Great Country Academician

NASA headquarters building in Washington, D.C.

A grand press conference is being held.

Bright lights illuminated the crowded press conference venue. NASA Director Bill Nelson stood at the head of the report in a neat suit and delivered a speech in an impassioned tone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend our press conference today. Just days ago, the Congressional Budget Committee approved our budget line item to restart the first phase of the Artemis Program. !”

"This time, the restarted Artemis program is completely different from the past. In the next year, we will not only land on the moon, but also build a life-support module and a permanent residence on it!"

Along with Bill Nelson's speech, a lunar base map appeared on the big screen behind him.

Judging from the picture, the envisioned lunar base is very grand. It looks like a huge circle as a whole, with five pentagonal core buildings in the innermost part, which are somewhat similar to the Pentagon, and are connected to each other by silver-white pipes. .

Half of the periphery is solar power generation panels, arranged neatly; they can provide energy for the entire permanent residence.

The other half is a scientific research experimental base, a rocket launch site, and things similar to greenhouses.

From the above labels, we can clearly see the purpose of various buildings and equipment. In addition to scientific research, there is also experimental planting on the moon.

Standing in front of the screen, Bill Nelson continued excitedly: "The Artemis lunar exploration spacecraft will be launched next year. This launch mission will carry four astronauts and the corresponding life support system to fly around the earth. Two weeks later it entered lunar orbit and finally landed on the lunar surface."

"After successfully arriving on the moon, during this research mission, we will establish a life support module and permanent residence on the lunar surface. The lunar surface base can sustain the lives of at least five astronauts on the lunar surface for at least two to five years. Needed. During this long period of time, astronauts will conduct a number of scientific expeditions on the moon, exploring mineral deposits, water resources reserves, etc. on the moon."

"As everyone can see, the current action marks "substantial progress in the United States' return to the lunar surface" and also marks the greatness of the United States! NASA space agency will lead an innovative and sustainable exploration program while working closely with international Partners engage in commercial cooperation to allow humans to expand throughout the solar system while also bringing new insights and opportunities back to Earth."

Following Director Bill's speech, the atmosphere at the press conference became heated.

Soon, the press conference entered the on-site question and answer session. The reporters in the audience raised their hands crazily, trying to get first-hand information.

After all, as a major space country and the first country to set foot on an alien planet, its confidence in space is indeed deeply rooted in the bones of the American people.

Standing on the reporting platform, Bill Nelson glanced around the audience, with a confident smile on his face, and stretched out his hand to signal a media reporter in the audience to ask a question.

"Hello Director Bill, as we all know that lunar exploration is a very expensive project, and the budget for the first phase of the 'Artemis Project' this time is as high as 12 billion meters of gold. How much money is spent on it?" Is it worth it to go to space? Does Congress have the interests of taxpayers in mind?"

Hearing this question, Bill Nelson smiled slightly and said, "Of course it's worth it!"

“First of all, the Artemis program will promote the development of space technology, including a new generation of manned spacecraft, the construction of lunar bases, and the utilization of space resources, etc., which will make the United States at the forefront of the world and lead the world. The development of aerospace.”

"The development and utilization of lunar resources will not only promote the development and expansion of related industries, thereby promoting the development of the entire economy, but also promote the progress of related science and technology."

"Secondly, the moon is not our end! It is just our starting point. Our goal is the more distant Mars and outer space! The development of lunar resources will provide infrastructure and support for human beings to establish settlements in space, and provide space for exploration. Mars provides an outpost and can also provide complete technical reserves for future Mars exploration and immigration."

After a pause, Bill Nelson continued: "As for the taxpayer funds you are worried about, don't worry about it. Because this action is not just an independent action by the government, NASA will also join forces with Blue Origin, Dynetics, and SpaceX Let’s wait for the company to proceed together.”

"For example, SpaceX will provide the latest BFR super rocket in this Artemis project, with a low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of more than 550 tons and a lunar orbit carrying capacity of up to 150 tons."

"Not only that, it even has the ability to send 30 tons of items to Mars and can be reused more than a thousand times, which greatly reduces our financial needs for aerospace."

Coupled with the advanced BFR super rocket on the screen behind him, I have to say that even the well-informed media reporters at the press conference were shocked.

You must know that before this, the launch vehicle with the largest load capacity in history was the Saturn V. Its maximum load capacity in low-Earth orbit was 118 tons, and its lunar orbit carrying capacity was 47 tons.

This has been regarded as a miracle in the history of aerospace by the United States, and the emergence of the BFR super rocket has refreshed this record to 550 tons and 150 tons in one fell swoop, an increase of 4.6 times and 3.1 times respectively.

What’s even more surprising is that the BFR super rocket even has a payload of 30 tons in Mars orbit, which is like a dream.

After a brief silence, a burst of fierce applause broke out at the press conference.

Later, a reporter from the BBC stood up and asked after getting permission: "Hello, Director Bill, as far as I know, a few months ago, China also announced its own manned spaceflight and lunar exploration projects. , there are rumors that this project is led by the famous Professor Xu, what does NASA think of the other party’s development?”

Compared with the excitement and enthusiasm of the American media, the questions raised by the BBC media are obviously causing trouble.

Because the space race and space exploration cannot be supported by ordinary countries.

Whether it is funds or technology, it is obvious that the Sun Never Sets, which has already ended, does not have the ability to participate.

But for Bill Nelson, this was an opportunity presented to him.

He smiled slightly and said: "The United States has always been committed to the peaceful use of space, maintaining its security, and actively cooperates with other countries. It also welcomes more countries to make progress in this regard."

