This star is going to the moon

Chapter 163 CCTV Space Broadcast "Road Expert", the Responsibility of Space Science Popularization

The last time China carried out a manned space mission was the Shenzhou 11 mission three years ago, which docked with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory.

Another manned space mission three years later will dock with the new space station... and the former Tiangong-2, which will be really interesting to watch.

So CCTV once again broadcast the Shenzhou XII manned space mission live and invited two experts as usual.

The only difference is that this time it is a new combination of "one old and one middle-aged" experts, namely "one middle-aged and one young".

"Zhong" refers to Zhong Zong, the middle-aged chief designer of the astronaut system of the manned space program.

"Qing" was a surprise. It was the aerospace live broadcast that many people had talked about before, and they invited young aerospace scientist Lu Yun to conduct a popular science live broadcast.

I didn’t expect CCTV to really invite him!
When introducing himself, he called himself "road expert" in a serious tone, which made the people watching the live broadcast laugh.

[Hahaha, quite formal, road expert!]

Although Lu Yun is young, he truly deserves this title. After all, he is the genuine chief designer of a manned lunar landing rocket. When will China recognize him so that Lu Yun can be vindicated?

[Indeed, he seems to be only around 25 or 26 years old this year. To be able to take charge of such an important task at this age only shows how incredibly powerful he is!]

[Rowan looks a different kind of handsome in a suit. His presence is just as impressive as that of the CCTV host and the middle-aged chief designer. His good looks are so striking that all eyes are on him.]

【sorry……】

【? 】

CCTV’s live broadcast invited Lu Yun not to increase ratings... well, a little bit.

Anyway, the leaders of the station were quite happy to see the live broadcast data rising rapidly.

However, the aerospace publicity department that cooperates with CCTV mainly aims to use Lu Yun's "star" status to attract more young people, especially young women, to pay attention to the development of domestic aerospace.

They were also very happy to see the rapidly rising live broadcast data and barrage interaction index.

However, the comments during the live broadcast were a bit unfriendly.

[It's already 2019, and our spacecraft's camera is still so blurry. Can't we replace it?]

[Yes, the private aerospace companies in the US have already launched manned spacecraft for testing, and they will probably be able to carry people soon. Their cameras are so high-definition.]

Yes, the space on the Shenzhou spacecraft is too small. The three astronauts had to huddle together in their chairs, which were packed up everywhere. It felt really cramped.

I saw the Crew Dragon spacecraft launched by Ma Yilong a while ago. It's said to be able to carry seven people, but normally it only carries four. The remaining space can be used to carry a lot of cargo. Can't we learn from them?

Before I say this, could you please understand that the Shenzhou spacecraft is an old spacecraft designed 20 years ago, while the Crew Dragon spacecraft is a new spacecraft developed in recent years. Our new generation of manned spacecraft also had a test flight last year. Not only is it spacious, it can also carry people to the moon. The Dragon spacecraft cannot fly to the moon.

[They just said it had a test flight. The Dragon spacecraft docked with the International Space Station during testing, and Ma Yilong also said it would be able to carry people soon. When will our new generation of manned spacecraft carry people? It's been a year since the test flight last year, and there's been no news at all...]

The live broadcast barrage is real-time, and there is also a segment for answering questions from netizens. The background is constantly screening suitable questions. When the screen cuts to the rocket launch site, the live broadcast room will look at the questions and discuss them.

When Lu Yun saw this question, he said, "I think we can answer this type of question. Mr. Zhong, please talk about the Shenzhou spacecraft, and then I will talk about Ma Yilong's manned Dragon spacecraft and our manned spacecraft."

Upon hearing this, the host said, "Mr. Lu, we can actually skip these kinds of questions. There's no need to respond. Let's..."

Lu Yun shook his head and said, "The purpose of our science education is to answer questions like these. If we allow this kind of talk to flood the live broadcast room, then we haven't done our job well in science education."

At this time, President Zhong also said: "Okay, let's answer it. Lu Yun, where exactly do you plan to start?"

