My Items Have an Upgrade Panel - Chapter 318
Chapter 318: Space Elevator Project Verification and
Construction Site
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
But these were all minor issues for Tang Rui, and he wouldn’t say much about it.
After all, the computing power of Red Lotus was there to be used.
It would be a waste not to use it.
Besides, the computing power required to calculate the design of a car was insignificant.
In the evening.
After dinner, Tang Rui received the data uploaded by one of his employees.
“Red Lotus, based on this data, manufacture a mechanical arm. Remember to install tactile feedback sensors and neural signal conversion chips.”
“Master, do you need to load a weapon system?”
“No need.”
“Okay, Master, Red Lotus understands.”
In less than ten seconds, Red Lotus had the design of the mechanical arm ready. The internal structure was pre-existing, and it only needed minor modifications to the exterior based on the data.
Under the control of Red Lotus, a nano-level 3D printer began to print the skeleton of the mechanical arm.
The skeleton, made of a new type of alloy and designed as a hollow grid, was lighter than human bones. Therefore, even if more electrical devices were loaded, the overall weight was similar to a real arm.
An hour later, the mechanical arm was manufactured.
Tang Rui sent a message to the employee, asking whether he preferred a metallic skin or a bionic skin for the arm.
There was no difference between the two.
It was just a matter of appearance.
The metallic skin would look like something out of a cyberpunk story.
The bionic skin would resemble a real human arm.
“Thank you, Mr. Tang, we would prefer the bionic skin.”
“Okay, come and get it tomorrow.”
After giving instructions to Red Lotus, Tang Rui went to bed.
The next day, Tang Rui went to Lin Chao to ask for his help in obtaining a production license for electric cars. He also had his private team patent the car designs created by his employees.
In less than three days, hundreds of electric cars exchanged by the employees for points were delivered to them.
There was no need to worry about license plates.
They went through a special channel and obtained green license plates from the vehicle management office.
Having dealt with the company matters, Tang Rui went with Li Shuyao to his grandparents’ house to celebrate the New Year.
Compared to last year, his grandparents’ health had improved a lot.
Last year, he had replaced their therapeutic mattresses, which worked on the same principle as his therapeutic pod.
However, his pod was for body enhancement.
The ones he prepared for the elders were for body repair and system regulation.
A year had passed.
The elderly couple’s health was not only better than before, but common ailments of old age had also improved. Even their blood pressure had decreased, eliminating the need for medication.
“Xiao Rui, when are you two planning to get married?” Grandma was always concerned about this.
He had previously said he was busy, and the elders didn’t rush him.
But now, during the New Year, the topic of marriage came up again.
“We’ll go to her house in a couple of days to ask her parents’ opinions, and then well set a date.” Tang Rui didn’t evade the question.
After all, they had been together for a year.
There were no conflicts or disagreements, and they got along harmoniously.
So, he wasn’t opposed to the idea of marriage.
Hearing Tang Rui’s words, Li Shuyao gave him a special look, implying a reward.
The nature of the reward was left unsaid.
Tang Rui chose a nun’s outfit this time.
On New Year’s Eve, Tang Rui received many messages of blessings and a plethora of New Year’s gifts, the exact number of which he didn’t remember.
Anyway, the gift list compiled by Red Lotus was seventeen pages long.
Most of them were from abroad. Antiques, jade, jewelry, diamonds, calligraphy, and paintings – enough to open a museum.
Tang Rui wasn’t particularly interested in these items, but Li Shuyao was quite fascinated by the jewelry.
Ah, women.
After spending the New Year with his grandparents, on the first day of the lunar new year, Tang Rui took Li Shuyao to visit both sets of parents for lunch and dinner.
Then came another round of marriage urging, discussing when the parents from both sides should meet and settle the matter.
On the second day of the new year, they visited Li Shuyao’s family.
Tang Rui brought up the topic of marriage, pleasing Li Shuyao’s parents, who then engaged enthusiastically in the conversation.
“Brother-in-law, how many tables are you planning for the wedding banquet?” the elder brother-in-law asked curiously.
Tang Rui was momentarily stumped by the question.
How many tables?
If it were just relatives and friends from both sides, it would be manageable. But he couldn’t estimate how many people would come from his side.
Even if he didn’t invite anyone, many would likely show up uninvited. It wouldn’t be appropriate to turn guests away at a wedding.
Whether a hundred tables would be enough was hard to say.
“That is indeed a problem; I need to think about it,” Tang Rui said seriously.
“Actually, there’s no need for a lavish ceremony. Just inviting relatives and friends for a meal would be enough,” Li Shuyao’s father suggested.
“That won’t do. A wedding happens only once, and it should have the proper grandeur,” Tang Rui shook his head, having his own ideas on this matter.
“Brother-in-law, if there are many guests, we could book a resort. The space there would be sufficient.”
“A resort? No, it’s not classy enough,” Tang Rui shook his head.
