manynovel #481 - Good news from the aerospace industry
#481 - Good news from the aerospace industry
The matter of the ocean shipping pirates came to a close.
Back on the front lines of scientific research, Ren Zhong received a very pleasant surprise.
"Mr. Ren, I have exciting news for you! After our team's tireless efforts, the first generation manned spacecraft has finally been successfully built. All ground tests currently show excellent performance and normal indicators. According to the established plan, in one month, we will usher in a historic moment—the first manned spacecraft launch and recovery test. However, for safety reasons, we have decided to use an animal as a passenger for the first test, specifically a rigorously trained monkey, which will serve as our 'space ambassador,' taking the lead in experiencing the mysteries of the universe." Professor Qian, the head of the Aerospace Research Center, couldn't hide the excitement and pride in his voice as he conveyed this to Ren Zhong over the telephone line.
Ren Zhong's hand holding the phone couldn't help but tremble slightly, his heart filled with indescribable joy.
"Professor Qian, this is simply fantastic! This is undoubtedly the most exciting news I've heard today. Please allow me to make some arrangements; I can't wait to go there in person and witness this historic moment." Ren Zhong's voice was filled with infinite anticipation for the first generation manned spacecraft. Even in the main world, Ren Zhong didn't have the opportunity to see a spacecraft up close.
Moreover, this was another monumental achievement successfully researched under his personal arrangement.
In fact, according to the historical trajectory of the main world, the first manned spaceflight occurred in 1961. At this moment, they were standing on the edge of this great feat, even hoping to realize this dream ahead of schedule. In the past few years, in order to seize the initiative in space exploration and win the supreme honor of being the 'first human to step into space,' Dongda, after completing the launch mission of building a near-Earth orbit satellite good remote communication network, on the one hand, turned its attention to the more distant universe, preparing to launch synchronous satellites, and on the other hand, developed manned spaceflight! To send people into space.
As early as 1956, the Aerospace Research Center proactively adjusted its research direction, conducting research and launches of synchronous orbit communication satellites with wider applications and longer lifespans.
At the same time, in terms of transportation, it began to shift to the more difficult third-generation heavy-lift rocket—the Long March 2F carrier rocket—research and development, as well as the secret development of manned spacecraft to match it. This was an unprecedented challenge, requiring overcoming numerous technical difficulties, from materials science to life support systems, from aerospace medicine to emergency escape systems, each of which was an ultimate test of human wisdom.
As a tech visionary from the Liangjian world, Ren Zhong knew that the success of this manned spacecraft not only meant a major breakthrough for Dongda in the aerospace field but also an important step for humanity in the Liangjian world to explore the universe and pursue the unknown. Therefore, he couldn't wait to witness this moment, to share this glory and joy with the team, and to jointly open a new chapter in human exploration of the universe.
Although the Long March 2F carrier rocket's carrying capacity was reduced compared to the main world, its total weight had not yet reached the 300-ton threshold, but this did not mean that its achievements were insignificant. On the contrary, through countless precise calculations and optimizations by the project team, the current Long March 2F already had the ability to safely send satellites or spacecraft weighing up to 5 tons into near-Earth orbit, which was undoubtedly an achievement worth being proud of.
In the Dongda Aerospace Technology Research Center of the Liangjian world, this historic step of mankind conquering space was being given unprecedented importance. Thanks to the aerospace rocket design data that Ren Zhong carefully brought back from the main world, Dongda had quietly led its competitors in the Liangjian world in the field of heavy-lift rocket research by at least three years. This lead was not only a technological leap but also a firm practice of mankind's dream of exploring the universe.
However, the technological lead was not unshakeable. The two major forces, the Great Bear and the Rogue Eagle, had deeply realized the strategic importance of space in the future development of mankind and were accelerating their pursuit at all costs. From satellite launches to intercontinental missiles, their research centers were catching up with Dongda's pace in an all-round and multi-faceted way. Relying on the talent advantages widely collected in the Liangjian world, the research team sizes of these two competitors had far exceeded the Dongda Aerospace Research Center, forming a strong competitive pressure.
