Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1414 It Won't Get Moldy (4k)

"Continuous...it seems more like it." When it comes to oil, even the smallest oil field will show more than just a small area in these kinds of detection images, so the more continuous and larger the area, the greater the probability.

"This thickness must be over 20 meters, right?" If this low-density shadow is oil, then judging from the image, the thickness exceeds 20 meters, which means that it could be a large-scale oil field.

"Yes, and it's continuous. Look, look, it hasn't stopped!" The data being processed now is actually from this morning's survey results, but this profile is almost uninterrupted, with low-density shadows constantly appearing on the screen, and the thickness is also quite high.

"It's a major discovery! We'll go back and organize the results, send them back to the ministry as soon as possible, and at the same time apply to change the plan and conduct intensive exploration in this area!" the captain said cheerfully.

The new equipment is great! The comrades cheered.

Although oil in the ocean is much more difficult to extract than oil on land, where are we? It's the Bohai Sea, where the water is very shallow. As long as we can find it, there's a glimmer of hope.

Sending it back to the ministry essentially meant requesting that they send a drilling vessel to conduct drilling in that area. Seismic wave detectors can only detect density; what this low-density shadow truly represents will only be known once the drilling vessel descends.

Looking alike isn't the end result; seeing is believing. Here, "seeing is believing" means...
Fortunately, this shadow is not very deep underground. Although we do not yet have large-scale mining technology, drilling to confirm it should not be a problem.

"Yes, yes, yes, hurry back to our home port and come back as soon as possible!" The comrades were all eager and excited.
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Unlike those in China who find happiness in their own way, some people in certain places are not happy.

"Comrade, I need an explanation. Why are the liaison representatives from the South and the comrades working here all evacuating, while my attempts to contact them back home are now only receiving polite but useless replies?"

A polar bear aerospace expert walked into his superior's office with a frown, taking off his hat as he couldn't help but complain.

His superior shrugged: "It's a work requirement, comrade. It's a decision made by the higher-ups, not me."

"Work requirement? Withdraw them from here when I need their help the most? This is absolutely not my job requirement." The aerospace expert who walked in stood by his superior's desk, his eyes filled with anger.

“No, your work needs are only yours. We need to consider things from a higher perspective; that's the biggest work requirement. The fact is, I regret to inform you that due to irreversible reasons, the Southerners' work here is coming to an end. They will return to their hometowns to continue their work and lives, but they will no longer be involved with our project.” His superior said, pointing to the ceiling.

The complaining polar bear aerospace expert wasn't stupid. He opened his mouth, somewhat with difficulty, but couldn't utter a word.

"Is the situation beyond repair?" After a long silence, he finally uttered these words.

"Yes, my comrade-in-arms... I regret to say, it's irreversible." His superiors weren't fools either; they were well aware of the role the Southern comrades were playing here.

But he could only observe all of this from the sidelines. He had some idea of ​​the impact of the Southerners' evacuation from this place.

This is not just about evacuating people.

The light in the eyes of the aerospace expert who was complaining dimmed somewhat; although he remained resolute, there was an indescribable regret in them.

"Their departure from here wasn't simply because we were short-handed..."

Despite his words, the mere fact that there were fewer people was already a significant problem. An even heavier workload returned to them. The pressure they faced while working on manned spaceflight, space stations, and lunar landing programs was unimaginable to outsiders.

The fact that it can exhaust even chief engineers speaks volumes about the pressure involved.

Originally, with the help of comrades from the south, the pressure on the electromechanical, control, and electronic aspects was greatly reduced, which in turn brought positive impetus to the entire system. Even if it was only a small amount, it was something that made them happy.

But now, after a short period of improvement, everything has gone back to normal, and their happy period didn't even last two quarters.

“I know it’s not just a matter of manpower shortage, but I think the comrades can definitely overcome these difficulties, can’t they?” his superior said.

"No, you don't know. Besides manpower, we are facing another shortage of new materials and components. Many technologies that were applied because of new materials and components have to go back to the old ways and need to be modified again. This includes better solar cells, smaller, lighter and more reliable semiconductor power electronic components, faster and smaller spaceborne computer systems, and so on..."

This was very difficult for him.

Not only do the better subsystems disappear, but the loss of these superior parts also forces us to spend time going back to the old ways, and some subsystems may even cause problems that affect the whole system.

For example, due to the renewed lack of high-efficiency solar panels and batteries in the south, the solar panels and the entire power system have to be replaced by a larger and heavier system. This will force them to readjust the allocation of task loads, and adjusting the load ratio often brings many unexpected problems.

It's true they have nuclear isotope batteries, but they can't solve everything. Otherwise, they wouldn't need those two huge solar panels hanging outside their cannons and other structures. Having people and nuclear batteries together isn't exactly a reassuring arrangement.

There are many similar situations. For example, the power supply and drive systems made up of the opponent's power electronic devices are more than a generation ahead of our own systems made up of vacuum tubes and early semiconductors. In particular, the power electronic devices used in aerospace are not high-power, which means we have completely fallen into the comfort zone of the GTO devices provided by the opponent.

His superiors were not unaware of these matters; in fact, their hearts were bleeding as well: "Comrade, I know everything you've said, but you don't know the predicament I face. Their departure means we've created a significant funding gap again, which is a huge surprise to me as well. The higher-ups will indeed fill these gaps, but that's national money—money we could have saved—now we have to spend it again. However, all of this is necessary..."

