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

  Currently, aluminum alloy is the most commonly used material for rocket shells in the world. Just like aircraft shells, aluminum alloy is the lightest. In some overheated parts, titanium alloys and other materials are used, which are thin and strong.

  However, Starship Corporation uses stainless steel to make the rocket casing. The stainless steel rocket shining in the sun attracts the attention of countless people.

  It is not only bright, but also thick!

  In pursuit of the goal of reducing air resistance, ordinary rockets are made into a shape that is thinner at the top and thicker at the bottom, but the starship in front of you is the same thickness at the top and bottom!

It is also necessary to do this. The thicker the rocket, the shorter it will be when carrying the same fuel, so that the rocket ship will be stronger. Only some aerospace departments that do not have the strength to make the rocket thicker will keep stacking heights , finally causing the rocket to vibrate during flight. This kind of short and thick rocket has a relatively high safety factor.

However, generally speaking, a thick rocket is due to a larger engine, rather than multiple engines connected in parallel. Now the rocket standing on the launch pad does not seem to be much smaller than the Saturn V back then, but it does not have a Saturn Five such a powerful engine, it is achieved by parallel engines, which makes people full of doubts about it.

  The Soviet Union’s N1 rocket exploded repeatedly because of parallel engines. Is this method appropriate now? Will there be an explosion?

"Right 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 this rocket test launch." It is also more suitable for this occasion. In front of countless reporters, he eloquently said: "Back then, Armstrong left the first footprint on the moon, and he also left a famous saying. For him, this is a small step. This is a big step for all mankind. Now, we can also proudly declare that the launch of our starship MK1 is a small step for our starship company, but it is a big step for all mankind. Great stride, 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: "At present, the engines we use do not have the ability to be reused. We are only using these engines for initial verification. In the future, we will overcome the engine reuse technology and the rocket recovery technology. As well as the 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 firm step!"

"Excuse me, after the release of your Starlink project, it has caused quite a strong shock in the world. Some environmentalists believe that this plan will change the appearance of space and bring about problems such as light pollution and space junk. 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 journalist friends and always answer every question." Max said: "We have nothing to do for things that didn't happen. Worried, we are warriors who conquer space, and we are going to challenge the unknown. When the Wright brothers invented the airplane, some people would definitely say, don’t fly, it’s dangerous, and you’ll fall to your 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, and you will become a martyr! Reasons to prevent the progress of others, especially those so-called environmental experts, what is their purpose? It is to destroy human technology, let human beings go back to primitive society, and drink blood like hair, so as not to change the environment of the earth."

In the underground command center of the launch site, Qin Tao heard Max's answer outside, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Sure enough, his bragging ability is not inferior to mine. He makes so much noise, avoids the important and ignores the important, and hits the vital point directly, exposing the ugly faces of those environmental experts. People thought that the Starship Company was being persecuted, and that the progressive Starship Company would establish a positive image."

   "That's not necessarily the case. If he criticizes environmental experts like this, he may be resisted by many people."

   "Really? That's interesting." Qin Tao looked at his wife Zhao Ling with radiant eyes.

"The epitaph of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the great father of aerospace, is engraved with this famous saying: The earth is the cradle of mankind, but mankind will not live in the cradle forever, and they will be carefully worn out at the beginning. Out of the atmosphere, and then go to 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: "Human beings have 3 million people since they were derived. 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 dinosaurs. When that time comes, what will our future generations think? They will ask their grandpa, grandma, great grandpa, great grandma, "Why don't you work hard, why don't you continue to go to space? If we have the ability to navigate the universe, do we still have to worry about the destruction of the earth? Our starship company is going 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.

  Drawing big cakes, talking about ideals, or the lofty ideals of the entire human race, this is Max's routine, and this routine still looks a lot like that.

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

Generally speaking, the launch command center will not be too far from the launch site, so that it is convenient to conduct on-site command at any time in case of accidents, but at the same time, the launch command center must ensure safety. Combustibles, if it explodes, it will spread around.

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 way is to dig the command center into the ground. Even if the ground catches fire and explodes, it will not spread. arrive.

  Of course, that's just the worst case scenario, and nobody wants that to happen, they'd rather see the rocket go to the sky.

   "Half an hour, the countdown begins!"

  From the ten-hour countdown to the current half-hour countdown, the time for the rocket to take off is getting closer and closer, and the atmosphere at the scene is getting more and more tense.

