Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1409 Five Directions (4k)

Despite Gao Zhendong's enthusiastic talk about high-thrust rockets and reentry technology, in reality, it all boils down to two words—nothing happens.

As for those that can move, they are all technologies used in other space activities. If I had to say, only life support technology is somewhat special.

However, all parties listened to him and felt that their ideas had been affirmed.

Gao Zhendong's technical skills and ability to smooth things over are truly impressive. However, from a technical standpoint, very few people can handle this kind of smoothing-over well. The reason is simple: most people can't grasp the right balance, can't satisfy everyone, and still need to maintain sufficient authority.

The leader smiled without saying anything. It's a good thing that we can reach a consensus on the technical level and move in the same direction. No matter what the final decision is, at least we are of one mind on the technical level.

But what the leaders were more concerned about was something else entirely, namely the little bit of information that Gao Zhendong had just let slip.

"Comrade Zhendong, you just mentioned that there are more urgent applications in the aerospace field. What are these applications? Well, as we just mentioned, we need to discuss what the aerospace field can do next from a technical perspective."

He was all smiles. You said you urgently needed it, so whether it's really urgent or not, at least it's somewhat meaningful.

Gao Zhendong was in a dilemma. If he spoke frankly, his comrades would have nothing to do with it, which seemed inappropriate.

"Boss, I was just saying that, I haven't thought of anything specific yet. I'd like to hear what my colleagues think first, so I can get some inspiration."

The leader glanced at it and laughed. This kid, he even knows to leave some room for others to maneuver. Gao Zhendong said he hadn't thought it through yet, but he didn't believe a word of it. Hadn't thought it through? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
The leader, who knew Gao Zhendong very well, didn't believe Gao Zhendong's nonsense at all. However, he could understand why Gao Zhendong said that, and knew a little about it. After all, once Gao Zhendong opened his mouth, there probably wouldn't be many other comrades left.

Many comrades are aware of the legend that "you must speak before Committee Member Gao".

Therefore, the leader was very pleased that Gao Zhendong humbly said that he hadn't thought it through yet, as he not only knew how to give his colleagues room to maneuver, but also how to take care of their feelings.

"Alright, comrades, think about what else we can do," he said, turning to his comrades.

This statement was like lighting a powder keg; the comrades certainly had a lot of ideas.

"How about we do some deep space exploration?" Some of our colleagues are physics majors and are very interested in deep space exploration, something like the Hubble Telescope. In fact, astronomy and physics are closely related, and many physical theories or research rely on astronomy for empirical evidence.

This can be seen from Sir John Bull's book, *Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy*.

The leader neither agreed nor disagreed, but waved his hand and said, "Hmm, write it down, write it down. Let's gather some topics first, and decide what to do later."

With this start, the scene became quite lively.

Some people want to do planetary exploration, and the reason is simple: deep space exploration is too far away and too ethereal. We haven't even figured out the few big stars around us yet, so why think about something so far ahead?

There are also those who want to do lunar exploration, and planetary exploration too. They're already so close to us every day, and we haven't even figured that out yet. Going so far away is just a waste of money. If you ask me, the idea that Committee Member Gao once proposed—to orbit the moon, take some detailed pictures, and observe it—is much better. After all, if we're really going to venture into space, the moon is the first stop. We don't even know where Chang'e and Wu Gang live, or what the laurel tree and the jade rabbit look like. Planets are so far away; there's really no need for that.

Some comrades aren't interested in any of this. What about the moon, planets, and deep space? Can you even eat that? Let's focus on something practical, something related to the national economy and people's livelihood. Space funding is limited right now; we can't afford to waste it. The space breeding, weather forecasting, disaster assessment, and agricultural yield estimation projects that are already underway are quite good.

Some comrades recalled what Gao Zhendong once said. I think the radio satellite that Committee Member Gao proposed is quite good. It can greatly enrich the spiritual and cultural life of the people across the country and also serve as a means of external propaganda. That's good.

The meeting room erupted into another heated debate, with everyone present responsible for this area and sharing their own ideas, all of which were quite reasonable.

