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

The Alliance left Lucia with a massive legacy, but it was not easy to receive it.

For example, the alliance distributes various production consortiums in order to balance the various joining countries. It didn't matter during the alliance period, but now if Lucia wants to do something, she has to find a way to complete the parts taken away by other joining countries.

But even though a large number of scientists have been lost, even though the economy is far inferior to that of the Alliance, and even though everything goes wrong, Lucia is still recognized by the world as the third country most likely to land on the moon.

The "Asia Star" cooperation between India and island countries has been stumbling from the beginning. It is obvious that two half-hearted aerospace "powerhouses" cannot achieve 1+1=2 when they come together. If 1+1=1.2 can be achieved, it will be considered as the manifestation of Shiva. .

Ranked fourth is the ESA "Selene" program. Although ESA has no available manned spacecraft and has not developed a giant rocket, the scientific and technological strength and economic strength of the group cannot be underestimated. As long as we unite as one Still very hopeful.

As for other countries... Oh, Bangzi recently announced its development plan for the "World" rocket and said it is preparing for a moon landing in 2030.

What are the parameters of the World rocket? The Lucia technology and engine purchased for the first stage rocket body have a stronger overall carrying capacity than the Long March 1.

Stronger than Long March 1...

But the number of players in the world who can play with launch vehicles can be counted on one hand, so if the "World" succeeds, is it actually a good achievement?

…

"The Pioneer space shuttle has completed the second phase of the space station assembly mission and will return to Earth in the near future.

It is reported that the Pioneer crew learned from the experience of the first space shuttle truss installation operation and completed the installation of the three subsequent spoke cabins and corresponding trusses of the Progress space station two days ahead of schedule, which means that the first part of the Progress space station installation plan was completed as scheduled. .

The commander of this crew is the heroic astronaut Liu Ming, and it carries a payload expert for the first time..."

On March 10, the Pioneer crew completed the installation of all six spoke cabins and corresponding trusses of the Advance space station.

A combination with a diameter of more than 100 meters and a mass of more than 430 tons appeared in space, directly tied with the International Space Station as the largest spacecraft in orbit for mankind.

The addition of H2M allowed the Forward, which had been floating alone in two cabins for half a year, to take shape at an unimaginable speed. The internal support parts were all installed in two missions.

The overall size of this huge man-made assembly is about 100x100 meters, which has exceeded the 100x80 meters of the International Space Station.

On the playground of Southern University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, you can see the telescopes set up by the astronomy club every night. With the most entry-level basic model, you can see the "meter"-shaped white shadow of the Advance.

Anyone with a good eye can spot it even on a good night.

Elon Musk lay in front of the astronomical telescope, slightly adjusted the elevation angle through the eyepiece, and carefully moved the Advance to the center of the screen.

This one of his is certainly no ordinary entry-level model. You can almost make out the trusses on the surface of the space station.

"Scott, she is so beautiful. I feel that if I can live in a space station like that, I can feel that I am really in the space age. Human bodies have not been able to adapt to space, but they have brought their homes to space."

Musk is in a pretty good mood. After many tests, NACA approved the first unmanned full-state test flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft in mid-March. If there are no problems, manned flights can be carried out next time.

The safety of the second-generation "Dragon" whose configuration was cut is at least much higher than that of the Dream Chaser. Now Sierra Nevada and Lockheed are disassembling every part of the Dream Chaser for individual safety review under the supervision of the "2.22 Accident Investigation Board" , a total of more than 1,900 projects.

If they are all tested one by one, I am afraid that the Dream Chaser will be among the safest space shuttles.

John vowed never to use the Lucia Alliance spacecraft to launch Aramco astronauts again, so future missions will basically be undertaken by Dragon spacecraft and Dream Chaser. If nothing happens, Dragon spacecraft will get the first time.

In addition, the Starship SN12 prototype has left the factory and is preparing for a new landing test. The super-heavy booster is also under emergency development. The excellent test performance of the "Raptor" generation engine gave him sufficient confidence.

"Scott, are our new spacesuits ready?"

"You're ready, but your personal doctor recommends that you continue to lose weight, otherwise..."

"Okay, okay, I know what to do. The extra 20 pounds won't prevent the Dragon spacecraft from entering orbit, right?"

"..."

"Oh, how's the progress of Lockheed Martin's flexible tether? Will we be able to install it on the Dragon in July this year?"

Scott: "They said the progress was very good. The Dragon spacecraft weighs less than 15 tons. It's enough to just find one from existing materials and make slight improvements. However, they also said that this is an unproven technology... "

Musk shook his head and interrupted him: "That's why we have to test it first. We don't have time to test it slowly. Look at 'Forward'. It is comparable to at least four Starship spacecraft. They are now passing through South America." Above."

Since Lao Ma proposed the idea of ​​FGD (Flexible Gravity Device), he himself has begun to actively promote this technology, and NACA has also given certain support.

Using it on a starship may have to wait, but the existing Dragon spacecraft is small and mature, so it is obviously a suitable test object.

SpecaX and Lockheed Martin came together and decided to jointly develop the technology, with the latter intending to apply this technology to subsequent Orion spacecraft.

The current plan is to place the cable retractor between the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion module and command module. The two are of similar quality and only need slight adjustments to achieve the same level.

The only problem is that when rotating, the command module needs to be separated from the propulsion module first and then turned upside down to connect the cable to the original docking port of the Dragon spacecraft. Otherwise, the gravity experienced by the astronauts in the spacecraft will point to the ceiling instead of their feet.

In addition, the Dragon spacecraft's command module needs to be modified to reduce the number of members to three people. The remaining space will be increased for fuel for the engine to enter and exit the rotation state, and it must be saved.

The first verification spacecraft is expected to use a rope about 220 meters long, with a radius of about 110 meters, and rotate counter-rotating at a speed of two revolutions per minute, which can generate 0.5G gravity.

SpecaX has sent a manned Dragon spacecraft to Lockheed Martin, which is being modified at their factory. It will operate unmanned for about a week after being launched into space, and then decides to launch a second artificial gravity spacecraft.

If the test of the first ship is completely successful, it will definitely receive a large investment from NACA. Lockheed can develop a new Orion spacecraft with added FGD, and SpecaX can also obtain funds to develop subsequent Dragon spacecraft and starships.