This star is going to the moon

Chapter 334 Ma Yilong: Watch my moves, I'll make my private Mars trip happen in 24 years!

Lu Yun's plan to travel to space in a manned spacecraft he designed and manufactured has caused a sensation not only in China but also around the world.

After all, I've never seen anything like this before.

The chief designers of manned spacecraft are all valuable and outstanding scientists. If something goes wrong, the country will suffer huge losses. In addition, the technology of early manned spacecraft was not perfect, so "soft" scientists could not become professional astronauts and could only be selected from top pilots.

Even after the technology of manned spacecraft was improved, the cost of a single manned spaceflight was still several hundred million. The opportunity was very precious. Even if there were professional astronauts with the status of scientists, the chief designer or someone else could not be allowed to go.

First, once a manned spacecraft is designed, it remains unchanged for many years, and the chief designer who designed it must be very old, so his physical condition is a major issue.

Secondly, professional astronauts require a long period of training, and scientists at the chief designer level do not have that much free time to practice astronaut skills.

Therefore, the chief designer of the manned spacecraft has never actually traveled to space in the manned spacecraft he designed.

Now that the era of commercial spaceflight has begun, Elon Musk originally had a chance, given his relatively young age, good health, and immense wealth.

And his ultimate goal is to go to Mars, so he must first explore space before going to Mars.

He has also stated that he would go to space if the time is right.

However, Lu Yun suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Lu Yun's "time was ripe" came far too early!

Now, with comparisons, everyone can see the problem.

[Lu Yun, who is both a boss and chief designer, dared to travel to space in the space shuttle he designed on his second trip, which clearly shows he has a lot of confidence!]

Yes, in comparison, Elon Musk still has to wait for the "right time." Does this mean he lacks confidence in his Crew Dragon spacecraft?

Whether he was confident or not, I don't know, but Lu Yun was definitely full of confidence, because not only did he go, he also sent his girlfriend, the company's vice president, and even his teacher!

Lu Yun is not only confident but also has great courage. Furthermore, his family, friends, teachers, and business partners all support and trust him—it's practically a dream team.

No wonder Lu Sheng succeeded; he's surrounded by people like that. With so many people supporting and trusting him, he can accomplish anything!

I'm envious. The people around me are so shady. Yesterday, my colleague reported me to the company and had half a month's salary docked...

The global discussion is quite complex, but there are also some more focused groups, such as the "World Space Enthusiasts Group".

After all, there are indeed commercial astronauts in this group. "Little Armstrong" and Simon, who joined later, are already trainee astronauts for Blue Star Space. After passing the training, they can go to space.

Because they felt that they and others might also have a chance, some of Ma Yilong's fans in the group have switched to Lu Yun's school.

Furthermore, Lu Yun is indeed more impressive than Ma Yilong now, and switching allegiances can be considered a "turning from darkness to light".

[It seems that Elon Musk's vision is too narrow now. When Lu Sheng first flew the Wan Hu rocket, Musk called him a "follower of reusable rockets." Now, Musk can't even be Lu Sheng's follower in the field of manned spaceflight.]

Indeed, setting aside the technological gap between the "Wooden Kite" and the "Crew Dragon," even Ma Yilong's much-touted "spirit of exploration" falls short of Lu Sheng's, since Lu Sheng actually dared to travel to space in a manned spacecraft he designed and built!

[Moreover, Lu Sheng didn't just go alone; he brought so many relatives and friends with him.]

This is absolutely overconfidence. Elon Musk doesn't have that kind of boldness. His statement about "waiting for the right time" definitely doesn't refer to the second manned mission of the Crew Dragon. His only remaining focus right now is his 9-meter diameter "Super Falcon" rocket and his dream of colonizing Mars.

[That's true. A fully reusable 9-meter diameter super rocket is quite impressive; only Lu Yun's 10.6-meter diameter super rocket can compare.]

