In the satellite monitoring center, looking at the silver-black space shuttle on the screen, Director Bill Nelson adjusted it in front of the console, and then the screen switched to NASA's research and development center.

In the spacious and tall factory building, a large launch vehicle that is not inferior to SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket is being assembled and constructed.

Looking at the newly developed launch vehicle in front of him, Bill Nelson said with confidence in his eyes:

"The research and development of the 'Pulse Plasma Rocket' technology is going very smoothly. We have successfully developed the pulse plasma engine, and the test results are even better than the theory!"

"I think it won't be long before we can regain our glory in the aerospace field."

‘Pulse Plasma Rocket’ is a technology under the ‘NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts’ program.

This program is a project to fund space research and explore new concepts.

It was formally proposed by NASA in 2011. Two years later, in 2013, the plan officially passed the review of the US Congress and entered the stage of formal development and funding support.

Although it was said that there were no rivals in the aerospace field at the time, and the plan was shelved by the United States because of its huge cost. It only invested a relatively small amount of money for NASA to conduct research, and no other actions were taken.

But in this plan, there are many technologies and ideas that seem quite "sci-fi" today.

For example, building a large radio telescope in the lunar crater on the far side of the moon;

For example, ‘Star Navigation’ is an autonomous spacecraft navigation system based on starlight relativistic perturbation;

Or the pulse plasma rocket technology that NASA is currently developing with all its strength, etc.

In the past ten years, the investment in these technologies has not been large, and they have been basically allocated to various aerospace companies in the United States. Each aerospace technology company conducts research, and then NASA conducts bidding.

After all, the United States was not in a hurry at that time.

However, with the development and rise of China in the aerospace field, especially after the Xinghai space shuttle officially landed on the moon, the United States urgently needs to regain national confidence in the aerospace field and have sufficient strength to compete in the aerospace field.

Both NASA and Congress have no choice but to officially launch some of the feasible technologies in the "NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts" program to solve the urgent needs at hand.

‘Pulse plasma rocket’ technology is one of the reserve technologies in this plan.

On the one hand, this technology is more complete than other technologies.

Its theory has been completed in the last century, and both Hongsu and the United States have manufactured similar thrusters.

To put it simply, the most traditional pulse plasma rocket is actually throwing miniature nuclear bombs behind the spacecraft. When they leave, they will explode. The force generated by these explosions will push the spacecraft forward.

This sounds crazy, but it works.

For example, in 1958, the U.S. Orion project was born at General Atomics in San Diego.

The company was founded by Frederic de Hoffman to develop commercial nuclear reactors and is now a subsidiary of defense giant General Dynamics.

The Orion project at that time was a spacecraft research plan designed to be driven directly by a series of atomic bomb explosions behind the detector (nuclear pulse propulsion).

Professor Freeman Dyson, who proposed the famous "Dyson Sphere" concept, is one of the main developers of the Orion project.

Compared with traditional chemical launch rockets, nuclear pulse-propelled spacecraft have higher thrust and specific impulse.

But unfortunately, it was limited by people's inherent impression of "nuclear bombs" at that time, coupled with the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed in 1963, and NASA's "non-nuclear" plan for space competition, etc.

reason.

Nuclear pulse-propelled spacecraft eventually came to an end during the Cold War and Space Race of the time.

Now, more than half a century has passed.

With the development of science and technology, the development of nuclear pulse propulsion technology has become more advanced than in the middle of the last century. It is no longer necessary to detonate nuclear bombs. They can use fission and fusion technology to achieve pulse propulsion in a safer and more stable manner.

Compared with the Endurance space shuttle developed by Sierra Nevada Corporation, this is NASA's new trump card.

Help them regain the first place in aerospace from their opponents!

.....

After hearing the good news, the CIA deputy director who stood next to him with a frown finally showed some smile on his face.

He nodded and said: "As soon as possible, there is a lot of pressure from outside. Not only China, but also many allies have different intentions."

"We need to prove our strength in the space field."

As time goes by, the influence of controllable nuclear fusion technology is also fermenting.

At the same time, the country across the Pacific also gained momentum by leaps and bounds.

