After a flight of nearly 400,000 kilometers, the space shuttle finally arrived in the orbit of the moon. Although, even facing the moon, these hundreds of space shuttles are still small and inconspicuous; however, this is already the most powerful transportation system to the lunar world in the human world today.
The Guanghan Palace forward base on the lunar surface is still under construction; and the ejection rail has begun to build the second one - still 500 meters in length and height, with a maximum ejection mass of 2 tons. For expert companies, this technology is relatively simple, fast to build, low cost, and can basically meet current needs. As for the larger ejection guide rail, it is not too late to wait until it is needed. According to the plan, large and medium-sized ejection rails will be produced and used in space after the space factory is completed.
Hundreds of space shuttles circle the moon at the same speed and in the same orbit.
The most eye-catching thing is that the huge Explorer spacecraft, with a huge volume of 30x40x120 meters, has an internal space larger than that of several Rise space shuttles. It is now one of the main living places for the employees of the Master Company in space; and it will also be It will be the only temporary residence for the space construction ghost team. Inside, there are complete living spaces and life-support facilities.
After the last automatic return from Mars, the Explorer spacecraft was almost empty, with only two cabins carrying enough batteries and magnetic field generators remaining; the remaining ten cabins were completely empty. After returning to Earth orbit, Gaoshou Company filled the interior with a large amount of materials and carried out modifications. It has become the only large and flexible human settlement in space.
All aircraft are undergoing final orbit adjustments to ensure that all supplies are almost in line, but different, to facilitate the free combination of supplies.
At this moment, every astronaut is recalling Zhang Jingyuan’s passionate speech: In my eyes, this time is the real step for mankind to enter space. Because humans rely on machines and technology, and if they cannot realize the self-replication of machines in space, they will not truly enter the space age. I don't care what others think. But in my eyes. From now on, the sky is high and the sea is vast, and birds are flying and fish are leaping!
Dongfang Ying clenched her fists nervously and looked quietly at the display screen in front, which displayed the status of all aircraft, supplies and other information. As the chief engineer of this space construction. That is a huge honor. It also bears unimaginable pressure. Don't say anything else. The lives of these 8,000 people are in my hands. And these 8,000 people are half of the wealth of the master company! Danger in space. Needless to say, once a danger occurs, the promising future of Gao Shou Company will be delayed for at least three or two years. The last accident made everyone feel heavy. The crash of a space shuttle Rise caused tens of thousands of casualties! And this is just the ground!
Such a huge disaster was unimaginable in the past. Even the largest air crash in the past would not have exceeded 600 people, because there were so many people on the plane itself; few people on the ground would suffer. But this time it was different. The huge and heavy Rise made the solid buildings look like fragile soil, unable to withstand the impact of a heavy object of several thousand tons traveling at more than twice the speed of a bullet!
And space is even more dangerous! The current average orbiting speed is about 1.32 kilometers per second, which is almost three times the speed of ordinary bullets. The most important thing is that these aircraft now carry not only almost all the space factory construction materials of the Master Company in the past two months. , but also carries a dream and hope.
Although there are hundreds of various deputies, Dongfang Ying still feels that the task is arduous. This is an unprecedented space factory in human history, a factory completely built in a weightless environment. No one can accurately describe what will happen; even if there is a supercomputer simulation, it is just a simulation. At least for now, it is still difficult for humans to figure out the temper of this universe.
"Rising No. 1 aircraft is preparing to release supplies. Countdown, 1 minute and 58 seconds..." Every flight needs to be re-sequenced for temporary management convenience. Although this will make post-processing a bit cumbersome; in space construction, too much data is involved, and on site, we can simplify it as much as possible. Perhaps it was because of the extra number and the confusion of a decimal point that the story of losing an empire with a horseshoe was repeated; except here, a space competition was lost with a decimal point! What is lost is a rising hope!
On Rise One, the back compartment slowly opened, and inside was a huge robot bundled together! . The engine moves slightly, using a slight direct injection of air. The aircraft maneuvers slightly and falls, and then prepares to land on the moon under the moon's gravity; while the robot retains its original state and continues to orbit.
This robot is the core of the construction, because it must be gradually captured by subsequent materials and built together. It's just that this robot... is slowly stretching, which is the core of this construction!
