Chapter 1044
Space Station, Activated!
"Either you admit that the Eagle Tribe is now depleted of talent, and that something that any graduate or even undergraduate student in a related field at Dongda University could calculate, the Eagle Tribe can't even figure out!"
"Either you admit that the current government departments of the Eagle Tribe are full of incompetent people who hold positions without doing any real work."
"If scientific research projects are not conducted by scientists but dominated by politicians, what are the consequences? Well, I don't need to say more, do I?"
"Anyway, it's either this or that; it's a one-track mind that blocks both ends."
……
The video had a huge impact.
Many people only began to realize from this video that the Eagle Tribe no longer seems to be the Eagle Tribe it used to be.
Or rather, the Eagle Tribe has always been this way, and has never changed.
It's just that the previous publicity was so good, coupled with the praise from various public intellectuals and colonizers, that everyone projected their ideal image onto the Eagle Tribe.
After all, when you're in the top position, whatever you say or do is right.
But when people discovered that the Eagle Tribe was not as powerful as they had imagined, the people of the Longxia Tribe began to gradually dispel the myth surrounding the Eagle Tribe.
The Longxia tribe has now fully sounded the clarion call for its counterattack against the Eagle tribe in the realm of public opinion.
The public opinion sparked by this incident is still fermenting across various industries.
The final battle of the first phase of the Longxia tribe's plan to launch a near-Earth orbit satellite is also about to be completed in the northwestern Gobi Desert.
The last reusable rocket precisely delivered the 444th multi-functional satellite into its designated orbit.
Only then did a collective sigh of relief emanate from the command hall of the satellite launch center.
After a moment of silence, a long and enthusiastic round of applause followed.
The applause was continuous.
Guo Xueyun stood in front of the control panel, staring at the large screen, with a look of relief on her face.
The satellite's solar panels deployed smoothly in space as planned, and a green signal finally appeared on the screen.
Dozens of months of high-intensity work, countless launch missions...
This also included extremely challenging tasks such as numerous production line optimizations led by Su Dingping.
At this moment, they have all transformed into the star network on the orbit that belongs exclusively to the people of Longxia!
This is certainly not the end, because a few hundred satellites are not enough to secure sufficient orbital resources.
To support more precise positioning and other functions, thousands or even tens of thousands of satellites are needed to form a satellite network.
But this is an excellent start.
This satellite network not only occupies key frequency bands and orbital resources, but also, through such a long period of actual launches, has thoroughly refined an unprecedented aerospace industrialization system that is distinct from that of other countries in the world.
"Report to the Commander-in-Chief: The first phase of the satellite network deployment, involving 440 satellites, has been successfully completed!"
The young dispatcher's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.
Guo Xueyun nodded and picked up the encrypted communicator: "Attention all units, the first phase of the mission has been successfully completed."
"Thank you to all my colleagues for your hard work!"
"From now on, we will enter the stage of routine operation, maintenance and efficiency improvement, and according to plan, we will prepare to move into the stage of technology upgrade and pre-research of the next-generation platform."
Indeed, after working hard for so long, Guo Xueyun's abilities have become stronger and stronger.
She herself was quite talented, not to mention that she had been working closely with Su Dingping, accumulating experience through intensive scientific research.
Today, Guo Xueyun has grown into a chief engineer capable of independently directing large-scale projects!
Guo Xueyun put down the communicator and looked out the window at the sky where the first rays of dawn were breaking.
By this time, the rocket's contrail had long since disappeared.
But her gaze traveled across thousands of miles to look at the satellites in space.
Guo Xueyun knew that her work had laid the most crucial foundation for Su Dingping's even more ambitious plan.
Having worked on this project for so long, even the most oblivious person should realize its sheer scale.
Moreover, this is especially true for someone like Guo Xueyun, who is in charge of the entire project.
Although Guo Xueyun did not understand the entire Nantianmen Project, he had some vague guesses about its scale.
A year ago, Su Dingping handed over full command of the project to Guo Xueyun.
He himself moved on to another project.
The reason is simple. With the advancement of space launch technology, a space station exclusively for the Longxia tribe can now be put on the agenda.
Some might think that it would be unnecessary to work hard to develop our own space station.
There are still so many people in the Longxia tribe who don't have enough to eat, and so many people who are struggling on the poverty line. Wouldn't it be better to use this money for improving people's livelihoods?
But this is a complete misconception.
First and foremost, if a country is held hostage by other countries in key technologies, it will never be able to escape dependence on other nations.
Moreover, although the International Space Station is currently operating smoothly, it has closed its doors to the Longxia tribe.
The International Space Station has been in orbit for so many years, but have you ever heard of any Chinese scientist ever going on board?
Not to mention the people of the Longxia tribe.
To put it bluntly, unless you kneel down and act like a dog, there's no way they'll include you in their games!
But it was precisely because the Longxia tribe refused to kneel that they embarked on the path of independence.
Now you want me to kneel down and act like a dog for a mere space station? I might as well build my own!
More importantly, the space station is not just a pretty but useless structure.
Many people may feel that space is something far removed from their lives, unattainable, and has no impact on their daily lives, but this view is actually wrong.
Leaving aside those high-level scientific research fields, just the unique long-term weightlessness environment in space is something that can never be simulated on Earth.
In this weightless environment, precision machining, advanced material forming, and the mechanics of liquids and gases will exhibit completely different phenomena.
This is invaluable experimental data for industrial development.
In addition, even seeds in space are affected by space radiation and undergo certain mutations, which can help scientists to breed better.
While technology fields like industry may seem irrelevant to ordinary people, eating is something everyone must do from birth to death.