Max was very calm. He glanced at the picture on the big screen in front of him, and then at the staff around him. There are both eastern and western faces here. It is definitely a must for everyone to work together for a common dream of flying into the sky. It's not easy, which reflects Max's leadership ability.

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

   "Well, hopefully they work." Max nodded.

The meaning of this sentence is also very clear: if the rocket blows up when it takes off, there will be nothing wrong with the aerospace survey ship. Although he is confident in front of the outside world and strict in front of his subordinates, in reality In fact, he himself is not 100% sure.

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

   "Must? 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 that is willing to insure us?"

   "Of course it depends on the relationship." Qin Tao said: "Chuanglv Company has opened an insurance business. I said hello to them, and they underwrote us."

In the original plan, Chuanglv Company was just a shell company, the kind that would go bankrupt after buying the aircraft carrier. However, the person in charge of the company was so powerful that he became the queen of traffic jams. Entering the financial industry, the last time I made a fortune in the financial crisis, there was a green company. Of course, their company also has insurance business, so it is easy for them to underwrite.

   Moreover, this is just the beginning, and every rocket launch in the future will be escorted by Chuanglv Company.

   "Fifteen minutes to prepare!"

  Time is still passing.

   "Three minutes to prepare!"

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

  The countdown sounds.

  Ten, nine, eight...three, two, one...light it!

First a puff of white smoke came out from the bottom of the rocket, and then there was a flame. 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 also began to appear in the camera, and the air waves tumbling, soon enveloped the entire launch site.

   Spectacular, this is the most spectacular rocket launch scene, and it is currently the largest rocket in China! In the outfield, countless cameras were aimed at the rocket that took off. Looking at the rising rocket, it seemed like an oriental dragon. Its speed became faster and faster, until it finally disappeared. Leaving behind a huge smoke column, pointing directly into space.

   "It worked, we made it!"

   A cheerful voice sounded.

   This is the first test flight of Starship MK1. For them, as long as it doesn't blow up on the launch pad, it is considered a complete success. As for whether it can enter orbit in the end, it doesn't matter anymore.

  Max is also very excited: "Great, it's a success, we can undertake 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 the present, the first stage is carried out. It mainly carries out 9 times of the space shuttle between the United States and the Mir space station. Rendezvous and docking, gained valuable experience. The second stage started in 1998, with initial assembly.

According to the plan, in November 1998, the first component of the International Space Station: paid by the United States, the Dawn function cargo module built by Da Mao will be launched. In December, the Unity node module built by the United States will be delivered by the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Orbit, successfully docked with Dawn. In this way, an initial space station with the capacity to carry 3 people was built.

In the later stage, multiple launches will continue, and the final assembly will be completed in space. After completion, the International Space Station will be 110 meters long and 88 meters wide, roughly equivalent to the size of two football fields, with a total mass of more than 400 tons. Space shuttle and proton rocket launches, there will be dozens of launches. After all, the largest component, the Dawn launched by Da Mao, is just a big guy at 24.2 tons, and the American Star Service, It is a behemoth of 19 tons. After the two are docked, the weight is 43.2 tons. Afterwards, two auxiliary modules are connected, so that the initial International Space Station forms a behemoth with a total mass of 73 tons.

Now, if the starship MK1 is used to launch, then it will be done properly, and there are even other auxiliary modules, which can be launched into orbit at a time. This kind of carrying capacity is definitely the first in the world. yes!

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

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

   "Okay, that's great!" Wan Zhenfu was very excited, and the second-stage rocket ignited, so the rocket was really launched successfully!

   "Engine number six malfunctions!"

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

This is the advantage of having multiple engines. When the launch was just launched, three engines were actually not started. Now, the second-stage rocket has malfunctioned. It is no problem to simply turn off two engines, because there are still four. !

This is a bit like a multi-core CPU. After it is produced, it is tested and some cores are found to have problems. They simply block the problematic cores and then sell them. It’s just that I7 becomes I5, and I5 becomes 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 drop in thrust.

   "Dongfeng tracking is normal!" The answer came from the Yuanwang aerospace survey ship.

   "Accurate orbit, we have 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 to fly to Mars!"

"Yes, our future is the sea of ​​stars, and now we have finally taken the first step!" Qin Tao said: "The group will fully support Starship Company, we are shipbuilders, and spaceships are also ships! Next, we should celebrate our success Alcohol!"