The committee isn't stopping it either; these are all potential issues, and when to address them can be discussed gradually. The more thoroughly and clearly the discussions among comrades, the better.

When everything was almost over, and the comrades' opinions had been fully expressed, and no one had any new ideas to share, they turned to Gao Zhendong and asked, "So? Did you get any inspiration?"

Gao Zhendong nodded: "Yes, I've learned a lot and been very inspired!"

Hehe, you're quite the actor...

"What are your thoughts?" Stop pretending, it's your turn to speak.

"I actually have some ideas." Gao Zhendong stopped pretending; it was about time.

"Tell me your thoughts, including the opinions of the comrades just now. What are your thoughts?" The question not only wanted to know Gao Zhendong's own ideas, but also his views on the various suggestions made earlier.

This problem caught Gao Zhendong off guard; he hadn't originally considered the latter part.

He thought for a moment before speaking, "I feel it's a bit too complicated. Let's simplify it, divide it into several systems, and explore them appropriately. It would be a real pity to completely abandon any one system."

Our current situation is better than what Gao Zhendong knew in his previous life, and we have some spare capacity. Moreover, Gao Zhendong also knows that our aerospace workers really don't spend too much money. They use every penny to the fullest extent, and they spend it on the most important things.

Therefore, Gao Zhendong also felt that preserving some seeds in various directions was a good idea. As long as we don't end up like the other two companies, shooting destroyers into the sky, it's not a big problem. This is not an exaggeration; the Saturn V is slightly over 3000 tons, and the N-1 is over 2700 tons. To really stand a destroyer upright and shoot it into the sky is indeed far beyond our current capabilities.

Gao Zhendong's thinking on this matter was very simple. If he could cooperate with the comrades in the north and achieve a win-win situation, that would be great. If things didn't go well, it wouldn't matter. Anyway, if they wanted us to do it ourselves, they would absolutely not support us.

"Oh? How to streamline?" This was also what the committee leaders and the chief engineer had just been thinking about. There were too many things piled up, making it really difficult to make decisions. Moreover, things were somewhat chaotic, and it was really hard to judge what was important and what came first.

Gao Zhendong's suggestion is excellent; dividing it into several systems makes things much clearer.

Gao Zhendong said: "One type is Earth remote sensing. Regardless of the band used, such as visible light, infrared, ultraviolet, radar, etc., as long as it detects Earth information, whether we start doing it now or not, whether it is used for weather, agriculture, disasters or something else, we should classify them all into this category. This approach should be reasonable for the time being."

Okay, that makes it clear. Good, good.

“This type of thing is basically unstoppable; it’s needed and needs to be developed at any time,” Gao Zhendong said.

That's for sure; Earth exploration will never stop. Moreover, it's closely related to national welfare, people's livelihood, military, and national defense; it's needed at any time, so its priority is definitely very high.

"One category is deep space exploration, and this category... well, let's just mark it out for now."

In fact, there are quite a few of these kinds of things, and there are more than one type of space telescope, but Gao Zhendong didn't say anything about it at all.

"Pfft..." Someone laughed. It seemed that Committee Member Gao meant that this thing probably wasn't going to be of any use to him in the short term.

Indeed, this is true. Gao Zhendong is not really interested in deep space exploration. This is important for theoretical research, but for us now, we cannot study such advanced theories. The most urgent task is to fill the gaps in the basic and well-understood theories. That would be good enough.

Gao Zhendong didn't explain. Anyway, it was his own inclination, and there was nothing to explain.

"There's another category that falls under the exploration of celestial bodies within the solar system, including the Moon, planets, planetary satellites, asteroids, and so on..."

Gao Zhendong was lucky he didn't slip up and say "dwarf planet." Back then, there was no concept of dwarf planets, and Pluto was still mixed in with the nine planets.

