In the field of aerospace, the United States is indeed powerful.
Whether it is the Saturn V of the last century or the BFR super rocket launched by NASA this time, its carrying capacity can be said to be the pinnacle.
Especially the latter, judging from the paper data, it has a low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of 550 tons, a lunar orbit load of 150 tons, and even has the ability to send more than 30 tons of items to Mars, which fully demonstrates the demeanor of a major space country.
But for Xu Chuan, this is not invincible.
After all, in aerospace technology, the thrust of large payloads is only one of the core elements.
In addition to thrust, thrust-to-weight ratio and endurance are also important indicators for measuring aerospace technology.
It is undeniable that fossil fuel launch vehicles have their own unique advantages in the field of aerospace, such as large thrust, simple structure and convenient manufacturing.
But in terms of thrust-to-weight ratio and endurance, fossil fuel rockets are unbearable.
For example, the once most famous Saturn V had a thrust of 3,408 tons, but its maximum payload was only 140 tons.
The remaining more than 3,000 tons are all the weight of the rocket's own fuel. It can be said that almost all of its thrust is used for its own load, and its thrust-to-weight ratio is as scary as the load.
Of course, the background for the emergence of Saturn V was the Cold War between the red and blue parties, and it was due to political needs.
In comparison, the thrust-to-weight ratio of other fuel rockets, such as Delta, Titan, Atlas and even the space shuttle, is much higher.
But no matter how high it is, the efficiency of fossil fuels determines that it cannot catch up with electric propulsion in terms of thrust-to-weight ratio and endurance.
With breakthroughs in miniaturized and controllable nuclear fusion technology, Xu Chuan is confident enough to achieve further breakthroughs in the aerospace field.
But then again, NASA's press conference disrupted some of his original plans a lot.
Originally, Xu Chuan was planning to leave the subsequent development of aerospace engines and aerospace to others, so that a group of talents in related fields could be cultivated, which would be more conducive to the development of the country.
But now it seems that time waits for no one.
NASA and the United States plan to use the Artemis Project to return to the moon to completely draw them into the space race and restore their international influence.
This is not something to be happy about.
At least for China, yes.
After all, using the influence of controllable nuclear fusion technology, they have been pulling this powerful opponent off the altar step by step, destroying a lot of their opponent's reputation and influence.
If this opponent is allowed to do it before them, its international influence that has been reduced by controllable nuclear fusion technology will be restored not only to a large extent, but also to a large extent.
It seems that we need to speed up the progress.
In the office, Xu Chuan thought for a while and then decided to change his research arrangements.
If possible, it would be a good choice to take the lead in achieving manned landing on the moon before NASA. It would not only greatly frustrate the opponent's plan, but also further strengthen China's international influence.
After all, the field of aerospace and the field of controllable nuclear fusion are completely different.
Although the United States is ahead in the latter, other countries including China are also not weak in research on it.
As for the former, the United States is recognized as number one in the world.
If we can surpass this opponent in the aerospace field, the blow to them will definitely be greater than that of controllable nuclear fusion.
After thinking for a while, Xu Chuan raised a smile on his lips.
He is still willing to do things that can hit the country on the other side of the Atlantic.
But all this requires the support of the motherland standing behind him.
In this case, just write another letter!
.......
The press conference held by NASA was undoubtedly a depth bomb for the international situation that has gradually calmed down.
Although Bill Nelson emphasized at the press conference that this is just the United States' plan to return to the moon, anyone with a discerning eye can see that after its failure in the field of controllable nuclear fusion, the United States is somewhat restless.
Failures in the energy field and gaps in the dollar-petroleum system have pushed the United States, which once stood at the top of the world, down from its throne.
With no hope of a breakthrough in controllable nuclear fusion technology in the short term, the United States urgently needs to regain its confidence in other fields.
It is precisely because of this that NASA's Artemis program encountered little resistance in Congress this time, and related work was carried out as soon as possible.
After NASA held a press conference, the aerospace companies participating in this return to the moon program also disclosed some of their results to media reporters and the outside world as soon as possible.
For example, Space-X’s BFR super rocket, Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicle, Lockheed Martin’s Orion multi-purpose manned spacecraft, etc.