[Ma Yilong is currently ahead in this area, but considering Lu Sheng's performance in recent years, I feel he can quickly handle it if needed. However, his current focus is on China's manned lunar rocket project.] [I think things are very good now. Both Lu Sheng and Ma Yilong are interested in new spacecraft and have the capability to realize them, once again stirring up the world's space program. Calm waters cannot cultivate excellent sailors; with their existence, the era of great space development has arrived again.]

[That's right. Someone as high-profile as Ma Yilong certainly won't let Lu Yun stay in the limelight forever. Let's wait and see his counterattack!]

Ma Yilong certainly wouldn't let Lu Yun keep stealing the spotlight. After all, Western capitalists don't care about being low-key; they always need to express themselves in various ways.

So when it got light in the US, Elon Musk immediately tweeted.

However, he didn't mention manned spaceflight or when he would travel to space aboard the Crew Dragon, because he knew he couldn't compete with Lu Yun in this area and wouldn't stand out. So he only talked about the 9-meter diameter "Super Falcon" rocket.

[Elon Musk: After multiple static fire tests, I believe the Super Falcon second-stage rocket prototype has reached the level for flight testing, so I have decided to get it airborne and land successfully early next month.]

If all goes well, the test flight of the second stage of the "Super Falcon" rocket will take place in October. It will be the largest reusable rocket ever built.

[The rocket recovery and reuse is the first feat I accomplished, but I'm not satisfied with the 3.7-meter diameter "Falcon 9." It's just the beginning of my grand plan. My ultimate dream is to fly to Mars in a fully recoverable 9-meter diameter Super Falcon!]

Humanity will become an interplanetary species, and I will launch a cargo version of the Super Falcon to Mars within two years, and achieve the first private trip to Mars in two or four years...

Ma Yilong's words had a significant effect, but they were far less effective than Lu Yun's.

Because Elon Musk has always been known for his outspokenness, space enthusiasts have even created a special "Elon Musk Time" for him.

If he says "test within three months", then it will take at least six months.

If he says "test within a year," then it will take at least two years.

His "Mars dream" has even more problems, not to mention the fact that the original 12-meter diameter super rocket was reduced to a 9-meter diameter.

Many space enthusiasts clearly remember that he initially said he would land on Mars in 2018, then changed it to 2019, and then postponed it to 2020.

Now they've changed the first Mars landing mission to 2022, and then the first private Mars trip will be realized before 2024?
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Based on what space enthusiasts know about him, Elon Musk's dream of reaching Mars is highly likely to come true.

After all, he led SpaceX to become the previous generation of "commercial space unicorns," and the reusable Falcon 9 and the reusable Dragon spacecraft are proof of his strength.

It's just a matter of time...

If the time Lu Yun mentioned is accurate, then it must be.

Ma Yilong said that he needs to think about the timing carefully.

When Lu Yun, who was conducting final flight checks at the space airport, saw Ma Yilong's statement, he burst out laughing.

He shared the information after realizing that others were looking at him.

Academician Ye Jianfei, who is over 70 years old, and astronaut Zhao Chuandong, who is over 50 years old, are both knowledgeable and experienced. Yu Xingchen pays close attention to SpaceX, a "friendly competitor," and naturally also pays attention to Elon Musk. Therefore, they are both familiar with the "Elon Musk incident," and they just smile and remain silent.

After meeting Lu Yun, An Fangfei also started paying attention to aerospace, so she also knew something about the "Ma Yilong incident". Only Shu Chang, a pure entertainment industry actress, did not know the situation, so An Fangfei explained it to her.

Of all the people, Lu Yun knows Ma Yilong the best. After all, in his previous life, he not only saw Ma Yilong's actual speech in 2004, but also Ma Yilong's speech in 2006, which Ma Yilong has not yet mentioned.

Yes, the "Ellon time" is used the most in Mars missions, and two or four years is not the end.

Instead, it was pushed forward all the way to 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, and 2033.

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(End of this chapter)