More food production means a stronger economic foundation. A country's strength depends not only on its military but also, and perhaps more importantly, on its agricultural base.
Simply put, if the land doesn't produce enough food, it can't support a larger workforce engaged in industrial production. Without a sufficient population to build a massive industrial system, how can a nation achieve prosperity and strength?
In addition, livestock also need to eat, and more grain production means more grain that can be consumed, which can then be invested in animal husbandry.
This will lead to a wider variety of meat products at lower prices, which can directly improve people's happiness.
Conversely, sufficient agricultural output can drive industrial prosperity, thus creating a positive cycle.
In other words, only truly powerful nations have the right to look up at the stars.
Furthermore, the human body is actually quite fragile, and how to enable astronauts to survive safely and for a long time in space is a considerable challenge for a country.
The medical research and technological advancements driven by this process can then be applied to areas of public welfare.
This is only the direct output of the space station; its indirect output is even more difficult to estimate.
For example, as the pinnacle of human industrial civilization, aerospace requires a large amount of advanced technology.
These technologies will involve countless industries such as structural materials, electronic circuits, and communication technologies.
The technologies of space stations and manned spaceflight are inherently technology-intensive industries, which means that this industry is destined to be knowledge-intensive, requiring the joint efforts of a large number of scientific and technological workers.
The development of this industry, in turn, can greatly promote the growth of higher education institutions in related fields and further cultivate a large pool of science and engineering talents.
The combination of various factors will profoundly influence the development of other areas of society, thereby improving the overall productivity of society.
Therefore, the Longxia tribe's construction of a space station is not a vanity project, but a truly large and advanced industry that can affect people's livelihoods.
Putting aside everything else, the satellites launched in the first phase alone are enough to support map navigation in the civilian sector.
More than a decade ago, navigation at sea required satellite navigation, but the Longxia tribe had none of these things.
As long as the Eagle Tribe cuts off the Dragon Summer Tribe's satellite navigation, the Dragon Summer Tribe's fleet will drift aimlessly on the sea like headless flies.
The Eagle Tribe has already used this method to create the infamous Galaxy Incident.
The high cost of using the Eagle Tribe's navigation system also keeps the costs high for many companies in the Dragon Summer Tribe.
But things are different now. The Longxia tribe has its own satellite and navigation system, so it no longer needs to be held hostage by the Xiong Ying tribe.
Of course, because there are relatively few satellites now, the accuracy of navigation may not be very precise.
But this problem will be resolved soon.
……
Just as the first phase of the plan was coming to a successful conclusion, Su Dingping found himself in a highly confidential circular conference room.
Here, a review meeting is being held for the final design of the "Great Wall" space station.
On the giant screen, a complex model of a space station was displayed.
After a long period of scientific research, and a series of verifications and experiments, the design blueprints for the space station unique to the Longxia tribe have finally been officially finalized.
Su Dingping, as the chief designer, is explaining the core concept of his design:
"'The Great Wall' is not just an expanded laboratory; it is a 1:10 technology incubator for the core platform of the future 'South Heavenly Gate Project'!"
"Therefore, we must break away from the traditional model of launching one module at a time, as exemplified by the International Space Station, and shift to a construction paradigm dominated by autonomous assembly in orbit."
"This also means that our core module, experimental module, energy module and other large components will be launched in the form of modular components!"
"Ultimately, in space, with the help of pre-programmed procedures and astronauts, it is assembled in orbit like building blocks."
"That's too risky!"
An old expert couldn't help but refute.
"Too radical!"
"To date, we haven't even assembled our own space station independently!"
"There is no precedent in the world for on-orbit assembly!"
"President Su, I don't deny that we have indeed accumulated some expertise in on-orbit assembly technology."
"But for building a permanent space station weighing hundreds of tons... I don't approve of such a radical and risky plan!"
"Structural precision control under microgravity, reliability of sealing and connection, and the risks brought about by the on-orbit construction cycle of several months..."
"There are just too many problems, it's outrageous!"
"Any mistake in any link could have disastrous consequences!"
"Why can't we adopt the more mature and safer integrated module launch mode?"
"In this way, we not only have access to our existing technological expertise, but we can also ensure sufficient security!"
Another, slightly younger expert was also very worried.
"And this so-called circular rotating chamber, simulating artificial gravity..."
"I can only say that the idea is good, but there are concerns about the impact of the Coriolis force caused by rotation on astronauts, the special requirements for the layout of equipment inside the cabin, and the long-term reliability of the rotating mechanism..."
"These are all unknowns!"
"To verify the long-term technologies that a 'South Heavenly Gate' might require, so many high-risk projects are being invested in the 'Great Wall'..."
"I don't think this deal is worthwhile."
"Because our primary goal is to build a reliable and functional space station!"
Faced with the questions, Su Dingping did not directly refute them, but instead presented a series of calculation data.
"First of all, I must admit that your concerns are very real."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
“But if we look at it from another angle,” he said, pointing to the core module shown in the design drawings, “if we only pursue stability, then frankly speaking, the ‘Great Wall’ is just an enlarged version of the International Space Station.”
"It cannot explore more technological possibilities for 'Nantianmen'!"
"You should know that the risks of on-orbit assembly are precisely the key technological barriers that we needed to overcome when developing the Nantianmen Project!"
Su Dingping knew, of course, that these reasons would not convince these veteran experts, so he turned to the more critical technical issues that the experts were worried about.
"First, the first batch of low-orbit satellites launched have already provided us with valuable experience in large-scale, high-precision on-orbit operations." (End of Chapter)