Chapter 1665 What we need is not his rocket

The meeting ended with Musk leaving with a mixed feeling of hope and anxiety.

Luan Wenjie went straight back to his office and immediately summoned his deputy Lan Xinzhi, who was basically confirmed to take over his position.

Neither the construction of the "beacon" relay base nor the possible cooperation with SpaceX can be completed in a year or two.

Most of the actual work must be handed over to the other party.

A few minutes later, footsteps were heard in the corridor.

Luan Wenjie raised his head and looked towards the door.

However, there was another figure who appeared at the door of his office together with Lan Xinzhi.

It was Chang Haonan.

"Academician Chang?"

Luan Wenjie was a little surprised.

He had heard about Chang Haonan's appearance at the Academy of Engineering meeting, but he had been so busy recently that he didn't even have time to go home, so he didn't know much about the progress of solving the NS equation problem.

"The theoretical work... has come to a successful conclusion." Chang Haonan walked straight into the office and sat on the sofa closest to the desk. "I wanted to bring you the content I've sorted out, but when I went upstairs just now, I seemed to run into a familiar face from across the street..."

He was referring, of course, to Musk.

"Yes." Luan Wenjie breathed a sigh of relief, his face showing a mixture of shock and doubt. "I was originally planning to have a meeting with you consultants tomorrow... but since we have time today, I'd like to hear your thoughts first."

Luan Wenjie then relayed to Chang Haonan in detail the content of his talks with Musk, especially the idea of using "beacons" as transfer stations to reduce the Delta-V of Mars transportation, and SpaceX's proposal for localized cooperation.

Finally, he concluded:

"The problem now is that a large portion of SpaceX's technology actually comes from NASA licensing, and such a large-scale collaboration cannot be hidden from Washington's eyes... Of course, Musk has stated that there is no problem, but I still have some... concerns."

In fact, he originally wanted to say suspicious, but he felt that the bias of this word was too obvious, so he changed his words temporarily.

Chang Haonan listened quietly without much emotion on his face.

Instead, he answered almost without thinking:

"I think there's nothing to worry about in this regard."

Not only Luan Wenjie, but even Lan Xinzhi showed shocked expressions.

Chang Haonan, however, had a natural expression on his face: "Anyway, what we need is not his rocket."

The other two looked at each other.

It was Luan Wenjie who spoke up again: "But what they said is also true. Long March 9 and Long March 10 are still on paper..."

Hearing this, Chang Haonan waved his hand.

"So what if it's on paper?" He smiled nonchalantly. "You've forgotten that I've already got the general solution to the NS equation..."

Of course Luan Wenjie couldn't have forgotten.

However, this time, Chang Haonan's results were not directly made public, and even only a few people knew about them internally. Therefore, it did not cause a huge sensation like the proof of the Poincare conjecture.

So I'm not used to it yet and haven't reacted yet:

"what do you mean……"

"With this fundamental breakthrough in the general solution of the NS equations, our simulations of extremely complex fluid systems...or rather, our computational accuracy, predictive capabilities, and optimized design capabilities will experience a qualitative leap."

Chang Haonan rarely stopped being modest and made a direct judgment:

"This means that the path to increasing the efficiency ceiling of new-generation rockets, predicting and suppressing combustion instabilities, and even optimizing the lightweighting of the entire rocket body structure and controlling load distribution will all have clearer and more controllable theoretical guidance and design tools. Aircraft and spacecraft design will no longer be a high-risk project based solely on engineering experience, 'feeling the stones as you cross the river.' The path to success will be greatly shortened, and technical risks will be reduced to an unprecedented low level."

For most fluid dynamics problems, once the general solution of the NS equations is obtained, it is equivalent to the final outcome.

Of course, the bad side is that 99% of doctoral students in this field will lose their research topics.

Luan Wenjie knew the great significance of the NS equation.

But when Chang Haonan said it in such a straightforward way, he still unconsciously forgot to close his mouth.

"So... like solving an equation?"

"That's not the case." Chang Haonan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. "The general solution to the NS equations isn't a set of explicit functions or matrices, but an equivalent topological form... uh... anyway, it's still more complicated than solving normal functional equations."

Even for mathematicians, the general solution of the NS equation is still too abstract and difficult to understand directly.

Not to mention people with an engineering background.

Fortunately, Luan Wenjie didn't dwell on the specific theoretical details, but asked directly: "Can you use a rough number so that we can have an idea?"

Lan Xinzhi nodded frantically beside him.

"Conservatively, we estimate that... we can reduce the time spent on parameter design and testing to less than 10% of the current time."

In fact, if we only consider the fluid mechanics part, we probably won’t even use 1% of the current amount.

But building a rocket is a systematic project after all, and there are many other problems to be solved.

Such as structure, control, signal...

But even so, Luan Wenjie still shuddered, somewhat incredulous:

"You mean... shorten it to?"

"What else..." Chang Haonan laughed and asked, "If it's only 10%, it's not something worth mentioning, right?"

Lan Xinzhi curled his lips and thought to himself, that's just your opinion.

In fact, if you want to improve work efficiency by 10%, it will probably take the efforts of a generation or even several generations.

"Alright." Luan Wenjie reluctantly digested this incredible conclusion and returned to the original topic. "Since you don't want his rocket, what else are you interested in?"

