taken the most determined step towards flying to Mars!”

"Yes, our future is the stars and the sea, and now we have finally taken the first step!" Qin Tao said: "The group will fully support the Starship Company. We are a shipbuilder, and the spaceship is also a ship! Next, we should celebrate Drinking!"

In the world’s aerospace club, a private enterprise like Starship Company has finally appeared. Its starting point is very high, and its future is limitless!

After the Saturn-5 rocket was submerged in the long river of history, the largest heavy-lift launch vehicle in the United States is Atlas 5, which has a maximum low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of 29 tons and a synchronous earth transfer capacity of 13 tons. However, this rocket also Not all are made in the United States. The first-stage engine of this rocket uses Damao's RD-180 engine.

Lao Maozi’s largest rocket is the Energy rocket, which is a rocket of the same level as the Saturn-5. Unfortunately, after the collapse of the Red Empire, Da Maozi lost the ability to manufacture this kind of rocket. He can only continue to rest on his laurels and use the Proton rocket to take the lead.

As for Europe, Ariane-5 is a large launch vehicle developed by the European Aeronautics Agency with European efforts. Its low-Earth orbit carrying capacity has also reached 21 tons. However, its carrying capacity is only one-third of the Starship MK1. Moreover, the first launch failed, the second launch partially failed, and it was only after the third launch that it was considered a complete success and entered commercial operation. It is incomparable to the complete success of the first launch of Starship MK1.

 The whole world is looking at the east, at Qiongzhou, and at the successful launch of this rocket, and they are starting to feel sour.

NASA's spokesperson first spoke: "We congratulate the successful launch of this rocket. In the Eastern Starship Company, from the leader Mr. Marks to the scientific researchers at all levels below, all have left us at NASA. They The successful launch of "NASA" reflects how huge our talent pool is in the aerospace field! Of course, we hope that Congress can allocate more funds to us to support the further development of NASA and not to let talent drain."

 Da Mao then announced it to the world.

"We congratulate the success of Starship MK1. On this starship, the NK-33 engine produced by our Kuznetsov Design Bureau is used. Eighteen engines are deployed on the first stage and six on the second stage. Engine! This fully shows that our engine is very successful. Everyone knows that this engine was transplanted from the N1 rocket that used to land on the moon. If we had continued back then, the N1 rocket would not have failed! We Kuz While the Netsov Design Bureau cherishes the memory of the N1 rocket, it also hopes to further cooperate with Starship Company to jointly explore space exploration."

The meaning of the Americans is very simple: Although Starship Company belongs to the East, the talents belong to us! Therefore, the successful launch of Starship Company is the result of our NASA. While exaggerating our own achievements, we cry out to Congress for money. If you don’t give us money, all the outstanding talents will go to the East!

Da Mao means something else: Although Starship Company is from the East, the engines are ours. Without the engines we provide, Starship Company would not be successful! If the N1 Rockets had persisted, they would have succeeded. What a pity! They commemorate the past and rectify the past. Of course, we will continue to cooperate in the future, and we will still make money!

 One launch consumes 24 engines. Those engines in stock will not last long, and new engines will have to be purchased!

 In fact, the failure of the N1 rocket is related to the setting. The first stage of the N1 rocket is equipped with 30 engines. The thrust of these engines must be fully used, and all of them are indispensable. Therefore, Lao Maozi's setting is that if one of them goes out, the others must also be turned off.

In the first test launch, the N1 rocket unexpectedly stalled due to an engine in the first-stage rocket. As a result, the system shut down all 30 rocket engines. As a result, the N1 rocket lost power 3 minutes after ignition and was 52 kilometers away from the launch tower. Crash everywhere.

The second time was even more awesome. Because one of the engines inhaled foreign matter during launch, all the first-stage rockets stalled two hundred meters after liftoff. As a result, the N1 rocket carried 2,300 tons of propellant during launch. An explosion occurred over the stage.

The scene at that time was very spectacular. The power of the explosion was equivalent to the equivalent of 7,000 tons of TNT. It shattered the glass of all buildings within a ten-kilometer radius, and kerosene rained from the sky.

Lao Maozi didn't have enough thrust at the time and had to make up the quantity, so even missing one engine wouldn't work. Now, Starship MK1 has excess power, so it doesn't matter if one less engine is missing. For the sake of symmetry, the thrust is balanced and the opposite engine can be turned off together. , the maximum low-Earth orbit carrying capacity is 60 tons, but there is no need to carry such a large spacecraft. If a 40-ton spacecraft is installed, it will definitely be excess thrust. It will be fine if a few units are missing. Just treat it as system redundancy. More than enough.

 So, they succeeded!

 The comments from the outside world are from the outside world, and they are very happy now.

"Come on, let's drink to today's successful launch!" In the banquet hall, Qin Tao raised his glass: "On behalf of the group, I would like to thank you for your hard work. It is because of your hard work that we have our starship." success!"

 “Thank you to the group for supporting us!” Max said, raising his glass.

"Now, the response from the outside world is great. Relying on the success of this launch, our stock price will rise, so that we can raise more funds." Max said: "Mr. Qin, our next research project A lot, we have to develop a new liquid oxygen methane engine, we develop return technology, all of which require a lot of financial support."

“No problem, our group strongly supports it!” Qin Tao said: “However, don’t forget, we also have the Starlink project.”

“Yes, there are also Starlink projects. These projects will make our Starship company the strongest aerospace company in the world. NASA and ESA are not as big as us! In the future, they will have to come to us to beg us.”

“Yes, Mao and NASA have sent congratulatory messages, but ESA has not sent one yet. I don’t know what they think.” Qin Tao said.

 European Space Agency must be very depressed, right?

“They always thought they were third in the world. Unexpectedly, they were squeezed out by us and now they are fourth in the world. Of course they will be unhappy,” said Max.

"Mr. Qin, I just received a message." At this moment, Xu Zhengyang walked next to Qin Tao: "The International Telecommunications Union will hold a conference in three days to discuss the Starlink plan's occupation of orbit and frequency resources. They are likely to It will change international norms and hinder our Starlink construction."

 (End of this chapter)