Chapter 535: What does a shipbuilder do when he buys a rocket engine?
The exhibition stand of Kuznetsov Design Bureau.
“Our NK33 rocket engine was designed by the great Mr. Korolev.” At the booth, the gray-haired Valentin introduced to the onlookers in front of him.
Behind him is a model of a rocket engine. This engine has been sprayed with a layer of silver powder and looks fluorescent. No one knows that it was in stock decades ago.
It is as tall as a person, and the largest part is the nozzle, which looks like a long skirt worn by a dancer. On top of it is a small combustion chamber, and on the side is a combination of huge turbine pumps, full of unique old-fashioned energy. The characteristic roughness of Maozi.
Under the nozzle, the Russian characters of NK-33 are spray-painted.
The reporter in front of him kept clicking the shutter, interested in this big guy, but he was just a reporter and did not see any other special audience.
“Excuse me, what is this engine used for?”
“It was once used in the greatest moon landing rocket N1.” Valentine introduced: “They use oxygen-rich combustion and staged supplementary combustion technology, and have the highest thrust-to-weight ratio among rocket engines!”
“Is it the kind of rocket that explodes every time it is tested?”
Hearing this question, Valentine's face immediately became ugly.
Back then, at the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union were competing for the commanding heights of landing on the moon.
From the eyes of ordinary people, Lao Maozi should be the most promising. From the first artificial satellite to the first manned space flight, Lao Maozi was the leader, and the same seems to be true for the moon landing.
However, the Americans were the last to catch up, stepped on the old man, launched more than a dozen Saturn Vs in one go, and sent astronauts to the moon. Where is the old man?
Lao Maozi was troubled by huge problems. In the end, he did not achieve a manned moon landing and could only leave the scene coldly.
The protagonist at that time was that the N-1 launch vehicle using this NK-33 rocket engine was not powerful.
The success of the Saturn V is inseparable from its engines, especially the first stage below, which uses five giant "Lockdyne F-1" rocket engines. Each of these engines is 5.6 meters high, has a nozzle diameter of 3.7 meters, and has a dead weight. At 8.4 tons, it burns 2.6 tons of propellant per second and can generate a thrust of 6,770 kilonewtons (about 690 tons of force). The ignition of five engines can easily launch a rocket of nearly 3,000 tons into space.
Where is Lao Maozi? Lao Maozi only has the NK-15 engine with a thrust of 150 tons. Therefore, Lao Maozi has no other way and simply uses parallel engines. The thrust is not enough to make up for the quantity. (This is very similar to a private company in later generations.)
The first stage of the N-1 rocket is driven by 30 NK-15 engines. The engines are arranged in two concentric rings, 24 in the outer ring and 6 in the inner ring. If you look at it from under its butt, the two-row engine is still very interesting.
However, this also brings up a huge problem: how to synchronize the engine work!
Based on the technology at the time, the more engines there were, the greater the chance of problems. Therefore, after the N-1 rocket was built, it exploded on the rocket launch pad during the test launch.
The eight NK-15V engines in the second stage, the four engines in the third stage with a single thrust of only 41 tons, and the one engine in the fourth stage with a thrust of 45 tons have not yet been tested, and the entire rocket set off fireworks.
However, Lao Maozi was not discouraged and continued to improve the NK-15 engine. The improved model was the NK-33. The thrust of this engine was increased to 170 tons and it was more reliable.
The biggest blow to this kind of rocket was the death of Korolev.
The doctor found out that there was a tumor in Korolev's intestine, so he decided to perform an operation on him. It was the Minister of Health who performed the surgery. After the incision, he suddenly discovered that it was just a polyp, not a tumor at all. The doctors We began to discuss a new plan and threw the great space pioneer on the operating table. When the plan was agreed upon and the operation began, the heart that had been operated on five years ago could no longer withstand such great pressure. Korolev did not Leave the operating table alive.
Da Mao, even the greatest space pioneer in all mankind, died in the hands of quack doctors. He could have continued to live for many years.
Korolev's assistant Valisy Mishin took over his work and continued to work on the N-1 rocket. A large number of improved NK-33 rocket engines were also produced. However, the edge of the moon landing had passed. Well, since Lao Maozi has failed, there is no need to go to the moon again.
As a result, a large number of NK-33 rocket engines were produced and fell into warehouses. During their lifetime, they were never installed on rockets to realize the idea of taking off.