Chang Haonan's initial attitude was clearly inclined to cooperate with Musk.

Then he added:

"It can't be a Martian colony, right?"

"Don't we have plans for a Mars base?" Lan Xinzhi continued. "And if the rocket issue is resolved, then Mars facilities shouldn't be a problem either."

Luan Wenjie also added:

"And with all due respect, I think SpaceX's Mars base plan is... incomplete. I'm afraid it was just a concept originally, and was only improved upon after seeing our beacon plan."

Simply put, it is an investment scam.

"Not really..." Chang Haonan denied. "I'm interested in Musk's proposal, especially his expressed willingness to cooperate and his attitude of investing in China."

Luan Wenjie frowned: "But if we neither use his rocket nor invest in his Mars colonization plan, then..."

After all, the other party is a businessman.

Even if you want to defect, it may not be easy to make the decision if there are no visible benefits.

"We're not relying on his rockets, but that doesn't mean we're not going to let his rockets enter the market," Chang Haonan corrected. "Besides, the Beacon relay base can also be opened to him for use."

"If we can conduct a rigorous and professional review and confirm that SpaceX's sincerity in this matter is not a temporary measure, and effectively manage the risks of technological spillover, then accepting this kind of controlled investment and cooperation can at least send several key signals:"

"First, China's space program is open, and we welcome participation from genuinely like-minded business partners. Second, we have sufficient confidence and means to ensure that cooperation proceeds on a track that serves our interests. Third, this can, to a certain extent, divide the other side's internal forces, allowing more technology companies and capital to see the potential benefits of cooperation, thereby constraining Washington's extreme policies."

"Of course," Chang Haonan's tone suddenly turned serious. "All of this is premised on the fact that the progress of our own plans and the construction of the 'Beacon' core module cannot be sacrificed or delayed. Our core capabilities—heavy-lift rockets, space reactors, and the overall design, construction, and operation of the space station—must be 100% in our own hands, without any external interference."

Looking at Luan Wenjie and Lan Xinzhi who were keeping their heads down and silent, Chang Haonan paused for a moment before commenting:

"To be honest, from our perspective, Musk is a big talker and a bit boastful, but in the United States, he is considered a man of action."

Luan Wenjie helplessly put his hand on his forehead and said, "I finally understand why the Americans have been struggling for so many years, but are still standing still..."

Such people are considered doers on the other side of the ocean, which only means that there is really nothing to rely on on the other side.

"In short, whether it's perfunctory or sincere, let them figure it out on their own. We can provide policy support and orbital relay resources, which is already very attractive."

Chang Haonan explained:

"If he succeeds, it would open up a second path for the Mars project, and he did it after leaving the US and joining us... Even if he fails, or if things drag on, he can still get the money out of the pockets of big domestic investors... or even scam them out. It doesn't matter, the money can't leave the country anyway."

Lan Xinzhi straightened his body slightly, looking somewhat interested in this. "And also introducing domestic capital into the aerospace sector?"

"What else?" Chang Haonan leaned back on the sofa. "Some people have made a fortune over the years. Once our currency becomes internationalized, it's bound to appreciate... There has to be a place for this money, right?"

"It's better to let them focus on colonizing Mars than to have them constantly worry about ordinary people eating, drinking, defecating, and urinating... Consider it a contribution to humanity, and it can also help balance the supply and demand in the job market."

"That's true," Lan Xinzhi agreed. "With so many aerospace graduate students graduating every year, it's impossible for science and engineering alone to absorb them all... I went on an inspection tour last month and heard that even a simple testing position at the Seventh Academy requires a PhD... It's something any undergraduate could do, and the salary is comparable to that of an undergraduate."

Chang Haonan nodded in agreement, agreeing with Lan Xinzhi's words:

"We need to change our mindset. It's 2015, not 1995... We're no longer so materially scarce, and we can definitely afford some waste... The key becomes a question of distribution. We need to find ways to get wealthy people to invest and spend so that the benefits reach more ordinary people."

"Of course, we, especially you, Lao Luan, have all experienced hard times... But times are changing. We can't take it for granted that the next generation should continue to suffer just because of our experiences..."

Luan Wenjie did not answer this time, but just listened silently and lowered his head in thought.

China's development is indeed too fast.

Even in 2015, my generation still retains deep memories of the s, s and s.

Or to some extent, even fear.

But as the other party said, when the overall environment has undergone earth-shaking changes, continuing to cling to this memory may not be entirely positive.

Chang Haonan continued:

"I've actually been considering this before, but there has to be a reason to introduce private investment. If we simply capitalize on the domestic aerospace industry, the risks are too great and could lead to asset loss, so it's not easy to do... Now that Musk has come to us personally, it actually saves us a lot of trouble."

"In short, the worst-case scenario is that we don't make any money, but the Americans will definitely lose money after all this SpaceX has done... It's impossible not to make money, given the huge jobs and infrastructure investment, it's definitely real money."

Hearing this, Luan Wenjie sighed softly and rubbed his sore forehead: "Indeed, what you said makes sense."

After saying that, he raised his head and looked at Lan Xinzhi:

"Then, Comrade Xinzhi, please organize Academician Chang's remarks and write them down in a written draft... We'll hold a meeting tomorrow to vote on them. If they pass, we'll report them as the overall stance and recommendations of the Construction and Industry Committee."