Engines are the powerhouse of the spacecraft, and after the fast fusion at Jupiter's Atmosphere Laboratory a few months ago, the second-generation spacecraft went from concept to pre-research.

What needs to be done in the pre-research stage is to find solutions to problems other than engines, from the most basic structural design, materials, hull splicing, control systems, life support systems, weapons and equipment, and communication systems, involving all aspects.

It can be said that if you don't have enough technical accumulation, you can't even think about completing it, but because the most critical engine problems have been solved, the remaining problems are relatively less difficult.

Cao Chuan came to the laboratory, which had expanded to an area of 5 square kilometers, and a prototype ship called the Sun Class had been safely moored in the dock, which was full of busy scientists, skilled workers, and robots.

Fast fusion has extremely high space requirements, the length of the sun-class prototype ship is limited to more than 200 meters, and the prototype ship in front of him is 260 meters long, 45 meters wide, 70 meters high, with an empty weight of 35,000 tons and a deadweight of 60,000 tons.

When you stand under the feet of the huge spaceship, you will feel your own insignificance, and even the Hengyue-class spaceship next to it is like a child covered in the huge shadow of the hull.

Cao Chuan had heard private discussions among the spacecraft crew, and what he had seen was not the limit of the second-generation spacecraft, considering the strong demand for space transportation, coupled with the further use of composite materials and man-made materials, the research department believed that in this generation, if the speed of the spacecraft was controlled below 10,000 km/s, it would be enough to build a giant spacecraft with a length of 500 meters.

What is the concept of 500 meters long? Just 15 years ago, the world's longest sea vessel, the USS Empire State Building, built by the Holy Kingdom, was launched, with a length of 480 meters and a weight of 600,000 tons, which was specifically used to extract natural gas.

Therefore, when he calculated the data and found that it was really possible, he couldn't help but feel a trace of emotion in his heart, this time the employees of the spaceship crew were really playing big.

"Mr. Report Consultant, so far, the prototype ship has been loaded with the latest technology products such as the most advanced fast reactor, neutrino communication equipment, gravity simulation equipment, carbon crystal computer, etc., with a completion degree of about 50%, and can already maintain a smooth operation at a speed of 3,000 kilometers per second."

Hearing the report of the ship's team leader, the progress is quite gratifying, in fact, most of these completed projects are the technology accumulated by East Galaxy for many years, so that they can be transplanted to the second-generation spacecraft so easily.

Next, for example, the protective measures against the impact of stars above 50 meters, the new weapons and equipment that deal with the attack time of no more than 10 seconds under high-speed navigation, and the space positioning technology after staying away from the star system, these hard bones are the most anxious for researchers, including the overall spacecraft design, how to further integrate, optimize and streamline, is a key issue.

For ordinary people on the earth, it is difficult to reach the sky if they want to solve it in a short period of time, but most of the employees of the spaceship team have received wisdom stimulation, and in fact, it is a group of "superhuman" scientists who are responsible for tackling key problems, and their efficiency in solving problems is several times that of ordinary people.

"How much time do you think you'll have to spend on all the pre-research?" Cao Chuan examined the long list of techniques.

"It will take about half a year, Mr. Consultant, after our discussion, this is only to ensure that the second-generation spacecraft has a way to put into practical application, and it will take at least 50 years to fully mature and integrate more technologies."

"Almost." Cao Chuan feels quite satisfied, this is the characteristic of most researchers, down-to-earth, not very fond of exaggeration, at most dare to think.

"I wonder if Mr. Advisor has anything else to point out to you?"

Cao Chuan thought about it, he was more concerned about the design of the spaceship, on the one hand, such a complex design has been separated from the individual technology, and the emphasis is on integration; On the other hand, the design of the spaceship not only represents the crystallization of science and technology, but also represents the face and strength of a force.

