Reborn in the red age

Chapter 565 Can the rocket shell be replaced with stainless steel?
At present, the satellite is about to be launched, and smart home appliances are just an idea, so there is no rush to implement them.

Li Qingfeng had someone deliver a letter to the bosses of the three companies, inviting them to meet in the capital for a chat in the near future.

Then, in early March, he took his whole family and people from Lemon Company and followed people from Aerospace Industry Company to the northwest of the country to participate in the launch of Lemon Company's first communications satellite.

"Oh, this is a private jet. Teacher Li is worthy of being the richest man in the world. This private jet is so luxurious." Sitting on the sofa in the luxurious cabin of the plane, Liu Dewen looked left and right with envy on his face.

Li Qingfeng, who was sitting on a sofa in another place, corrected Liu Dewen angrily after hearing his words: "What nonsense are you talking about? I am not the richest man in the world. My name is not on the list at all."

"Yes, yes, it was a slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue." Liu Dewen nodded and agreed with a smile, but he couldn't help but pouting in his heart.

Damn it, it is universally acknowledged that you are the richest man in the world, and everyone knows it, but you insist on pretending to be confused and deceiving yourself and others here.

If you, who owns Lemon Company, are not the richest man in the world, then who else is qualified to be the richest man?
Li Qingfeng knew what he was thinking, but he was too lazy to argue with him. After asking the flight attendant to take good care of this freeloader, Li Qingfeng returned to the big bed in the rear cabin to rest.

After tucking in the blankets for the two children who had already fallen asleep, Li Qingfeng looked at Hu Jiabao, who was studying the satellite launch manual given by the aerospace company, and asked, "Why are you looking at that? How can you, a medical student, understand it?"

"Even if you don't understand, you have to take a look at it. I always feel uneasy about launching satellites in our country. The cost of this launch is much higher than the cost when you and Mou Qizhong partnered in Moscow. You have spent so much money, what if it explodes?" Hu Jiabao looked at the booklet in his hand and replied without even raising his head.

"If it explodes, just think of it as watching a big fireworks display," Li Qingfeng smiled and said indifferently.

"Pah, pah, pah, touch the wood quickly, what are you talking about? We spent 800 million or 900 million RMB, and it's impossible to get nothing."

"You are feudal and superstitious"

"Feudal superstition is feudal superstition, but you also want to touch wood." Hu Jiabao glared at Li Qingfeng in annoyance and continued, "That's 800 million or 900 million, not 8,000 or 9,000 yuan. If it explodes, I will feel sad."

Qingfeng Li smiled helplessly, reached out and touched the wood of the bed, and said in a serious tone, "Okay, okay, I've touched it, it should be OK now, right?"

“That’s pretty much it”

The Lemon No. 1 private jet landed smoothly at Jiayuguan Airport, and the group took a special car to the launch base.

It was already near the afternoon. Along the way, the sandstorm from the Gobi Desert slapped the car windows. Looking at the dusk in the distance and the desert all around, Qingfeng Li really felt as if he were watching the setting sun over a long river.

After driving on the rugged road for some time, the convoy finally arrived at the launch base.

"Chairman Li, welcome to the launch site." Liu Yongquan, the person in charge of the launch site, who came to greet him, said politely to Li Qingfeng:
"At present, all preparations for the satellite launch have been completed. The room will be ready for you at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. You can have a good rest tonight and recharge your energy so that you can witness this exciting moment in the best condition tomorrow."

After Liu Dewen's introduction, Li Qingfeng politely shook hands with Liu Yongquan and thanked him: "Director Liu, thank you for your hard work. Please take us to the room."

"Ok"

Liu Yongquan was about to take them to the room when he was interrupted by Hu Jiabao.

Hu Jiabao asked expectantly, "Director Liu, can I go and see the rocket up close now?"

Then he explained a little embarrassedly: "I have only seen the general outline once from a distance before, and I have never seen it up close."

Liu Yongquan did not answer directly, but first looked at the people behind Li Qingfeng who came from the Hong Kong Lemon Company.

Then he answered Hu Jiabao's question: "If Professor Hu wants to see it, of course you can. I will arrange for you and Chairman Li to go to the launch silo to observe it."

Li Qingfeng understood what Liu Yongquan meant, which was that only the two of them could go and see it, and everyone else should just stay in the room.

