in2ebook Chapter 1488 Becoming the Center of the World
Chapter 1488 Becoming the Center of the World
The meeting started on time at 14:30 in the afternoon.
Since this is a resumption of the meeting after a recess, there is no need to repeat the previous process.
After Director Sun Yanlai made a brief opening speech, he handed the podium to Chang Haonan.
The entire conference room was silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on this young genius.
"Good afternoon, colleagues." Chang Haonan said in a steady and powerful voice, "First of all, please allow me to report to you the latest progress of the nuclear reactor magnetohydrodynamic power generation project."
He clicked the remote control and a set of complex device diagrams appeared on the projection screen.
"As you can see, this is the compact space nuclear reactor system we developed. Unlike traditional nuclear power plants, it uses nuclear reactions to directly generate high-temperature plasma, and then uses a disk-type magnetohydrodynamic generator to directly convert the kinetic energy of the plasma into electrical energy, eliminating the need for bulky components such as traditional steam turbines and cooling towers..."
"..."
The overall technical route of this project is no secret in the industry, but the development progress is much faster than most people expected, so the introduction did not take up too much time.
In the meeting, a middle-aged expert wearing glasses raised his hand and asked:
"Academician Chang, according to the report materials, although water was not used as a power generation medium in the ground test, a secondary circuit was still used to cool the plasma... But in the space environment, how do you plan to solve the cooling problem during the plasma circulation process?"
"It uses alkali metal as the working fluid in high-temperature heat pipes, and discharges waste heat into the external environment through radiation radiators." Chang Haonan answered briefly, and at the same time pulled up a video showing the testing process of a silver-white heat sink component in a vacuum chamber. "As you can see, this system can operate stably in a completely vacuum environment, and the heat dissipation efficiency is sufficient to support a power output of no more than 5 megawatts."
After the video ended, he changed the subject:
"However, we cannot fully reproduce this process on the ground, so we need to focus on verifying it in the first phase of the test plan."
"So, what about the fuel part?"
Zhang Rongqiao pushed up his glasses:
"As far as I know, the fuel for most commercial nuclear reactors is uranium dioxide, but uranium has very poor density and thermal conductivity. In the past, the metal fuel used in space nuclear power sources can only operate at relatively low temperatures, which is not enough to generate plasma of sufficient concentration."
As an expert in Mars exploration, he has certainly studied various ideas about space nuclear power sources during the Cold War.
But most of them have their own fatal flaws.
"The core of the whole system is this pebble bed modular reactor, which uses uranium nitride as fuel. Uranium nitride has high thermal conductivity and high melting point characteristics, and can withstand an operating temperature of about 2000K in the pebble bed structure."
Chang Haonan enlarged the schematic diagram of the core part of the reactor:
"Under normal circumstances, a single filling can continue to work for 8-10 years. In theory, the system also has the ability to refill fuel in a modular manner. However, considering the cost and risk of actual operation, our current plan is to replace the entire reactor power module after the end of its service life and push the original module into deep space for disposal."
A low discussion was heard in the meeting room.
Academician Gu Yindong frowned as he flipped through the documents, while Wu Ji was quickly writing something down in his notebook.
Seeing that there were no more questions about reactor technology, Chang Haonan switched to the next set of slides: "Next, I would like to talk about the impact of this technological breakthrough on our deep space exploration strategy."
A magnificent concept image of a space station appeared on the screen—a huge ring-shaped structure with several cylindrical modules connected in the center.
"This is the deep space exploration transfer station I envisioned, which is planned to be built at the Earth-Moon L4 Lagrange point. Through this transfer station, we can greatly reduce the requirements for single rocket capacity for lunar and Mars exploration."
The venue immediately became noisy.
This idea was too bold and seemed a bit ahead of its time even for these top aerospace experts.
"Academician Chang," Gu Yindong couldn't help but stand up, "The scale of this transfer station looks to be at least several hundred meters in diameter. According to our current carrying capacity, it may take hundreds of launches to build it. Is this realistic?"
Chang Haonan smiled slightly:
"You are right. If we build a complete transfer station at one time, it is beyond our current capabilities... or even the capabilities of the entire human race."
"So my suggestion is to implement it in stages." He pulled up a new schematic diagram. "In the first stage, we will build a minimum functional unit - including a nuclear power module, a fuel storage module and a docking module... If necessary, we can add a scientific research module. In short, the total mass of this core module will not exceed 50 tons, and it can be assembled in place with the improved Long March 3 through 4- launches."
“What use can such a small transfer station have?”
Such questions are more like delivering a message than questioning.
"The key lies in functional design," Chang Haonan explained. "Even the smallest version can provide orbital refueling services and simple equipment maintenance functions. For example, we can first transport the fuel to the transfer station, and then launch a probe to the moon or Mars from the transfer station, which reduces the burden of launching directly from the earth."
