"Shocking! The United States' "Ares" program is launched, and the target is Mars! "
Jin Ling University mathematics department office.
Lu Zhou was sitting at his desk drinking coffee while browsing the Internet. He happened to see this headline.
When he found the original article and read it, he couldn't help but smile and shake his head.
"Looks like the Americans can't sit still anymore."
According to the news report, NASA would launch the "Ares" Mars colonization program within the year. They would use an open bidding method to split the entire project into several sub-projects, which would be distributed to Space-X, Blue Origin, and other American aerospace companies. They would also recruit volunteers from all over the world.
According to the disclosed content, the entire program would be divided into three parts. The first part was to send the life support system to the surface of Mars.
After confirming that the life support system was working properly, the second part of the launch plan would begin.
Which was to send a manned spacecraft to Mars and send two to three colonists to the "New World" to prepare for the subsequent colonization program.
From Lu Zhou's point of view, NASA's sudden announcement of this plan was undoubtedly a bit rushed. What surprised him the most was that the Congress approved the budget for this plan so quickly.
However, even though he was surprised, it wasn't that he couldn't understand the reason behind this situation.
China's series of aerospace policies, as well as Skyglow's ion thruster propulsion technology, had deeply stimulated the United States.
Especially with the Garden program, as well as the manned moon landing program that was about to be launched in mid-February. Not only did the White House see China's determination in developing outer space resources, but it also made the White House feel threatened.
After all, aerospace technology wasn't just a guarantee of national defense; it was also a part of America's national glory.
Because of this, NASA barely encountered any resistance from the Congressional Budget Office.
On the other hand, even though NASA was taking a big step this time, even though they were under the National Space Council, even Lu Zhou had to admit that the United States was still a strong opponent in the aerospace field.
It completed the first flight of the Saturn V in the 1960s, with a low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of up to 140 tons, and a success rate of 13/13. As the replacement for the Saturn V, the SLS system was known as the most powerful transportation system in history.
In contrast, China's Long March 5, which made its first flight in 2016, had a low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of just 25 tons, and the success rate was only 1/2.
Even though the ion thruster propulsion system used by Skyglow was able to overtake other spaceships to a certain extent, its low-Earth orbit carrying capacity was only in the order of 50 tons. Due to the ion thruster propulsion system's shortcomings in terms of thrust, it was difficult to increase this number further.
Most importantly, he wasn't the only one researching the electrical system.
Before he left Princeton, the PPPL laboratory had been working on developing a new Hall-effect thruster for deep-space navigation beyond the Earth-Moon system …
Lu Zhou put down the coffee cup in his hand. Just as he was about to end his lunch break and start working, he heard footsteps coming from the corridor outside the door. Soon, someone knocked on the door.
Lin Yuxiang, who was sitting at the door, stopped writing and stood up to open the door. Soon, a hearty voice came from the door.
"Long time no see, Professor Lu."
"Secretary Yang?" Lu Zhou stopped writing and cast a surprised look at the door. He got up and said with a smile, "Why are you here?"
Secretary Yang was the second-in-command of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
When Lu Zhou attended a state banquet, he and Lu Zhou had a brief conversation. A while ago, he invited Lu Zhou to attend the Blue Hall banquet in Stockholm and the International Controllable Fusion Cooperation Organization meeting on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Unfortunately, due to bad timing, Lu Zhou wasn't able to attend.
"Of course I'm here to visit you." The old man smiled and walked into the office. He said, "I purposely came after lunch, I'm not interrupting your work, am I?"
"No, please sit down … Lin Yuxiang, pour me a cup of tea."
"Okay."
After working in the office for more than a year, Assistant Lin had long mastered the ability to serve tea and pour water.
Within five minutes, a cup of hot tea and a cup of instant coffee were placed on the coffee table.
Secretary Yang sat across from Lu Zhou. He took a sip of the tea and spoke with an intoxicated expression.
"Good tea."
Lu Zhou smiled awkwardly and didn't say anything.
This wasn't easy to respond to.
After all, he didn't usually drink tea. Every time he got some "unbranded tea" from Beijing, it would be divided among the old professors in the mathematics department.
All the items in the office were actually bought from Taobao …
Secretary Yang put down the teacup in his hand and looked at Lu Zhou's cup. He smiled and said, "Professor Lu likes coffee?"
Lu Zhou coughed and said, "Kind of, tea is too light for me. I have a strong taste."
Secretary Yang smiled and said, "Haha, I knew you liked coffee. I brought some coffee beans from my international friends when I visited South America last time."
Lu Zhou quickly said, "Don't be like this, I'm not used to drinking ground coffee. I've been drinking coffee for so many years, I still like instant coffee the most."
"You have a unique taste, I'll keep it for myself." Secretary Yang smiled and shook his head. He paused for a second and said, "I came to Jinling because there's an important diplomatic summit being held here. I also want to ask for your opinion on behalf of the Communist Party of China."
Lu Zhou put down the coffee cup in his hand and looked at him. He asked, "What?"
Ask for my opinion?
What opinion do I have?
"You should have heard the recent rumors about the Garden project, right?" Secretary Yang paused for a second and said, "Of course, I'm talking about the international community."
Lu Zhou nodded and said, "I've heard a bit … Is there a problem?"
Secretary Yang waved his hand and said, "It's not a big problem, it's just related to the international academic community. About two days ago, the International Union of Biological Organizations and the International Science Council sent us an application, hoping to participate in our artificial biosphere project. "
Lu Zhou vaguely guessed something. He nodded thoughtfully and continued to ask.
"What are the higher-ups' plans?"
"They haven't decided yet, but they haven't rejected either." Secretary Yang looked at Lu Zhou and said, "Currently, the higher-ups have different opinions on this matter. Even though we welcome international scholars to participate, this project is related to our space strategy, so the risks are difficult to assess. I happen to be in Jinling, and the higher-ups want me to ask for your opinion. "
He looked at Lu Zhou solemnly and spoke.
"What do you think we should do?"
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