Chapter 11: Accident, is it a surprise or a joy?
Before dinner, Fan Wubing went to the scene to see it again and comforted Maximos, Harry Ford and others who were staying at work. Of course, this time, he did not send a check to everyone.
I am not a big deal. When I pay for it, I always have to pay back. Since the goal has been achieved, there is no need to waste it. After all, my money is not easy.
Fan Wubing circled around the satellite twice. This time everyone felt a lot better about him. After all, that sentence is good. The softest one eats people, and the man has short hands, and foreigners also recognize this.
Even this time, Harry Ford not only showed him the effect of the special satellite surface paint printed on the physical object, but also asked him to change into a set of clothing for the staff and personally went up to touch his satellite.
Although there was still a layer of gloves, Fan Wubing finally touched his satellite. It felt hard and a little cold. Fan Wubing wanted to stretch out two fingers to knock it on it. After listening to the sound, Harry Ford hurriedly stopped him.
"Fan, this is not a watermelon!" Maximos also broke out in cold sweat.
Needless to say, whether Fan Wubing's blinking magic skill will cause permanent damage to the physical structure of the satellite surface. Judging from the technical content of the satellite surface, this is definitely not as simple as a thin steel plate.
For example, electrostatic treatment technology on the surface of satellites is a tiny and important project. In the early stages of space technology research, many scientists have expected that the surface potentials on rockets and low-orbit satellites will be between a few volts and a few volts, but according to estimates, this low surface potential will not have an adverse impact on the normal operation of the satellite.
In fact, before the late 1960s, most scientists and engineers denied the possibility that the space environment could cause the charging of satellite surfaces and even cause damage to satellites. However, by the early 1970s, many satellites in the United States in synchronous orbit had abnormalities.
In order to explain the cause of this abnormality, a lot of research and experiments were done abroad. It was not until after 1972 that scientists continuously observed the occurrence of satellite anomalies and magnetosphere substorms, which had accurate connections in time and space, and concluded that the space environment, especially magnetosphere substorms, could charge the satellite surface to thousands to tens of thousands of volts.
In this way, there will be targeted treatment. Therefore, Hughes has put a lot of effort into satellite surface materials and related equipment structures. How can such a fine thing be dared to let Fan Wubing play like knocking on a watermelon?
Fan Wubing smiled and said, "I thought this thing should be very strong."
Maximos didn't dare to let Fan Wubing hang out here anymore. He immediately took off Fan Wubing's work clothes and drove him outside, and ordered him to observe at a distance twenty meters away in the future.
An "employee" who was classified as Fan Wubing's subordinates came to an end at this time. Seeing this scene just now, he couldn't help but smile and said to Fan Wubing, "Satellites are relatively fragile things, especially their surfaces. They not only have to withstand the test of high and low temperatures with huge gaps, but also have to face the blow of cosmic dust that may suddenly come. Although we have used various methods to avoid the occurrence of this kind of damage, objectively speaking, to a large extent, everything depends on luck."
"Oh, I know this." Fan Wubing remembered the communication reports he had seen before when he heard the expert.
The biggest natural enemy of communication satellites is not necessarily cosmic dust, but space garbage.
Since October 1957, the former Soviet Union launched its first artificial satellite, more than 5,000 launches have been carried out around the world, sending tens of thousands of tons of artificial objects into space. While humans enjoy the various conveniences brought by using space, they have also turned the Earth's near-Earth space into a huge garbage dump, from abandoned launch vehicle components, satellite debris to lost tools by astronauts, and their total weight is estimated to have exceeded 3,000 tons.
The biggest source of space garbage is rocket wreckage stuck in orbit. When sending satellites into orbit, the launch vehicle's body will be separated in stages. The first and second stages will quickly return to the ground under the influence of the earth's gravity, while the third stage may float in space for a long time together with small items such as blasting bolts and ejection springs that are generated during separation.
The remains of rocket bodies are large in shape and are relatively easy to monitor, so they can prevent problems before they happen. But the problem is that they themselves may collide, explode or disintegrate in space, producing millions of debris offspring, causing even greater trouble.
According to statistics, among the historical space collision incidents, the most prominent one is the wreckage of the Ariane rocket. In 1986, the Ariane rocket exploded shortly after entering orbit, releasing a large number of wreckage and small fragments. Later, these wreckage and small fragments died in the process of flying around the earth, causing two Japanese communication satellites and a French satellite to die.
