Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1442 The Truth, But Not the Whole Story (4k)

This thing is probably really meant for the stars and the sea.

It's either going to the sky or going into the sea, otherwise there wouldn't be such strange and demanding requirements, mainly because the coverage is too comprehensive.

At the same time, considering the issue of going to sea, which we have had before, there is almost only one answer – going to the sky.

Moreover, it involves human beings going to space; otherwise, the issue of "inhalation toxicity" wouldn't be mentioned.

I didn't expect it to actually start, even if it's just some preliminary research on peripheral technologies.

However, Gao Zhendong didn't feel uncomfortable about it. Deep down, he wished that even the moon landing could be launched, but that was really unreliable.

I don't recommend being too hasty, simply because a judgment based on one's own perspective and observations of the economy and technology is not necessarily absolutely correct.

It would be too narrow to consider only economic and technical aspects when deciding whether to proceed with a project; there are many other factors to consider as well.

Gao Zhendong chuckled and couldn't help but say, "Hey, you guys in manned spaceflight have so many requirements. I'll have to think about this..."

His words shocked the comrade opposite him. What did I just say?

I don't think I said anything out of line, so how did the other side see through everything?
The comrade next to me testified that I didn't dare say a single extra word.

His mood at that moment, if paired with the expression of the section chief in the opening scene of a famous TV series decades later, would be a perfect match.

The other comrades listening to the hands-free call exchanged bewildered glances. The people recommended by the committee were indeed different; before they could even exchange three sentences, the whole thing had already been exposed.

However, this is a good thing; the more capable the other party is, the more help they may receive in this matter.

At this moment, Gao Zhendong was unaware that he had unintentionally set a big trap; he was simply considering how to handle the situation.

To be honest, this is a really difficult matter.

If it were ABC, then dry powder wouldn't be a big problem. But adding F makes things much more complicated. If the dry powder gets into the circuit, it could cause a short circuit. Furthermore, if a person inhales the dry powder, that's also a problem. As a general rule, never spray a dry powder fire extinguisher at a person; the consequences could be very serious.

Actually, the US space station used carbon dioxide, but this choice seems unsuitable at this time because carbon dioxide has certain requirements for space.

Let me ask first: "This spaceship... no, this enclosed space, isn't it a bit too big?"

The comrade opposite almost burst out laughing. "You're pretending to be ignorant when you know the truth!"

"Yes, it's not big, probably only enough for one or two people to do their limited activities."

"So, it's possible that this person isn't wearing spacesuits... or protective gear, and doesn't have an oxygen mask, right?"

"Yeah."

Then it seems we can't use carbon dioxide. The reason is simple: for a space with a limited volume, there is one country that is most familiar with it, without exception.

—The eldest brother of the North!
If you can use it, then you're the big brother, right?
Regardless of what they call it, their choice is not carbon dioxide.

As the country that has launched the most spacecraft in the world, bar none, their choice is certainly more reliable than that of the United States.

"My suggestion is to use water-based fire extinguishers, water-based foam extinguishers," Gao Zhendong's answer surprised his comrades.

“We consulted with firefighters, and they said that according to experience and relevant regulations, water-based fire extinguishing agents are not suitable for gas fires.”

Water-based foam and dry powder are two unique types of fire extinguishing agents, each with the widest range of fire extinguishing applications, but each also has a drawback.

Water-based fires are not applicable to Class C fires (gas fires), and dry powder fires are not applicable to Class F fires (electrical fires).

Contrary to popular belief, among common fire extinguishing agents, the only one truly effective against Class F fires is a water-based extinguishing agent. Contrary to the common misconception that water cannot be used to extinguish electrical fires and that dry powder is more suitable, this is entirely incorrect. Water-based and water are not synonymous.

Gao Zhendong knew all this because his senior sister was preparing for the fire engineer exam, and he gained some rudimentary experience from her.

However, it's true that my comrades said this stuff isn't suitable for gas fires.

Gao Zhendong said, "Actually, there won't be a gas fire in your enclosed space. You wouldn't spray fuel inside, would you?"

Solid fires and liquid fires are both possible, but gas fires are the least likely.