Today's China's influence in the world is probably not weaker than that of Hongsu, which was at its peak in the last century.

Maybe even stronger.

After all, although Hongsu was powerful in the last century, it could still be suppressed by the United States, Europe and other Western countries.

But now, in the country on the other side, even if they unite all the Western countries such as the European Union, Australia, and North America, they are only equally divided.

It can even be said to be weaker to some extent.

After all, the influence of controllable nuclear fusion technology is too great.

It was barely okay when it first appeared. China also needs to take care of its domestic development.

But as time went by, when they freed up their hands and began to have the ability to "support" other countries, the influence of controllable nuclear fusion technology exploded.

Energy, materials, and information are the three pillars of modern society.

But if we want to go deeper, energy is the only core.

Because energy shortage is a problem that exists in every country.

Just like oil, you have not seen how many conflicts have occurred around it. Almost all the turmoil in the Middle East is caused by oil.

If the energy problem can be solved, the difference in materials and information will not actually matter.

In particular, controllable nuclear fusion, an energy source that is cheaper than oil, cannot be rejected even by the United States or Europe.

Because you refuse, you fall behind.

Although countries in Europe, Australia, America and other regions still choose to stand with them, with the rise of the other side, this alliance that was originally closely united by controllable nuclear fusion has a tendency to break up.

.

Especially after the changes in the aerospace field, some countries have begun to favor China.

Nowadays, they urgently need some new breakthroughs to save the situation for themselves.

Especially in the aerospace field.

After all, this is the key track for future development.

If the resources of the earth are limited for humans, then the resources of the universe are unlimited for humans.

The various resources contained in the solar system alone, or even the nearest moon, are enough to be considered inexhaustible for all countries today.

Whoever has the ability to step out of the earth first and exploit the resources of other planets in the solar system will be able to take the lead in the new era.

That's right, it's a new era.

When controllable nuclear fusion technology is completed, the information age has quietly entered the fusion era.

The next direction is undoubtedly the space above our heads.

...

At the same time, on the other side.

When NASA was preparing to regain the glory of the aerospace field from China, Xinghai Research Institute and Xia Shu Space Base.

"Academician Xu, the latest intelligence news is that the 'pulse plasma rocket' technology being developed by NASA has made a major breakthrough."

In the office, Wen Yuanhang hurried over from outside and brought a brand new news and intelligence to Xu Chuan who was busy.

"Pulse plasma rocket?"

Xu Chuan raised his head with interest, looked at Wen Yuanhang who hurried over, and took the intelligence information from his hands.

Wen Yuanhang nodded and continued with some concern: "Well, judging from the information collected so far, this new 'pulse plasma rocket' technology developed by NASA has a specific impulse of up to 5,000 seconds and can provide a thrust of 100,000 Newtons.

"

"There is accurate information that this new rocket can allow spacecraft to travel to Mars faster than SpaceX's Falcon Heavy and other launch vehicles, reducing travel time from 8 months to just 2 months.

"

It takes two months to travel from Earth to Mars.

To be honest, this speed is not much slower than their space shuttle.

This technology is really about to be completed, and the United States may be able to quickly catch up with them in the aerospace field.

Xu Chuan didn't pay much attention, he turned over the information in his hand.

He knew about pulse propulsion technology, but he didn't know much about this new type of pulse plasma rocket.

Judging from the data, NASA's newly developed pulse propulsion technology uses an electromagnetic launcher to launch "radioactive material bullets" from the barrel of the rocket as propulsion.

To put it simply, the launch vehicle or spacecraft itself is a gun, and when the 'radioactive bullet' passes through the 'barrel', a series of pulse lasers deployed on the wall of the barrel will be actively excited, thereby firing millions of

Neutrons are injected into this radioactive bullet.

With the promotion of neutrons, the bullet will gradually superheat to an incredibly high temperature, triggering a nuclear fission reaction in the uranium, thereby splitting the atoms and starting fission.

The energy generated by fission will then trigger a nuclear fusion reaction in dysprosium and tritium, acting like a cascade of energy releases, immediately producing a massive expansion of supercharged particles, also known as plasma.
To be continued...