"I should personally provide the design drawings of the first two spaceships, otherwise, I am very worried about the aesthetic habits of the research department and make the spacecraft extremely ugly..."Cao Chuan thought, thinking about why there were no experts in the spacecraft team who were proficient in industrial design, no wonder he had to go out himself.

He said his thoughts, "I will provide the drawings of the Sun-class prototype ship 1 and the 2nd Sun-class prototype ship to ensure the efficiency of your research." ”

Among them, the prototype ship 1 corresponds to the 200-meter-long sun-class spacecraft displayed in front of him, and the prototype ship 2 corresponds to the 500-meter-long sun-class spacecraft that the research department is still obsessing.

"I really don't know what to say!" The leader of the spacecraft team was a little surprised, "Please also ask Mr. Consultant to send us the technical information as soon as possible, so that we can promise to solve the problem within one year." ”

"No problem!" Cao Chuan agreed, went back to the rules simulation, and came to the design drawings of the two Sun-class spacecraft, so that it would be convenient to quickly transfer from the pre-research stage to the R&D stage, and then from the R&D stage to the production stage.

"The first spacecraft was 250 meters long ... It's called Changyang. ”

"The performance parameters are length 280 meters, width 45 meters, height 70 meters, empty weight 35,000 tons, load 65,000 tons, crew 2,000, crew 30,000, ultimate speed 12,000 km / s..."

It is generally similar to the existing prototype ship, but the difference is that the internal structure is more ingenious, the redundant structure is deleted, the use of space is increased, and the functional areas are more appropriately arranged, so as to prevent the occurrence of weak parts.

"When it's time for the most critical time, it's the styling!"

Cao Chuan has his own hobbies for the shape of spaceships, such as the appearance of flying saucers, sea ships, sharp shuttles, and even the sci-fi multi-faceted appearance used by many modern warships.

He prefers to have a classical style, with a large rectangular majestic hull, with a certain number of bridges and tower-shaped connectors, which will cause shock when it is covered overhead, even if it will sacrifice a lot of performance.

Otherwise, isn't it really funny to imagine the next spaceship that looks like a sea ship overhead?

It took 1 day, the design drawings of the Changyang level were simulated, and if you see the drawings, you will find that it is indeed a rectangular structure that Cao Chuan is fond of, which is in the same vein as the moon level and the Hengyue level, but the difference is that the height is higher.

In addition, this time he specially designed the area marked by the East Galaxy Company, on the shell surface of the spacecraft, the area is 400 square meters, made of special color materials, and even light-sensitive materials, with the words "East Galaxy Company" written on it, there is no LOGO, and there is no suitable person to design it for the time being, and it is so straightforward, in fact, the effect is not bad.

Cao Chuan couldn't help but think of some of the characters he saw in the animation, their foreheads, the chest of their clothes, and the back of their clothes were marked with the words "turtle" and "god", isn't it very common, why do you have to have a LOGO?

The second Yuanyang-class corresponds to the 500-meter-long spacecraft that the researchers wanted.

"The performance parameters are length 520 meters, width 120 meters, height 140 meters, empty weight 150,000 tons, load 550,000 tons, crew 5,000 people, crew 150,000, ultimate speed 6,000 km / s ..."

Just from the design purpose, the purpose of the Yuanyang class is to serve the interplanetary trade, not to pursue the speed of the limit, such a large load capacity, is 100 times that of the Hengyue class, representing a lot of unprofitable resources, products have trade value.

After spending 1 day to simulate the rules, Cao Chuan rubbed his eyes and looked at the data, "The cost and time of the second-generation spacecraft are increasing simultaneously. ”

"The cost of the Changyang class is 30 million merits, and the manufacturing time is half a year, and the Yuanyang class is 200 million merits, and the manufacturing time is 2 years..."

"It seems that the development of the cities and pioneers directly under the East Galaxy must also keep up, otherwise, if only one second-generation spacecraft is completed every few years, the benefits will be greatly weakened."