Chapter 867 Even if you are thick-skinned, you still feel a little shameless!
“Why haven’t I heard any good news lately?” Swift muttered.
Now, they are very helpless as they watch the canal being dug continuously without any countermeasures. And now, looking at the photos taken on satellite images, they are even more speechless.
On the bank of the wide canal, a row of launch vehicles appeared.
There are triple-mounted ones, quadruple-mounted ones, square ones, round ones, and ones with reinforced ribs. You can tell what kind of equipment these are just by looking at them.
The Orientals actually sold anti-ship missiles to Siam!
"According to the information we found, the Siamese Navy finally chose C602." The assistant pointed to the satellite image photo: "This is the biggest one."
“C602? What is this? Why haven’t you heard of it before? Didn’t the Orientals export C802 before?” Swift only knew so much about the Orient.
"This is a newly developed anti-ship missile by Dongfang. It is thicker and longer than the C802, has a longer range, and is more powerful. According to the current data calculated by the intelligence department, the range of this missile is about three hundred kilometers. , the weight of the warhead is also about four to five hundred kilograms."
A warhead with a range of three hundred and a weight of four to five hundred? Swift frowned: "In other words, our Ticonderoga can't stop its attack?"
In the past, the C802's attack targets were warships with a displacement of three to four thousand tons. Two missiles were needed to deal with warships of six to seven thousand tons. Now, one missile of this kind can severely damage a warship of 10,000 tons. This performance is absolutely incredible.
From now on, will their warships dare to hang around outside?
“Yes, the intelligence department has calculated that it should be of this level. In the past few years, this missile was used on the main warships of the East. I don’t know why it was suddenly exported to Siam.”
Swift's eyes were gloomy, he picked up his pipe and took two puffs.
Unconsciously, the relationship between Siam and Dongfang has become closer and closer. The missiles used by Dongfang have been exported to Siam. In the future, will Siam still be able to control it?
What do those idiots think? They have to attack Siam on the canal. If the United States takes the lead and helps Siam dig the canal, then Siam will definitely have a close relationship with them. It would be better to push it all away. The Orientals went over there.
This was an afterthought. He had forgotten that he was also very disgusted with the canal project at the beginning.
What else can we do now? The Kingdom of Siam is not willing to take hard and soft measures. It has been busy working, just waiting to dig the canal!
For them, it is about strategic issues, but for Singapore, it is about economic development and life and death.
Path of Singapore.
They have already fired Lee Mingyao because of his poor performance. However, they did not feel relieved because they fired Lee Mingyao. Seeing the canal being dug day by day, their hearts sank day by day until they entered the abyss.
“Artificial rain enhancement has not worked. Even if it rains, they are still working.”
“Then we will have more rain and make it impossible to construct the construction sites there.”
“If the soil there was completely softened, their construction progress might be faster.”
“How is it possible? Are they all gods?”
“If the soil is completely softened, then they can use dredgers, and the digging will be more efficient. I am afraid that the entire canal will be penetrated in a month.”
No one spoke, and their faces were ugly.
Orientals still have dredgers, but they are not used now because they are constructing on land. If it continues to rain and the soil there turns completely into mud, the dredgers will be able to operate, and the efficiency will be even more terrifying.
Besides, they are not gods. They cannot really control the weather. They can only use some manipulation, which already costs a lot of money.
"In other words, we can't prevent the opening of this canal?" Gao Bowen's eyes were gloomy: "Everyone, if the canal over there is opened to navigation, we will decline. We will never watch such a thing happen. We must We must do whatever it takes to hinder their construction!"
play hard? If you have already thought of controlling the weather, why would you resort to unscrupulous means? Unless they use armed force, but their power is very small. If they want to use it, it will be the United States. Now it seems that the Americans obviously do not have the courage. It is even possible for the Americans to turn to win over Siam.
"Everyone, do you still remember the blockage of the Suez Canal?" One of them said: "Since we can't stop Siam from building the canal, after their canal is built, we will send a ship over and throw away all the goods on the ship. Go to the middle of the canal and block the canal, so those ships will still have to go through the Strait of Malacca obediently?"
“How long can it be blocked?”
Once it is blocked, the other party will definitely find a way to clear it. What happens after it is cleared?
“After dredging, we will send a second ship.”
This was a bad idea, but now it sounds good! A cold light flashed in Gao Bowen's eyes, and then he nodded: "This method is fine, Wang Yong, I will leave this matter to you."
Wang Yong nodded: "Okay."
