Free Web NovelChapter 1302: Chapter 623: Spacecraft Design Demonstration Meeting_2
This meeting was not greatly related to Zhao Yi, as he was only aware of the final outcome—
the agreement to allow foreign institutions to participate.
Exactly how foreign institutions would be involved required a series of subsequent discussions and communications with the relevant foreign agencies. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Zhao Yi was not surprised by the outcome, primarily because the spacecraft project was simply too enormous, with related funding easily reaching tens or even hundreds of billions, making the expenditure on the project alone incredibly vast.
Economic considerations were only one aspect.
On the other hand, there were issues of construction time and technology—the spacecraft project was not just about three core technologies, but involved all aspects of technology.
Whether it was electronics, biology, materials science, etc., many high-end technologies in various fields were not yet available domestically.
Take materials, for example.
Although domestically there was Z-Wave Compression material technology, it didn’t mean that compressed materials were necessarily better. The cost of manufacturing compressed materials was high, and the materials produced were very heavy.
Even with anti-gravity technology, obviously heavier materials required more energy to move.
In addition, compressed materials could possibly exceed performance expectations.
Exceeding performance might sound good, but imagine a situation where a simple film could solve a problem, yet a metal plate was needed instead. Both in terms of cost and practical use, it was completely unnecessary.
And these were just the technological issues concerning materials.
There were even more technological challenges in other areas, of course. These technologies were not impossible to overcome or substitute, but would definitely consume a lot of time.
If other institutions were involved, it could greatly save on time costs.
After the first internal meeting concluded, preparations for the second design validation report meeting began.
This was a validation meeting specifically for the design team, attended by highly specialized personnel, including some leaders from scientific research institutions.
The dozen or so members of the design team had all come to the capital to attend the validation meeting. They would provide a superficial explanation of the spacecraft’s overall design, as well as the designs of its various parts.
Although this meeting was also confidential in nature, the secrecy related to the design was not too stringent; for example, some of the professional attendees were merely experts in their respective fields who usually worked at universities or institutions, rather than specifically for national research departments.
They had signed confidentiality agreements, but it was difficult to ensure complete secrecy.
However, there was no concern about the superficial design being leaked, because the design itself was not the technology, but rather a set of specifications based on the technology.
Like the design of the Z-wave Generator.
This included the shape of the Z-wave Generator, how big to build it, what shape, what external functions it included, and what parameters it needed to meet.
And so on.
Even if all the design details were leaked, it wouldn’t be a big deal because the other institutions simply did not possess Z-wave technology; knowing the design would be meaningless.
This design validation meeting was expected to last one week.
The design team needed to let the various responsible groups attending the meeting understand the overall design and the superficial design content of each core department, so they could pose questions about it.
This was not about finalizing the design but about establishing the overall framework of the design. Following up, there would be dedicated teams functioning like a ’quality inspection department,’ constantly validating the work to prevent issues in design and manufacturing.
The design validation report meeting officially began.
Zhao Yi took the stage with members of the design team for a brief introduction, to make everyone aware of the leaders of the relevant design panels.
The four core members of the design were Zhao Yi, Li Jianming, Yu Xin, and Bao Enhong.
Zhao Yi needs no further introduction.
Li Jianming was the most capable in the design group and had the deepest understanding of the design process.
Yu Xin made the most significant contributions to the design; several of his cabin designs were adopted directly during the development process.
Bao Enhong was included as an accessory. She spoke gently and was eloquent, thus acting as the design group’s "public spokesperson," similar to a press officer, responsible for answering simple questions in meetings.
The meeting began.
The other members of the design group stepped down from the stage, leaving only Zhao Yi alone. The large screen on the stage displayed the conceptual drawing of the spaceship.
This concept drawing was created by Zhao Yi himself. He had added color and rendered the background, making it resemble a scene from a science fiction movie, except that the image was unique.
The design diagram on the screen appeared to be a large UFO at the bottom but was overall a triangular pyramid in shape.
The spaceship consisted of three layers.
The very bottom was supported by a large anti-gravity device, giving the UFO its shape.
Zhao Yi explained, "This layer’s anti-gravity device is composed of an internal and an external layer. The external device envelops the entire spaceship, creating an anti-gravity barrier that can cover the whole craft, achieving space shuttle capabilities."
"The internal anti-gravity device covers only the underside of the spaceship and does not create an anti-gravity barrier. It serves two functions, one is to drive the spaceship’s ascent and descent; the other is to isolate the gravitational pull of planets."
"For instance, if we want to fly beyond the solar system, we can turn on the device while facing away from the Sun, which will block the Sun’s gravitational pull. It’s the same with other planets, like Jupiter or other large bodies whose gravity is significant and could affect the interstellar travel path."
Zhao Yi continued to describe the core technological architecture of the bottom layer before transitioning directly to the middle layer: "This layer has a standard circular structure internally. It houses the nuclear fusion device and is surrounded by a large generator and power unit. It also possesses wings that can extend outward, covering half of the spaceship."
"The outer surface of the wings is primarily composed of solar panels, allowing for energy replenishment and ensuring energy safety."
"Also, propulsion devices will be installed at the ends of the wings to control the direction of the spaceship’s flight."
"The nuclear fusion device is placed centrally mainly for convenience. Initially, we had two design options, but we ultimately chose the center because a parallel design would affect the coverage of the anti-gravity barrier and also extend energy transmission times."
Then he moved on to the third layer.
"The Z-wave Device."
Zhao Yi stated, "The topmost layer holds the Z-wave Generator, and our design uses a compressible nickel-aluminum-iron alloy plate as the front end to enlarge the width of the Z-wave coverage, improving the safety of space shuttling."
"The compressed nickel-aluminum-iron alloy plate has exceptional strength and can withstand extremely high-impact forces."
"The lowest layer—"
After outlining the core technology devices, Zhao Yi shifted to the very bottom of the spaceship, just below the large anti-gravity device, to a semi-flat area supported beneath: "Here lie the cabins and cargo holds. The cabins’ main purpose is to carry smaller spacecraft. Our design includes eight cabins, each capable of containing a small spaceship with different functionalities."
"Furthermore, the exterior of these cabins and the second layer, the energy and propulsion layer, will also be equipped with a weapon system. The specific structure of the weapon system will require further design and assembly."
In fact, the weapon system is not critical; we could say it has ’symbolic meaning.’
Because the first spaceship created is not expected to venture beyond the solar system, let alone use it to search for extraterrestrial life.
If we are just considering Earth, then using a spaceship of this magnitude is seriously overkill.
Zhao Yi finished introducing the entirety in one go.
He covered a lot, but in essence, he spoke only of the core technological components, discussing their shapes and key functions.
This was just the outermost layer of the design; those familiar with the relevant technologies could understand it just from the shape.
The critical part followed.
Several leaders of the technical group, including Li Jianming and Yu Xin, took turns coming to the stage to explain the design of each part, allowing the attendees to understand the various components so they could participate in the design verification process.