“How about a wedding city, a traditional Chinese wedding?”
“Ten-mile bridal procession, phoenix coronet and robes of rank?”
Tang Rui’s eyes lit up upon hearing about a traditional Chinese wedding. He turned to Li Shuyao, curious about her thoughts.
Hearing Tang Rui’s mention of the phoenix coronet and robes of rank, Li Shuyao also seemed intrigued.
Which woman wouldn’t like a phoenix coronet and robes of rank?
In the face of such traditional regalia, a wedding dress simply doesn’t compare.
Got it.
Understood.
Seeing Li Shuyao’s reaction, Tang Rui knew what to do.
“Then it’ll be a traditional Chinese wedding. But not in the wedding city. I’ll figure out the venue.”
“Brother-in-law, you’re not thinking of going to Hengdian and directly using a palace for the wedding, are you?”
Tang Rui shook his head. Hengdian was not in his considerations.
According to his personality, if he was going to do it, it had to be grand.
Hengdian’s palaces were big enough, but not classy enough.
But there was no rush.
If necessary, he would just build an ancient palace complex specifically for the wedding.
It was a bold move.
But with his current situation, as long as it wasn’t a matter of principle, everything else was not a problem.
In the blink of an eye, the seventh day of the new year arrived.
After the New Year, everyone began working again, and Tang Rui had to start getting busy.
But before he could attend to his own matters.
He was called to a meeting.
The content of the meeting was to discuss several major projects for the year: a space station, Earth orbital defense, and a space elevator.
These three plans complemented each other.
They could even be launched simultaneously. The meeting discussed the actual construction difficulties and design specifications.
The meeting was crucial.
Therefore, the questions raised were all targeted.
Including the issue of the material for the space elevator’s cable.
Coincidentally, Tang Rui could directly provide an answer to this question.
“Regarding the cable issue, as everyone knows, it’s made of carbon nanotubes. According to calculations, as long as the tensile strength of the carbon nanotube cables reaches yoGPa, it will meet the manufacturing standards for the space elevator.
The carbon nanotubes produced by the Deep Red Company have a tensile strength of 35OGPa, far exceeding the space elevator’s material requirements.
Also, the 80 strands of 52,ooo-kilometer-long cables needed for the entire space elevator can be manufactured within six months.”
Tang Rui spoke up, solving the biggest difficulty of the space elevator. Previously, everyone knew about the strength of carbon nanotubes, but the problem was manufacturing such long carbon nanotubes, which seemed impossible.
But for Tang Rui, this was not an issue at all.
“May I ask, Scholar Tang, how did you calculate the 52,000 kilometers? Why choose this length?”
After listening, another scholar immediately asked. It wasn’t a challenge to Tang Rui but an inquiry into a key issue, as the length had its rationale.
“According to my design for the space elevator, it can be divided into three stages. The first stage is from the Earth’s surface base to the spaceport station, which is 36,000 kilometers long.
The second stage is the spaceport station, where a huge ring will be constructed using centrifugal force to generate pseudo-weight, allowing staff to stay for long periods.
The third stage is from the spaceport station to the tail end of the cable, which is the counterweight-armed satellite platform, 16,000 kilometers long.
The reason for the 52,000-kilometer length first considers the height of the geostationary orbit, and secondly, the weight of the armed satellite platform.
“If there is no armed satellite platform, then the length of the cable would need to reach 130,000 kilometers, which is definitely not feasible.
“However, if the armed satellite platform is too heavy, although it can shorten the length of the tail-end cable, it would lead to instability of the entire platform.
“Therefore, after numerous simulations and calculations, 52,000 kilometers is the optimal length for the space elevator cable.”
Tang Rui did not hesitate to lay out the specifics.
This was the optimal result obtained after numerous calculations by Red Lotus. Both a longer and a shorter length would affect the stability of the entire system.
“Tang Professor, according to what you said, the airport space station uses centrifugal force to create gravity, but this would make the entire space station very heavy.
“Once the space station tilts, the cable of the space elevator will snap. How can this problem be solved?”
Another Professor raised this question, as it indeed is a critical issue. Unless you can guarantee that the space station will never tilt even once, otherwise, even carbon nanotubes would not withstand the force of the space station.
“Regarding this, it’s actually quite easy to solve. That is to separate the space station from the main track of the space elevator, not using a hard connection, but a soft one.
“Although this approach will cause significant problems in attitude adjustment and orbit control, as long as a soft connection similar to electromagnetic bearings is used, this problem can be solved.
“I have already conquered this technology, so the issues of the orbit, attitude, and tilt angle of the airport space station are no longer problems.”
After hearing this, everyone nodded their heads.
If that’s the case, then the technical challenges of the space elevator project have basically been overcome.
As for the engineering difficulties, they are at most a matter of some trouble.
“Professor Tang, do you have any recommendations for the manufacturing location of the space elevator?” asked someone from the National Academy office.
Tang Rui replied with one word. “Mogadishu..”