“This operation is an after-the-fact remedy. We still have to think about whether we can stop the canal construction now.” Gao Bowen continued.
It would be best if it could be stopped during construction.
However, after thinking for a long time, they could not think of a good solution. The best solution was to encourage the residents in the south to cause trouble. However, Siam's propaganda was very good. When the canal is successfully built, nearby residents will benefit and a large number of jobs can be provided. Wait, and Siam has increased its control over there, so it is not easy to cause trouble.
Just like that, I couldn't come up with any solution for a long time. Seeing that night was falling, the meeting for this day could only be suspended.
Wang Yong’s method was the only one approved. He was very happy that he could now gain a higher status in the group. Moreover, this operation was very maneuverable, as he only needed to scrap a bulk carrier.
The workload of canal excavation under construction and dredging after it is opened are completely different, because the latter is already soaked in sea water, and various excavators and the like cannot get down.
Just this one action can block the canal for half a year, and we will talk about it in half a year.
When he came to the garage, he drove his Mazda and drove into the busy city. It was the rush hour and there were many cars on the road. In a small place like Singapore, the density of cars is very high.
The intersection ahead turned red again. He gently stepped on the brakes, then glanced at the rearview mirror out of habit, and his expression suddenly changed.
An Iveco garbage truck is driving from behind. Judging from the posture of the vehicle, it shows no intention of slowing down. Could it be that the driver is asleep?
what to do?
He looked at the back of the double-decker bus in front of him, gritted his teeth to prevent himself from shaking, quickly unbuckled his seat belt with his left hand, and pushed the door with his right hand. However, before he could open the door, there was a terrible crash behind him. .
咣!
His head was back, leaning on the headrest, and he watched with frightened eyes as the bus in front of him got closer and closer to him, three meters, two meters, one meter, half a meter...the taillights of the bus. It almost appeared before his eyes and finally stopped!
Because he had unbuckled his seat belt, the airbag did not explode. He knew that the front of the bus had been completely squeezed into the back of the bus, but the body was strong enough and left him a safe space. Since he was being pushed forward by the rear , his body moved backward due to inertia, and did not rush forward or hit the broken windshield. Now he just needs to wait quietly for the firefighters to arrive.
But the next second, he smelled a special smell in the air.
gasoline!
The garbage truck behind him smashed his fuel tank!
In the next second, a raging fire burned from behind.
Wang Yong had despair in his eyes. He shouted loudly and slapped the glass, but it was no use. The next second, the flames enveloped him.
When the firefighters arrived, they only took out the charred body from the car. The driver of the garbage truck, his face pale and his hands trembling, was writing notes for the traffic police who came later.
Soon, the traffic police determined that this was a normal traffic accident. Due to the failure of the air drying tank, the air pressure brake system of the garbage truck failed and it was unable to stop in front of the traffic light, causing the accident.
However, when the news reached the ears of other senior executives of the Port Group who had gone home from the meeting, their expressions changed drastically.
What a coincidence, what a coincidence!
Are they being monitored?
The technical staff searched the conference room several times, but could not find any bugs, so they began to cast suspicion on the people participating in the conference. Was there someone who had snitched?
East.
"The development of science and technology is so rapid. No one would have thought that as long as a laser beam is fired at the target's window, the reflected laser light can filter out the sound coming from the window. It's amazing." Qin Tao said with emotion.
"Yes, this technology is very advanced, but it can only be used for single-layer windows. After all, the vibration of the glass is greater. Nowadays, double-layer windows have begun to become popular. Such windows are difficult to eavesdrop on." Xu Zhengyang said.
“Well, but as technology continues to develop in the future, there will be new methods.” After Qin Tao finished speaking, he glanced out the window: “Are you arriving in Qiongzhou so soon?”
"Well. We're already here. Max said he has something to report to you personally. He doesn't know what it is."
“As long as it doesn’t cost too much, you can rely on him. After all, Starship Company is also the signature of our Mingzhou Group.” Qin Tao said.
The development of Starship Company is getting stronger and stronger. After breaking with NASA, it has gained more support. Many rich people will donate to Starship Company to support the development of Starship Company. Spaceflight costs money. In the past, it was the whole country. power, but now, the success of Starship Company has allowed everyone to see the power of private aerospace.
Starship Company is always busy. Even Max himself did not greet Qin Tao at the door personally. He seemed to be very busy. After Qin Tao arrived in the conference room and drank a cup of tea, Max came in, and And with Frank Rubio.