After all, everything in this place is highly confidential. These people are all from Hong Kong. Even if they are employees of Lemon Company, who knows if there is a risk of leaks among them.

After understanding what the other party meant, Qingfeng Li straightened his chest.

It’s worth it that I have done so much for the country, the country still recognizes me.

Not everyone can enter a place like a launch silo.

He immediately asked the others to follow the comrades here to the room, and he took Hu Jiabao to check out the silo.

"Dad, can I go? I want to see the rocket too." Just as the couple was about to get in the car to the launch silo, Chuyi pulled their sleeves.

"I want to go too. Take me with you." Fifteen on the side was equally unwilling to be outdone. He looked at the two of them pitifully and said that he wanted to go too.

Looking at the expectant eyes of the two children, Li Qingfeng paused and turned to look at Liu Yongquan.

Receiving Li Qingfeng's questioning look, Liu Yongquan smiled and nodded: "Of course, as long as you don't run around."

After getting Liu Yongquan's permission, Li Qingfeng smiled and patted Chuyi and Shiwu's heads, saying, "Did you hear that? Don't run around for a while. Listen to your uncle."

The two children nodded excitedly, holding Li Qingfeng and Hu Jiabao's hands, and walked towards the car impatiently.

The vehicle drove slowly towards the launch silo. Along the way, Chuyi and Shiwu looked through the car window curiously at everything outside.

The desolation of the Gobi Desert was full of mystery in their eyes. The transmission tower in the distance was getting closer and closer. Its huge figure amazed the children and they would exclaim from time to time.

Arriving at the launch silo site, Li Qingfeng and his family, led by Liu Yongquan, walked into this place which was full of mystery to non-industry professionals all over the world.

The rocket in front of them towered into the clouds, and its huge body made Chuyi and Shiwu open their mouths wide with shock on their faces.

"Dad, this rocket is so big," Chuyi said excitedly, looking up.

"Yeah, it's much bigger than it looks from a distance," Fifteen also agreed.

Hu Jiabao was carefully observing the structure of the rocket. Although she studied medicine, she was also curious about this kind of thing.

Li Qingfeng followed behind the children, reminding them to be safe from time to time.

Liu Yongquan patiently explained to them the relevant knowledge about rockets: "This rocket is specially customized for our communication satellite launch. It has strong thrust and can ensure that the satellite accurately enters the predetermined orbit. Look, this is the rocket's fuel tank, which stores a large amount of fuel to provide power for the rocket's launch."

Chuyi and Shiwu listened with great interest, and asked some innocent questions from time to time, which Liu Yongquan answered patiently one by one. After Liu Yongquan finished his explanation, Li Qingfeng asked his own question: "Director Liu, I want to ask, what material is the shell of this rocket made of?"

Liu Yongquan smiled slightly, raised his hand and gently patted the outer shell of the rocket, and explained: "Chairman Li, the outer shell of this rocket is made of high-strength aluminum alloy material and has undergone a special heat treatment process."

"Aluminum alloy is light and strong, and can reduce the weight of the rocket as much as possible while ensuring the structural strength of the rocket."

After listening to Liu Yongquan's story, Qingfeng Li nodded thoughtfully: "Then the cost should be very high, right?"

"Of course, the cost is indeed not low. The purchase price of raw materials alone is several times more expensive than ordinary aluminum alloys, not to mention the subsequent processing technology."

"After listening to your description, I thought of a cheap material that seems to fit what you said."

"what material?"

"304L stainless steel"

After these words were spoken, not only Liu Yongquan was stunned, but even Hu Jiabao and Chuyi beside him were stunned.

Fifteen didn't think of what 304 stainless steel was for a moment. After frowning and thinking for a while, he exclaimed, "Isn't 304 stainless steel the liner of a thermos cup?"

Fifteen's exclamation broke the calm atmosphere at the scene. The three people who were shocked by the materials just presented by Li Qingfeng all looked at Li Qingfeng.

After a long while, Hu Jiabao, who was the first to react, rolled his eyes at Li Qingfeng and said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about? This is a rocket, not a thermos cup. How can you use 304 stainless steel?"

"That's right, Dad. The materials used in thermos can be used in rockets. You really know how to joke." Chuyi also agreed.

Facing the mother and daughter's speeches, Li Qingfeng simply ignored them and stared at Liu Yongquan, waiting for his answer.