After entering the 1980s, Lao Maozi finally fiddled with the RD-170 rocket engine, which is the same level as the F-1 engine used on the Saturn V. The thrust of a single engine of this kind is as high as 800 tons. Only four of them are needed. It can propel the former N-1 rocket to fly to the moon, which is more powerful than the F-1 of the year.
However, the Red Empire no longer exists, and the RD-170 engine is useless for heroes.
(Speaking of the moon landing, there are always a lot of arguments to deny it. The Americans did not land on the moon and everything was a scam. This argument has always been popular. The hero of East China wants to express his humble opinion. Although the old Maozi There was no manned landing on the moon, but Lao Maozi launched a lot of lunar probes. If the Americans were a scam, then Lao Maozi's lunar probe could not find the lower half of the lunar module, and it would definitely be announced to the world and exposed. It's a lie from the Americans. As long as you carefully study the Americans' lunar landing technology, you will know that the lower half of the lunar module cannot fly and remains on the lunar surface, and we have also begun to launch lunar probes one after another. If We haven't found the lower half of the lunar module, so how can the Americans argue? There is no air on the moon, and the lunar module will not be covered by wind and sand. As for why the Saturn V cannot be built, what is the data on the F-1 engine? Lost, this is indeed nonsense. However, after the moon landing, the Americans did not need such a big rocket. Decades have passed, the drawings have been lost, supporting manufacturers have closed down, and technicians have died of old age. possible.)
"The explosion of the rocket is a tragedy. It is not only a tragedy for the Red Empire, but also a tragedy for all of us. Now, we should not look at the great pioneers with ridicule. This is unfair." At this time, a voice came from behind.
Valentin looked over gratefully. It was someone he had met before, Mr. Qin!
Wu Shengli and Mr. Wu were watching the fun in the back. Qin Tao brought Xu Zhengyang to the front. Hearing these reporters laughing at the guests he invited, Qin Tao of course had to retort. These words were very high-minded, and even the questions he just asked All the reporters lowered their heads in shame.
“However, this rocket engine is still too old.” Another person said: “These engines should have been built in the 1960s and 1970s, right? Aren’t they rusting in the warehouse?”
"They are all being properly preserved. As long as there is a chance, they can still fly into the sky. We have opened them for testing a few years ago. They are completely reliable and there are no problems!" Valentine said to reporters: " These rockets can still reach the sky."
“In order to support our Kuznetsov Design Bureau, our Mingzhou Group decided that if these rocket engines are not sold at the end of the defense exhibition, our Mingzhou Group is willing to pay to buy them all!”
Wow, everyone was surprised at this moment. Even Mr. Wu and Wu Shengli who were behind them were also curious.
What does Qin Tao want to do? What does Mingzhou Group want to do?
“Mr. Qin doesn’t want us astronauts to lose their jobs, right?” Mr. Wu seemed to be teasing or mocking himself when he said this.
At present, the most mature and advanced rocket in China is the Long March 2. This rocket has a take-off weight of 190 tons and a low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of less than two tons. The first-stage engine used on it has a thrust of only 75 tons. Dimethylhydrazine is a toxic fuel.
Later, a strap-on was installed under the Long March 2 and four boosters were added. This increased the carrying capacity of the low-Earth orbit to ten tons, which was already the limit.
Of course, astronauts are also studying a new generation of launch vehicles. The thrust of the engine has been increased to 120 tons, which is still far behind the old engines of the 1960s and 1970s.
At this time, the reporters couldn't help but ask: "Mr. Qin, is your Mingzhou Group going to space?"
“Yes, you are no longer satisfied with just building ships, are you going to enter the aerospace field?”
Valentin's eyes were filled with gratitude. At the critical moment, Mr. Qin still had to come to the rescue! Moreover, Mr. Qin actually promised to buy all the engines in their inventory, which gave them even more reassurance that they really came to the right place to participate in the International Defense Exhibition in the East!
"A spaceship is also a ship. We are not cross-professional." Qin Tao said: "Everyone, I want to discuss the transaction with Mr. Valentine. You can wait a moment. This defense exhibition is over. If we buy this If the engine is approved, we will hold a special press conference. At that time, we will announce the shipbuilding plan of our Mingzhou Group."
This time, Mingzhou Group is really going to enlarge the satellite!
In the employee lounge behind the booth, Valentin personally poured a glass of water for Qin Tao: "Mr. Qin, come on, drink some water. Thank you so much for just now. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to deal with it, even if you were just fooling me." We are also grateful that they want to buy our stock engines.”
Qin Tao smiled: "We, Mingzhou Group, keep our word. Since we said we would buy it, we are sincere. How many engines do you still have in stock? Have any customers come to buy them before?"