"Mr. Qin, our Dragon spacecraft is progressing smoothly, and we expect to carry out the first launch of the Dragon spacecraft in the near future." Max said: "This is an important moment of commemorative significance, so I invite you to come over. I want to Let me report to you.”
“The Dragon spacecraft is progressing so fast?” Qin Tao was surprised.
The domestic aerospace sector is also launching manned spacecraft frequently, but they are all unmanned. The first manned spaceflight will have to wait until 2003. Now I don’t know if the time has been advanced. But here, the private starship company actually The first manned spacecraft is also about to be launched!
From a time point of view, Starship Company's Dragon spacecraft will definitely lag behind. After all, before it can officially carry people, it has to carry out several unmanned launches. It will not be possible for three to five years to send people up, what if it cannot come back?
However, the Shenzhou spacecraft is a third-generation manned spacecraft, with a conventional three-cabin one-stage structure, the same as the Soyuz manned spacecraft that has been flying for many years, while the Dragon spacecraft is a fourth-generation spacecraft, with a two-stage structure, and most of the It can also be recycled.
This is not the same level at all.
"Yes, Mr. Qin, as per your request, we will first develop the cargo spacecraft. This is progressing very quickly. We can launch it with our starship MK1." Frank Rubio said with excitement: "Our spacecraft It will be the most advanced spacecraft in the world! Maybe NASA will come back and ask us to help send astronauts up in the future."
"Well, everything is up to you. When to launch, just call me in advance."
"Mr. Qin, it is not easy for us to launch once. After we go to space, we not only have to fly a few times, but also plan to conduct more experiments. Can you negotiate with the domestic aerospace agency to conduct a launch in space with our Dragon spacecraft? Butt.”
For any spacecraft, it is definitely not just for going up to the sky a few times and then coming back down. The most important task of the spacecraft is to transport people and supplies to the space station, which inevitably involves space docking.
This cannot be accomplished by himself alone. At least two must be launched, which is too expensive. Therefore, Max thought of the Shenzhou spacecraft. The Shenzhou spacecraft had to be launched anyway, so he could get them together and start a docking experiment.
Qin Tao shook his head: "I'm afraid this may be difficult."
difficult?
"Now, the first task of our domestic aerospace department is to realize manned spaceflight. Everything is centered around this goal. The spacecraft has not yet considered space docking capabilities. This will be done in the future. If we ask domestic aerospace agencies Making this request may delay their time.”
From Shenzhou 1 to Shenzhou 4, they were all designed to solve the problem of astronauts going to space and back. Each spacecraft has been improved and perfected. By the time of Shenzhou 4, it had fully complied with the requirements of manned spaceflight. All items are complete and waiting for verification to be officially carried out on Shenzhou 5.
As for the docking, it will not happen until Shenzhou 8. It will officially dock with Tiangong 1 in 2011.
Asking for connection now is not an unusually high level of difficulty.
"No, we don't need the domestic aerospace department to do any work. As long as the Shenzhou is launched into space, we will operate the Dragon spacecraft to approach, dock, and separate during the orbit. All operations will be done by us." Max said: "We need domestic relevant departments. The department provides the docking interface data of the Shenzhou."
Qin Tao raised his forehead helplessly: "What I'm afraid of is that the current Shenzhou spacecraft doesn't have a docking port yet!"
Each Shenzhou spacecraft is in a different state. It is now preparing for manned spaceflight, so it is estimated that the need for docking has not been considered. There is no docking port, not even a docking port, how can it be docked?
“This is no problem. If there is no docking interface, we can help design one, which will be standardized with our docking interface.” Frank Rubio continued.
No wonder they didn’t go to the domestic aerospace department directly. They would probably be kicked out with a broom, so they could only go to Qin Tao.
"If the domestic aerospace department does not agree, I hope Mr. Qin can help us contact Damao. We can use their Mir to conduct docking experiments. Don't worry, we are very experienced. Some of our team members have participated in the docking of space shuttles and Mir before. technical staff, we guarantee there will be no mistakes," Frank Rubio continued.
Mir? Even though Qin Tao is thick-skinned, he feels that this request is even more shameless. What is Mir? The world's largest space station that has been in orbit for fifteen years! Although this space station is old, it is full of commemorative significance. This is the first time our Dragon spacecraft has taken off, and it has to dock with Mir. If it loses control and crashes into it, can we afford the compensation?
"Mir has been scheduled to crash. It is now unattended and is the most suitable docking partner for us. If we go up, we can transport some supplies to them for free." Max continued on the sidelines.
