From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 131 Orbital Journey to the Space Era
  Orbital elevator.

It refers to a large-scale transportation facility for more convenient exchange of materials and personnel between space and the surface.

As early as the 20s, Atlas had already launched research projects on high-strength materials, including "carbon nanotubes", "high-strength steel" and "titanium-tantalum alloys".

The main purpose is for space activities, such as the metal materials that support the keel, hull, deck and outer structure of space ships, as well as the "steel cables" that support space elevators.

Among them, "titanium-tantalum alloy" has been used on Selune-class transport ships.

The orbital elevator that Leroya looked at through the sealed window was made of "carbon nanotubes" and "high-strength steel."

Before she started traveling, she had read the relevant information published by the company on its official website.

The reason why Atlas set up the construction site in Gabon is that the orbital elevator must be located at the equator. After all, the design of the space elevator relies on earth-orbit synchronization.

Moreover, the space station where the orbital elevator is located is also Leroya’s destination space city, which is about 3.7 kilometers away from the ground...

This is no longer the category of low-Earth orbit, it is considered space in the true sense.

You must know that the average distance between the earth and the moon is "only" 38 kilometers.

In this way, the space city located at 3.7 kilometers can orbit the earth in the same period, with an orbital inclination of zero, and is almost completely stationary relative to the earth's surface.

Meanwhile, another working principle of the orbital elevator is similar to a hammer and ball with a long rope.

The outermost space city is equivalent to a super giant chain ball, and is pulled by the rotation of the earth.

Therefore, at the equatorial position, the force on the counterweight is minimal; at the non-equatorial position, the force is increased, which is extremely detrimental to stable operation.

Except for the construction materials, which are core secrets, most of the working principles of the orbital elevator are public matters on the official website.

Not only that, the new media department has even produced a large number of animated short films to inspire children to understand the field of physics.

It can be said that Atlas attaches great importance to the development of the education system and will never tolerate any moth entering the system.

Because children represent hope and the future.

If students are afraid of being bullied behind their backs by teachers and being bullied by classmates every day when they go to school, then Atlas, and even all of humanity, may lose a physicist or a master of mathematics.

Of course, if this phenomenon is not resolved, it will directly affect social harmony and stability.

Therefore, Atlas "goes its own way" in education. Through its absolute economic advantages, various partner countries have carried out comprehensive reforms in the education system, and also promulgated many mandatory penalties and criminal measures.

But Leroya didn't understand the company's deeper intention of producing popular science cartoons. Now, like everyone in the dining car, she was staring intently at the towering orbital elevator.

Really are…

A shock to the soul.

Since the death of her parents, she has been sneaking alone in the human world for thirty years.

In the past thirty years, in addition to avoiding the pursuit of those who worked for Julian Belafira, Leroya also witnessed the rapid development of the human world.

Thirty years ago, human beings imagined how they would fly across the stars, but thought that everything was too far away and impossible to achieve in a short time.

There are also more pessimistic thoughts, which believe that human beings will have self-destructed and become part of the long history before they officially move towards the vast stars.

However, thirty years later, maglev trains have become the main means of transportation, holographic technology has been fully applied, and medical services are far beyond what they were before...

The most important thing is that with the help of Atlas, mankind quietly started the Space Era.

...

More than ten minutes flew by.

When Leroya saw that the orbital elevator was getting "bigger" and the scene outside the window became clearer, she knew that the train was about to arrive at the station and was gradually slowing down.

So she got up and left her seat, picked up her only backpack, came to the back of the dining car, and stopped in front of the cabin door to wait.

At this moment, the train speed has stabilized at 80 kilometers per hour, and during the deceleration, the carriage still remained stable.

Through the closed window of the hatch, Leroya saw a city no less than New Accra——

Libreville, the capital of Gabon.

Brand-new buildings and extremely complete infrastructure can be seen everywhere, which is the norm in cities invested and constructed by Atlas.