Faced with such challenges, the Dongda Aerospace Research Center demonstrated extraordinary tenacity and wisdom. On the one hand, they actively recalled overseas students; on the other hand, relying on the careful guidance of the older generation of scientists, they selected and cultivated batches of promising young aerospace talents from universities. After more than ten years of unremitting efforts, the ten disciples personally cultivated by Professor Qian had grown into leading figures in their respective teams, responsible for multiple key areas such as rocket research, satellite research, and first-generation spacecraft research, jointly supporting a sky for Dongda's aerospace cause.
In order to seize the honor of being the first human to land in space, Ren Zhong found the easiest-to-obtain manned spacecraft design data in the main world—the main design of the now-declassified Vostok spacecraft. This was a spacecraft that successfully achieved manned flight. No matter how many shortcomings it had from the current perspective of the main world, according to this design data, it was the easiest to design successfully.
Ren Zhong also wanted to get the Shenzhou series spacecraft in one step, but unfortunately, he had no way to get these materials now!
Moreover, according to some public information studied by Ren Zhong, the design and materials of the Shenzhou series were still too difficult for the current stage of the Liangjian world.
It should be known that Shenzhou-1 was a technological level of the late 1990s, and the current basic technical conditions of the Liangjian world have not yet been able to achieve such advanced technology.
Ren Zhong spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy out the design drawings of the Vostok spacecraft and the Vostok carrier rocket from the old papers in the archives of the Big Bear through underground channels, made a digital version, brought it to the Ninth District of the Liangjian world, re-printed it, and handed it over to Professor Qian and the others for reference.
Unexpectedly, after only two years, Ren Zhong received good news.
Xishan Ninth District.
A branch of the Aerospace Technology Research Center is located here, where all the manned spacecraft projects are implemented. In the factories located in the rolling mountains, there are dozens of factories of various sizes hidden, some of which are built inside the mountains.
Of course, Ren Zhong does not need to go to these factories to check the production of parts. He comes directly to the assembly and test plant of the manned spacecraft project.
"Mr. Ren, fortunately, we have successfully researched our first-generation manned spacecraft, Dawn One." Professor Qian greeted Ren Zhong with a smile at the entrance of the test factory.
"We've made certain improvements based on Mr. Ren's design. We've enlarged the spherical sealed cabin, making it more like an elliptical cylinder. We've appropriately reduced the cylindrical instrument compartment. Given the current quantity and size of space measurement instruments, we don't need as much space as originally designed. The improved Dawn One can now theoretically carry two people into space.
Although we've increased the number of crew members, the overall weight after the changes is more than a hundred kilograms less than the initial design. This means that even with the added weight of another person, the final empty weight is actually less. We can compensate for the total weight by loading some space observation equipment, which theoretically minimizes the risk of using the original launch vehicle."
Professor Qian led Ren Zhong into the spacious factory, pointing to the spacecraft in the distance as he introduced it.
Ren Zhong carefully observed the world's first spacecraft and noticed significant changes from the design materials he had provided. The original spherical cabin had a diameter of 2.3 meters, which felt cramped even for one astronaut. Now, it has been modified to be more elliptical, with the longer end of the ellipse reaching 3 meters. The redesigned two relative cabin spaces are larger, making them more comfortable for the astronauts.
In comparison, the instrument compartment, which was originally over 5 meters long and connected to the final stage launch vehicle, has been shortened somewhat. Overall, it still maintains a length of approximately 7.35 meters, ensuring that the overall aerodynamic design is even better than the original. With the extensive use of carbon fiber and other new materials that were not invented in the original timeline, the weight reduction of the Dawn One spacecraft is significant. The reduced weight allows Professor Qian and his team to add more safety precautions to the first-generation spacecraft, improving its resistance to various types of space radiation.