  In the aerospace clubs of the world, a private enterprise such as Starship Company 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-duty launch vehicle in the United States is Atlas 5, which has a maximum carrying capacity of 29 tons in low-Earth orbit and 13 tons of earth-synchronous transfer capacity. However, this rocket is also Not all made in the United States. The first-stage engine of this rocket uses Da Mao's RD-180 engine.

  Lao Maozi’s biggest is the Energia rocket, which is on the same level as the Saturn-5 rocket. Unfortunately, after the collapse of the Red Empire, Da Mao lost the ability to manufacture this kind of rocket, so he can only continue to eat his own money and use the Proton rocket to play the leading role.

As for Europe, Ariane-5 is a large-scale launch vehicle developed by the European Aeronautics Agency with the strength of Europe, and its low-earth orbit carrying capacity has reached 21 tons. However, its carrying capacity is only one-third of that of Starship MK1. Moreover, the first launch failed, the second launch partially failed, and it was not until the third launch that it was considered a complete success. It entered commercial operation, and it was completely incomparable with the complete success of the first launch of Starship MK1.

  The whole world is looking at the East, Qiongzhou, and the successful launch of this rocket, and they are getting sour.

The NASA spokesperson first spoke: "We congratulate the successful launch of this rocket. In Eastern Starship Company, from the leader, Mr. Max, to the scientific research personnel at all levels below, all of them left from NASA. They The success of the launch reflects how huge NASA's talent pool in the aerospace field is! Of course, we hope that Congress can allocate more funds to us to support the further development of our NASA and prevent the loss of talents."

   Da Mao announced it to the world.

"We congratulate the success of Starship MK1. On this starship, the NK-33 engines produced by our Kuznetsov Design Bureau are used. Eighteen engines are arranged on the first stage and six engines are used 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 was used to land on the moon. If we continued, the N1 rocket would not fail! We Kuz While remembering the N1 rocket, the Netsov Design Bureau also hopes to further cooperate with Starship Corporation to jointly explore space sounding."

  The meaning of the Americans is very simple: Don’t think that Starship is from the East, but the talents are ours! Therefore, the success of Starship’s launch this time is due to our NASA. While exaggerating our own credit, we cried poorly and asked Congress for money. If you don’t give money, outstanding talents will go to the East!

  Da Mao means another way: Don’t think Starship is from the East, but the engine is ours. If there is no engine provided by us, there will be no success of Starship! At the beginning, if the N1 rocket persisted, it would definitely succeed. What a pity! They remember the past and justify the past. Of course, we will continue to cooperate in the future, and we still need to make money!

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

  Actually, the failure of the N1 rocket has something to do with the setting. There are 30 engines installed in the first stage of the N1 rocket. 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 was accidentally shut down due to an engine in the first-stage rocket, which caused the system to shut down all 30 rocket engines. As a result, after 3 minutes of ignition, the N1 rocket lost power at a distance of 52 kilometers from the launch tower. crashed.

The second time was even more awesome. Because one of the engines inhaled foreign matter during launch, the first-stage rocket was all turned off after two hundred meters into the air. As a result, the N1 rocket carried 2,300 tons of propellant during launch. The stage exploded.

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

At that time, the old Maozi had insufficient thrust, so the number was made up, so it would not work if one engine was missing. Now, Starship MK1 has excess power, and it doesn’t matter if one engine is missing. For the sake of symmetry, the thrust is balanced, and the opposite engine can be turned off at the same time. , the maximum low-earth orbit carrying capacity is 60 tons, but where is there such a large spacecraft that needs to be carried, if a 40-ton spacecraft is loaded on it, it will definitely have excess thrust. I'm done.

   So, they made it!

   Outside comments are outside, they are happy now.

"Come on, let's toast 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. success!"

   "Thanks to the group for supporting us!" Max said while holding his glass.

"Right now, there is a lot of response from the outside world. With this successful launch, our stock price can go up a bit, so that we can raise more funds." Max said, "Boss Qin, our next research project A lot, we have to develop a brand 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 that we still have the Starlink project."

   "Yes, there is also the Starlink project. These projects will make our starship company the strongest aerospace company in the world. NASA and the European Space Agency are not as big as we are! Later, they will come to us to beg us."

   "Yes, both Da Mao and NASA have sent congratulatory messages, but ESA hasn't yet. I don't know what they think." Qin Tao said.

  European Space Agency is probably very depressed, right?

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

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

  (end of this chapter)