For astronauts, every day’s life is repetitive and boring. It is in this repetitive life that they constantly hone their skills and finally meet the needs of spaceflight.

  But today, there was an episode in their boring life.

   "Have you heard? Starship Corporation is here to select candidates!"

   "The spaceship of the Starship Company is about to go to the sky? The progress of their company is really fast enough."

"Of course, even though their company is newly established, half of them are from NASA, and half of the remaining half are veterans. This team is all global elites. Soon."

   "Then who did they choose?"

   "Zhao Dong, Pan Chun, Deng Ming...a total of six people."

   At this time, the six people who were selected sat in the meeting room. They sat upright, looking at the person who held the meeting for them, very excited.

"Everyone, you are welcome to join the Starship Company. From now on, you are not only the astronauts of the Shenzhou spacecraft, but also the astronauts of our Dragon spacecraft. I can guarantee that it will take up the least amount of your time." Max said: "I believe that Dongfang training aerospace You are fully capable of flying into the sky, but you just need to adapt to our Dragon spacecraft. Our spacecraft is very powerful, and the time required for training is also very short. I believe you can quickly adapt to our spacecraft. Now, I roughly Introduce our dragon spacecraft."

A picture of the Dragon spacecraft appeared on the slide, and Max introduced: "We have arranged seven seats on the spacecraft, three in the front and four in the back. Every time we go to the sky, three astronauts will go into space, and our six astronauts The tasks will be performed alternately in the future."

   "What about the four seats in the back?" Elder Qi asked.

  Astronauts have always been listeners and don’t know how to ask questions, but Mr. Qi is very curious.

  Our own Shenzhou spacecraft has three seats, and only three astronauts can go up at a time. The Dragon spacecraft is different, and seven astronauts can go up at a time, so why not take all six people on board?

   "The four seats in the back are passengers. We have to make money in order to go to heaven. The four seats in the back have already been sold." Max introduced.

  Passengers have not received any training, and their physical fitness is incomparable to that of astronauts. If passengers can go up, the requirements for astronauts must not be high.

   "Our spaceship is divided into two parts. The manned module in the front is the main living and working place. When returning, the manned module will come back completely. The non-pressurized module in the back will be recovered after launch..."

When the Shenzhou spacecraft was launched, it was a behemoth of hundreds of tons. When it came back, it had a bell-shaped return capsule, which belonged to the old generation of aerospace technology. Most of the spacecraft of the Starship Company had to return. Max was very stingy and reluctant. These things are directly consumed.

  Old Qi was left with nothing but emotion.

  Listening to Max’s introduction, the eyes of the six astronauts gradually brightened. Obviously, this kind of spacecraft is very easy to fly, far surpassing their own Shenzhou, but they don’t know how safe this kind of spacecraft is.

   As long as you can go to the sky, it is safe. Aerospace is a dangerous job. Who can guarantee safety?

   "Do you have any questions?" After the introduction, Max said to everyone.

   "No problem." Zhao Dong spoke on behalf of everyone: "We will definitely train hard, strive to board the spacecraft as soon as possible, and realize the dream of flying."

   "It seems that you are developing space suits independently. What kind of space suits do they use when they take the Dragon spacecraft?" Elder Qi began to ask questions.

   "That's right, we are developing it independently, but it seems that the progress is not fast. Can we use the spacesuit provided by the space system?" Max asked.

   The space suit developed by Starship Corporation must be eye-catching as the first priority, but the research and development progress is not very fast, and I don't know if it can catch up.

   "Of course." Qi Lao nodded.

"Next, let's talk about the cost." Qin Tao said: "These astronauts are still our country's establishment, and we are on lease. We will provide these astronauts with an additional fund as a living allowance. At the same time, We will also provide a fee to our astronaut center as a rental fee."

"Mr. Qin, we don't need living allowances." Zhao Dong said again: "Whether it's the Flying Shenzhou or the Flying Dragon spacecraft, it is our glory. We have already received a salary from the state. We don't need to do anything special and get more. A salary."

  Qin Tao looked at Elder Qi and saw that Elder Qi was also nodding there. At the level of astronauts, leaders will help solve various life problems. They really have no material pursuits.

   "In this case, then our Mingzhou Group will fund and send you to Damao for training." Qin Tao said.

Elder Qi nodded: "This is possible. We have sent several astronauts to Da Mao for training, but it is too expensive. We can only send some people there to teach experience. None of the six of them have been to Da Mao. You know The state group sent them to training, that would be great."

  The astronaut project has been negotiated in this way, and the most important thing is to come down.

