Chapter 517 - 506: Red Crow_1

Manhattan.

"The United Nations initiated a re-vote on Resolution No. 1884, unanimously passed on October 17, 1963, to discuss whether to pass the latest amendment."

"According to the unanimous decision passed by the permanent members of the Security Council on September 20, 2017, the following alterations have been made to Article IV of the Outer Space Treaty as adopted in Resolution No. 1884:

The original provision ’No nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction shall be placed in orbit around the Earth, on the moon or any other celestial body, or stationed in outer space in any other manner; the establishment of military bases, installations, and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons and the conduct of military maneuvers on celestial bodies shall be forbidden’ remains in effect, but shall not apply in the following cases:

First, based on the demand for the peaceful exploration and use of space resources, the use of nuclear explosive devices operating on the same principle may be applied for from legally qualified nuclear institutions or companies after obtaining a permit issued by The International Atomic Energy Agency, and such use under the supervision of The International Atomic Energy Agency shall not be deemed as weapon entities stipulated by the provisions of Article IV;

Second, when faced with potential physical threats in space, such as asteroids, meteors, and space debris, which may pose a threat to human life, natural environment, or cause significant property damage, nuclear-armed countries need to counter-attack after mutual agreement, and this shall not be considered a violation of the original intent of the Outer Space Treaty;

Note: All the above supplementary clauses are for the convenience of humanity’s peaceful exploration and use of space resources, as well as the protection of human safety within the atmosphere. Should any actions arise that are contrary to this purpose, the United Nations has the responsibility to take action against the relevant parties."

After the Secretary-General finished reading, the vote commenced immediately.

votes in favor, 25 against, and 4 abstentions. The resolution passed with over 85% of the votes in favor!

The majority of the opposing votes were from Nordic countries objecting on environmental grounds, but the Island Country representative Takamushi Koyo clearly opposed the use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances and expressed his objection.

The Island Country was also the only one of the nine non-permanent members of the Security Council that adopted an opposing stance, drawing the attention of everyone present.

Not only was there opposition inside the meeting, but outside in the Manhattan area, the police had just stopped a protest, chiefly composed of Islanders, proclaiming the harm nuclear weapons have brought to people.

The Secretary-General, fully aware of these details, purposefully lingered his eyes on Takamushi Koyo before adjourning the meeting.

After the meeting, Takamushi Koyo also accepted an open interview with reporters, and in front of the cameras, he clenched his fist and shouted:

"The people of the world will never forget the terrible harm that nuclear weapons have once brought to mankind. Any, any relaxation of their use restrictions is dangerous, and we still urge the complete destruction of nuclear weapons and the abandonment of the dreadful mutual destruction strategy!"

Takamushi Koyo, after speaking passionately in front of the reporters, showed obvious signs of fatigue upon returning to his car. He was already over 70 years old, and it was time to submit his resignation.

At this time, his attendant informed him of the news that the Fukushima pollution investigation team, composed of experts from multiple countries, had arrived in Edo. A total of 13 experts from seven countries immediately commenced their assessment of the pollution as soon as they landed.

...

Qinling.

A section of forest at the foot of the mountain was cordoned off to construct a building the size of a mid-to-large sports stadium, composed solely of a framework.

If one were to use a drone to survey from overhead, they would notice that the entire structure is shaped like a Reuleaux triangle, exceptionally conspicuous amid the dense forest.

In the plankhouse camp within the forest, Ding Biyun, wearing a blue engineering cap, was almost indistinguishable from the construction workers, having been supervising the construction of the ground-based antenna array on-site for the first phase of the solar project for several months.

The professor from a prestigious university had skin that had turned dark and his figure had slimmed down considerably, but his eyes still sparkled with light.

Just yesterday, a CZ-7A Rocket launched the first experimental space solar power satellite "Red Crow No. 1" into a geosynchronous transfer orbit, which was essentially a bunch of solar panels.

After the solar project was initiated, the space agency had "pushed" several chief engineers to establish a private company specializing in solar cells, to produce the super-large, super-long-life, high-efficiency solar cells needed for the solar project.

Subsequently, Xinyuan Company also invested in this company named after "Kuafu," and by August, produced the first batch of experimental solar cells:

Type K1 foldable large-area solar cell: a single unit, when unfolded, measures 11.8*11.8 meters, has an effective area of nearly 140 square meters, a power generation capacity of 56 kilowatts, a total weight of about 348 kilograms, and power generation of 0.4 kilowatts per square meter.

With the carrying capacity of the CZ-7 Rocket, the experimental satellite launched this time carried 8 K1 cells. Upon arriving at the geostationary orbit, they deployed in a ring formation, with the most critical microwave emission device in the center. The entire satellite weighed 11 tons, with a theoretical power generation capacity of 448 kilowatts and an estimated power transmission to the ground of 410 kilowatts, with a transmission efficiency of 91.5%.

The system now launched was still an imperfect verification version; in Ding Biyun’s vision, the efficiency of a mature solar cell array was expected to further increase by 24%, reaching 0.5 kilowatts per square meter, while the efficiency of microwave transmission was to improve to around 94%.

However, the first validation experiment had already exceeded expectations. Ding Biyun’s original plan was to test launch a satellite with a power generation of around 10 kilowatts for a simple verification, but Xinyuan Company believed the scale was too small to be of much value, so they raised the test system’s power to its current level. Ding Biyun himself was somewhat unprepared and had to exert all his strength to complete the development of the space-based satellites and the ground receiving system.

"Chief Engineer Ding, the satellite side says they’re ready. All 8 solar panels are correctly angled now, producing 454 kilowatts of power, and we can proceed with the ground test," someone reported.

"First, check the safety measures, we still have to be careful."

"Yes!"

Ding Biyun took safety very seriously. The receiving antenna array was a kilometer away from the control room, precisely to avoid exposing personnel to excessive microwave radiation.

"Red Crow No. 1" had a microwave emitter installed that could precisely control the coverage area, limiting it to a diameter of no more than 400 meters. This not only prevented waste but would also be beneficial for future practical control. However, this meant that the targeted area would experience a large amount of microwave radiation which, although not fatal in the short term, still posed a threat to personnel.

Additionally, this system utilized laser calibration and completed the positioning of the microwave emitter in less than half an hour.

After confirming the laser calibration was correct again, Ding Biyun gave the order to start the experiment.

Less than a second after the signal was sent out, he felt a slight itching on his skin, as if being gently warmed by sunlight, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, leaving only a faint sensation of goosebumps.

But he had no time to focus on these sensations. The ground antenna array reacted before his body did; the microwave radiation intensity meter and the power generation numbers, which were stable at "0," started to fluctuate and quickly exceeded three digits.

The cool morning air at the foot of the mountain was filled with a chill, but the originally cold metal antenna array began to heat up evenly. Even though the heat per unit volume was very small, the infrared cameras set up in advance captured the air that seemed to suddenly boil.

The birds that the Bird Repeller had failed to dispel were now competing to soar from the gaps in the dense forest, flapping their wings without looking back as they fled, scattering in all directions from the antenna array.