Chapter 211 - 205 FATS_1

Kerry: "We estimated based on the STS program of the last century that the H2 Aero-Space Plane wouldn’t enter service later than 2018, so NACA’s nuclear-powered spacecraft should also be able to make its maiden flight at that time."

Claire: "..."

"No, that’s not possible."

Kerry: "Why is it not possible? Compared to them, NACA has built five space shuttles and carried out over a hundred launch missions.

So much time has passed and technology is even more advanced now; manufacturing space shuttles has become easier."

Claire: "The last ’Endeavour’ was built in 1991. Even Boeing might have lost most of the space shuttle data by now, and the spaceships of that era are completely outdated."

Kerry: "Then, use new technology to build better space shuttles. Xinyuan Company can build them; you can do better. You are NACA. I bet your funding this year is even higher than the market value of XAP. You are America’s hope, humanity’s hope. You can do it."

Claire: ...

After a long time, Claire replied in a muffled voice: "The STS program lasted for 20 years, produced 5 space shuttles, and cost over 190 billion US dollars, and it didn’t even meet the reusability requirements. Congress won’t agree.

You have to know, that was 200 billion dollars from the 70s to the 90s; now it would require at least a trillion dollars just to compare."

"No, it’s not like that."

Michael Kelly’s response was firm and emphatic.

He stood up, placed his wide-brimmed hat on his head, and straightened out his clothes.

"Mr. Claire, please start preparing the construction plan for the nuclear-powered spacecraft immediately. I have a name for it... nuclear-powered, then it’s NSTS, darn, Dream Chaser has already taken that name. Let me think again;

Future aerospace transportation systems (FATS), how about this code name? Just you wait, Director. You know nothing about the air force."

Kerry instructed his assistant to pack up the documents and walked out of the intelligence room without looking back.

...

Senate... no, during the permanent meeting of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a projector screen also displayed a space shuttle.

In fact, as early as when H1 was undergoing aerodynamic testing, NASA had started, or perhaps it should be said, restarted the space shuttle program.

As early as when the "863" program was proposed, our country had conducted the first space shuttle evaluation meeting, after which Aerospace Department 805 and 604 came up with the "Great Wall One" aerospace plane.

The Great Wall One aerospace plane was 24 meters long with a wingspan of 14 meters, could carry 5 passengers and 5 tons of cargo, had an orbital weight of 39 tons, which essentially was half of what America and the Union had. But it was sufficient for China.

Moreover, with the technology available at the time, it was required to make its maiden flight before 2008, and with great effort, it was achievable.

The Great Wall One project carried out a lot of preparatory work, not only conducting extensive wind tunnel testing but even building simulators for astronaut training.

Later, during the manned spaceflight engineering program selection, out of a dozen proposals, Great Wall One and Shenzhou Spaceship were the finalists, with the former scoring 83.69 and the latter 84.

Due to "lower investment, lower risk, and greater certainty," the Shenzhou Spaceship was chosen by a 0.31-point advantage, and the Great Wall One project was abandoned.

Thus, China’s aerospace missed out on the space shuttle the first time. When it took note again, the X37B had been born, focusing on small unmanned space shuttles.

But after H1’s maiden flight, Academician She began to gather the data on Great Wall One from that time and gradually located the old members of Departments 805 and 604, slowly reconceptualizing China’s new aerospace plane.

A year had passed, but the progress of the space shuttle was still not going smoothly, barely managing to gather its team and horses.

The aerospace agency maintained that future aero-space planes could fully replace space shuttles and that the Cloud Ascend project was sufficient. With a new generation of manned spacecraft soon to be in use, they believed there was simply no need to continue researching space shuttles.

Moreover, wasn’t the upper stage of the original Cloud Ascend project just a small space shuttle?

Therefore, even when the H2 size model arrived at Ulanha Mountain for testing, the proposal by Academician She to resume the Great Wall One project still faced overwhelming rejection.

"Academician She, from a military standpoint, we have unmanned options; speaking of aerospace goals, the new generation of manned spacecraft is completely adequate. The aero-space planes are also rapidly advancing. We really don’t need the space shuttle anymore."

Academician She said, "However, platforms over 50 tons have advantages that smaller ones can’t compare with. In some aspects, the capabilities of a 100-ton space shuttle cannot be matched by five 20-ton class small space shuttles."

This statement gave the others pause for thought, but someone quickly responded:

"If we really need it, why don’t we just buy an H2?"

No sooner had these words fallen than everyone came to their senses, hurriedly applauding.

"Exactly, building another space shuttle can no longer be considered independent self-reliance. That would be redundant construction. Now everything is managed by the Aerospace Development Committee. The H2 isn’t unusable, even now Tiangong Space Station is using H1 to transfer personnel."

"We don’t necessarily have to buy an H2. When necessary, we can just rent it for one mission, which wouldn’t cost too much money."

"Mainly what the space shuttle does is capture satellites and install trusses. In that case, we can build a large-scale, low-orbit satellite platform. The Practice series could be expanded to over 20 tons."

"When it’s time for atmospheric friction to lower the orbit, will we have the H2 go refuel? That could actually work. H2 could resupply fuel for up to 10 massive satellites in one operation, right?"

"..."

The content of the meeting began to stray, shifting from the Great Wall One to discussing the potential uses of buying the H2 space shuttle, and the more they talked, the more enthusiastic they became.

Academician She, in the end, was unable to get a word in and could only watch as the meeting concluded in a pleasant atmosphere.

However, America did not share this perspective.

...

"Gentlemen, are you aware of nuclear power? It is nearly an inexhaustible energy source. When there is a nuclear-powered space shuttle wandering in space, it will pose a serious threat to the entire world!

Think about it. Our satellites are defenselessly orbiting in space when suddenly, from tens of thousands of kilometers away, a malicious laser strikes...

"Wait a moment, Kerry, we have the X37B."

"Ha, Senator, the X37B can’t even carry a small nuclear reactor. Only large space shuttles, like the Endeavour, Atlantis, or an H2 class, can carry them, and they could carry three!"

When the H2 space shuttle was mentioned, the atmosphere in the lower house reached a climax. Many landowners’ son senators, inheriting their positions from their fathers, trembled in fear, sensing the apocalypse was imminent.

The American Air Force managed to produce a series of imaginative illustrations of nuclear-powered space shuttles equipped with laser weaponry, electromagnetic guns, and more, spreading fear within just two days.

They especially kept displaying photos of the full-scale H2 model and cited the example of H1 to continue criticizing the decision to terminate the STS program, convincing the senators that the more they heard, the more it made sense.

Finally, the Senate compromised:

"The FATS project can commence, but the budget must not be as much as before, and it needs to be completed as quickly as possible."