Genius of the Rules-Style System

Chapter 1378: 657 Chapter Mars-1 Lifts Off! Mars Exploration Sets Sail!

The Mars Mission was drawing near.

The astronauts participating in the work had been selected, including the oldest, Lu Xiaowei, the slightly younger Zhou Jin, the female astronaut Zhang Liping, and Lin Sheng, the engineer specifically in charge of communications, as well as Zou Yongcheng, who was dispatched by the Aerospace Bureau.

Lin Sheng was an engineer at Space Information Technology, relatively younger at just twenty-nine. He was a genius in the field of communication, very familiar with the construction of space communication devices, and also knowledgeable about the internal devices of the spacecraft, capable of repairing them should any malfunction occur.

Zou Yongcheng was an experienced astronaut who had carried out tasks on the space station, lived there for three months, and participated in the launch of the Energy-Gathering Satellite, now serving as the team leader for the Mars mission.

For the Mars exploration mission, the most critical aspect was to ensure the safety of the crew and the round-trip completion of the small spacecraft. Whether we could bring back soil samples from the surface of Mars or accomplish other tasks were secondary.

These were the directives from the higher-ups.

Zou Yongcheng was one of the Aerospace Bureau’s most outstanding astronauts, and having the experienced Zou Yongcheng lead the team was indeed more reassuring.

Zhao Yi went to see the astronauts participating in the mission and said encouragingly, "Everyone needn’t worry too much, there will be no problems with this mission."

"Whether it’s the spacecraft or other devices, we have done everything possible to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

"If I were to put it in terms of probability, I believe there is more than a 99% chance that no danger will befall any of the crew."

"As long as you all carry out the operations properly during the mission, there won’t be any issues."

What Zhao Yi said was quite reassuring because he had created countless miracles in development, and not a single accident had occurred in related space exploration missions.

Everyone preferred to trust him. freewēbnoveℓ.com

After motivating the astronauts partaking in the mission, Zhao Yi also took an interest in the process of executing the mission, meaning what they needed to do and how they would complete the tasks.

The process was somewhat complex, but with Zou Yongcheng’s help in introducing it, he understood the details.

Upon arriving at the Aerospace Research and Development Center, Zhao Yi saw the senior leadership.

Although it was a project led by Yixing Technology, it was actually a state-level exploration project and one that attracted worldwide attention. The top leadership was very concerned about the project.

With the Mars mission about to begin, the high-level leaders had arrived early and would stay here until the mission’s end.

The duration of their stay was quite long, requiring at least two weeks or more. That the leaders could spare more than half a month showed how seriously they took the Mars exploration project.

When Zhao Yi met with the senior leaders, it was like meeting a friend. He spoke about the visit to the astronaut training base and expressed how great and moving it was that astronauts, despite the dangers of outer space, were committed to carrying out the mission.

The senior leader also said a few words, then added, "Actually, I envy them quite a bit. Having the chance to go to space, even to the surface of Mars... When I was a child, I dreamed of being an astronaut, of truly seeing space for myself."

"Back then, I would listen to broadcasts about Apollo moon landings and was full of anticipation, hoping that one day our country could develop its own satellites, its own space stations. Later, though, I became pessimistic, feeling it unlikely to happen in my lifetime. But, unexpectedly, I’ve seen it come true."

"If only I could go to space someday—"

The high-level leader said this and shook his head, knowing it was impossible. His position precluded involvement in life-threatening activities.

Zhao Yi laughed, "Perhaps there’s hope, I don’t consider it impossible." ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"Oh?" The high-level leader looked puzzled.

Zhao Yi continued, "Yixing has been working on a new type of spacecraft, its function to carry people for sightseeing. The main technology involved is high-compression tempered glass, which allows passengers inside the spacecraft to view the cosmos through large windows."

"After this mission is over, barring any accidents, we can begin manufacturing spacecraft for sightseeing and will apply for an independent patent for the anti-gravity thruster, which is an integral part of it."

The high-level leader nodded, "Yixing manufacturing an anti-gravity thruster shouldn’t be a problem, but as for its application, a report must be submitted."

"If it’s for manned sightseeing—"

He laughed bitterly and shook his head, "Sounds a bit extravagant, doesn’t it?"

Zhao Yi didn’t pick up on the ’extravagant’ topic but went on, "Based on the current design, ensuring safety, a manned sightseeing spacecraft can carry over fifty people in one trip. The spacecraft will merely circle Earth a dozen times and won’t venture into other domains because nowadays, the performance of compressive materials is exceptionally good. As long as one remains in the spacecraft, they won’t be affected by space radiation and such."

He further discussed the ’sightseeing spacecraft’, continuing, "We are considering the pricing now. The manufacturing and patent costs of the sightseeing spacecraft are estimated at around one billion yuan. It’s expected to be used up to fifty times before it must undergo thorough repairs and upgrades."

"Plus personnel and risk costs, to attain profit, each trip must net at least fifty million. The pricing for space tourism does seem rather high."

Zhao Yi said this and shook his head. After some thought, he actually felt the pricing was too low.

If each trip’s total ’fare’ was one billion, with it averaging out to just over two million yuan per person, surely many wealthy individuals would be willing to pay that amount.