After briefly 'maintaining' his appearance, Director Bill changed his words and continued: "But from the last century to the present, the only country that has the ability to explore space and achieve manned landing on the moon is still the United States."

"It is undeniable that China's economy is developing rapidly, but in terms of aerospace technology, their development is far from enough. We have already sent astronauts to the moon in the last century, and they are still in low-Earth orbit. develop."

"I don't think I need to say more about the gap in between."

"As for how to view their development, let's wait until they send a man to the moon to discuss it. At least for now, it's not enough!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the report meeting became even more excited.

Not to mention anything else, this question alone was enough to cause trouble for the media reporters at the scene.

After all, no matter how you interpret it, there is only one meaning revealed in Director Bill Nelson's speech - that is, in the field of aerospace, the United States is the real leader and unique.

They didn't even pay attention to the country across the Pacific.

In the office, after watching the entire press conference, Xu Chuan frowned slightly.

It wasn't that Director Bill looked down upon and despised China's aerospace industry at the press conference, but that he smelled something else at this press conference.

"The first phase of the budget has invested 12 billion meters of gold, which is interesting. Is this preparing to focus on developing the aerospace field?"

Looking at the tablet in his hand, Xu Chuan began to think.

There is a big problem with the United States investing heavily in developing aerospace technology at this time.

After all, the value of the aerospace field is not that high. Judging from the current technology, manned landing on the moon will not bring any other benefits except harvesting a few tons of lunar rocks and doing some scientific research.

Of course, apart from interests, aerospace technology is also a part of national defense. In addition, it is also one of the most proud glory of the United States in decades.

But no matter what, the benefits generated by chips, integrated circuits, remote communication technology upgrades, controllable nuclear fusion and many other technologies are undoubtedly more worthy of their investment.

At least that's the case for the United States.

As for China itself, on the one hand, the development of aerospace technology is the trend; on the other hand, there are large amounts of helium-3 resources required for second- and third-generation controllable nuclear fusion technology on the moon.

You can say that the United States wants to deploy space in advance and occupy favorable positions and resources on the moon.

After all, although the moon is large, its resources are not evenly distributed, especially lunar ice, which is water resources. So far, it has been proven that only a few areas such as the south pole of the moon exist.

Whether it is for lunar surface activities or the establishment of scientific research bases, water resources that are extremely common on earth are undoubtedly more valuable than gold on the moon.

But this reason is not enough for them to invest money into space.

To put it another way, instead of developing space resources and improving aerospace technology, it is better to say that it wants to revitalize the influence of the United States on the world structure and try to recreate the 'Cold War' of the last century, using its superior aerospace technology to They are drawn into competition in the aerospace field.

Needless to say about the former, after all, after the realization of controllable nuclear fusion technology, the status and reputation of the US hegemon, especially the US dollar-petroleum system, have been greatly shaken.

If there is an opportunity to restore its reputation and influence, the United States will definitely do it.

As for using aerospace technology to repeat the Cold War and aerospace competition of the last century, we can only say that it is possible to delay their development, but there is no possibility of bringing them down.

After all, with the realization of controllable nuclear fusion technology and the liberation of endless energy, China is not the Red Su of the last century.

With China's strong industrial system and the liberation of energy, it can be said that it can develop very well even if it is separated from the rest of the world.

But what I have to say is that in the field of aerospace, the United States is indeed the leader now, and there is nothing wrong with the information at the press conference.

After all, they had already sent people to the surface of the moon as early as the 1960s.

The sentence "That's a small step for a man, but a giant leap for mankind" is still vivid in his memory.

In comparison, China's current development in the aerospace field is indeed far inferior to that of the other country.

Especially in terms of heavy-lift launch vehicles, it lags behind by more than a little.

In the 1960s, the United States' Saturn V had a low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of nearly 120 tons, while China's Long March 5, which currently has the strongest carrying capacity, has a low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of only 25 tons.

The gap in the aerospace field, judging from the current situation, is indeed huge.

As for the miniaturized controllable nuclear fusion technology and aerospace engine system he led, that was not included.

After all, it's not completely successful yet.

After thinking for a moment, he turned his attention to Wen Yuanhang who was sitting aside and said, "What do the higher-ups think of this press conference?"

Wen Yuanhang shook his head and said: "It's still under discussion and the results haven't come out yet, but let me ask Academician Xu your opinion first."

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan smiled, leaned on the sofa, and said, "In my opinion, this is a new competition."

"compete?"

Xu Chuan nodded and said, "Yes, competition in the aerospace field."

"In the field of controllable nuclear fusion technology, they have fallen behind us. This has dealt a huge blow to the United States' influence in the international landscape. The decline of the dollar is the best proof."

"If this situation doesn't change, things could collapse even faster."

"In my opinion, they are trying to open up a new track and recreate the competition between red and blue in the last century to contain our development."

"It is foreseeable that once the United States invests heavily in the aerospace field, we may be led to a certain extent."

"After all, although the moon is nominally bound by the Outer Space Treaty, it does not belong to any country. But we all know that this matter can be just a matter of words, and the treaty has no binding force. Who has the ability to land on the moon? , whoever owns the lunar resources."

"And for us, there are resources on the moon that we must fight for."

Wen Yuanhang thought for a while, looked at Xu Chuan and said, "You mean we should take the initiative to participate in this competition?"

Xu Chuan nodded and said seriously: "Yes, my personal suggestion is to actively participate!"

"Even if we put aside the resources on the moon, aerospace technology is worthy of our development. As the moon is the bridgehead for the development of earth civilization into space, occupying a favorable position on it will undoubtedly make it easier for us to embark on space."

"and"

After a pause, Xu Chuan put on a confident smile: "We may not lose this competition!"