However, with Leroya's extraordinary vision, she also discovered that the police officers patrolling the streets were all wearing dark blue uniforms and had the eye-catching Atlas logo printed on their armbands.

Although she has not been working for a long time, she also understands that the actual planning of Libreville has been fully taken care of by the company.

Not only she, but also most netizens and people know that such cities or regions are equivalent to Atlas' "assets", but not many people are surprised.

It all makes sense if I quote a few posts from the local Libreville community, namely:

"I just found out! In the past three years, Atlas seems to have done more things than the official government has done in the past twelve years?!"

"Hahaha, my income this year has reached a new high! I can have enough money to have a second child!"

"Guys, have you noticed that there are fewer and fewer robberies and shootings? And at night, the roadside is full of barbecue and snack stalls." Wait.

It is precisely because Atlas has gradually integrated into it and improved the quality of life of residents, instead of engaging in fraud and cutting leeks, that it has received real understanding and support.

As for the local and foreign capital consortiums, they are naturally unwilling to give up their interests and want to use public opinion wars and commercial wars to maintain the power of squeezing local people.

The results speak for themselves.

Atlas never plays tricks in business wars, and directly adopts the most "unpretentious" physical methods to force those capital consortiums to "be sensible".

soon.

Leroya noticed that the speed of the train had dropped to the slowest speed, and she also saw the platform outside the window.

Didn't have to wait long.

The train came to a complete stop.

The flight attendants also came to the beginning and end of each train to ensure that no passengers would lean on the doors that were about to open.

Beep-beep-!

Accompanied by a short, harsh reminder.

call--!
  There was a surge of air, and the airtight hatch that maintained the air pressure inside the carriage was completely opened, allowing passengers to get off first.

"Hi~hoo!"

The first thing Leroya did when she left the car window was to take a deep breath with her eyes slightly closed to relieve the fatigue of the long journey.

Then, instead of following the "large army" onto the escalator leaving the platform, she headed to the underground floor.

But here, there are still many maglev tracks and block-shaped maglev trains that look more solid in structure. Leroya took out her civilian version of the Titan mobile phone.

After swiping her face to unlock the screen and checking the transfer ticket information, she looked around and said to herself:

"Car No. 1 at Station C... Car No. 1 at Station C... Ha! Here."

Leroya's eyes lit up, she called up the QR code for the transfer ticket and ran towards platform numbered C.

The vote passed.

Enter the carriage.

The structure inside is completely different from the ordinary maglev car, especially the row of seats equipped with seat belts and fixed frames, which gives Leroya the feeling of being about to ride a roller coaster.

She came to her own seat, put her backpack in the storage cabinet, then sat down, and buckled her seat belt in sequence according to the prompts on the holographic screen.

When all the seats were filled, the time displayed on the holographic screen came to 14:16.

A female flight attendant wearing a black uniform and a red and white scarf came to the front with a standard smile and reminded:
  "Welcome everyone to board this train, our destination will be the space city located 37,000 kilometers away.

As a reminder, the train does not need to break through the first cosmic speed to enter outer space.

And, for the safety of all passengers, please make sure your seat belts are buckled and remain buckled until we reach outer space.

This train will officially depart in two minutes. At that time, everyone will also see the Earth, the home planet that should be familiar but is very unfamiliar, from a new perspective. "

After saying that, the flight attendant cooperated with another of her colleagues to conduct a final inspection.

After confirming that all passengers were fastening their seat belts, the two flight attendants also sat at the front and rear of the train.

14: 20.

With a "clang" sound, the fixed frame automatically buckled on the seat, and the train started on time, carrying everyone away from the platform.

Immediately afterwards, the airtight safety windows placed on both sides and top of the train showed Leroy and everyone the underground tunnels and tunnels of the hub station one by one.

The suburban scenery outside the tunnel,

The blue sea reflecting the sparkling waves,

Finally, they entered a semi-open tunnel composed of carbon nanotubes, high-strength steel, room-temperature superconducting ore and stable condensed matter.

