I ask you to build tractors, but you build rockets?

"Is it the A100 nuclear thermal engine? That one doesn't need plutonium, right?"

"Yes, there is another project."

Lin Ju led the boss into the small room where the engineers were meeting. Guo Shen and Androv were inside.

They introduced the NAPE engine "under development" to the boss in detail. The boss listened without saying a word for half an hour, then picked up the "design parameters" and looked at it carefully.

After a long while, he said quietly:

"Nuclear heat, ionization and gas tip, three working modes are integrated into one engine. No wonder it dares to give such amazing indicators. It also uses a sodium-cooled fast neutron reactor, which is the most cutting-edge in the world."

The boss is also a professional in aerospace engines and is no stranger to these.

If NAPE can really be built, there is no doubt that it will be called an epoch-making engine in the history of aerospace.

With a high specific impulse, clean propulsion material, and fairly low thrust, it is indeed an ideal power source for near-Earth travel in the future.

"Do I know why you are so keen on developing nuclear power engines? Xinyuan is just a commercial company, NAPE is too advanced, and you don't plan to go public, so you won't even be able to get your money back."

Lin Ju knew that this was a sign of relief, and immediately said the prepared words:

“As an aerospace power company, we know very well that traditional engines cannot enter the aerospace era. In the space environment, specific impulse is everything. As long as there is thrust, you can reach anywhere.

The specific impulse of traditional chemical rocket engines cannot even exceed 500 seconds, but 3200 seconds is just the beginning for NAPE. When NAPE matures, all chemical engines will be swept into the garbage heap. It will be a huge waste of energy on traditional technologies. Error; this is even more true for A100. If it is a chemical engine, the fuel required for a round trip to Mars is ten times that of 50 tons.

And in the long run, nuclear power is much more cost-effective than traditional chemical power. The more advanced the technology, the lower the cost of use. "

Before Lin Ju finished, Guo Shen and Androv went on to discuss the necessity of progress in aerospace power technology. From material transportation to interstellar navigation, the logic of each link was strict, making people feel that traditional rockets were already outdated. It's garbage, it shouldn't exist in the world.

After pouring down bowls of chicken soup, even the bosses have to become the foresight of these people in front of them.

"Okay, raw materials can be provided, but the research place must be independent and strictly managed. In addition, you have no nuclear research foundation. Where does the confidence to start from scratch come from?"

Lin Ju: "I have contacted some overseas Chinese, including experts in this field."

The boss thought that Lin Ju's fortune depended on overseas friends, and he agreed with this statement.

"Well... we still have a lot of outstanding talents outside. In this case, I will submit it, and I promise to give you a definite answer within a month.

But I'm afraid you will have to work hard in the middle. You need to explain some aspects yourself and convince some people. "

…

August 2, 7 a.m. Beijing time, Baikonur Space Launch Center, Kazakhstan.

A Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft pointed to the sky, carrying three astronauts from Lucia, the island nation, and Aramco, who were about to be sent to the International Space Station.

This is the second manned launch mission to the International Space Station this year. It was originally scheduled to be launched on July 23. However, because the Progress space shuttle was floating in the same orbit as the International Space Station, Lucia decided to slow down, otherwise there would be no heat at all. .

The Soyuz spacecraft is a manned spacecraft developed after the former Soyuz Vostok spacecraft that launched Gagarin into space. It was first launched in 1967 and has many modifications. It later became the main force for transporting personnel to the International Space Station. It has now developed The fourth generation has launched more than a hundred ships and is an absolute model worker.

Aramco astronaut Lindgren was lying in a narrow cabin and said to the Lucian Oleg next to him:

"Obviously the ISS is the most advanced space station in the world, but we still have to squeeze into a spaceship built by the Alliance in the 1960s. This is not cool at all!"

Oleg: "You Americans always miss the space shuttle, but everyone knows that stability is the most important thing. That Ma Yilong of yours, do you dare to ride on his Dragon spacecraft?"

Lindgren: "Why not? The Chinese H1 is not a manned flight? That is called space flight, not sitting in a stuffy jar."

The meaningless argument between the two did not last long, because the rocket had already entered the launch process, and they did not have the energy to talk when it was resisting overload.

The people at the launch center are very relaxed. After all, the Alliance spacecraft has been used countless times, and its reliability is beyond doubt. They just need to follow the steps as usual.

Ten seconds later, as the Soyuz spewed out fire, TMA-17M took three astronauts and flew to low-Earth orbit.

It will rendezvous with the ISS there and catch up to dock. The whole process will take about 6 hours.

Oleg is an experienced astronaut. He went into space in 2008 and is very familiar with Soyuz spacecraft.

When the spacecraft passed through the atmosphere, he teased Lindgren, a rookie, while cherishing the magnificence of space.

The spacecraft is still accelerating, and there will be another time after entering orbit. Next, it will work in the ISS for a long time.

Oleg was thinking about his next mission when he suddenly felt the spacecraft vibrate slightly, and then felt the rear of the spacecraft swaying gently like a tail.

He asked the ground and the response was that everything was fine.

But Oleg did not feel at ease because of this. He tried his best to get closer to the window, trying to see what was going on outside:

A piece of debris flew out of sight and disappeared into the darkness.

He turned on the headset again: "This is Kononenko, the Soyuz seems to have been hit by space debris, and the service module may have been damaged."

Oleg directly told the worst-case scenario, but he remained calm. This calm quality is the reason why he can continue to travel to and from space.

At this time, Lindgren and the island nation's astronaut Keimi Arii also heard the conversation, but they were speechless for a while.

"Oleg, are you sure the service module was hit?"

"I don't think there will be anything flying past my field of vision except for the fragments of the spacecraft."

Not only were they fragments, Oleg clearly saw a large piece of the service module shell flying out!

The Baikonur Space Center couldn't believe that such a change had occurred, and hurriedly confirmed the status of the spacecraft. At this time, Lindgren also made a voice:

"Hey, the fire alarm in the service cabin went off. There seems to be a lot of fuel in it."

"Are we going to die?"

"Mr. Arii, at least we may not be able to reach low-Earth orbit."

Oleg murmured, because he felt that the thrust behind him was no longer moving forward steadily and began to shift.

The center of gravity of the alliance spacecraft has been changed. The good result is that the orbit is offset, but the bad result is that it is cut off and crashed!

In just a few dozen seconds, Baikonur was already a busy mess. People were walking around from time to time. The person in charge of the launch center summarized the information as quickly as possible and basically confirmed:

The Soyuz was hit by space debris and had not yet entered orbit. The service module had caught fire, and TMA-17M was confirmed to be unable to enter orbit.

I stayed up late to watch the first episode of the starry sky and even slept through it~