Borrowing two pilots from the relevant departments seemed to be the most convenient solution at the moment.
However, the problem was that he wasn't familiar with the Air Force, so he didn't know who to look for. He was thinking about whether or not to write a letter for this small matter, but a pillow came knocking on his door.
On the second week of the moon landing project bidding conference, while Lu Zhou was writing the letter, a few special guests arrived at the space shuttle assembly center.
Inside the reception room of the aerospace assembly center.
Lu Zhou was introduced to the head of the Air Force Equipment Department, as well as Academician Wu Kang, the chief engineer of the Air Force Equipment Research Institute.
This old man in military uniform had a serious expression on his face, and his appearance was meticulous. Just like his name, his first impression gave him a solemn feeling.
"This is the head of the Air Force Equipment Department, Minister Qin Zhuangyan."
"Hello, Minister Qin."
Just when Lu Zhou wasn't sure if he should salute or shake hands, Minister Qin took the initiative to extend his right hand.
"Nice to meet you, Professor Lu."
Lu Zhou shook hands with the experts from the Air Force Equipment Research Institute behind Minister Qin. He looked at Minister Qin and was thinking about how to start the conversation. Minister Qin went straight to the point.
"Professor Lu is a busy person, so I won't be polite here. If I'm being too direct, I hope you can forgive me. "
Lu Zhou smiled and nodded.
"That's great, I'm not a person who likes to be polite."
Minister Qin nodded and spoke in a serious manner.
"I'm sure the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology contacted you before we came here. I only have one question. Can your ion thruster propulsion engine really produce a stable thrust of 200KN?"
Lu Zhou thought for a bit and said, "I don't know much about stability … But if it's used to send a space shuttle to low-Earth orbit, it shouldn't be a problem."
The experts standing behind Minister Qin all had shocked expressions on their faces.
Although he had seen the relevant data on the powerpoint sent by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the feeling of seeing it from the screen was far less shocking than the personal confirmation.
Especially Academician Wu, after the initial shock, he was even more excited.
According to the standards of aerospace engines, 200KN's thrust was not very high. Even the Boeing 777's Trent-800's thrust was twice as high.
However, in terms of endurance, almost no traditional fuel engine could compare to the ion thruster propulsion system equipped with a small nuclear fusion device. Even if the thrust of 200KN would leave traditional jets in the dust in terms of acceleration, this kind of aerospaceplane had super endurance and the ability to stay on standby for a long time in low-Earth orbit, all of which were beyond the reach of traditional jets …
Suddenly, a word popped up in his mind.
Aerospace strategic bombers!
If this ion thruster propulsion system was really as magical as Lu Zhou described, then it was simply tailor-made for aerospace strategic bombers!
He was not the only one who had such thoughts.
It was obvious that Minister Qin, who was standing next to him, had the same thought as him.
After hearing Lu Zhou's confirmation, Minister Qin's serious expression was instantly filled with excitement. He looked at Lu Zhou sincerely and spoke.
"I wonder if it's convenient for you to show us your ion thruster propulsion system?"
Lu Zhou looked at Minister Qin's eager face and smiled.
"It's not convenient, you guys came at the right time. We just finished the assembly of a Hall-effect thruster the day before yesterday, and it is now lying on the rocket engine test bench waiting to be tested. If you are interested, just come with me. "
Before Lu Zhou finished speaking, Academician Wu, who was standing next to Minister Qin, spoke.
"Please bring us to experience it!"
"This way, please."
Lu Zhou made an inviting gesture and led the group of people to the rocket engine test bench at the edge of the assembly center.
In the center of the test platform, there was a cone that was about the length of three people lying down. It was lying steadily on a frame made of steel alloy. At one end of the bowl-shaped opening was a dense, fist-sized propulsion unit; there were at least a hundred of them. Facing the bowl-shaped opening was a high wall made of concrete.
"The temperature of the Hall-effect thruster's jet plume is very high. This is the only way to avoid accidents." Lu Zhou saw that Academician Wu was very interested in the cement wall, so he gave a brief explanation. He then looked at the staff member who was standing on the high platform and said, "There will be an experiment in about half an hour. It's about the thrust and the stability of the jet plume. I'm sure you guys will be very interested in the former."
Half an hour quickly passed by.
The experiment officially began.
