This star is going to the moon

Chapter 501 Do the Americans and Chinese even have to compare the order of their preparatory steps before landing on the moon?

With the SLS rocket now available, aerospace enthusiasts have stopped caring about the An-225 aircraft and the bombing of Xiong Er's aerospace manufacturing company.

Yes, a few days ago, Xiong Er's aerospace manufacturing company was also demolished, which was also one of the legacies left by Old Xiong.

In fact, without the concerted efforts of the entire family, the aerospace manufacturing company that Xiong Er received was completely useless, and he couldn't even conduct "scientific archaeology" to understand it.

So let's look forward.

Well, the tendency to get bored with the old and crave the new... isn't just a problem for military enthusiasts.

Although the SLS rocket has been around for many years and its development began a long time ago, it is theoretically considered "old".

But since it took so many years to build, it can be considered "new" in a certain sense.

Wow, that's huge! No wonder it's a rocket with its core stage made from the old Space Shuttle's "Orange Tank" fuel tanks!

Indeed, with a core stage diameter of 8.4 meters, it is currently the world's largest rocket!

What is that thing carrying the rocket? It seems even bigger than the mobile platform of the Long March 10 rocket.

That's an "ancient relic"; it was used when the Saturn V launched its lunar spacecraft.

Yes, its metal tower can be removed, and then it can be used to transport the space shuttle. Because it "moves by crawling on the ground," it's nicknamed "the crawler."

(“Crawler” tracked transport vehicle)
[Haha, yes, except this "crawler" weighs over 2700 tons!]

【hiss--】

The "Crawler" tracked transport vehicle is one of the world's largest transport vehicles, primarily used as a mobile launch platform to support the transport of space rockets.

It has eight huge tracks, and the supporting platform on it is the size of a tennis court. The overall length is 40 meters, the width is 35 meters, and the height is adjustable between 6 and 8 meters.

Moreover, it weighs over 2700 tons, making it a veritable steel castle on the ground.

Even the world's largest mining truck looks as tiny as a toy car in comparison.

Whenever this behemoth tracked transport vehicle starts, the vibrations caused by the tracks rolling over the ground seem to shake the earth, which is breathtaking.

Due to the vehicle's enormous size, each relocation operation requires the coordinated efforts of 35 drivers, engineers, and other staff.

Don't be fooled by its astonishing weight of over 2700 tons; its load-bearing capacity is even more impressive.

Up to 8000 tons!
Therefore, even a 3000-ton Saturn V rocket could be easily moved on it.

Transporting the space shuttle and its launcher, which weighs approximately 2040 tons, is a given.

The SLS, currently the world's largest rocket, has a diameter of 8.4 meters. The initial manned version is 98 meters tall and has a low Earth orbit payload of 70 tons.

Its weight is 2497 tons, which is less than the weight of the "crawler".

Even with the Orion spacecraft inside the rocket, it would only add about 20 tons, still less than the weight of the "reptile".

Therefore, transportation is also very easy.

Of course, those weights are the total weight after being fully fueled. The rocket is currently empty, with only two solid-propellant boosters already filled with solid propellant charges, making it much easier to transport.

The later SLS cargo version will be 122 meters high, weigh 2951 tons, and have a low Earth orbit payload of 130 tons.

It is said that the largest version in the later stages will have a near-Earth orbit transport capacity of 165 tons.

However, no one knows how "later" that will be, given the current pace of the US.

Just as the SLS rocket was moving toward the launch pad, the Wanhu rocket, carrying the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, also began moving toward the launch pad.

However, compared to the SLS rocket's "vertical" movement, the Wanhu rocket's "lying down" movement is much faster. After all, the Wanhu rocket's total weight after being fully fueled is only 350 tons, and its completely hollow state makes it even lighter.

The relocation to both sides has forced many space enthusiasts to open two live streaming rooms.

This is what makes space enthusiasts from third countries happiest.

[Haha, are the US and China also comparing the order of their preparatory steps before their manned lunar missions?]

The Americans won; their SLS rocket launched an hour earlier.

[But in the end, the Chinese team won because the Wan Hu rocket was lighter and could be placed on the launch pad earlier.]

I mostly watch SLS, because it's a super-impressive, massive rocket, and more worth watching.

This is indeed undeniable.

Unfortunately, the SLS rocket was moved to the launch pad only for a wet rehearsal in April, after which it will be pushed back to the vertical assembly building, while the Wanhu rocket is scheduled to launch a relay satellite to the moon later this month.

It seems the Chinese won this round after all.

[I also heard a rumor that NASA would use China's two Queqiao satellites as relays on the far side of the moon during the SLS's maiden flight and Orion spacecraft's unmanned lunar orbit mission.]

This is indeed a problem. After all, NASA needs to test the Orion spacecraft, but it's quite unfortunate that they can't receive a signal on the far side of the moon.

Wow, is this for real?

I don't know, but the Chinese have always welcomed cooperation.

[That's probably fake. After all, NASA used the "Wolf Amendments" to block China's space technology. Wouldn't cooperating with China on space exploration be breaking the law they themselves created?]

[I think there's some truth to that. After all, everyone knows the image of Americans: they're good when it benefits them, and bad when it doesn't. Maybe at that point they'll say, "It wasn't you who sought me out for cooperation; I actively sought you out, so it's not illegal."]

Haha, given the rogue nature of Americans, it's actually quite possible.

I think it's impossible. It might have been possible in the past, but now both sides are engaged in a new space race, competing for the title of world's leading manned lunar lander. For the US to request cooperation from China on lunar missions is practically conceding defeat, isn't it?

If Lu Yun saw this information, he would definitely say, "It's not a rumor."

The Americans in the previous life did indeed do this.

Even after Chang'e 6 brought back the first sample of lunar soil from the far side of the moon, NASA in the United States shamelessly asked to do some research on it.

They even want lunar soil samples from the near side of the moon, let alone the far side.

Old Chinese: "?"

You're shameless!
And then... they wouldn't give it to me.

We don't do anything illegal.

However, Lu Yun doesn't have time to look at this right now because he is very busy.

It's already mid-March, and in April there will be the maximum dynamic pressure high-altitude escape experiment of the lunar spacecraft, as well as Space Day activities.

In May, the basic, bare-metal Long March 10 rocket will launch Chang'e 6 to collect samples from the far side of the moon.

In June, the third mass-produced Kite-class space shuttle rolled off the production line and will be delivered to the United Arab Emirates after one or two months of testing.

Furthermore, the core module of the space hotel will be launched at the end of June, which is what he needs to rely on to marry An Fangfei.

As for July, that's the date of the planned maiden flight of the Long March 10 heavy-lift rocket!
(End of this chapter)