I ask you to build tractors, but you build rockets?

Texas, SpecaX base.

Lao Ma sat on a chair with a dozen engineers wearing NACA logo T-shirts, and watched the introduction of Tom Mueller, the chief designer of the Starship and the chief designer of the Falcon 9 and the leader of the Merlin series engines.

“…The design goal of the starship is to be a multi-purpose planetary spacecraft with varied application scenarios, which will completely change the traditional concept of aerospace.

On the earth, the starship can reach any corner within one hour through vertical take-off and landing and rudder surface maneuvering; in the lunar mission, it only needs slight modifications to serve as a lander, spacecraft and return vehicle, and it can be used as a lander, spacecraft and return vehicle for Mars and Jupiter. Any landable planet is second-class!

It is made of stainless steel, which is cheap and strong. The dry-to-mass ratio is not so sensitive for recyclable rockets. Even if it is used as a traditional rocket, it can achieve a maximum payload of 200 to 300 tons..."

Tom Mueller talked endlessly about the prospect of starships. The NACA engineer below just listened with a cold face and said nothing, and did not ask questions until the other party finished:

"So, what is the total investment in the starship program?"

Musk: "$3 billion, give me two years, and it will be able to travel around the solar system."

The NACA engineers nodded slightly, whispered to each other, and after a while, they slowly took out the list.

“After NACA’s evaluation, we believe that Starship-Super Heavy has potential as a general-purpose aerospace vehicle, and decided to provide partial funding and the following technical support:

TUFROC overall toughened and anti-oxidation composite structure insulation tile;

9-meter large-diameter rocket body manufacturing technology;

Intra-atmospheric flight control system technology;

…

With a total of 14 key technologies and support worth US$1 billion, gentlemen, I hope you can create miracles. Maybe in 2024 our astronauts will land on Mars on a starship spacecraft. "

Musk breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this series of technical lists, and at the same time a smile appeared on his face, and he held the visitor's hand:

"Thank you, SpecaX will continue to move deeper to carry Aramco's aerospace dream."

"Mr. Elon, I hope you will respect some traditional technologies more. NACA is not an antique yet."

The NACA engineer's joke made Lao Ma a little embarrassed. When the starship prototype was being built, he had planned to use a stainless steel shell to resist atmospheric friction to save costs.

As a result, the test showed that no matter how hard it was strengthened, it would cause structural damage. They had no choice but to add insulation tile technology when requesting technical support from NACA. The latest insulation tiles they obtained for the official X37B use a hexagonal honeycomb structure, which is even more Durable.

It will be used not only by the Starship, but also by the Dream Chaser and FATS programs, which are much more advanced than the old space shuttle program.

After a long period of thinking, NACA finally decided to support Starship. Although there are risks in paralleling multiple engines, this is currently the fastest way to obtain a super rocket.

Whether it is the rocket body or the engine, NACA will provide technical assistance and require the starship to complete its first flight before the Artemis III mission, which is the official moon landing, as a carrier for subsequent missions.

Director Claire started preparing for the Mars plan after John won the election. There is no doubt that reusable giant rockets are a must. Funding for disposable rockets is a trivial matter, and the low launch frequency is a flaw.

What's more, SLS is about to be launched, and the budget has more than doubled. It would be too wasteful if we still have to rely entirely on SLS in the future.

As for established manufacturers such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin, both their appetite and response speed are not as reliable as SpecaX. Claire must not put all her hopes on them.

…

"Samarkand, you should know that heavy rockets cannot be successful simply by stacking them."

"Yes, the GSLV project has consumed a lot of our energy. You are right."

In Moscow, Samarkand was taken around several aerospace design bureaus by Lao Maozi. He admired many grand plans and advanced products and drooled all the way. Even the third brother's usual pride was suppressed. .

Shivan Samarkand studied abroad at Imperial College London since he was a child, and traveled to Germany and the United States. Compared with the arrogant people in China, Shivan Samarkand is a little more pragmatic in thinking, so he is more aware of the technological gap between India and Lucia.

The Jaganyan plan has been advancing for decades. From a technical level, it can be described as breaking through the lower limit of aerospace technology.

If you really want to compare, it is probably more advanced than the Vostok that Gagarin rode on?

Let's look at the "Eagle" spacecraft that Lucia is developing. It is at the same level as the new spaceships of China and Ami, and it surpasses the Gaganyan spacecraft by an unknown amount.

Although when they jointly dreamed up the Asia Star project with the island country, both sides ideally believed that they could land on the moon in 2020, but when they looked at their own financial resources, they immediately calmed down and realized that it was somewhat unreliable.

Fortunately, as Lucia's loyal enemy, Samarkand still believed that he could seek technical help here.

Yuri first praised the third brother: "The design idea of ​​the Jaganyan plan is very advanced. Landing in the Indian Ocean can save a lot of mass. This idea is very good, but do you really plan to send people up next year?"

"of course!"

Sivan Samarkand stood at attention and raised his chest like a reflex, but his eyes clearly had something to say.

Yuri:......

Fortunately, he was used to the third brother's refusal to admit defeat. Samarkand also reacted and lowered his head a little, whispering:

"Of course, if a country with more experience in aerospace technology can provide some support, the Gaganyan spacecraft will be more reassuring. India is willing to pay for such friendship in return."

Yuri looked at the three fingers raised by Samarkand, squinted his eyes and shook his head slightly.

The latter gritted his teeth and raised four of them.

Yuri still shook his head, and Samarkand thought for a long time with a grimace, and opened one of his palms.

Yuri closed all his fingers with both hands and said sincerely:

"Lucia is willing to fully support our Indian friends in developing their independent space industry. The Gaganyan plan is too small. We will also need a space station and the Asia Star project to the moon in the future. RKA can provide full support."

Samarkand understood. What Yuri actually wanted to say was, who are you going to send away with these mosquito legs?

"Then, then..."

Yuri interrupted him and went directly to the topic:

"Lucia and the alliance have many experiences in lunar lander design. Aren't you responsible for the lander design of the Asia Star project? Why not participate in our lunar exploration plan to accumulate experience."

Samarkand: "Lucia...want to restart lunar exploration? The last Lunar 24 probe was in 1976, right?"

Yuri: "Lunar 25 is already being manufactured. You can participate to obtain the process and technology of lunar landing, and develop your own unmanned probe and manned lander.

There is also the H-X rocket, a heavy rocket with a take-off weight of 1,500 tons. You should be aware of the difficulty, but this is nothing to Lucia. "

Samarkand: “So how much does it cost?”

Yuri: "Using money to measure friendship is a huge harm to our friendship. Why don't we go to a cocktail party to relax for a while first?"