Even some companies and units in the non-aerospace field came over to join in the fun.
For example, the University of Florida disclosed one of its results to the public, using the lunar soil collected during NASA's Apollo lunar landing mission to grow a plant called 'Arabidopsis thaliana'!
This is the first time that plants have sprouted and grown in lunar soil, breaking the previous restriction that lunar soil could not grow crops.
It can be said that the importance of this achievement is no less than a breakthrough in aerospace technology.
After all, as the closest exoplanet to the earth, the moon is undoubtedly the first choice for humans to colonize extraterrestrial planets.
However, the harsh environment on the moon and the helium-rich soil on the surface have always been one of the problems for immigration.
After all, after immigrating to an alien planet, if all supplies rely on transportation from the earth, the cost will be too high.
This new breakthrough is undoubtedly exciting.
Crops can be grown on the lunar soil, and food and vegetables required for large-scale development or immigration will not be a problem in the future.
Moreover, crops can be grown in closed bases, consuming carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, forming a virtuous cycle of animal and plant ecology, and food and oxygen problems can also be well solved.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! It must be said that this news has stimulated domestic netizens more than any breakthrough in aerospace technology.
[WTF? Can vegetables be grown in lunar soil? The DNA has moved! 】
[Isn’t that right? My memory is confused? When our country was studying lunar soil, didn’t we say that we couldn’t grow vegetables? 】
[The original soil cannot grow vegetables, but that doesn’t mean you can’t think of ways to make the soil look like it can grow vegetables (squints and smiles), alien soil improvement research technology has started!]
[Will vegetables grown in a microgravity environment have finer fiber and taste more tender? [Thinking.JPG]]
[Can grow vegetables! Rabbit: I'm sorry, the top is our boundary [insidious] since ancient times. It used to be called Guanghan Palace, and the local official above was called Chang'e! 】
[Let’s go up first and then talk about it. You can’t say whether you can go up or not. The United States is going to manned the moon again, but we can’t even go up. The gap is huge, so we should just go to sleep. Maybe wait until we go up.
By that time, people had already planted crops on the moon.】
[Didn’t I say that Kaishen is researching aerospace technology? Why is there no movement at all? 】
[Sichuan God? Haha, you really think he is a god. Aerospace and controllable nuclear fusion are two completely different fields. Stop bragging. If you brag again, you will be ruined. 】
【......】
I have to say that this wave of publicity by NASA is very good.
With aerospace technology and biotechnology showing breakthroughs at the same time, colonizing the moon seems to be just around the corner.
In the stock market, the aerospace sector has been soaring, and the overwhelming publicity has plunged the entire United States into a state of chaos. Even if it is just a plan that has not been actually implemented, it has already given a shot in the arm to its declining reputation.
After all, as the only country that has successfully sent astronauts to the moon, the strength of the United States in aerospace is an honor engraved in the bones of the American people.
No one thinks they will fail. On the contrary, they are looking forward to a permanent settlement on the moon and whether they can one day travel to the moon.
Being able to walk down-to-earth on another planet has a fatal attraction for everyone.
.......
For Xu Chuan, these comments on the Internet have nothing to do with him.
However, NASA's press conference still had a certain impact on his research and planning, or at least aroused his desire to win.
A long letter of three thousand words was completed in his hands and quickly sent to the capital.
At this time, a targeted meeting was also being held in a conference room on Chang'an Road in the capital.
Sitting in the conference room, the old man presiding over the meeting cleared his throat and said seriously: "I'm sorry for asking you to take time out of your busy schedule to sit here. Regarding the NASA space agency's press conference, I think we have
A serious discussion is necessary."
"If you have any opinions, you can put them forward at the meeting."
After finishing speaking, another old man sitting at the conference table raised his hand and said:
"NASA's press conference is obviously purposeful. The Artemis program has been restarted. They are trying to draw us into the competition in the space field."
“My personal opinion is that we don’t need to follow them immediately when they land on the moon. Not to mention that this moon landing will not bring us much benefit value, but in terms of aerospace technology, we are indeed far behind from each other.
This needs to be faced squarely, as rushing to keep up may very well drag down our own development.”
To be continued...