In Qin Tao's memory, after the collapse of the Red Empire, many departments of Lao Maozi had a hard time, but some organizations had a very comfortable life. Rocket engine manufacturers were one of them. They sold rocket engines to Americans. Count money until you become weak.
While the Americans are shouting various sanctions against Da Mao, they continue to shout that they are really delicious and import a large number of Da Mao rocket engines. Even though many people are worried and think that this will destroy the United States' own rocket engine research and development industry, there is no other way. After all, Da Mao is so cheap!
How cheap is it? Take the RD-180, the most commonly used Laomaozi engine in American rockets, for example. Even if a full set of technology is introduced, the cost of just producing it in the United States is five times that of purchasing Laomaozi finished products.
So, they have no other choice but to continue to import Lao Maozi's engines, and Lao Maozi is also very honest. He will only take this out and shout twice unless he is sanctioned to the extreme.
Don’t have any customers yet? Could it be that the time has not come yet?
Although it has been nearly five years since the collapse of the Red Empire, the Americans' own rocket research and development industry is still running steadily, and it has not yet entered the era of buying and buying.
After the collapse of the Red Empire, the tense confrontation at that time has been greatly alleviated. At the same time, more importantly, the policies and regulations of the United States have been relaxed. On the one hand, it allows private individuals to enter the aerospace market. On the other hand, it also wants to win over the old man. After all, if the rocket industry is finished like other industries, the old rocket experts will have to travel all over the world in order to make money. If they go to those rogue countries, they will definitely give the United States People bring big trouble.
Especially in August 1994, the U.S. National Space Transportation Policy was released, instructing the Department of Defense to take charge of the expendable launch vehicle program aimed at developing and updating existing systems, which is the subsequent EELV (Evolutionary Expendable Launch Vehicle) project, with a smooth transition. , gradually replacing expensive and outdated launch vehicles such as Atlas, Delta and Hercules, reducing costs, improving reliability, simplifying operations and shortening launch cycles, and continuing to maintain its leading position in the field of aerospace technology.
To put it simply, the American rockets need to be updated, and then they start to consider Lao Maozi’s rocket engines.
It has been a year or two, and Americans are moving at a snail's pace, but this is actually better.
“Oh, you guys are really suffering.” Qin Tao said, “If you sell all these rocket engines, will you be able to develop more advanced rocket engines?”
"Yes, we have always planned to increase the thrust of the NK-33 engine from 170 tons to 200 tons. The new model is called NK-43, so that four NK-43s can perfectly replace one RD-170 rocket engine. "Valentin said excitedly.
“Since you have such urgent needs, we won’t wait for the defense exhibition to end. We can sign the contract now. How much do you plan to sell these engines?”
"Mr. Qin, we don't know how much we can sell it for. Please give us a price." Valentine said.
"We can't treat you badly." Qin Tao thought for a while and said, "How about giving you 25 million US dollars for the 250 engines in stock?"
They are all junk produced in the 1960s and 1970s, and they have been gathering dust in the warehouse. Nowadays, one hundred thousand dollars is already very high.
∣Valentin was overjoyed: "Of course, Mr. Qin, thank you very much."
“I also want to add some color to our international defense exhibition.” Qin Tao said: “Sign the contract now, and I will immediately contact people in Moscow to go to your place to complete our deal.”
“Mr. Qin, thank you so much for your support!”
“However, I have a request.”
"any request?"
"If we need it, you have to send some experts over to help us maintain these engines. Of course, I will give them a large travel allowance."
“That’s natural.” Valentin nodded immediately. Who doesn’t know that when you come to Mingzhou Group for a business trip, the treatment is quite good? You can treat it as a trip and you can make a lot of money!
When Qin Tao came out, he saw the faces of Wu Shengli and Mr. Wu again, and was immediately surprised: "You are actually waiting for me here?"
"Yes, Mr. Qin, we want to know what agreement you have reached over there."
“It’s nothing, I just bought a bunch of junk in stock, the price is quite cheap.”
Did you buy them all?
Mr. Wu felt his heart beating violently: "How much did it cost to buy it?"
“One hundred thousand dollars each, NK-33 engine. Two hundred and fifty in total.”
Mr. Wu opened his eyes wide: "You are trying to block our aerospace progress!"
As a veteran of the aerospace system, Mr. Wu certainly knows the data of this engine. It ranks first in the world in terms of thrust and thrust, and its thrust is also good. It is much higher than the model being planned in China!