"Let's start with the moon for this kind of thing. For anything too far away, we'll use the moon as a foundation. After all, we've heard about Chang'e flying to the moon for thousands of years, and it would be a shame not to go and see it. We've also discussed sending a probe to orbit the moon a few times. It's not too difficult. If the orbit and transfer plan are well-planned, we don't need a rocket with too much carrying capacity to send it there. With the moon as a starting point, we can do other things well," Gao Zhendong said with a smile.

His words immediately united those involved in lunar and planetary exploration. Committee Member Gao was right; if they couldn't even reach the moon, anything further was just a mirage. They should first circle the moon twice.

"This matter can be approached gradually, without rushing. I think that with our own technology and the insights our comrades have gained from learning in the north, perhaps within four or five years, we can launch a probe to orbit the moon a few times, and that will be enough. As for other things, we can develop them gradually on this basis. Things like deep space tracking and control can be incorporated into it."

Deep space tracking and control and deep space exploration sound similar, but they are actually two completely different things. The former is for man-made spacecraft launched by oneself, while the latter is for distant celestial bodies in the universe.

The committee leader nodded repeatedly. "Yes, these are mature and prudent words. They neither stagnate nor give up completely, nor are they eager for quick success or unrealistic ambitions. Instead, they are very pragmatic and reasonable, setting a goal that looks good and has some significance."

Other comrades were also full of hope: "Hmm, that's a good suggestion. Let's send a satellite to the moon first, orbit it a few times, and see if we can grow crops there. If it works, we can consider growing vegetables on the moon in the future."

The comrades all laughed. This was our unique kind of romance. We'd see if we could farm there first.

Gao Zhendong also smiled, almost saying that it wasn't impossible, since there was water in the lunar soil, although in a different form. As for fertilizer, he would have to bring his own.

As for the possibility of the lunar soil returning at the exact hour, Gao Zhendong wasn't that optimistic. He thought that if he could catch a glimpse of it and take some photos within five to ten years, that would be a great victory.

"There is another category, which is communication satellites, including broadcasting and television satellites, communication satellites, and so on. These are similar to remote sensing satellites and are closely related to people's production and life. They should be given priority and vigorously developed. After all, like remote sensing satellites, they can generate economic benefits, whether directly or indirectly. Their output can also make up for some of the funds and resources we have invested."

The comrades nodded in agreement. They had tasted the sweetness of selling satellites before, and now they were nostalgic for it. These two series should indeed be vigorously developed. After all, there aren't many interested parties in deep space exploration and intragalactic object exploration results, but communication and remote sensing are in demand from larger countries.

Like broadcast satellites, you can make a little money just by renting out transponders. This thing hasn't even come out yet, but people are already dreaming about it.

"As for space experiments, they can be grouped together with manned spaceflight. The former has certain unique characteristics and is not easy to form a series, but if you want the experiments to be done well, you still need someone on board in the end." Gao Zhendong estimated that it was about right, and there was no need for anything too special.

The leaders of the National Defense Industry Committee nodded in satisfaction. "Hmm, that makes things much clearer. It seems that Gao Zhendong's suggestion to listen to the comrades first wasn't entirely to leave them room for maneuver. After listening to their speeches, they really were able to summarize some points."

"Remote sensing, communication, intra-system celestial body exploration, space experiments and manned spaceflight..." The leader paused for a moment, then continued, "Uh... and deep space exploration, which I just mentioned. Five directions. Not bad, not bad, that makes things much clearer."

When deep space exploration was mentioned, everyone laughed. It seemed that this was going to be difficult in the short term, and even the leader himself hadn't quite remembered it. This included those who wanted to work on deep space exploration; after all, it was indeed a bit too impractical these days.

With this categorization, many tasks become much easier to arrange; at least there's a framework to fit them into, which is very beneficial for evaluation and planning. Of course, this is a technical categorization; the higher-level aspects are another matter entirely.

"So, do you have any ideas about specific applications?" Looking at Gao Zhendong's expression and recalling what he said at the beginning, the leader felt that he still had a lot more to say.

"As for specific applications, I do have a few ideas, not many..." Gao Zhendong laughed. And believe it or not, I actually do have some!
(End of this chapter)