Otherwise, even if Ren Zhong brought back the Dongfang spacecraft data from the main world, this initial version would have many inherent flaws, and completely copying it would be very harmful to the astronauts.
Therefore, Professor Qian and his team did not completely copy the original design. Instead, they made significant improvements to the protection based on some space radiation values provided by Ren Zhong, especially in the design of the astronaut spacesuits. This part also adopted the design standards and concepts of the new generation of spacesuits from Ren Zhong's main world, mainly to improve the safety of the astronauts. Considering that the new launch vehicle has a greater carrying capacity than the original, the increased weight is theoretically not a big problem.
Next, major modifications will be made to the layer of heat-resistant material covering the outer surface of the cabin. The heat-resistant material that Ren Zhong brought to the space center from the main world is much more advanced than the heat-resistant material used in the early manned spacecraft of the main world. The use of new heat-resistant materials will make the spacecraft safer when it returns to Earth.
However, the life support system inside the spacecraft's cabin is a bit difficult to handle. There isn't much reliable data on this aspect. Ren Zhong spent money and dug around in many places to obtain some less confidential information. Then, Professor Qian and his team designed a brand-new life support system based on this information. After numerous experiments, they confirmed that it was indeed much stronger than the original life support system.
The spacecraft is now equipped with a life support system that can support two pilots for 15 days and nights. The redundancy of the entire system has been greatly enhanced. Next, corresponding improvements have been made to the ejection seats and radio, optical, navigation, and other instruments and equipment. With the new technologies that Ren Zhong transported from the main world, they can be completely replaced with more advanced technologies, further improving performance and significantly reducing weight. In particular, the current technology in radio is more than two generations stronger than the original design of the Dongfang spacecraft.
The current Dawn One spacecraft, according to its design, will jettison the final stage launch vehicle and the instrument compartment before returning to Earth, with the manned cabin re-entering the atmosphere separately. When the cabin descends to about 7 kilometers above the ground, the astronauts will eject from the spacecraft cabin and then land separately with parachutes. This landing method is quite different from the way later astronauts in the main world returned to the ground directly in a space capsule.
The instrument compartment of the spacecraft is located behind the cabin, containing chemical batteries, return retro-rockets, and other auxiliary equipment. After the spacecraft is launched into space, it can be controlled automatically or manually by the astronauts. According to the design specifications, under normal flight conditions, the perigee of the Dawn One spacecraft's flight orbit is approximately 180 kilometers, the apogee is 222-327 kilometers, the inclination is approximately 65°, and one orbit around the Earth takes approximately 89 minutes.
"Good job, Professor Qian. Now, after our Dawn One test, how long will it take for Dawn Two and Dawn Three to be ready?" Ren Zhong asked.
"Mr. Ren, this time we are still using a modular design model and have prepared five sets of component materials for the Dawn One manned spacecraft. We plan to complete at least two unmanned flight tests this year. If all goes well, after conducting two more unmanned flight tests next year, we will conduct a manned spaceflight on the fifth attempt. As for whether the fifth flight will be a National Day or New Year's gift next year, we still need to evaluate the results of the first four unmanned flight tests first."
Professor Qian said that they had great faith in the information provided by Ren Zhong, so they did not skimp on designing just one set during the design and production process, but directly prepared five sets according to the requirements of the test plan!
Some components may undergo certain adjustments and optimizations in the middle, but according to past experience, there is not much room for these optimizations, so producing five sets at once is not a big burden.
Now Ren Zhong wants to seize the time to realize Dongda's first global manned landing plan, and in terms of research and development costs, he almost unlimitedly meets the requirements put forward by the project team.
According to the plan, starting from the Dawn One spacecraft, animals will be used to simulate humans. Although there are some differences in details compared to the human body shape, the weight is ensured to be almost the same as that of astronauts through counterweights and other means, so as to fully test the performance and stability of related systems.
After reviewing all the test items on the ground, Ren Zhong was full of confidence in this generation of improved Dawn One spacecraft developed by Professor Qian and his team, and soon approved the first launch!