The aerospace expert shook his head: "Technically speaking, I don't see any need for this. The biggest loss here is that our control system, from hardware to software, has once again reverted to its old state overnight. We have to pick up that outdated system again and reuse it on our spacecraft and giant rockets. I can't even assess the impact of this."

For him, the current situation is that I could have endured the darkness if I had never seen the light.

But in the last few months, he had seen the light, which made things even more difficult for him.

Now he was facing the prospect of suddenly falling back into a system that lacked multitasking capabilities and made coordination between engines extremely difficult, from an environment comprised of the world's most advanced control systems—comprising high-speed computers, fast-acting devices, and real-time multitasking operating systems. Only he knew the true feeling of this situation.

“We do have alternatives in our country, and I think these problems can always be solved.” His superior was relatively optimistic, or rather, he had no choice but to be optimistic.

"No, if we have a usable but not-so-good alternative to the solar cells I mentioned, then we have absolutely no alternatives in terms of control systems. We can only regress, we cannot find a replacement, at least not in the short term."

His superior reached out and covered his mouth: "Comrade, that's enough for me. Don't say anything more about it. Do you understand what I mean?"

As he said this, the superior turned around and looked around, as if the office was no longer safe.

If you keep talking like that, you'll be sleeping on the floor of the Gulag Hotel!
"Do your best, my comrade. Tell me your difficulties, and I will try my best to solve them for you. At the same time, I will urge the higher-ups to make up the funding gap as soon as possible. This is the best I can do for you, understand?" He said in a low voice to the aerospace expert who had just been full of complaints but now seemed to realize something and remained silent.

"Okay, I will complete the task. It's just that it's such a pity."

He did not doubt his ability to complete the mission, but he regretted missing out on more advanced and better spacecraft and rockets.

Compared to the polar bear, the Gauls were in a much happier mood.

"The Easterners want to buy our SA321 helicopters?" Mr. Seine on the banks of the Seine was in high spirits.

"Yes, Mr. Sena."

"This matter can be handled by the gentlemen of the Armaments Department, can't it? The SA321 helicopter is not a sensitive piece of equipment. In fact, apart from crushing people with its own weight, it is difficult for it to pose any threat to human life." Sena even made a little joke.

"I asked, and the gentlemen at the Equipment Administration said that the test flights for this aircraft haven't even been completed yet, so they can't make a decision." An aircraft that hasn't even completed its test flights is still out of the question for the Equipment Administration.

"Are Easterners so perceptive? They've already set their sights on a plane we haven't even finished test-flying?" Sena was somewhat impressed by the Easterners; their judgment was always so sharp, only this time it was a bit ahead of its time.

"Yes, they are very interested."

“Here’s what we’ll do. You tell them that we agree to the sale in principle, but we need to wait until the aircraft’s test flights are fully completed.” Sena pondered for a moment before making his decision.

He knew very well that for them, who wanted to maintain a basically complete military-industrial system independently, they could not give up any opportunity to make money. There was actually no problem with this deal. The only problem was that the gentlemen who were developing the SA321 had to work harder, otherwise the other party might get a similar helicopter from their northern friends.

Such commitments, similar to letters of intent or memorandums of understanding, posed no psychological burden to Sena. If necessary, he could even export them under the guise of civilian helicopters.

“Yes, Mr. Sena, also…”

"What else?"

"In addition, people from the East have consulted us about the possibility of obtaining shallow-sea oil extraction technology."

"Shallow-sea oil extraction?" Sena immediately became interested.

To be honest, the Gauls' offshore oil extraction technology was not advanced for that era. In fact, their centuries-old neighbor, thanks to the existence of the North Sea oil fields, had gone further in this area than they had.

But none of that matters. What matters is the presence of oil, and oil that is certain will not breed mold. Although the oil crisis has not yet arrived, and oil has not yet reacted chemically with the Citibank coin, the term "industrial lifeblood" is not used lightly. Everyone will be interested, even if they have plenty at home.

Moreover, the words "shallow-sea oil" piqued Sena's interest even more. While the deep-sea oil market is uncertain for now, the shallow-sea oil market may not be entirely hopeless.

“Please explain more clearly.” Sena sat up straight, even leaning forward slightly.

“I’ve done some research, and actually, before this, there was no news of offshore oil and gas fields from the East, except for a few onshore oil fields in Northeast China and other places. In other words, in theory, they shouldn’t be interested in offshore oil extraction technology.” His subordinates were clearly very well prepared, having verified some background information before coming here.

"So, they may have discovered an oil and gas field at sea?" There must be a reason for every change. The philosophy of the East is truly classical and wonderful.

“I suspect that’s possible. Their Bohai Sea is known for its shallow waters and is also located near the oil-producing region of Northeast China.”

This "nearby" is actually quite far away, but for a country of that size in the East, it really is "nearby".

Sena stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment: "In that case, maintain contact and try to obtain as much information as possible from them. The Bohai Sea is their inland sea, and they have sufficient control over it. Moreover, they also have sufficient control over other sea areas nearby."

This ensures that no action will skip across the water, which is a wonderful thing.

“Yes, Mr. Sena.” His assistant flipped through the folder in his hand and began to talk about other things.
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"You're back so soon?" Gao Zhendong asked with a smile, looking at Ma Juan in front of him.

"Yeah, I was sent back after only a month or two, hahaha." Ma Juan said she was sent back, but her smile didn't fade.

(End of this chapter)