  "Old Qi, during the test flight of the next Shenzhou spacecraft, can we conduct a docking experiment with our Dragon spacecraft?" Qin Tao raised this key question.

"This docking experiment is to disrupt the progress of our spacecraft. After receiving Zhao Ling's request, our system is divided into two factions. Some people think it is possible to dock and adapt in advance, while others think it will interfere with our experiment. , Delaying the pace of our first manned spacecraft launch."

   "Then what do you mean?" Qin Tao asked.

"President Qin, you are embarrassing me." Qi Lao said: "When I accepted the mission to develop the Shenzhou spacecraft, I was already 59 years old. Now, I will soon be 70 years old. I'm sorry to bother you."

"If you don't make trouble now, you have to let your successor make trouble." Max said: "In the manned spaceflight program, space docking is a very important item. In your three-step strategy, you must establish a long-term manned space." It is absolutely impossible for a space station without docking capabilities. Why not take this opportunity to conquer this technology. As for the delay in progress that you are worried about, it does not exist. You only need to install a docking port, and we will control the whole process. Just do it."

   "What if you crashed over and destroyed our experimental spaceship?" Qi Lao said, "The return and other project verifications we want to carry out will not be able to be carried out. Shouldn't this delay our progress?"

Sure enough, he was afraid of this. Qin Tao was still thinking about how to let Mr. Qi put down his worries. Max continued: "Mr. Qi, this is easy. Let's buy an insurance for this space docking. If it crashes, the insurance will The company can reimburse you for two launches, and you can do two more launches, right?"

   "Okay." Qi Lao nodded.

   "Boss Qin, what do you think?"

   "Of course I have no opinion."

   "Okay, then this mission will be underwritten by our insurance company under the Mingzhou Group."

   "What? My insurance company?"

   "That's right, the fat and water don't flow to outsiders' fields. Of course, this kind of task needs our insurance company to take over." Max said.

  Of course not for this reason, the key is that other insurance companies are unwilling to accept it, thinking that the probability of starship failure is too high, and only Mingzhou Group’s insurance company comes out to insure, anyway, it is their own loss. They must be supported.

  Qin Tao suddenly found that he seemed to be cheated by Max, but now that he had spoken, he couldn’t object. After all, he had to support the development of Starship, even if he lost a sum of money.

Since the beginning of the package project, Mingzhou Group's business has become more and more comprehensive, and it has also set foot in the financial business. After all, it has to provide loans and the like, and by the way, it also has insurance business. These are all in charge of Nie Shiyu, and Qin Tao rarely Distracted, this time I can only make a phone call to get her to agree to this business that seems to be easy to lose money.

It was already midnight when Qin Tao came out of the red house. Qin Tao came to the hospital again in a hurry. The ward was very quiet. Qin Xue lay beside Zhao Ling and fell asleep sweetly. Zhao Ling was looking at the door and saw Qin Tao's face. All the while, a smile appeared on his face.

  She knew that no matter how busy Qin Tao was, he would come back to see her.

   "Are you done?"

"Um."

   "There are still some things that need you to deal with tomorrow."

   "You just gave birth and are still working?" Qin Tao was helpless.

   "I'm bored lying around all day, so I just do what I can." Zhao Ling said, "The classification society sent an invitation. If you have time tomorrow, you can attend their meeting."

   "Classification society? All right." Qin Tao nodded.

   At this moment, there was movement from the child, Zhao Ling quickly reached out to pat it, and the child fell asleep again.

  Zhao Ling smiled: "What about you? Where do you sleep?"

   "Of course it's next to my daughter." Qin Tao lay down on the other side of the bed.

   Soon, Qin Tao fell asleep soundly, and his daughter fell asleep soundly after listening to Qin Tao's snoring.

  …

  Classification societies can also be called ship survey associations or ship survey institutions. Their main business is to conduct technical inspections on new ships, and issue certificates to those who pass the inspection. At the same time, due to the needs of the inspection business, they must also formulate corresponding technical specifications and standards.

Nowadays, it is impossible for a ship owner to take over a ship without the standards of a classification society. This is already a necessary certificate. Even if most of the classification societies belong to non-governmental organizations, they also have this authority. The most famous classification society Of course it is foreign.

Hundreds of years ago in Britain, during the age of great voyages, they vigorously developed the shipbuilding industry. The cafes on the banks of the Thames River in London became a gathering place for people engaged in the ship business. Among them, Edward Lloyd was the most prosperous. It’s not just for drinking coffee. Many ship and cargo insurances are handled in his coffee shop, and Banli Insurance needs to know the condition of the ship, so he established the Lloyd’s Register in 1760 and began to implement ship inspection and insurance. Register for class.

