Ever since Skyglow was launched, Lu Zhou moved the space shuttle assembly center's R&D department to the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study. He established a special aerospace science and technology research institute to research ion thruster propulsion systems and other space-related technologies.
Because there were many confidential projects, the research institute building had the highest level of security in the entire institute, and it was located closest to the core area.
Unlike other research institutes at the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study, the Aerospace Science and Technology Research Institute's main customer was Star Sky Technology's space shuttle assembly center. Most of the funding came directly from Star Sky Technology's account, unlike the Institute of Computational Materials, which cooperated with other companies.
The first director of the Aerospace Science and Technology Research Institute was obviously Hou Guang, the designer of Skyglow.
Based on his experience in the 863 program, no one was more qualified than him for this position. No one in the entire research institute was more familiar with Skyglow's structure and overall design ideas than him. Therefore, he was undoubtedly the best choice to be responsible for coordinating the various project teams.
Hou Guang lived up to Lu Zhou's expectations. While Lu Zhou was away from Jinling, not only did Hou Guang complete the relocation of the research institute in the shortest amount of time, but he also didn't stop his work.
On the one hand, he organized technicians to dismantle the Skyglow spacecraft. On the other hand, he evaluated the damaged areas while maintaining the equipment. He also conducted a systematic analysis of the data collected from the last test flight. All of the information was summarized in a 20-page report.
After spending two days reading the report and preparing the PowerPoint for the meeting, Lu Zhou called Hou Guang. He gathered the technical backbones of the Aerospace Science and Technology Research Institute for a small meeting in the No.4 conference room of the research institute.
"… First of all, I would like to thank everyone for their efforts. I can't represent the entire country, but on behalf of the dean of the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude and respect."
After a simple opening speech, there was a round of applause in the conference room.
Lu Zhou nodded, and the applause stopped.
He cleared his throat and gently placed the 20-page report on the multimedia podium before he continued to speak.
"Long story short, I've already read the report.
"Skyglow's design is very successful, but I think there are still many improvements to be made."
"According to the analysis of the inspection results, the heat suffered by the wings and the belly of the aircraft during the atmospheric re-entry phase exceeded our expectations. As our excellent engineers analyzed, the main reason was due to the excessive speed during the entry into the dense part of the atmosphere."
"In order to solve this problem, I've thought about it for a long time, and I've also discussed this with the experts I know. I think that since the ion thruster's thrust is' softer 'compared to the chemical engine, we can completely consider abandoning the' firecracker 'design of the traditional chemical rocket. We can move the four secondary engines from the tail of the space shuttle to the wing, leaving only one main engine at the tail. "
"In the meantime, while keeping the pair of fixed wings, add a pair of ailerons that can be linked to each other on two axles, which will be used to suspend and control the ejection direction of the engine.
As soon as Lu Zhou's voice fell, whispers of surprise spread in the conference room. Many people had surprised expressions on their faces.
This design was nothing new. It basically referred to the tiltrotor model and mixed the advantages of vertical take-off and landing with fixed-wing aircraft. However, even though this model wasn't rare, it was the first time many people had heard of it being used in the aerospace field.
Lu Zhou didn't prohibit discussion in the conference room, so he paused for a second and spoke.
"Through this improved design, we can use the reverse jet engine to actively decelerate the returning spacecraft. We can also balance the effect of gravity. Before the spacecraft reaches the dense atmosphere, the flight speed will be reduced to a lower level to avoid friction."
After listening to Lu Zhou's statement, Hou Guang thought for a second and spoke.
"This design is very interesting … I will organize people from the technical department to do a feasibility study."
"I've already done a feasibility study, even though it's on simulation software." With a smile on his face, Lu Zhou held the mouse and clicked on a folder. Soon after, a three-dimensional composition appeared on the screen.
He paused for a second and spoke.
"Just for reference."
Floating in the center of the screen was a conceptual diagram of the tiltrotor aerospaceplane. Floating next to it was a window that displayed the altitude of the aircraft, the density of the atmosphere, the flight speed, the state of the fuselage, and other parameters. Moreover, it was drawn in real time into a gradually changing curve.
All of the calculations involved were done by Lu Zhou alone.
As for the drawing of the model and the simulation of the entire flight process, Xiao Ai did it for him through his superb coding skills.
Hou Guang stared at the image on the screen. He had a slightly surprised expression on his face as he adjusted his glasses.
"Which company's software is this?"
He had been in this industry for many years and had been in contact with many companies that did simulation programs. However, he had never seen an interface and dynamics simulation that was so refined … Perfect. At least in his professional opinion, he couldn't think of anything to complain about.
When Lu Zhou heard Hou Guang's question, he didn't explain in detail. He just said, "I asked a programmer at the Information Technology Research Institute to customize it. I'll give you a copy after the meeting."
As soon as he finished speaking, his phone in his pocket vibrated.
Without a doubt, it was Xiao Ai protesting against him.
However, the protest was ineffective. Lu Zhou couldn't disclose its existence at this stage.
When Hou Guang heard Lu Zhou's explanation, he opened his mouth.
Although they didn't know who could create such a perfect simulation program, with this thing, it would definitely be of great help to their work.
"Let's not talk about the software for now … If we move the engine from the tail to the wing, it will definitely affect the failure rate. If we just want to improve maneuverability, isn't that a bit of a loss? "
Lu Zhou shook his head and explained, "It's not just maneuverability. Through this design, we can actively reduce the speed of the aerospaceplane in an airspace of more than 30 kilometers. Not only can this reduce the risk of the return flight, but it can also directly reduce maintenance costs after a single launch mission.
"As for the risk you mentioned, it's definitely there, but I think it can be solved by improving the design."
Even though it sounded easy, Lu Zhou knew that implementing this blueprint wasn't an easy task.
Adding two electric drive shafts to the ailerons meant increasing the structural risk of the wings.
At the same time, in order to ensure the coordination between the two engines, he also needed to develop a cutting-edge electric drive system to prevent the engine from deviating from the original flight path due to accuracy errors.
There was also the material for the connection, as well as the most important control system. These things also needed to be improved.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that this was basically the same as redoing the entire Skyglow project.
Hou Guang frowned and raised his hand. He asked, "What about the tenders from the China National Space Administration and the State Administration for National Defense?"
"Of course we're still using Skyglow." Lu Zhou replied without hesitation, "The new design is our goal this year. Don't worry, we have plenty of time to prepare."
After hearing this, Hou Guang was relieved.
At least Professor Lu considered the practical situation.
The manned moon landing project was imminent, and the China National Space Administration and the State Administration for National Defense were about to announce the winning bid. It wasn't a good idea to do this right now. But if it was going to be a project next year, then it was fine.
Lu Zhou and Hou Guang both nodded. There was no room for discussion at this point.
The PowerPoint continued to play, and Lu Zhou briefly talked about the design of the new aerospaceplane.
The engineer who was taking notes of the meeting raised his right hand.
"I have one more question."
Lu Zhou said, "What is it? Go ahead."
Engineer: "What should we call the new design? Skyglow 2? Or should we use letters and numbers? "
Using the old name didn't seem too formal.
Not to mention, the new aerospaceplane was so different that even Lu Zhou wouldn't recognize it.
But what should we call it …
Lightning? That's an escape capsule.
Meteor? That sounds ominous.
Lu Zhou thought for a while. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind, and he spoke subconsciously.
"… Let's call it Skyglow."
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