"Any ideas?" Lao Ma said excitedly with a flash of light in his eyes.
"Haha, there are some immature ideas, but these are just ideas. How to implement them depends on the opinions and decisions of the relevant teams." Wu Hao said with a smile.
Seeing that Wu Hao was unwilling to say more in this regard, Lao Ma nodded and stopped asking. After all, no one would reveal such a major core project casually, and it was in front of so many people.
As for Xiao Ma, he took advantage of every opportunity and asked another question: "When will the secondary rocket body be recovered successfully? That would be awesome."
Wu Hao smiled and said: "The second-stage rocket accounts for about 20 to 25 percent of the cost of the entire rocket, which is not a high proportion.
Moreover, the recovery of the second-stage rocket is more difficult, because the second-stage rocket has already rushed out of the atmosphere. It is no less difficult than the current manned spacecraft to re-enter the atmosphere and achieve a safe landing.
Therefore, for so many reasons, no company has yet implemented this technology. However, many similar ideas and plans have been put forward, and there are many constructive opinions and ideas among them.
For example, some experts have come up with an eye-catching plan. They refer to Musk's interstellar spacecraft structural plan. The rocket's secondary rocket body and the payload compartment fairing part are joined together to design a vehicle that can be launched multiple times.
Reusable aircraft, or rocket bodies, to perform missions.
The expert's plan is to design the second-stage rocket body and load compartment fairing into an aircraft similar to the space shuttle or X37B.
Relying on the retractable first-stage rocket body, the aircraft is sent to the critical space altitude, and then the aircraft engine is started to fly to the target orbit and conduct on-orbit flight.
During its flight in orbit, it can perform a variety of tasks, and its functions are almost the same as those of a space shuttle, such as releasing satellites from the pilot's payload bay, etc.
After completing its on-orbit mission, the aircraft will return to the atmosphere, glide using its wings on both sides, then open its landing gear and land on the predetermined runway.
In this way, the entire rocket part can be reused, the cost will be further reduced, and the tasks that can be performed are also very diverse."
"It's a great idea. If it can be realized, it may become an important means of transportation for humans to go to space in the future. Its significance is comparable to the invention of passenger planes by humans." Lao Ma exclaimed.
As for Xiao Ma, he looked at Wu Hao and asked, "Has this project been approved?"
Wu Hao shook his head: "Not yet, the preliminary technical demonstration work is in progress."
"Oh, what's the problem?" Lao Ma couldn't help but ask.
"The problem is huge. This is a brand-new structural method, and there are a series of problems that need to be solved." Wu Hao said with a helpless expression.
Although he said this, the project has actually been launched, codenamed "Space Bus".
Judging from the project code name, the name "Space Bus" is because it is hoped that this aircraft can, like a bus, send more people and payloads into space and become a bridge and ladder connecting space and the earth.
Although the project was established, as Wu Hao said, it encountered many difficulties and problems, and the differences were also relatively large.
Some technical experts believe that we should focus on the mature Jianmu-1 or the rocket body of the Jianmu-2 first-stage rocket to design and develop the "space bus" space vehicle.
The advantage of this is that it is robust, there are many mature technologies that can be used for reference, and R&D investment is relatively small. As for the disadvantages, it is naturally obvious. Whether it is Jianmu 1 or 2, the carrying capacity is very limited, and it is difficult to use it.
The overweight spacecraft is transported to the sky, let alone the payload.
Moreover, the diameter of the rocket body is limited, and the size of the aircraft it can carry is also very limited, so the uses of this type of aircraft are very limited.
Therefore, some experts believe that we can not be limited to our own rockets, but can design and manufacture "space bus" space vehicles that can be mounted on other rockets.
For example, the Chang 5 rocket, which has gradually become mature, has a large enough first-stage rocket body diameter and a booster, which can transport heavier loads. Based on this, the project team can completely develop and manufacture a rocket
An aircraft that is about the same size as a real bus. In this way, whether it is carrying goods or people, its purpose is very obvious.
This solution is naturally very good, but it also has shortcomings. The first is the investment in research and development. No one can estimate the research and development costs of such a large space vehicle.
The second is the technical difficulty. No matter whether the load or volume is larger by a certain amount, the difficulty will increase exponentially.
Therefore, this expert is worried that it would be too risky to invest in such a huge project all at once.
Finally, after intense discussion and taking into account everyone's opinions, Wu Hao finally made the decision to first invest in the development of small and medium-sized spacecraft that can be launched on Jianmu-1 and Jianmu-2.
After subsequent technologies are verified and mature, these technologies will be applied to larger-scale space vehicles.
And when the technology of this type of spacecraft matures in the future, this kind of spacecraft will have huge advantages in the detection and flight of alien planets.
Of course, for Wu Hao and others, whether it is a large space vehicle or a small space vehicle, if it is successfully developed, it will definitely write history.
At this time, Zhou Xiangming, who came out of the on-site cordon, walked towards Wu Hao and the others and said with joy on his face: "Judging from the preliminary inspection at the current site, the landing of the first-stage rocket body was very successful. The first-stage rocket body has been preserved."
good.
Next, we will transport the first stage body of this rocket to the factory and conduct a careful inspection. After confirming that there are no problems, the first stage body of the rocket will be refilled with parachutes and fueled.
Then conduct a second launch."
"Great, everyone's hard work has finally paid off." Announce it to everyone, they are also waiting. Wu Hao said with a smile.
Yu Chengwu nodded when he heard this, and then walked towards the reporters.
At this moment, the Internet has been dominated by news about this rocket. Basically all domestic media have reported this incident on their front pages.
A group of aerospace and military enthusiasts are very excited, and many have even begun to ask if there are related models.
For more ordinary people, the multiple firsts and honors achieved by this launch also make these ordinary people very happy.
After all, such a promising project, in such a form and environment, is really valuable and worthy of praise.