   After that, many countries have their own classification societies.

  East also has the Oriental Classification Society, referred to as CCS, and this classification society is in charge of the state. To mention the history, it can be traced back to the Ship Registration Bureau established on August 1, 1956. In 1986, the classification society and the ship survey bureau were separated from this institution, and the classification society began to enter the domestic and foreign markets as a corporate legal person. . In 1998, Oriental Shipping Classification Society became the only national ship inspection agency and the main force of ship inspection in China to handle ship classification business.

Although most of the ships produced by Mingzhou Group meet the standards of the Lloyd's Register, they also have to pass the inspection of the Oriental Register of Shipping. Therefore, I heard that the classification society is going to hold a meeting, and Qin Tao is still free. Of course you have to come.

Of course, the Oriental Shipping Classification Society did not dare to trip the Mingzhou Group. After all, the Mingzhou Group is the leader in the domestic shipbuilding industry, and the big guys are in a mutually beneficial relationship. Seeing Qin Tao coming, the person in charge of the classification society Li Ke quickly greeted him.

   "President Qin, we are really flattered that you can come to our meeting."

   "President Li, please stop praising me, I'll join in the fun."

   "Come on, sit here."

   "No need, how can I sit on the rostrum?"

   "Mr. Qin, you are our backbone, and you have to preside over the next meeting."

   "What do you guys think?"

"Mr. Qin, you should already know that until now, the classification and statutory ship certificates issued by our Oriental Classification Society simply cannot pass unimpeded all over the world. If ships sailing on the ocean, if they want to apply for insurance business, It is still necessary to certify the certificates of Western classification societies such as Lloyd's Register." Li Ke said.

   "What?" Qin Tao was surprised for a while: "You have not yet integrated into international maritime technology activities?"

"We tried several times, but we were all rejected." Li Ke's face was a little helpless: "They probably fear that we have the world's number one shipbuilding group, and they are afraid that once we can participate in the formulation and implementation of international norms, we will not be able to do so. Bad for them."

Just like the flight of a civil aviation airliner requires an airworthiness certificate, a ship sailing on the sea also needs a certificate certified by a classification society, because the certificate certified by the Eastern Classification Society is not recognized by other countries, so cargo ships sailing on the ocean need It is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive to continue to certify other certificates, but also obviously a form of discrimination.

   "This is indeed a problem." Qin Tao frowned: "So?"

"Now, the canal of Siam is about to be dug. In this process, Mingzhou Group has made great contributions, and your relationship with Siam is also very friendly. Can you discuss with that side and want to pass the canal? Must have a certificate issued by our Oriental Classification Society?"

It is not just a matter of insurance. Ports and canals in various countries need to have relevant certificates. The Oriental Classification Society has also made efforts in many aspects. For example, the Suez Canal allowed the carrying of Oriental ships in 1988. Ships with class certificates passed through the Suez Canal.

  As for the canal in Siam, it has just been opened. If only ships from the Eastern Classification Society are allowed to pass through, those who want to pass must come to the East to apply for a certificate!

"Then what?"

   "Then other classification societies will definitely be dissatisfied. At this time, we can ask for mutual certification." Li Ke said.

This is the main purpose of their invitation to Qin Tao. They want Oriental Classification Society to join the circle of international classification societies. This is very important and has a great relationship. Qin Tao should support it, but he thought about it. For a moment, he shook his head helplessly.

   "What's the matter, Mr. Qin?" Li Ke asked very uneasy.

"Everyone, after the opening of the canal in Siam, I definitely hope that all ships will pass through them. You request that only ships from our Eastern Classification Society be allowed to pass. Is this possible?" Qin Tao said: "Even if I and Siam has a good relationship, and we cannot make such demands on them."

  Aren’t they blocking their own business by doing this? No matter how good our relationship is, we can't make such excessive demands.

  Hearing Qin Tao's words, everyone's faces darkened.

  That's right, Mr. Qin is right. We only considered our own interests, but not the interests of Siam. Such an approach is obviously impossible to be accepted by Siam. This is wishful thinking. Although Mr. Qin has great influence, he can't ask Siam to do this kind of self-destruction of the Great Wall.

"However, if we and Siam propose to lower the navigation fee for the ships of our Oriental Classification Society, such as a 5% discount, it should not be difficult." Qin Tao thought for a while and said: "In this way, it should be It can also attract a large number of international cargo ships to obtain certification from our Oriental Classification Society."