The maintenance staff under the elevated platform began to evacuate. The staff completed the final debugging and pulled down the power switch. A large amount of electricity began to flow into the ionization chamber inside the engine. As the temperature counter on the screen began to rise, the air near the engine port gradually became distorted. It condensed into an azure cone-shaped object out of thin air, and a layer of orange-red shell was protruding outwards.
As the plasma continued to be ejected, the thrust value displayed on the screen began to gradually climb. After it reached 198.68 KN, it began to fluctuate in units of 10KN.
"The plasma output is stable!"
"The ionization chamber temperature is normal!"
"…"
Academician Wu listened to the staff member next to him. He looked at the jet speed on the screen and couldn't help but ask.
"What material is this engine made of? How can it withstand such high temperatures? "
"It's not the material that can withstand high temperatures, it's the magnetic field … But the concrete wall isn't so lucky."
He looked at the direction Lu Zhou was pointing at. He saw that the concrete wall behind the thruster had melted into a dent about one meter in diameter.
Although the total amount of working medium ejected was not large, even so, this degree of high temperature was not something a mere concrete wall could withstand.
The experiment went on for around an hour.
In addition to the maximum thrust, Lu Zhou instructed the staff here to conduct experiments on the orbital change speed at 15% power and the outer space cruise speed at the lowest 3% power.
After the entire experiment was completed, the electricity consumption alone was close to a hundred thousand kilowatts.
Minister Qin stood on the elevated platform and looked at the engine. He couldn't calm down for a long time.
After a while, he looked at Lu Zhou, took a deep breath, and spoke.
"This ion thruster propulsion system … How long will it take to complete?"
Lu Zhou replied, "The ion thruster propulsion system has been completed, but it's still lying on the rocket engine test bench. Before the entire space shuttle test flight, I can't guarantee that it will be as reliable in the sky as it is on the ground."
Minister Qin looked at Lu Zhou and said in a serious manner, "If you encounter any difficulties in your research, as long as we can help, feel free to tell us!"
Lu Zhou smiled and said, "Speaking of requests, I do have something to ask of you. We are still short of two pilots, so I'll have to trouble you, Minister Li …"
Minister Qin paused for a second and said, "Two pilots is enough?"
Lu Zhou: "Yeah."
Minister Qin coughed and said, "I heard that you guys don't have enough funding."
Lu Zhou: "Oh, we already found a way to solve the funding problem."
"Oh, it's been resolved. That's good, that's good …" Minister Qin nodded in relief and heaved a sigh of relief.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology obviously knew what the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology was thinking. They just wanted to share some of the funding with him and let the Air Force Equipment Department pay for the ion thruster propulsion system's research and development.
If it weren't for the fact that this ion thruster propulsion system was ridiculously good on paper and that the academic leader was a Nobel Prize and Ling Yun medal winner, he wouldn't have brought so many experts from the Air Force Equipment Research Institute. He wouldn't have made up his mind to support this project.
But now, the most crucial issue of funding had been solved. When the time came, they could just buy ready-made ones.
As for borrowing two pilots …
Compared to this godly weapon that was destined to change the future of aerial warfare, that was nothing.
Minister Qin looked at Lu Zhou and solemnly said, "I'll arrange for the pilots as soon as possible. As for the Hall-effect thruster research … I'll leave it to you!"
Lu Zhou smiled.
"Don't worry about this, I'm very confident in my research."
Even though Lu Zhou's expression was indifferent, he still felt quite comfortable.
Some people weren't optimistic about this technical route, but others were optimistic.
Unfortunately, the experts from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation weren't here …
Thinking of this, Lu Zhou became more and more excited. He wondered what the people who doubted him at the meeting would look like when his plane took off.
Minister Qin suddenly remembered something, and he asked, "Oh yeah, this space shuttle … Does it have a name yet?"
Name?
Lu Zhou hadn't thought about it yet. It was just a code name on the proposal.
But …
It seemed like there was still time to think of a name.
Suddenly, Lu Zhou's heart skipped a beat. A name that couldn't be more appropriate emerged in his mind.
Looking down at the huge silver engine sitting under the steel frame, he said.
"… The highest temperature of the Hall-effect thruster's jet plume is close to a hundred million degrees. When it lifts off, it will pull out a red and blue glow under the clouds. In ancient mythology, the glow means auspiciousness."
Lu Zhou paused for a second and smiled.
"It's going to be Chinese New Year in a few months, I'll call it Auspicious!"
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