The famous Long March 5 is known as the fat five rocket. The thrust of a single engine is only 120 tons. But now, the second-hand engines Qin Tao bought in stock cost only 100,000 US dollars each, and they still have a thrust of 170 tons. Tons of big guys.
After hearing what Mr. Wu said, Qin Tao smiled: "How is this possible? What we can buy must be engines that Lao Maozi has eliminated and outdated. Lao Maozi's latest RD170 will never be sold to us. We have the money. You can't even buy it. If we want to develop our aerospace technology, we have to rely on self-research. Only what we develop ourselves will be our own. If we outsource it, we will always be controlled by others."
Wu Shengli nodded: "Yes, no matter how good other people's things are, they still belong to others. We have always adhered to this principle when it comes to external procurement. We can introduce technology for production, improve after a thorough understanding, and ultimately promote our own technological development. That's fine. If it's just outsourcing and it causes us to lose our ability to conduct self-research, it will definitely be more than worth the gain."
"Mr. Qin, your words give me reassurance." Mr. Wu said, "But what's the use of buying so many second-hand engines in stock?"
170 tons of thrust, 250 units. If these engines are all used in domestic aerospace projects, it is estimated that they can be used for twenty years. Once we rely on these engines, the domestic self-research capability of rocket engines will be completely lost. When these engines are used up, they can only be purchased from outside sources, because the entire engine development team has collapsed.
“Our Mingzhou Group has opened a private rocket company. Your aerospace system will build yours, and our Mingzhou Group will build ours. We will not compete with the country and go outside to grab business.” Qin Tao said.
Mr. Wu was stunned again. Mr. Qin, are you serious? Isn’t this still blocking the way for our domestic aerospace industry? Are you addicted to competition and want to crush our domestic aerospace system?
Even Wu Shengli opened his eyes wide: "Taozi, do you really want to enter space?"
"This is just an idea. If it can't be sold, it can only be used by ourselves. If it can be sold, we will mainly sell it. It is better to be a second-rate dealer."
Everyone walked and looked around, and soon came to the booth of the Power Machinery Manufacturing Research and Production Consortium.
Behind this booth, there is also an engine, which is similar in appearance to the one at the Kuznetsov Design Bureau, but bigger!
Exactly how big is it?
Just a bell-mouthed nozzle is taller than an ordinary person! Moreover, as long as this thing is displayed, it must have four trumpets. It is placed upside down on the shelf, with the trumpets pointing toward the sky, which looks even more spectacular. This is the big thing made during the Red Empire!
Back then, if Lao Maozi had this kind of engine when he was developing the N-1 rocket, it would have definitely been a success. In fact, it is said that the RD-270 at that time already had this kind of thrust, but this engine used It was meta-dimethylhydrazine. Korolev was personally very dissatisfied with this poisonous rocket. He may have some personal grudges, which led to the failure of the moon landing project.
“This is the most powerful rocket ever developed by mankind. It has a thrust of eight hundred tons.” In front of the engine, Kolpekov was introducing it eloquently. (It is also said to be 790 tons.)
He is not as embarrassed as Valentine. This rocket engine has no dark history and is full of aura.
“Our engine was developed to propel the world’s largest Energia rocket. This rocket has a low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of one hundred tons!”
The Energy rocket is very powerful. In the 1980s, this rocket successfully carried out several launches, one of which was to send a space laser weapon into space! In terms of Star Wars, the Americans are playing tricks, but Lao Maozi is really fighting against it. If Lao Maozi is given more than ten years to successfully develop various Star Wars weapons, then the Americans will have to suffer. Forced.
At the same time, this rocket can also hang the Buran space shuttle on the side and launch it into the sky.
It’s a pity that since the collapse of the Red Empire, the Energy rocket has never been produced again, because...
“Its thrust is too great. We don’t need such a powerful rocket engine at the moment.” A foreigner said, with the USA logo written on his badge.
There are still people who dislike its large thrust?
That’s right, a satellite launched today is already heavy with more than ten tons. The largest cabin of the International Space Station only weighs 18 tons. Only the Skylab built by the Americans using the leftover materials from the moon landing can be considered as heavy. A whole body of eighty or ninety tons.
The thrust of the rocket engine is too great and no one knows how to use it. An advanced rocket engine like the RD-170 actually has no market for this reason!
“Would it be more appropriate if simple changes were made, reducing the four combustion chambers to two, and reducing the thrust to four hundred tons?” A voice came from outside.
Everyone looked over and saw Qin Tao's figure.
(End of this chapter)