CHAPTER-53
On the planet, there are more than 30 launch sites to choose from. Following the onset of the solar crisis, all commercial satellite launch plans, as well as meteorological, monitoring, and civilian satellite launch plans, were halted and replaced by scientific research satellite launch missions to collect data for scientific research. Every day, at least three rockets have been launched into space over the past few years, delivering a massive number of materials and technological equipment to the International Space Station.
However, after the discovery of the "reverse fusion layer" on the surface of the sun and speculation about the possibility of the existence of an AL2-level civilization, all launch plans were shelved. The reason for this is very straightforward. The high-level human government is concerned that an excessive number of space launch plans will lead to misunderstandings of super-extraterrestrial civilizations, which will result in a catastrophe for the planet.
Nevertheless, after Alex pointed out the paradox that existed between those two preconditions, the signal transmitted by the Chang'e radio telescope did not receive a response for three days, and the likelihood of the existence of a super-extraterrestrial civilization was reduced. The massive space launch program was immediately restarted after that.
The launch site for this first space launch mission is the largest of these three launch facilities.
After leaving the Vulcan Solar Telescope Base, Alex drove for several hours before arriving at the launch site. Assuming that it is summertime at Launch Site 1, which is located in the subtropical zone of the former Earth period, it is expected to be quite hot here. As a result of the solar crisis, the average temperature in this area has dropped to about 15 degrees Celsius, and the temperature will even drop to zero degrees Celsius at night during the summer.
The weather today is not particularly pleasant. In spite of the absence of clouds in the sky and the absence of rain or snow, the wind is so strong that even the helicopter is becoming unsteady in its flight. Upon landing, Alex placed his collar around his neck before leaving the cabin with Virat and a few other people. Hao Fei and the rest of the group were already outside, waiting for them.
After a brief discussion, everyone walked together to the launch control room to begin the launch. On the way, Hao Fei provided a brief overview of the mission's goals and objectives.
"This launch represents the pinnacle of the entire solar exploration program," says the mission's director. Hao Fei expressed himself as follows: "We have made some enhancements to the Mars exploration spacecraft that has previously been launched into the Earth's orbit for research purposes. Increased fuel reserves, improved engine and communication equipment performance, replaced scientific detection instruments and underwent numerous other transformations before being transformed into a manned spacecraft that can be used for solar exploration missions in the final stages of the transformation process."
Prior to the outbreak of the Sun Crisis, the human government was in charge of an ambitious manned exploration plan for Mars. However, at a critical juncture, when the spacecraft was finally assembled and ready to receive astronauts, the Sun Crisis erupted, and the plan was shelved. Its mission has also been altered, and it is now aiming for the sun rather than Mars as its final destination.
In comparison to missions to the sun, there are numerous distinctions between missions to Mars. There is only a 55 million kilometer distance between Mars and the earth in theory - of course, this is only the shortest distance in practice. Humans will have virtually no chance to take advantage of such a favorable situation during the actual Mars exploration mission. Originally, the Mars exploration mission's orbit was planned to be 80 million kilometers in length, according to the mission's original orbit plan. In 50 days, the "Crimson Heart" spacecraft will reach Mars and enter the orbit of the planet, after which it will release the lander that will transport the spacecraft. After reaching the surface of Mars and returning to Earth after a three-month mission, the crew estimated that it would take approximately 80 days to return to Earth.
The distance between the sun and the earth is significantly greater. There are approximately 150 million kilometers between each point, which is slightly more than twice the distance traveled by the Mars exploration mission. Because of this, more supplies and fuel will inevitably be required, and the space environment after being so close to the sun is significantly worse than the one on Mars. Crimson Heart has the ability to travel to Mars, but it is unable to get close to the sun.
Because of this, the scientific research department, under the direction of human government, made numerous improvements to the Crimson Heart, enabling it to finally complete the mission of getting close to the sun.
Certainly, re-manufacturing a solar exploration spacecraft is a better option if there is enough time. Unfortunately, the solar crisis is too violent and fast, and it will take at least five years to build a spacecraft that can travel interstellar - this time includes the initial mission planning, which is the process by which the scientific research department develops specifications for spacecraft performance and functions and the engineering department develops designs for spacecraft performance and functions. It will only then be able to proceed to the final stage of construction.
It is planned to distribute construction tasks among tens of thousands of factories around the world for separate manufacturing. Following successful completion of the acceptance test, these components will be subjected to preliminary assembly, followed by extensive debugging and testing. Rockets will take them into orbit around the earth after they have passed through. In addition, a temporary space station will be established to handle the subsequent docking and assembly of these modules, as well as maintenance and repair operations.