"But what if the oxygen leaks..."

Gao Zhendong laughed: "If there's an oxygen leak, even if a fire breaks out, it won't be a gas fire. Oxygen isn't a fuel. A fire is a fire caused by the type of fuel it was originally designed for."

There was a moment of silence on the other end...

This is something that's quite easy to get confused about.

Even if the wood is burning fiercely when oxygen is sprayed onto it, it is still a solid fire, so the choice of extinguishing agent has little to do with gases.

After a long silence, the voice of the comrade on the other end sounded strangely funny.

"Hehehe, thank you, thank you."

Once they understood this, they understood why Gao Zhendong chose water as the base material. Water can even deal with electrical fires, which is actually the most likely type of fire to occur in spacecraft, if not the only one.

After all, most other things require a heat source, but electrical equipment can short-circuit, overheat, break down, or even produce sparks.

Hearing them thank him repeatedly and that they might hang up, Gao Zhendong refused to let it go. They wanted to run away? Not so easy.

Since you're already here, don't run away!
"Actually, I have another suggestion..."

Upon hearing this, the comrade on the other end immediately perked up; there was an unexpected bonus?

"Please tell me."

"I recommend using water-based foam fire extinguishing agents for systematic fire suppression in critical locations. For small-scale fires, I suggest you prepare two other items."

Hey, this comrade's suggestion seems to make a lot of sense...

Distinguishing between fires of different sizes and in different locations, if possible, is a wise strategy!
What is your suggestion?

"One is fireproof wipes, and the other is a fine mist fire extinguisher." The two items Gao Zhendong mentioned initially left his comrades somewhat bewildered, as they sounded far too simple.

But upon closer inspection, it's brilliant!

Fire-retardant wipes are an excellent way to extinguish small surface fires of any type, unless the fire itself carries both fuel and oxidizer. But for them, that's easy to deal with; who would put this stuff in a spacecraft for no reason?

The other person was a little hesitant. "Comrade, won't this affect the electrical system?" Since they didn't know who the other person was, they could only address them that way.

“Uh… pure water can be considered non-conductive, that’s one point. Secondly, the core equipment can be well protected, since they are meant to be protected anyway,” Gao Zhendong said with a smile.

In fact, one of these two suggestions came from our own spaceship and space station in our previous life, and the other from the International Space Station. As for using water instead of anything else, there's a reason for that too; water is the easiest to handle and poses almost no harm.

The electrical hazards are actually not as great as imagined. Any aftereffects, however, can be addressed after the fire is extinguished.

The comrades opposite looked at each other, suddenly feeling a bit foolish...

Fearing they might not be entirely reassured, Gao Zhendong patted his chest reassuringly over the phone: "Don't worry, I know more about electrical circuits than fire extinguishers!"

Hmm? Who is this person? Judging from his familiarity with fire extinguishing agents, the fact that he dared to say that shows that he is really familiar with electrical circuits.

How did this person manage to combine two industries that are so different from each other?

However, these questions may take them a long time to answer, or they may never get answers.

"Also..." At this moment, Gao Zhendong on the other side remembered something else.

"Please tell me."

"When designing the cabin environment, never use a pure oxygen environment," Gao Zhendong said, emphasizing each word.

The two companies with the most advanced aerospace technology in the world today—White Bear and Citibank—are the ones that suffer from the lack of pure oxygen chambers.

In 1961, during ground training, the former caused a fire that burned one person due to the pure oxygen environment, and the person eventually died 10 hours later.

However, given their habits and the sensitivity of space exploration, such matters were naturally not made public. So, six years later, in 1967, when the latter were training astronauts for the Apollo program, they were completely unaware of the serious dangers of a pure oxygen environment, and three more of them burned to death for the same reason.

Gao Zhendong was afraid that his comrades would follow the same path. After all, technological development tends to converge, and when information is not public, there is a high probability that everyone will fall into the same trap at the same stage of the same matter.

Gao Zhendong's words made the comrades on this side look at each other, wondering... how did he know we were considering this plan?