Rocket launching is too grand for ordinary people. If it weren’t for Musk, no one would have thought that the rocket shell had anything to do with stainless steel.

It is natural to think that rockets should be produced with aerospace-grade materials.

Liu Yongquan, who was being stared at by Li Qingfeng, thought the question was ridiculous, but he still answered patiently: "Chairman Li, although 304 stainless steel is widely used in daily life, such as the liner of the thermos cup your child mentioned, it is not suitable as the main material for the rocket shell."

"Rockets have to withstand tremendous pressure and severe vibration during launch, as well as extreme temperature changes during liftoff and return. In high-temperature environments, the strength and oxidation resistance of a rocket are far inferior to those of specialized aerospace aluminum alloys, which may cause the outer shell to deform or even be damaged, seriously affecting launch safety and satellite orbit accuracy."

Li Qingfeng waved his hand to interrupt the other party's chatter, pointed to one side of the rocket in front of him and said, "As far as I know, when a rocket is launched, only one side will directly face the burning of the high-temperature flames and the high temperature caused by air friction, right?"

"Yes"

"Can we put some insulation material on this side?"

"Of course not." Having said that, Liu Yongquan paused, frowned, and fell into deep thought, quickly sorting out the various parameters and material properties of the rocket launch process in his mind.

After a moment, Liu Yongquan slowly lowered his frown, looked at Li Qingfeng strangely, and then said: "In theory, it is feasible to stick heat insulation material on this side."

"Haha, you can do some in-depth research. If stainless steel can be used, the cost of rocket launch will be greatly reduced," Li Qingfeng said with a smile.

The mother and her two children standing nearby were stunned when they heard the conversation between the three people.

No, the liner of a thermos cup can really be made into a rocket shell?

After expressing his thoughts, Li Qingfeng glanced at the mother and her two children who were still in a daze, stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers, and said with a smile: "Let's go, why are you still standing there, we have finished looking at the exterior of the ship, let's look at the interior"

Having said that, Qingfeng Li took the lead and walked towards the launch control center under the guidance of the staff.

Hu Jiabao glanced at Liu Yongquan who was still in a daze, then followed closely with the two children.

Liu Yongquan, who stayed where he was, came back to his senses. He looked at Li Qingfeng's back with a complicated expression, and couldn't help but sighed: "It's no wonder that his business is so big. Even his brain is unmatched by ordinary people."

After saying that, he quickly followed.

Walking into the perimeter of the launch control center, Liu Yongquan looked through the glass window at the busy staff and flashing screens inside and began to introduce Li Qingfeng's family.

"This is the core area of ​​the entire launch, where staff will monitor every aspect of the rocket launch to ensure the smooth progress of the launch."

“From the refueling of the rocket, real-time monitoring of the flight trajectory, to the status tracking of the satellite after it separates from the rocket, everything is presented on these screens.”

While listening, Li Qingfeng curiously observed the equipment in the control center and the operating procedures of the staff, and asked some questions from time to time, such as the meaning of different data parameters and the response measures for abnormal situations.

Hu Jiabao, his mother and his two sons were also extremely curious. From the moment they came in, they kept their eyes wide open and did not miss any details.

The two children kept asking Liu Yongquan and Li Qingfeng various questions:

"What are those numbers jumping on that big screen?"

"If a rocket goes off course, can we get it back on track here?"

Faced with the two children's questions, Liu Yongquan always answered them patiently, while Hu Jiabao watched with a smile, occasionally interjecting a few words and expressing his own opinions.

After the tour, when he was about to leave the control center, Liu Yongquan found a rocket model and a small space suit from somewhere.

He took the set of things and handed it to Fifteen who looked eager, and said with a smile: "Little Fifteen, this is a gift from our space base to you. I hope you can keep your passion for spaceflight and study hard. Maybe in the future you can become an excellent astronaut and contribute to the country's space industry."

Looking at what Liu Yongquan was holding in his hand, Fifteen's eyes lit up.

He nodded his head like a rattle, took the gift carefully, and said excitedly: "Thank you Uncle Liu, I will definitely keep it well. I will also build rockets in the future to let more satellites fly into space."

Looking at the scene in front of him, Qingfeng Li narrowed his eyes. Damn, who came up with this idea? It's so mean!

(End of this chapter)