This is the characteristic of private aerospace. No matter what you do, you must pay attention to efficiency. Saving money is the first priority. The domestic Shenzhou spacecraft will not carry out manned missions until the fifth ship is launched. If it is handed over to the Starship Company, two ships are estimated to be enough. Too much, too much is a waste.
Now that the first Dragon cargo spacecraft is onboard, it will have to perform a variety of tasks. The more tests, the better.
"Okay, I can contact you. If they don't agree, there's nothing I can do." Qin Tao said.
No wonder he was asked to come over. Only Qin Tao can shamelessly coordinate these things, others can't do it at all.
“Is there anything else?”
Knowing that these people's time was precious, Qin Tao didn't plan to delay any longer. If nothing happened, he would go back.
“Also, after the Dragon spacecraft is launched, we want to officially announce our moon landing plan.”
“Moon landing?”
Qin Tao looked at everyone in surprise. Your steps are really fast. Others can't catch up. When did you start dreaming about landing on the moon?
“Yes, our goal is Mars, but Mars is too far away and it would be too risky for us to go directly there. Therefore, we plan to build a base on the moon first as an experiment before landing on Mars.”
This is not just a moon landing, but also building a lunar base?
Qin Tao admired the boldness of these people: "Then tell us in detail, what are your specific plans?"
"Currently we rely on the Starship MK1, which has a 60-ton near-Earth carrying capacity and can also send a load of about 20 tons to the lunar orbit, but it is still too small for the lunar landing operation we want to carry out. We can only use two rockets to carry the lunar module and the orbital module respectively. After arriving at the moon, they can dock in the lunar orbit and then perform related tasks."
How to land on the moon is a big question. The answer given by the United States is to launch a rocket. Such a rocket needs to have strong thrust. The Saturn V is an unprecedented and unprecedented existence in human history. It has 3,400 tons of With a thrust of 127 tons, it can send a 127-ton spacecraft to low-Earth orbit and into the lunar orbit, with a carrying capacity of up to 45 tons. (It is also said to be fifty tons.)
It is precisely because of such powerful thrust that it can complete all lunar exploration missions at once, and there will be no second model after that.
The Starship Company couldn't do it either, so they could only make another plan: launch in two times!
Two rockets respectively sent the orbital module and the lunar module to the lunar orbit. It is enough to transport more than 20 tons of weight alone, which is completely within the bearing capacity of the existing starship MK1. Although it requires one more docking mission, But transportation is much easier.
However, there are many problems with this method. For example, if the docking is in the lunar orbit, it is too far from the earth. How to measure and control it, and how to ensure the accuracy?
These are all problems, but in front of Starship Company, all problems can be solved! Just know the route!
“This is an early plan. Later, as we launch more rockets, we will be able to establish a base on the lunar surface to allow astronauts to live and work on the lunar surface for a long time, and we can also use the moon to make profits.”
"Profit?" Qin Tao was a little surprised: "How do you plan to make money? Are you going to develop the minerals above?"
There are indeed many minerals on the moon, especially the nuclear fusion fuel helium-3, but this does not mean that exploring the moon can make money. After all, the cost of transportation is too high, even if the Starship company has been studying reusable rockets, from the moon Getting to Earth is not an easy journey either.
"Of course it's money from rich people." Max said: "Currently we have received requests from more than 20 rich people. They hope to experience space flight aboard our Dragon spacecraft. In the future, they will definitely also hope to travel to the moon. They can afford it no matter how expensive it is, after all, for them, money is just a number."
Develop tourism?
Max is indeed very imaginative, but Qin Tao doesn't need to worry too much about the Starship Company. He prefers to be the hands-off shopkeeper.
“Since you have decided, let’s announce it when the time comes. The group will support it.” Qin Tao said, “Is there anything else?”
“There are other things, Mr. Qin, we expect to complete the development of the Manned Dragon spacecraft in two years. Can you invite domestic astronauts to fly it?”
Starship Company cannot cover everything, and they cannot afford to train astronauts. In the future, the astronauts needed for their manned spaceflight program will definitely need to be invited from the East.
"As long as safety is ensured, I think they will be very willing." It should not be difficult to coordinate this matter. After all, the country has trained the best astronauts. Unfortunately, there are few opportunities to launch, resulting in many astronauts training for many years. Always being an unsung hero.
Starship Company invited them over and gave them a chance to go to heaven. Even if there was danger, they were probably willing to do so.
(End of this chapter)