There are more than 20 long arms. When the longest arm is unfolded, it is more than 300 meters long. The whole thing is a weird multi-legged spider. In the middle is a round body, very small, but there are 30 people working nervously inside. The robot carries plenty of energy and several low-power (under 100 tons) engines to adjust its trajectory in the sky.
"Plane No. 2 releases supplies!"
What Aircraft No. 2 released were some simple components that had completed preliminary assembly.
The robot adjusted its orbit slightly and spent two hours in space approaching the giant package. 20 robotic arms with flexible movements. If you look closely, you will find that there is almost no duplication in these robotic arms, and each has its own function.
Soon, the first shelf was erected, which was a long, sturdy and stable tripod. Yes, a space shuttle carries such a simple tripod. But this is the skeleton of the space factory! Of course, such heavy steel is mainly used as the core skeleton; general auxiliary supports will be supported by aluminum smelted on the moon.
Space shuttles release supplies and huge robots one after another. Busy work waving robotic arms of different lengths. Such a robot brings together almost all the cutting-edge technologies of Gaoshou Company, from semi-intelligent technology to electromagnetic drive technology. This is actually an alternative mecha!
Most of the space shuttles that release supplies will land on the moon; but some of them are manned, and they are waiting for the opportunity to work!
The previous ten Uprising space shuttles released were all triangular steel frames. Using these steel frames, this alternative mecha took more than 40 hours to complete the assembly. What is displayed in front of everyone is a length of more than 2000 meters. The main structure is 50 meters long and wide. This is the basis of the space factory.
Subsequently. The rest of the supplies began to be released continuously, and then were captured by the mecha and temporarily blocked on the just-completed bracket. As for the staff, some entered the spaceship. Some are already busy. Construction of space factory. Time consuming and laborious. The only thing worthy of praise is. A large number of core components have been completely assembled on the ground. Once in space, all it takes is tightening the screws. But that's it. It's not an easy job either. It is estimated that to complete mankind's first space factory, more than 40 billion screws need to be tightened! This does not include subsequent refinement work.
In fact, even if this is the case, almost half of the basic assembly completed on the ground has been completed in advance; otherwise, the work in the sky cannot be carried out.
A huge space shuttle to the moon slowly lined up with the bracket of the newly completed space factory. A small electromagnetic suction cup was ejected instantly, and the thin fiber rope it carried was adsorbed on the steel frame, and then more The fiber rope was attached to the steel frame along the first rope. Then the staff in space followed the rope, climbed to the steel frame, and began busy and orderly work.
The three space shuttles to the Moon carry nearly 8,000 people, of which more than 7,000 are direct operating personnel. Everyone is wearing white work clothes and clinging to the huge steel frame, like busy ants. The huge mecha uses a mechanical arm several hundred meters long to continuously drop the required materials into the exact location, and then the staff fixes them.
Although it looks like a steel frame like this, its design and production accuracy have reached the level of 0.002 mm precision. Ensure that every staff member can just concentrate on doing their own thing. After all components are installed, they will fit tightly.
To complete such a space factory, there are trillions of large and small parts. It is necessary to ensure that every part is accurate, and to make backups of consumable parts. The financial resources and technology of the expert company are somewhat tight. .
Not to mention, the transportation cost alone for the construction of this huge space factory is as high as 20 yuan per gram! If various fees are added, its value will definitely exceed the ground value of gold.
Space construction is busy and dangerous, but it is also the embodiment of peak technology. Every component needs to undergo the most stringent inspection.
Of course, as the chief engineer, Dongfangying shouldered pressure that others could not imagine. Even if it has been simulated dozens of times on the ground; but in space, there is only one chance! There are no mistakes in every step; even the number of turns of the screws is specified.
One day...two days...
There is an endless stream of space shuttles on the ground, and the staff around Dongfangying are constantly rotating; but Dongfangying has always stuck to his post and completely monitored the progress of the project. Watching a huge space factory constantly grow from scratch, from small to large, from empty to rich, is a kind of satisfaction that ordinary people cannot feel.
It has been more than half a year since the departure. Seeing that it is already December 2052, Dongfang Ying has lost a lot of weight; especially since there is no energy required for practice in space, Dongfang Ying, who is in the middle stage of Xudan, has lost a lot of weight. The great masters are a bit unsustainable.