"Could you explain this, comrade?" Just hearing the conclusion isn't enough; we need to know the reasons behind it. Otherwise, how can we know if the conclusion is scientific?
"Because pure oxygen is too flammable, or scientifically speaking, pure oxygen is too easy to ignite! And the severity of the combustion caused by pure oxygen is far more serious than most people imagine. That's one reason," Gao Zhendong said.

So that's the reason. Comrades understand now; it seems we really need to be cautious. However, some comrades are concerned about whether there's a "second reason."

After all, judging from this comrade's wording, the probability is quite high.

"Secondly, if a person spends too much time in a pure oxygen environment, it will affect their physiological health."

"Yes, we know that. It's called 'oxygen intoxication,' a problem that happens to people coming down from high altitudes," the person on the other end of the phone replied.

This comrade is very meticulous. However, the consequences are not very serious and can be resolved to some extent through training and adaptation.

Gao Zhendong's voice rose slightly: "No, no, no, it's not that simple. This kind of impact can directly damage organs, causing coughing, chest pain, convulsions, visual impairment, spasms, dizziness, and even organ damage and failure..."

In his previous life, Gao Zhendong was a cave diving enthusiast. Although he hadn't dived much, he spoke very clearly and eloquently about these things.

His words stunned the comrades on the other side.

"so serious?"

Almost every one of these could be a source of tragedy.

"Yes, I..."

Gao Zhendong was about to say that he was familiar with this, but then he thought that if he said that, the other party might think he was bragging, which would reduce his credibility, so he changed his words and said, "My wife is a doctor, and I have contact with this area through her."

Wow, I never expected that Xiao'e studying medicine would have this benefit.

"Okay, okay, we will definitely conduct animal experiments first for this situation."

Creating a pure oxygen environment for the animals to breathe in is not a problem. However, if there is any confirmation of this direction, or even if there is no confirmation but any signs, then this plan must be completely shelved.

"Try it yourself in a pure oxygen environment; see how easily an electrical fire can start," Gao Zhendong said. Some things, just saying them won't convince anyone; you have to see them for yourself.

An electric spark may not ignite a wire instantly in air, but it's hard to say in a pure oxygen environment.

"Okay." Firefighting is their specialty, so it's always good to listen to their advice. If it's verified that the risk of fire hazards has increased, then regardless of the outcome of pure oxygen damage, this plan must be completely abandoned.

After hanging up the phone, the comrades went to report the situation to their superiors.

"Was that comrade's call forwarded by the National Defense Commission?"

"Yes."

Their superiors, who clearly knew more, had guessed what was going on from their words and laughed.

"We've completely abandoned the pure oxygen chamber plan and are going down another path. Of course, you still need to conduct the relevant fire and animal experiments; it's good to gain more technical experience and reserves."

"So sure?"

"It's true that the pure oxygen solution was a last resort from the beginning. We were aware of its risks, but we didn't expect them to be this high."

"This hasn't even been tested yet..."

"Didn't we tell you to experiment? But whether you experiment or not doesn't make much difference. Experiments will be conducted, and the plans will be eliminated. There are some things you don't quite understand yet. This is good, it's a way to quickly eliminate outdated options," their superior said with a smile, trying to reassure them.

People say he knows more about electronics than firefighters, and that's true. As for his wife being a doctor, that's true, but also a bit of humility; the truth isn't complete. He himself is equally knowledgeable in this field, at least far more so than anyone else here.

However, he didn't say it aloud, mainly because he always felt that he was bragging when he did.
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"Zhendong, there's something I need you to do. Go to Caiyun and help us choose a site." The organization that asks Gao Zhendong for the most favors is the National Defense Committee.

Location selection? Gao Zhendong was stunned by this question.

"Sir, I'm really not familiar with engineering construction..."

"Nonsense! Isn't the Wushui Hydropower Station project an engineering project?" The leader scoffed at his words, but still added, "However, the reason I'm sending you this time has nothing to do with the engineering construction. It's because you're quite familiar with the core application technology of this project. You can take a look, take a look."

"What the hell is that?"

"You'll find out about the confidentiality regulations when you get there," the leader said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)