Free Web NovelChapter 1344: Chapter 642: Creating the Brightest Star in the Sky_2
There was good news that day.
The high-level meeting had approved the construction of the high-power Z-wave Generation Satellite, and unsurprisingly, the ownership of the satellite was assigned to Aviation Group and Aerospace Bureau. Yixing Unlimited Power Company was granted ’non-emergency status’ full usage rights; however, each use would require a report and be subject to supervision.
After the approval, the high-power Z-wave Generation Satellite could enter the construction phase.
In reality, the construction did not take long, as there were no direct technical challenges. Z-wave satellite technology had matured significantly, and the construction of the high-power device could be completed within a month.
The most critical issue for this project was still at the energy supply end, specifically the manufacturing of the photovoltaic power converters.
The photovoltaic power converters used in automobiles had been proven to be reliable, with cars traveling over ten thousand kilometers without any issues.
However, installing them on civilian vehicles and installing them on space satellites posed a significant difference: the most crucial being the cooling problem.
Cooling was a big problem.
The photovoltaic power converters on the Unlimited Power Automobiles could be described as an ’electric energy box,’ which was a closed design that could continuously provide stable electrical energy once activated.
There were no issues with the design of the electric energy box, as the internal conversion of electricity was very high. Even if relying only on natural cooling, the internal temperature could only reach a maximum of 400 degrees Celsius, posing no threat to any of the contactable compressed materials. Moreover, the electric energy box had an internal cooling device, which directly solved the cooling problem.
However, the situation was different in space, where the air density was much lower, significantly slowing the natural cooling rate.
Also, due to the inability to supply the relevant materials and the long service life after construction, which was expected to be no less than five years, most of the cooling designs could not be used in the space photovoltaic power converters.
So, how to solve the cooling problem?
This question had even stumped Zhao Yi, but he still came up with the simplest solution—
An open design!
If the casing of the electric energy box were removed, it would not trap heat, allowing for continuous natural dissipation.
Even if the highest temperature exceeded one thousand degrees, it would not affect the compressed monocrystalline silicon thin sheets, and thus, the transfer of electricity would remain unaffected.
Therefore, the cooling issue only needed to consider the electrical contact points.
If the cooling device were designed to cool only the contact points made of compressed material, since the area to cover was very small, they could be enveloped directly with a cooling liquid. Combined with other long-term design elements, the problem could be directly addressed.
Zhao Yi submitted the solution to the manufacturing department and began waiting for the verification results.
Then, he was invited to a meeting.
The open design solution for the photovoltaic power converters was not problematic, with the most significant impact being on the energy conversion efficiency, such as the original efficiency exceeding 70%, which would quickly drop to around 50% with the open design.
Therefore, increasing the total amount of photovoltaic energy transmission could directly solve the issue.
However, there was one major problem with the open design: the light transmitted could be visible from the outside. Since the design was only six hundred kilometers above the ground, it could likely be caught by the naked eye.
This technical meeting related to the cooling design was held internally at the Aerospace Bureau.
Zhao Yi, with two managerial staff from the company, attended the meeting and presented the verification results, "It would be hard to see during the day."
"If it were nighttime and the weather were clear, it could be seen; its brightness—"
He hesitated for a moment, then gave a description, "would be like an extra star of high luminosity appeared in the sky. Its brightness would probably be somewhat higher than that of Sirius and Capella."
Many people discuss the brightest star in the night sky, and there is also a song called ’The Brightest Star in the Sky.’
In fact, the brightest star in the sky is not a fixed one; it changes over time.
Sometimes it is Sirius, sometimes Capella, and other times Vega, Dubhe, Venus, etc.
Around April, Sirius and Capella are neck and neck, displaying similar levels of brightness.
When Zhao Yi said it would be ’slightly brighter than Sirius and Capella at the current phase,’ it meant that it would become ’the brightest star in the sky.’
Of course, it certainly wasn’t a star.
Zhao Yi’s statement had put many people at the meeting in a dilemma. The construction and launch of the high-power Z-wave satellite had already been determined by a high-level meeting. freeweɓnøvel.com
The current design would add the brightest star to the sky.
What should be done?
If the ’open’ design proposal was overturned, other schemes would undoubtedly increase the manufacturing costs significantly. At the same time, they seemed unable to overturn an already completed design for this reason alone.
In the end, the meeting still did not come to a conclusion and then left the decision up to the higher-ups.
Zhao Yi had been in the capital for a week when the senior department finally made a decision—
Approved!
It’s said that after a top leader learned about it, he directly stated, "If there’s one more star in the sky, let there be one. It seems quite nice, and it can make the night sky even more beautiful!" freewebnovёl.ƈom
Right!
After giving it some thought, many people agreed that it made sense.
After the decision was made, the manufacturing of the high-power Z-wave satellites began.
At the same time, the light energy reception and conversion device also entered the manufacturing stage. A large number of monocrystalline silicon wafers had already been produced and were delivered to the designated assembly factory.
Zhao Yi went directly to the assembly factory, watching as piece by piece of monocrystalline silicon was embedded into the ’skeleton’ made of compressed nickel-iron alloy.
The entire light energy reception and conversion device looked like a massive metallic tree, with a large ’foliage’ of branches and leaves hanging in an open style.
"This will be the brightest star in the future!" Even Zhao Yi found it amusing and even began looking forward to the scene when the ’brightest star’ would appear.
At that time, he would definitely use a telescope to take a good look at it.
After resolving the cooling issue of the light energy receiver and converter, there were no other technical obstacles left.
So Zhao Yi returned to Zhengyang and, at the designated time, had the company and the Aerospace Bureau synchronously release the news about the high-power Z-wave satellite.
Of course, it wasn’t referred to as the ’high-power Z-wave satellite’ M but as the construction of a ’space shuttle pathway.’
"The Aerospace Bureau, in collaboration with Yixing Technology, has manufactured a satellite capable of establishing a space shuttle pathway."
"This satellite, code-named ’Yixing-1,’ can facilitate small space shuttles carrying out space travel of up to more than five billion kilometers."
The five billion kilometers referred to ’logical’ distance under the premise that the small space shuttle does not exceed one ton.
That’s nearly impossible.
The weight of a small space shuttle directly determines the distance. Normally, a small space shuttle would definitely weigh several tons. Each doubling in weight would halve the traveling distance.
While announcing the news, Yixing Technology Company also unveiled the following plan—
"Next, I will manufacture and launch a reverse-pathway satellite that operates around Mars, which is capable of establishing a space shuttle pathway from Mars to Earth."
"Once the pathway is established, the next step will be to launch a space shuttle to carry out shuttle experiments from Earth to Mars and back."
"This satellite, code-named ’Yixing-1,’ can facilitate small space shuttles carrying out space travel of up to more than five billion kilometers."
The weight of a small space shuttle directly determines the distance. Normally, a small space shuttle would definitely weigh several tons. Each doubling in weight would halve the traveling distance.
While announcing the news, Yixing Technology Company also unveiled the following plan—
"Next, I will manufacture and launch a reverse-pathway satellite that operates around Mars, which is capable of establishing a space shuttle pathway from Mars to Earth."
"Once the pathway is established, the next step will be to launch a space shuttle to carry out shuttle experiments from Earth to Mars and back."
