Chapter 185 - 181: Job-hopping_1

"How much should a manned mission to Mars cost?"

Academician She: "If we do it ourselves and make full use of space stations in lunar orbit or low Earth orbit for acceleration, we can conservatively estimate the cost to be between 80 and 100 billion yuan; but if we use traditional spacecraft technology, which isn’t fundamentally different from what was used for the Moon landings, we won’t be able to generate as much technological impact to drive the advancement of technology and economic development."

The Dawn project was hastily assembled but with huge investments, mobilizing the power of nearly all national research institutes and universities, and it was orchestrated by the Aerospace Development Committee to incorporate the strength of private spaceflight as well.

If we really count the number of people involved in the Dawn project, it may exceed millions, with up to tens of thousands of companies participating, and it has led to a considerable number of technological breakthroughs.

Institute 6, emulating New Yuan Aeronautics and specaX, greatly reduced costs through streamlined production of engines, and increased production to a level previously unimaginable.

The supporting subsidiary factories also welcomed technological upgrades and standard renewals, which benefited the manufacturing of other products.

Take, for example, the development of lunar rovers, which was contracted to two private enterprises that developed new batteries and specialized motors. These expensive technologies will eventually become commercialized, enabling these companies to recoup their R&D costs by gaining a competitive edge for their products.

Not to mention the countless research teams from institutes and universities that are participating in various ways.

It’s true that for every US dollar invested in spaceflight, 7 to 12 dollars can be recouped in other areas, but that is conditional.

Going to the Moon can bring technological upgrades, but landing on Mars is different. The technology used by the traditional method is not so different from that of the Moon, offering no research dividends; it’s purely an expenditure.

Therefore, for China’s manned mission to Mars, neither the national space agency nor the higher-ups are in a rush, and they don’t see it as very important.

The resources on the Moon are already rich enough, the population pressure on Earth has not yet reached an explosive level, and the meaning of a manned mission to Mars is significant spiritually but not materially.

Academician She continued, "We previously envisaged completing the manned mission to Mars by the middle of this century, landing on the Moon in the 2030s, and taking 20 years to prepare in order to lower the investment required; now, if we begin preparations in the 2020s, we can probably land on Mars before 2030;

This way, the cost will be much lower. Ten years, investing an average of three billion yuan per year in this direction would be enough, and due to the technological breakthroughs from the lunar missions, we may end up spending less than the Dawn project."

The higher-ups: "Mars is different from the Moon; its scientific exploratory significance is somewhat stronger."

Academician She pondered the meaning of this statement, then had a sudden realization.

The greater scientific exploratory significance does not mean there won’t be competition or contention, but that it doesn’t necessitate the sole effort of the national space agency.

This means the higher-ups are interested in the Forward Space Station!

He figured out why the higher-ups kept silent after having seen the plans for the Forward Space Station so long ago; their idea might be to leverage the strength of New Yuan Aeronautics, jointly undertaking the mission to Mars.

Being the first to the Moon was indeed correct; given the Chinese people’s millennia-long yearning for the Moon, the space agency could not afford to fall behind. But Mars is different. It is not as physically close as the Moon and lacks that particular sentimental attachment.

Besides, the investment is enormous while the returns are low. Previously, it was thought that a single country would have a hard time accomplishing this alone and that it would take a collaboration between several of the world’s major space-faring nations to carry it out.

In such a scenario, involving private enterprises is not much of an issue; after all, the space agency has already landed on the Moon, so it’s not a question of technological capability that prevents it from going it alone. As long as the Chinese people can reach there relying on their own strength, that’s what counts.

"New Yuan Company seems to have already manufactured some of the module segments? We don’t necessarily have to join the Forward Space Station, but we can try to participate in the subsequent construction of the modules. They can’t do everything, right? If we grasp some of the technology, at the right time, China should also start its own Centrifugal Space Station project."

The right time?

Academician She knew that this period wouldn’t last long, and the thought of building a Centrifugal Space Station with the nation’s power stirred excitement within him.

"Then I’ll go ask, but their supply chain already includes factories under the Aerospace Administration, they have probably already been involved, just that I wasn’t aware."

Superior: "Very good. By the way, are you familiar with ternary computers? I’ve received quite a few reports."

Academician She: "?"

...

Three days ago, in Capital, four employees from Beijing Hangheer Software Company carried out cardboard boxes, smiled as they bid farewell to their former colleagues and bosses, and then climbed into the business vans that had been waiting outside early on.

Beijing Hangheer, originally promoted by Beijing Aeronautics and Astronautics University, had produced a most famous product known as CAXA.

In the field of modern industrial design, the most important and fundamental element is electronic drafting.

CAD, Computer-Aided Design, was originally conceived in the 1960s by Boeing to improve drafting efficiency. In 1982, America launched the world’s first CAD software: AutoCAD.

Any part drawings, assembly drawings, machining drawings, and even ascending to three-dimensional modeling and simulation, these industrial softwares are required.

From America’s AutoCAD, the market saw the emergence of France’s Dassault’s CATIA, SolidWorks, Germany’s Siemens NX, and China’s CAXA and ZW-CAD, all of which are mainstream and well-known CAD software.

This is the foundation of modern mechanical manufacturing; without CAD software, there can be no complex CNC machining, nor mass production of intricate components.

Ordinary individuals or small factories with only a few people can easily find pirated versions of CAD software to use, but for larger enterprises, especially formal companies, proprietary software is a must.

To turn a profit, software companies have embedded complex anti-piracy mechanisms into their CAD software, such as automatic internet connection, copyright certificates, activation codes, etc., and have also appointed dealers in each region.

Dealers spend all day monitoring manufacturing-related enterprises, looking for which CAD software they use. If a pirated version of their own software is found, they immediately make house calls to enforce legal rights.

For formal large factories, any products developed using pirated software are considered infringement and not protected by law in various countries, so they generally spend money to purchase licensed versions.

Software manufacturers are not philanthropists; buying CAD software is not a one-time deal. Each set of software only provides one to several years of usage, after which a renewal fee is needed. Of course, manufacturers also have responsibilities such as maintenance and experience enhancement.

New Yuan spends hundreds of millions of Yuan each year to purchase the usage rights of various industrial softwares, including windows—each one is a copy of the Windows 7 professional version costing thousands.

Last year, New Yuan bought several thousand sets of Beijing Hangheer’s CAXA series software with a two-year license, earning the company a substantial sum. It was just unclear why they only purchased a mere two years. Could it be that the dealer’s prices were too high, and they wanted to switch to another brand?

That wasn’t the case, either. New Yuan wasn’t only buying from one manufacturer, as different products have different focuses. They were using both domestic and international software.

Yet in recent months, Beijing Hangheer found an increase in staff resignations, many of whom were long-standing employees. Excuses like a wife living in another city, death of parents, or supporting elderly parents were given. After some inquiries, it turned out they had been poached by New Yuan.

It looked as if New Yuan Aeronautics was planning to develop their own CAD software. But setting aside the investment cost of redevelopment, how could they circumvent the myriad of software patents? With the development of CAD software over so many years in systems like Windows, Linux, and even DOS, an impermeable wall of patents has been erected. What’s the purpose of developing their own software?