At an altitude of 36,000 kilometers, on an astronomical observation space station, a man in a white work shirt was standing in front of the thick porthole glass, looking at the deep and boundless starry sky from a distance.
There were more than a dozen majestic starships parked there.
As the thick and long robotic arms piled the steel skeleton into the correct position, engineering drones emerged from the cabin one after another. They circled around the magnificent outline like fireflies, and as they flew up and down, they constantly flickered with faint but noticeable electric sparks.
The entire space segment of the space elevator was taking shape at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Every hour, he would take a high-resolution photo of the space station. Placing any two photos next to each other, one could clearly feel the difference between them.
"It seems that they're serious."
The man who said this was Field, a special observer who was recently sent here by the North America Space Agency.
Because this was the geosynchronous orbit space station closest to the space elevator construction site in North America, as early as a week ago, the scientific research mission here changed from observing distant stars to observing the construction site of those Asians.
"What else? Even for the sake of the trillions of budget, there's no reason for them to do it half-heartedly. "
Johnny walked to Field's side and handed him a bag of coffee.
"Do you want some coffee?"
"Thank you."
Field took the coffee bag from Johnny's hand, pulled out the plastic straw from the bag, bit the straw, and took a sip.
Johnny glanced at the construction site outside the porthole and spoke in a chatty tone.
"Speaking of which, you are a space engineering major, right?"
"Yes, before joining the North America Space Agency, I worked at SpaceX for a while."
"Really? From the perspective of a professional, what stage do you think their construction site has reached? "
Field looked at the starry sky outside the porthole. After thinking for a moment, he gave an answer.
"Just from experience, they are probably still building the main beam of the space station."
Hearing this, Johnny raised his eyebrows and glanced at him unexpectedly.
"Such a big main beam?"
Even though his major wasn't aerospace engineering, he had worked on this observation space station for many years, so he knew his working environment quite well.
At least in his impression, he had never heard of any space station building such a long main beam.
In order to keep the center of gravity relatively stable in orbit, most space stations would be designed to be flat and shorten the length in the direction of the gravity axis as much as possible.
"That's right …" Obviously, Field also thought of this. As a professional, he nodded solemnly and continued, "Judging from the length of the main beam, the volume of this space station is at least twice that of the Tianzhou."
Otherwise, there would be no need for such an exaggerated pillar.
Not only that, there was one more thing that he didn't say, but he had already planned to write it on the observation report.
What surprised him the most was not the length of the main beam, but the position of the entire main beam relative to the outline of the space elevator.
After working for so many years, he had seen many space stations, but this was the first time he had seen such a strange design.
Although he hadn't seen the blueprints of the space elevator, his intuition told him that those Pan-Asia people might be building something incredible.
"A gyroscopic space station?"
"Could it be … that they intend to balance the mass change of the space elevator and the pull of gravity on the center of gravity through centrifugal motion?"
His pupils contracted slightly as he murmured softly.
"How is this possible?"
It was almost impossible to do such a thing. A series of influences, including the load of the space elevator cargo compartment, the speed of movement, the solar wind, the atmospheric airflow, etc., could cause changes in the position of the center of gravity of the space elevator.
This not only tested the ability to process information, but also the strength of the materials and the ability to control the machine.
If they could really do it …
It could only be said that this was a little too unimaginable.
…
Just as Field and the North America Space Agency were stunned by the large construction site of the space elevator, turbulent waves were rolling on the sea level 36,000 kilometers below.
Just a few hours ago, there had been a rainstorm in this sea region. However, the strong winds did not cool down the hot-blooded hearts of the people present.
Above the roaring waves were more than 20 100,000-ton engineering ships. From a distance, they looked like floating fortresses.
Each of them was designed for the construction of large ports with a throughput of more than one billion tons, but now they were all far away from their familiar coastline and came to the endless sea level.
This time, their task was not just to build a port, but to build a steel island here and build a city on this island.
Holding a telescope in his hand, Chief Engineer Wang of East Asia Heavy Industries looked at the distant sea horizon. The corners of his mouth formed a smile as he spoke with great pride.
"If this project is successfully delivered, it will definitely become a milestone in the history of human engineering!"
Standing next to him, another academician-level expert from East Asia Heavy Industries said with a smile.
"Do I need you to tell me that? The entire space elevator from a height of 36,000 kilometers to our feet, every inch of the structure is a miracle in human history! "
In theory, the space elevator should be built from the sky, but Academician Lu gave a completely different suggestion.
That was, the sky section and the sea level section should be constructed at the same time. After the completion of the two parts of the project, the part from the sky section would begin to advance to the ground, like a long sword in a sheath, connecting the geosynchronous orbit and the sea level together.
After this suggestion was put forward, it was immediately adopted. The engineering ships of East Asia Heavy Industries were also deployed. Almost all the production capacity deployed on the sea level was concentrated in this area.
At this time, a staff member trotted into the bridge, stopped next to Chief Engineer Wang, and spoke with excitement.
"All engineering ships have arrived at the target area! Chief Engineer Wang, should we move on to the next step of the plan now?! "
The smile on his face became brighter and brighter.
Putting down the telescope in his hand, Chief Engineer Wang's expression was slightly serious as he spoke in a sonorous voice.
"All engineering ships, get ready —
"Drop the anchor!"
As the iron chains entered the bottom of the sea, the disturbed fish fled in all directions.
With the rumbling of the engine, heavy engineering equipment began to plow on the sea level.
From the sky to the sea level, from this moment on, this industrial machine called the Pan-Asian Cooperation was completely mobilized, making a roar that people had almost never heard in this century.
It was the uniform sound that a group of people made up their minds to do something.
The sound was not transmitted through the air, but it resounded through everyone's heart.
At this moment, its industrial capacity was exerted to the limit, even breaking through the boundaries of people's imagination, making the impossible possible.
Perhaps it was just like what a great man destined to leave his name in history announced to them at the triumphant ceremony.
They were the people who were blessed.
They were burdened with the future of human civilization and the community of human destiny.
At the same time, this was also the "destiny" engraved in their cultural blood by their ancestors.
Just when the construction of the space elevator was in full swing, and people's enthusiasm was completely ignited by iron and electricity, an exciting storm was also brewing in the academic community.
In the third week after the ignition day celebration, Lu Zhou suddenly posted a public proposition on LSPM and made a solemn promise at the end of the proposition.
If someone could solve the proposition he proposed, or make enough outstanding achievements in this field, he would personally award him the Lu Zhou Science Prize.
He would present the award that was named after him.
Although this sentence sounded strange and even seemed to be boasting, no one felt that there was anything wrong with it.
Even …
Whether it was in mathematics or physics, the enthusiasm in the hearts of all scholars was ignited.
The Lu Zhou Science Prize, personally awarded by Lu Zhou himself, had never been so honored in history.
In the face of this special honor, even the huge prize money was overshadowed.
After all, he was Lu Zhou.
The man who was called the pinnacle of the human mind …
When the news spread, the entire academic community went crazy …
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