The expert nodded and said to Fan Wubing, "Abandoned spacecraft is also an important source of space waste. Humans have sent about 5,000 spacecraft into space, and only about 800 are still working normally. Although most spacecraft will fall into the atmosphere and burn under the influence of atmospheric resistance. However, spacecraft with higher orbits will lose control after reaching their working life and wander around aimlessly. These abandoned spacecraft may explode and disintegrate due to collisions, aging structures, and rupture of fuel tanks, thereby producing more debris. Of course, space waste generated by spacecraft may also be caused by human actions. For example, the United States and the Soviet Union conducted more than ten space weapons experiments in the 1970s and 1980s, destroying dozens of target stars and producing a large amount of space waste.
In addition, astronauts will abandon or accidentally lose some things when working in space, resulting in space garbage. For example, in 1965, Edwight, an astronaut of Gemini 4 spacecraft, lost a glove when he was walking in space. At present, astronauts have been banned from discarding solid items in space."
Fan Wubing touched his nose and smiled bitterly, "In short, the satellite I bought for hundreds of millions of dollars is destined to turn into a pile of space garbage."
The expert smiled, "Small space garbage can cause potholes and scars on the surface of the spacecraft. Severe can cause induction discharge of internal sensitive elements, and larger can cause structural damage to the spacecraft. Of course, the degree of damage has a certain relationship with the location of the collision, the characteristics of the system design, and the protection measures adopted."
Maximos interrupted, "Our Hughes products can basically last until the end of the design life, and this previous data can prove it. If it is not for the bad luck, I guarantee that your satellite can last fifteen years."
Fan Wubing shook his head and said, "This kind of guarantee that is not painful and itchy has no practical significance to me. However, generally speaking, how likely is the satellite to be hit? I really don't want hundreds of millions of dollars to be reimbursed before I hear the sound."
After thinking about it, the expert said, "According to relevant data, the probability of a catastrophic collision event for each spacecraft in space orbit is about three percent, while the possibility of a non-catastrophic impact event is as high as twenty percent. Therefore, the probability of your satellite being hit is also very high, especially the communication satellite of Hughes is relatively large, and the target is very obvious, haha."
"Uh--" Fan Wubing stroked his forehead in pain.
Anyone who heard that the satellite he bought for hundreds of millions of dollars might be knocked into a pile of garbage would not feel very happy, especially a nouveau riche who bought three satellites.
However, before waiting for Fan Wubing to complain about himself here, He Yun ran over, his face didn't seem to look very good.
"What's wrong with you?" Fan Wubing immediately noticed something was wrong, so he asked in a low voice.
He Yun shook his head and signaled him to speak in another place.
So Fan Wubing followed He Yun away from the scene, and the two returned to the small conference room.
Fan Wubing discovered that he had double posts outside the door. After entering the house, he saw that all the senior executives of the base were arrived. They all looked serious and the atmosphere was particularly tense.
Because he is a big customer, Fan Wubing's seat is arranged in a very prominent position, which makes Fan Wubing very proud because the stars are shining around him and a golden light, but everyone here all have a solemn expression, which makes Fan Wubing feel very uncomfortable.
He Yun was not qualified to sit down. She could only stand behind Fan Wubing and was considered a entourage. In fact, for her, it was a great honor to be able to attend such a meeting where the lowest level of major generals was attended. You should know that although her military rank is not low now, she is only a major due to her age, and she does not have such opportunities in normal times.
Fan Wubing looked around and suddenly found a problem, that is, the base commander and He Yun looked a little similar, and he couldn't help but be curious. Could it be that they were relatives? When he looked back, he found that He Yun was standing there. He was a little disgusted, so he moved half of his butt out, then patted the half of the empty chair, and signaled to He Yun that she would sit next to him.
He Yun was amused by Fan Wubing's expression like a primary school student. He shook his head with a smile. In fact, it was not that he could not find a chair, but that he really did not have the qualification to sit on his own in such occasions.
However, when Fan Wubing was able to do this, He Yun still felt warm in his heart. Although this guy occasionally looked like a nouveau riche, he knew how to be polite to his subordinates.
Well, now I am also considered his subordinate.