Li Ke and his team have a very good idea: they can only allow ships from the Eastern Classification Society to pass, so that international cargo ships must apply for the certification of the Eastern Classification Society, but this idea is not realistic, so Qin Tao can only modify it to reduce the passage Fees are still possible, so that these ships can still be attracted for certification, and the certification authority of Oriental Classification Society will be improved.

   "This way we can't force them to mutually recognize certificates with us." Li Ke was a little helpless.

   "The next step is to increase the gold content of our certificate." Qin Tao said: "For example, to develop LNG carriers with higher standards, so that the LNG carriers that can pass this certification are the most advanced in the world."

  If you want others to recognize this kind of certificate, you still have to rely on real skills. Dongfang has an absolute advantage in the field of natural gas ships. They can completely increase the gold content of Dongfang Classification Society certificates by improving the certification standards for natural gas ships.

   This is like a grade certificate. Obtaining the CET-6 certificate is definitely more capable than the CET-4 certificate. The gold content of the sixth-level certificate is obviously higher, and it is more valued by employers.

   Moreover, among the LNG ships, Dongfang was originally the leader, and its status is unmatched. Ships certified by Dongfang are easily recognized by other ports in the world. This is the right way.

  The classification society’s standard setting is very complicated: if the standard is set low, the shipyard will definitely be happy, because they can easily meet this standard, but the shipowner is not happy, what if something happens to a ship with too low quality? The standard is set high, and the shipowner is very happy. The quality is high, but the shipyard should have a headache: what if the standard cannot be met?

   Therefore, the standards formulated by classification societies are the best way after years of running-in, and can guarantee the interests of shipowners and shipyards. It is difficult to change these standards.

   Then it can only be changed from some special ships, such as gas ships!

Anyway, the quality of natural gas ships produced by Dongfang Shipping is the highest, so we will continue to improve the quality standards, so that others will look up to them, ship owners will be happy, and ports of all countries will accept them. In this way, the gold content of Dongfang Classification Society's certificates will naturally increase gradually. .

   "There are also large bulk carriers, which can raise the standard and let the world see that the performance of the bulk carriers we manufacture is the highest." Qin Tao continued.

Many European shipyards are afraid to build bulk carriers. After several shipwrecks, Dongfang has almost taken orders for bulk carriers from all over the world. Now, Dongfang Classification Society can further improve the standards and let the world see Oriental quality and high standards.

   "Well, Mr. Qin, the method you mentioned is feasible, as long as the shipyard has no objections. By the way, we can listen to the opinions of experts from Mingzhou Group to what extent the specific standards should be raised."

  Generally, the shipyard listens to the classification society. When it comes here, it becomes the classification society to listen to the shipyard. This is unique, but it is logical. Who makes Mingzhou Group so good?

   "You can go to Mingzhou Group and exchange with them the core data of our shipyard's ships." Qin Tao said: "Now it's time to let them know the strength of our Dongfang Industry."

   "Okay, Mr. Qin, we'll go right away." Li Ke was in high spirits.

   "Boss Qin, if the standard is raised, does it mean that the old ships will be eliminated?" Another person said hesitantly.

  At present, there are still a large number of old bulk carriers in China, which are transporting various goods around the world. If the standards are raised, will there be a way out for these bulk carriers?

"How is it possible? Our classification society certification is mainly for new ships. When the gold content of our Eastern Classification Society increases and all ports and insurance companies recognize it, who will look at the certification obtained by cargo ships in the past or now? Yes, as long as it is certified by the Oriental Classification Society, it will be all right." Qin Tao said.

   Of course, old bulk carriers cannot be scrapped, otherwise it will cause huge waste, and domestic ship owners will be forced to withdraw a large number of bulk carriers from international ocean shipping. How can this be done? The interests of the shipowners of the motherland must be safeguarded.

   "Of course, we also encourage them to trade in old ships for new ones." Qin Tao said, "We at Mingzhou Group are willing to help them replace their old cargo ships with new ones at a discount higher than the market price."

  The operating efficiency of old cargo ships is low after all. If they can be replaced with new ones, the new ones are better.

"It is of great significance to allow the class and statutory ship certificates issued by our Oriental Classification Society to pass freely in all countries in the world. We thank Mr. Qin for his contribution to our Oriental Classification Society." Li Ke held Qin Tao's hand , said very gratefully.

"We are also very honored to help our classification society expand its influence, which is also a contribution to world shipping." Qin Tao said: "We want to show the strength of our Oriental manufacturing to the world, and now is just the beginning. "