He showed a set of orbital mechanics calculations: "According to our simulations, refueling via a transfer station can reduce the launch mass requirement of a lunar probe by more than 40%, and the savings are even more significant for a Mars mission."
Wu Ji suddenly stood up:
"Academician Chang, if we follow this line of thought, does it mean that we don't have to choose between the moon and Mars? The transfer station can support exploration missions in both directions at the same time?"
Chang Haonan nodded affirmatively: "I think we can adopt a three-step strategy of 'transfer station-moon-Mars'. First, use the transfer station to support the construction of the lunar base, accumulate experience and technology, and carry out unmanned Mars exploration at the same time. When the technology matures, the transfer station will be used to support manned Mars missions."
The proposal was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.
The experts in the conference hall began to calculate and discuss, and the atmosphere suddenly became lively.
Zhang Rongqiao quickly flipped through the materials and suddenly looked up and asked, "Academician Chang, your proposal mentioned that the transfer station can provide fuel for the probe. What kind of propellant is it? If it is traditional chemical fuel, the supply efficiency is probably not high, right?"
"Good question." Chang Haonan looked at Zhang Rongqiao with appreciation. "At this stage, including in the near future, we still plan to use liquid hydrogen/kerosene/methane and liquid oxygen as standard propellants, but we are also developing more efficient nuclear thermal propulsion systems... In fact, this is another application direction of space nuclear reactor technology."
He pulled up a schematic diagram of a new engine: "This is a magnetic plasma propulsion system based on the heat source of a nuclear reactor. Its specific impulse can reach over 3000 seconds, far exceeding that of traditional chemical rockets. Although the thrust is not large, it is very suitable for deep space exploration missions... Of course, it is still just a concept and is still a long way from being a practical product."
Exclamations rang out again in the venue.
If this propulsion technology matures, it will completely change the rules of the game for deep space exploration.
Moreover, after what happened today, no one would take Chang Haonan’s words like “concept” and “a long distance” seriously anymore.
Gu Yindong frowned and thought for a while, then suddenly asked:
"What about the cost? For such a grand plan, the budget must be astronomical, right?"
Chang Haonan was well prepared: "It is indeed expensive, but not unaffordable. According to preliminary estimates, the construction cost of the entire transfer station system is roughly equivalent to the total investment in manned spaceflight over the past decade. But considering that it will serve both the lunar and Mars programs, it actually improves the efficiency of capital utilization."
He paused, then added:
"More importantly, after the transfer station is built, it can be operated commercially, such as providing supply services for other countries' deep space exploration missions, or renting out scientific research modules... To some extent, it will also help to bind other countries' aerospace industries with my country. I think the higher-ups will be happy to see such a trend."
Director Sun Yanlai had been listening quietly, and suddenly spoke:
"Academician Chang, if the superiors agree to adopt your plan, when can it be implemented at the earliest?"
Chang Haonan is confident: "Nuclear reactor technology is mature and can be transferred to the engineering development stage at any time. If decisions are made quickly, we can start the scaled-down verification project next year, build a transfer station with preliminary functions within 3-5 years, and complete the full version within ten years."
The meeting room suddenly became quiet.
Everyone realized that they were standing at a historic crossroads. The plan proposed by Chang Haonan not only resolved the dispute between the Moon and Mars factions, but also opened up a new development path for China's aerospace industry.
Sun Yanlai looked around the venue: "Everyone, I propose that we have an in-depth discussion on the feasibility of Academician Chang's plan..."
"..."
The meeting lasted until late that night.
Finally, the experts at the meeting reached a consensus: they formally proposed to their superiors that China Aerospace adopt a three-step strategy of "transit station-Moon-Mars" while advancing deep space exploration plans in multiple directions.
When Sun Yan came to announce the decision, there was warm applause in the meeting hall.
Wu Ji and Gu Yindong had long forgotten their disagreement from more than ten hours ago and were both excited about the bright future of China's aerospace industry.
After the meeting, Chang Haonan was surrounded by many experts to discuss the technical details in detail.
It was not until the crowd dispersed that he realized Zhou Pingjian had been waiting for him at the door.
"How is it? Are you tired?" Zhou Pingjian asked with a smile.
Chang Haonan rubbed his temple:
“It’s a bit unbearable, but it’s worth it.”
The two walked side by side in the empty corridor of the National Space Administration. Through the window, they could see the starry night sky.
Zhou Pingjian suddenly said: "Today's decision may change the course of human civilization."
"We are just explorers." Chang Haonan stopped and looked up at the starry sky. "The real change will be created by everyone who embarks on this road in the future."