It is then powered by a nuclear fusion power plant on the surface, giving all tunnels stable electromagnetic buoyancy and thrust.

Then, Leroya noticed that the scenery on both sides of the car windows began to tilt...

tilt…

Until it was tilted to a ninety-degree angle, and she was completely in a lying position, clinging tightly to the seat.

Swish-!
  ! !
  Leroya felt a strong pushing sensation on her back and strong tinnitus, just like the sudden acceleration of an ordinary maglev train, or the force of a traditional passenger plane taking off.

"Ah...help...I regret buying the ticket...Mom, help me..."

Suddenly, Leroya saw from the corner of her eye that a young man sitting next to her closed his eyes tightly and kept mumbling various words of regret.

They were sitting vertically at the moment, and it was difficult to clearly observe what was outside through the safety windows placed on the sides and top.

This situation can cause a phobia of losing control or a phobia of heights. No wonder the young people around her have this reaction.

Leroya turned her head slightly and focused her eyes on the screen on her right.

发现列车的速度同样维持在930公里每小时，而他们的攀升高度已经有了100公里，屏幕右侧还显示着「60%61%62%」的字样。

When the screen reaches "100%", the pushing sensation and strong tinnitus disappear.

Moreover, their hair no longer hangs down, but extends in different directions, and their limbs are also "swaying with the waves", as if they are in the ocean.

"Dear passengers." At this time, a flight attendant reminded everyone through the radio:
  "We have just passed the Karman Line, which is about 160 kilometers from the surface, and have successfully entered the outer atmosphere, so the air resistance here has approached zero."

As he said that, another flight attendant actually removed the fixed frame and seat belt, and floated above the heads of everyone in a familiar manner. With his back against the sunroof, he replaced the colleague who had finished the announcement and said with a smile:

"Next, my colleagues and I will witness with you the most important and exciting scene of this trip."

The words fell.

Leroya noticed that she and all the seats were slowly turning and adjusting their angles. Finally, they were facing the skylight above their heads and saw it.
  The earth "underfoot".

"Ouch!!!"

"This is so beautiful!"

"Hahaha! It cost an extra six hundred, and I thought it was a loss at first, but I didn't expect it to be really worth it!"

There was a burst of exclamation in the carriage.

"Wow...!" Leroya was also filled with emotion.

Everyone knows about the earth, but no one sees and appreciates it from this perspective.

"Haha." Seeing everyone's reaction, the flight attendant still smiled slightly and introduced:
  “There is no air obstruction in the area now, which allows the train to accelerate fully without any worries.

So we will arrive at the destination of our trip, Space City, in forty-five minutes.

During this period, the train's fastest speed can reach 17 kilometers per second, which has reached the third cosmic speed that is enough to escape the solar system.

Moreover, the train we took was a civilian train. If it were an unmanned truck that shuttled through the tunnels on the opposite side, the speed would only be faster. "

Having said this, the flight attendant paused, and controlled her body to gradually move away from the sunroof using the relay method with her hands, and continued to introduce:

“As for our destination space city, it’s actually not completely completed yet.

According to our expected scale of Atlas, the space city will be a real city integrating entertainment, life and construction.

However, even if only some areas are open, it is enough for everyone to experience the fun of a low-gravity environment.

So I won't disturb you too much. If anyone needs convenience, please raise your hand and I will focus on the precautions when it is convenient. "

After saying that, the flight attendant drifted back to the area below.

When Leroyah saw that the other party no longer blocked the skylight, she immediately took out her mobile phone, adjusted the angle, and took an overhead photo of the earth.

Later, she habitually typed the words "Thank you, Lord" on the screen, but immediately deleted it and changed it to "Thank you, Atlas, for letting me see the earth from another angle."

Then, Leroya uploaded the copy and accompanying pictures to the short video platform set up for her by her colleagues in the Internet Department.

As for the lord Leroy wanted to thank, Sui Yang, he was currently in the underground base in Accra, observing a practical test.

(End of this chapter)