"Let's start with the 'technical freeze' of the Shenzhou manned spacecraft for safe flight..."

Just like the saying, "If a code works, don't modify it," once a manned spacecraft, a device crucial to the lives of astronauts, succeeds, its technology is frozen, and no major changes to its overall technology or structure will occur.

Even replacing the camera with a higher resolution one is the same.

After all, replacing a camera is more than just replacing a camera.

Twenty years is enough time for electronic products to be updated for many generations. Many systems and software are incompatible, and the differences in power consumption and signal transmission are also different. So although it may seem like a camera, it actually involves a lot of modifications and will trigger a "technology freeze" agreement.

Of course, the Shenzhou spacecraft has actually undergone many small changes in the past 20 years, and has been undergoing small optimizations and upgrades in a "building a temple in a snail shell" mode.

For example, this mission involves an upgrade of space rendezvous and return technology.

With the previous experience of docking with two space laboratories, this mission will adopt rapid rendezvous technology, that is, with the cooperation of the space station core module, the spacecraft control computer will independently calculate and execute orbit control, and complete docking with the core module about 6.5 hours after launch.

What Lu Yun knew was that it would take more than ten to twenty hours for the Crew Dragon spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station.

The advantage of rapid docking is that it can greatly reduce the workload of ground flight controllers and astronauts, allowing them to maintain better condition.

In addition, in the face of the chip bottleneck in the past, the Shenzhou XII spacecraft has carried out a number of improvements in the application of domestic chips, and the components and raw materials have been fully independently controllable. The control computer and data management computer used by the spacecraft completely use domestic CPU chips.

With the rapid construction of the Beidou system's global network, Beidou navigation terminals have also been introduced into spacecraft design, and navigation calculations, return search and rescue landing point reports, etc. will all use Beidou system positioning data.

Relying on the domestic relay satellite system, measurement and control has shifted from ground-based measurement and control to space-based measurement and control, supplemented by ground station and ship measurement and control, reducing the demand for measurement stations and survey ships, expanding the measurement and control coverage, and saving mission costs.

Compared to these, especially the safety of a twenty-year-old spacecraft, "blurry camera footage" is just a minor issue.

After all, the Crew Dragon spacecraft was developed in recent years, and its camera clarity and recyclable and reusable functions are just "latecomer advantages."

Just like the Tiangong space station technology, which was only successfully developed in recent years, is more advanced than the International Space Station technology from more than ten or twenty years ago.

When it comes to advanced technology, whether it is the new generation of manned spacecraft that can carry people to the moon, or the Wooden Kite space shuttle that Lu Yun is developing, they all crush Ma Yilong's manned Dragon spacecraft that can only be launched by rockets, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive and can only reach low-Earth orbit.

After the Wooden Kite space shuttle is put into service, American netizens will probably ask similar questions.

"Why can't we develop a space shuttle and still use old manned rocket ships?"

Of course, the premise is that the Americans do not block information and let their citizens know about the world's cutting-edge aerospace technology.

And now, it is the moment for domestic netizens to sigh.

"...Ma Yilong is a big mouth, always exaggerating when he says anything. He said the Crew Dragon will be carrying people soon, but that means it will be at least next year, and his Crew Dragon still has an abort test to do."

Lu Yun made a direct judgment: "If the manned Dragon spacecraft wants to truly carry people, it will have to wait until at least the middle of next year."

"And by that time, my Wooden Kite space shuttle will also be making its maiden flight!"

[Oh my goodness, did I hear that correctly? The Wooden Kite is really going to make its maiden flight next year?]

[Ghost, the Dragon spacecraft has been in development for several years, and it only made its maiden flight three months ago. The Wooden Kite has been in development for over a year and is about to make its maiden flight?]

[Awesome! Since Lu Yun said it during the CCTV live broadcast, it must be a military order. We'll see when the time comes!]

The key point is next year. Does this mean that Ma Yilong's Crew Dragon spacecraft and Lu Yun's Kite space shuttle will face off head-on?

【Fight! Fight! 】

【Gentlemen, I'm so excited! 】

(End of this chapter)