Galactic Tech Empire

Chapter 460 Sub-light Speed ​​([-]) (addition for the cutest Doudou her master)

Inside the empty test field.

As the photon engine was activated, the 560 beta ray laser heads in the concentrating room burst out beta rays that were enough to kill people in an instant.

Due to the constraints of the magnetic field deflection, most of the beta rays are focused on the mirror.

In an instant, an invisible stream of beta rays erupted from the engine nozzle.

Inside the control room.

The testing instruments have changed drastically accordingly.

[Engine thrust: 342 kg...527 kg...]
[Cabin beta ray radiation level: 0.0006...0.0007...]
[Engine nozzle radiation level: 3416...4371...]
[System power consumption:...]
……

"No problem for now." Anatoly Ilkin said after looking at the data.

"I don't know until the end." Zhou Botong crossed his arms and said calmly.

At this time, the warm-up phase of the photon engine is over, and the staff began to continuously increase the power.

10% power... 15% power...

Although beta rays are invisible, the radiation is powerful enough to ionize air molecules near the nozzle, and a stream of pale blue plasma and crackling electric currents is forming around the engine nozzle.

If there is a living body within 100 meters of the engine at this time, it may be killed on the spot; even if it is within 1000 meters, it may be seriously affected by radiation.

"This level of radiation is terrible, even scarier than the poisonous hair from the Ilkin family." Sun Liancheng joked.

Anatoly Ilkin smiled awkwardly. After all, in order to facilitate the storage of liquid rockets, Lucia used highly toxic compounds as fuel, which is well known in Blue Star.

"It seems that the photon engine cannot be used in the atmosphere of the Blue Star, otherwise it is easy to cause accidental injury." Zhou Botong said helplessly.

"There is no way around this. For the sake of performance, the photon engine must be willing to give up." Anatoly Ilkin said the last sentence in Chinese.

In the test field, the test continued.

The power of the photon engine has soared to 80%, and that huge thrust has already broken through the sky.

This power has almost reached the cruising power. Zhou Botong looked at the data on the holographic display and calculated it in his heart.

The prototype they designed was intended to propel a 3000-ton spaceship. After some quick mental calculations, he came up with a figure: 12% of the speed of light.

For the next hour, they kept testing the photon engine.

Anatoly Ilkin holds a preliminary test report:
"Slower than expected, the cruising speed is 12.3% of the speed of light, and the maximum speed is 15.2% of the speed of light."

"How much power consumption?" Zhou Botong asked.

"The maximum power is 647 million to 651 million kwh per second, and the cruising power is 517 million to 522 million kwh per second." Anatoly Ilkin smiled wryly.

"In terms of the power generation efficiency of the current nuclear fusion reactor, at cruising speed, it needs to consume 70 grams of nuclear fuel per second, 252 kilograms of nuclear fuel per hour, and 6.048 tons of nuclear fuel per day." Zhou Botong suddenly felt a little dizzy.

Anatoly Ilkin is also very helpless: "We need to maintain the isolation of the magnetic field, and the efficiency of the laser head is not good. The energy consumption of our imitation is at least about twice that of the An Luo star."

"We need to urge the Materials Research Institute and the Laser Research Institute to improve the beta-ray laser head as soon as possible, otherwise the huge energy consumption will not be conducive to the long-distance navigation of the spacecraft." Zhou Botong scratched his hair and said.

Anatoly Ilkin certainly knows the terrible energy consumption. The speed of light in a vacuum is about 30 kilometers per second, and the cruising speed is 12.3% of the speed of light, which is about 3.69 kilometers per second.

假如从蓝星前往火星，两者距离大概是在5500万公里～4亿公里左右，相当于需要1490秒～10840秒之间（24～180分钟），需要消耗的核燃料是104.3千克～758.8千克。

Of course, so much nuclear fuel is not actually needed, because in addition to the acceleration phase, there is still a large part of the time in the inertial flight phase, and the fuel consumption is about 20%.

But even so, it takes at least 42 kilograms of nuclear fuel to go back and forth to Mars, and it is unimaginable to fly between star systems.

"We continue to test for a while to see what needs to be improved," said Anatoly Ilkin.

"Okay, Ilkin, take a look. I'll sort out the test data just now and send it to the research institute."

"no problem."

Inside the test field, the photon engine emitting powerful radiation and plasma is still running tirelessly.

At this time, the system stability of the photon engine is being tested, as well as the situation under long-term operation. These need to be tested in detail to avoid problems during outer space flights.

the other side.

Inside the Ion Engine Research Institute.

Mishima Ji, Jin Rucai and others have already received the test data sent back by Zhou Botong.

"Jin Sang, it seems that our imitation product consumes a lot of energy, which is 206% to 214% higher than that of the An Luo star." Mishima Ji shook his head and said.

"The power of the laser head and the isolated magnetic field have a great impact on the overall energy consumption, which is unavoidable." Jin Rucai was also quite helpless.

After reading the test data, the two quickly summoned the researchers in the research institute and began to adjust and improve the design of the prototype.

And other research institutes are also working desperately. Many of them know the existence of the Anluo people and the Triangle Civilization. The urgency of the storm makes them continue to squeeze their own potential.

At this moment, they are not living for themselves, but fighting for their relatives and friends, for human civilization, and for the blue star homeland.

"Jin Sang, I have an improvement plan, you can help me with a supercomputing deduction."

"can."

Jin Rucai opened the supercomputer of the research institute, and Mishima Ji quickly shared some data and improvement plans. His improvement plan is actually in the nuclear fusion reactor. This plan is to use the reaction waste of the nuclear fusion reactor as the propulsion of the ion engine. agent.

"Mishima, your plan still has a certain effect on speed improvement." Jin Rucai said looking at the results of the supercomputing deduction.

"How much has it improved?"

Jin Rucai said: "The cruise speed has been increased from 12.3% of the speed of light to 12.41% of the speed of light, and the maximum speed has been increased from 15.2% of the speed of light to 15.62% of the speed of light."

"As long as it works." Mishima Ji said happily.

……

at the same time.

Materials Research Institute.

Li Xiang, who is still struggling to make breakthroughs in room-temperature superconductors, had to put down the project at hand this time to help the Materials Research Institute complete the artificial radium element project.

Huang Haojie's stand-in robot is also in the Materials Research Institute. Due to the scarcity of radium in the blue star and even the solar system, the key material of the laser head cannot meet the mass production standard due to the lack of radium.

As for how the Anluo people solved the problem of radium, there is a planetary debris asteroid in the Anluo galaxy. This asteroid has a mass equivalent to one-fifth of the moon and contains more than 10,000+ tons of radium.

The Human Revolution Alliance can only envy and hate this kind of innate condition that can't be met, so now Huang Haojie and Li Xiang can only find a solution.

Either develop alternative materials, or achieve large-scale artificial synthesis of radium.

Other than that, there is no other way.

(End of this chapter)