In fact, everyone is more interested in Fan Wubing. Many people are secretly looking at this young and successful super rich man, especially when I heard that this guy got rid of the lieutenant colonel Du Pengfei, who had the most hope of being promoted to the base, and the collapse of Lieutenant General Han Zhizhong seems to have something to do with him. Everyone is a little afraid of him. Could it be that this is a broom star?
Therefore, after seeing Fan Wubing's child-like movements, everyone was surprised and smiled.
He Yun also found that everyone was looking here, and his face turned slightly red, but Fan Wubing seemed to be conscious of nothing, and he winked at him and insisted on letting him sit with him.
The base commander's face looked a little embarrassed. He coughed and wanted to say something, but the general next to him also saw the situation here and said with a smile, "Haha, Major He Yun, since Boss Fan doesn't mind squeezing with you, then you can just let it go. Because it is the Standing Committee and there is no extra chair, you two will make do with it first. Let's inform you about the latest situation now."
Although the general said something, He Yun was still a little nervous. She glanced at the base commander and didn't dare to sit down.
The base commander coughed and said, "The chief said, just sit down, what do you think I'm doing?"
The general smiled and said, "You two fathers and daughters, really, haha."
"Is he your father?" Fan Wubing asked He Yun who had just sat down next to him. Seeing her nodding, he suddenly said, "No wonder I think you two look a little like. I thought they were relatives or something, but I didn't expect the base commander to be your father."
Corruption is absolutely suspicious of corruption!
Fan Wubing not only sighed inwardly that he had met He Yun, Han Chang and Du Pengfei, three of whom were soldiers. In addition to Du Pengfei being the orphan of the martyrs, He Yun and Han Chang's father were both lieutenant generals at the base, and Du Pengfei was originally very likely to become Han Chang's husband. Speaking of which, they were all children of high-ranking officials, and their ranks were much higher than those of ordinary officers. Can't you doubt that there was nothing tricky about this?
However, it was obvious that Fan Wubing didn’t have much time to care about this issue. The words of the base commander mobilized everyone’s emotions.
"Comrades, I have a latest situation to inform you." The base commander opened a folder and said to everyone, "According to the temporary notice from superiors, Chief 1 will come to the scene to inspect the work on the day of the satellite launch."
Ah?!As soon as this news was announced, everyone in the room couldn't hold it in.
The head of No. 1 was present in person. This is not always a matter of things. It is enough to show the care and importance of our superiors for our work! Our Jiuquan base is a time-honored brand in the country. It is now the first time that it has accepted an international satellite launch mission and is about to open up an important juncture of the international market. The head of No. 1 can take time out of its busy schedule to guide our work, which has a great stimulating effect on morale and everyone's work enthusiasm.
Therefore, when the base commander finished speaking, everyone present immediately had bright smiles on their faces, wishing they could see the No. 1 leader immediately and listen to his earnest teachings.
Uh? Fan Wubing was also very surprised, but his more thought was that he could take a photo with the No. 1 leader this time, and then wash it into a large photo and hang it on the wall of his home's living room to receive guests. Isn't that a very shameful thing?
Thinking of this, Fan Wubing couldn't help but laugh. When He Yun next to him saw it, he suddenly felt that Fan Wubing's appearance was a bit vulgar. He saw that he was having a broken mind in his stomach, and he couldn't help but snorted coldly.
"It was a big surprise for the Chief No. 1 to be able to come to guide him in person." The base commander waved his hand and signaled everyone to be quiet for a while, and then continued, "After receiving the notification from our superiors, a message was also sent back from our launch site, which also surprised us very much."
There was actually a second accident? Not only Fan Wubing, but others were also stunned.
The base commander frowned and said, "It will be launched the day after tomorrow, but news came from the launch site just now. During the last detection process, the rocket discovered a certain level abnormality. In other words, if the source of the problem is not found, it is probably impossible to launch on time."
Ah?! Everyone was stunned now!
The leader No. 1 came to watch the launch process, which was obviously an accident, and it was indeed pleasant. The rocket's detection abnormality was another accident. It was obviously shocking. The two news came at the same time, which brought everyone a little bit difficult to tell whether it was a surprise or a joy.
The most depressed person is of course Fan Wubing. He felt so awkward. What does this good news and bad news mean at the same time? At this time, he was really a little suspicious. Of course, no one dared to make up the good news, but was it someone deliberately created this bad news, just to show in front of the No. 1 leader how strong the base members are in response to emergencies?
But it is unlikely to think about it. It seems that something is really wrong.
Chapter completed!