Fortunately, it's finally okay. The current construction project is about to be completed!
This is an unprecedented project and it is the most beautiful flower of science and technology.
There are various satellite scans every day, but the Gaoshou Company is open and honest like this. The only thing to guard against is that as the construction progresses, foreign countries are jealous, so the master company's defense becomes more and more strict. For more than half a year, the international situation has become increasingly severe. Watching the master company's space factory gradually being completed, the pressure on other countries in the world is increasing day by day. And this situation also gave these people some particularly bold ideas... Seeing that if the war is not launched, China will have one family to dominate, putting all countries under the shadow of the end of the nation. Everyone is like this The ideas become more and more intense. However, China's powerful space power prevents these people from acting rashly. Of course, the cruelty and ruthlessness of Huaxia's two attacks also made these people a little timid. The strategy of the young chairman of China worked - if you can't get others to respect and recognize you, then let them be afraid!
Dongfang Ying closed the diary and rubbed his head fiercely. It was already December 17th. There is neither day nor night nor blue sky and white clouds in space. Some people say that the stars in space are so bright and beautiful! But the unchanging starry sky is boring. Especially the endless work every day has made Dongfangying exhausted. If it weren't for the support of a huge sense of responsibility and mission, even Dongfang Ying, a master after practicing, would have fallen long ago. But now, Dongfang Ying smiled brightly. Because this unprecedented space factory is entering the final inspection and acceptance stage!
Through the porthole, Dongfang Ying watched quietly, looking at this crystallization of human wisdom. It is so beautiful!
It is undeniable that it is a space factory established by a master company; however, too many technologies and concepts used in it actually come from risks to all mankind. From Newton's theory that opened the door to modern scientists, to the theory of relativity, quantum theory, etc. that laid the foundation for modern science, not to mention the electromagnetic technology that human beings are now inseparable from.
After construction, the space factory will be more than 5,000 meters long, more than 300 meters wide, with an average height of 100 meters and a maximum height of 200 meters. It will circle the moon at a speed of 1.32 kilometers per second. Under the rays of the sun, it sparkles. This is the color of steel, but it is also the light of wisdom and even more the light of hope.
Not far from the space factory, there is a space photovoltaic cell base covering an area of 10,000 square kilometers, as well as a sky reflector covering an area of more than 100 square kilometers. Space reflectors will focus sunlight for smelting. These space reflectors use the latest folding film technology, which greatly reduces the cost; most importantly, the film is very light and the transportation cost is lower. The same is true for the latest photovoltaic cells. This kind of technology makes Gaoshi Company’s space construction even more powerful.
In the distance, a few points of light flickered and shot out from the moon's surface. That is the process of ejecting metal materials that have been smelted on the lunar surface into the orbit of the space factory through the completed ejection rail. What sparkles is the color of sunlight. In this airless environment, it is so monotonous; however, the dark background of the universe gives humans a broader world.
The mecha with its claws and fangs moved gently to capture the metal materials thrown into the sky, then moved them to the space factory and stacked them in the warehouse.
Today, there are already seven or eight such mechas operating in space. None of these mechas are the same. They are all products that the master company has initially finalized and is constantly improving. The largest monster here has more than 30 arms, all of which can cover a spherical space with a diameter of one kilometer. The most standard one is, of course, the anthropomorphic mecha, but this kind of mecha can only say that the future will be bright. Nowadays, the technology is immature, and the humanoid mecha is not very practical, and it moves slowly, making maintenance difficult and costly, and its defense is poor! One line of cheating stuff.
In the factory, various equipment, streamlined bulges, and transparent glass covers look like a dream under the sunlight.
The most important thing is that now, in the space factory, simple self-replication can be completed. The materials ejected from the moon will be simply processed and used as supports in places with low requirements. For example, brackets, some non-core fasteners such as screws, some protective outer armor, and support frames for space photovoltaic bases.
"Factory No. 1 passed the acceptance inspection..."
"The power system is qualified..."
"The decentralized control system is qualified..." Such an unprecedented factory acceptance involves tens of thousands of inspection items, which cannot be completed in a short time and can only be inspected one by one and carefully. This factory is related to the future destiny of Gaoshou Company, so there is no room for carelessness! (To be continued...)