Chapter 27 Wanting the Stars in the Sky
When you're full and satisfied, you're more likely to feel sleepy and have random thoughts.
Nights in the Gobi Desert always come exceptionally early and are exceptionally deep.
There was no wind tonight, and the stars in the sky were frighteningly bright.
They were densely packed, like scattered diamonds on a black velvet cloth, shimmering and seemingly within reach.
Zhao Di doesn't want to sleep.
She was too full.
That big steamed bun was so substantial that it made her little belly bulge out like a little ball.
Lin Jianguo went to check on her and entrusted her to Chen Zhiyuan.
Chen Zhiyuan, that old man, is incredibly meticulous when it comes to scientific research, but he's a master at taking care of children.
He held Zhaodi in his arms and sat on a small sand dune at the entrance of the family compound.
He was wearing a faded military overcoat, which wrapped Zhao Di up inside, leaving only her small head showing.
"Grandpa, look, that star is twinkling."
Zhao Di stretched out her little finger and pointed to the brightest star in the sky.
That's the morning star.
Chen Zhiyuan explained with a smile, his voice as gentle as the moonlight in the desert.
"It will be dawn when it comes out."
Zhao Di tilted her head and looked at the starry sky.
She suddenly felt that the light bulbs in the base were too dim.
The dim, yellowish light made the room feel gloomy and disoriented.
If only we could pluck the stars from the sky and use them as light bulbs!
"grandfather."
Zhao Di turned her head and looked at Chen Zhiyuan.
Those big eyes reflected the starry sky, brighter than the stars themselves.
"I want that one."
Which one?
Chen Zhiyuan looked in the direction she was pointing.
"That, and that, all the stars."
Zhao Di said with a serious expression.
"I want them to fall down so I can use them as light bulbs."
"That way, Dad won't need to use a flashlight when he checks on us at night."
"Then I'm not afraid of the dark anymore."
Chen Zhiyuan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
He gently patted Zhao Di's little head, his eyes full of affection.
"Silly girl, the stars are in the sky, you can't pluck them down."
"That's where the gods live; how could we mortals possibly reach it?"
That's just something to say to appease a child.
But in Zhao Di's mind, that meticulous system wouldn't stand for it.
Who says it's out of reach?!
Foolish humans! There's nothing science can't reach!
[Given enough thrust and precise orbital calculations, we could practically pluck stars from the sky, or even build houses on them!]
The system's voice suddenly became excited, like a teenager with ignited fighting spirit.
[Host! This old man looks down on us!]
We have to show him what we've got!
[Ding! Epic main quest triggered: Gazing at the Stars.]
[Mission Objective: To develop a high-precision satellite positioning system and a prototype launch vehicle.]
[Prerequisite task: Design a large, flying rocket (launch vehicle).]
[Mission Reward: Introductory Aerospace Engineering Theory (Intensive Course Version)]
Zhao Di was a little dizzy from the noise in her head.
"A firecracker?"
She remembered the "double-bang" firecrackers that the villagers set off during the Spring Festival.
With a bang, it flew incredibly high.
"Uncle, do you mean firecrackers?"
Zhao Di asked in her heart.
...More or less.
[Anyway, the principle is the same: it's all about your butt getting on fire and shooting upwards.]
[Host, now, immediately, right now!]
[Go home and draw!]
Draw the biggest, loudest, and highest-flying firecracker and show it to this old man!
Zhao Di perked up immediately when she heard that she was to draw.
She emerged from Chen Zhiyuan's coat like a nimble little eel.
"Grandpa, I want to go home!"
"I want to draw!"
Chen Zhiyuan was a little confused.
Why does this child always do things on a whim?
You wanted stars just now, and now you want to draw?
"Okay, okay, go home and draw."
Chen Zhiyuan had no choice but to carry her back into the house.
Inside the house, Lin Jianguo had already prepared a box of crayons for Zhao Di.
That was a rare item I specially brought back for my daughter when I went to the city for a meeting last time.
Zhao Di leaned over the table and took out a piece of white paper.
The system projected a complex line graph onto her retina.
It was a long cylinder.
There are several nozzles below, with pointed tips.
It needs to be divided into several sections.
Each section has a precise snap-fit structure at its connection point.
This is hardly a firecracker.
This is clearly a design sketch for a multi-stage launch vehicle!
But in Zhao Di's eyes, it was just a big building block.
"It's a red body..."
"It's a blue tail..."
"This is... um, this is a fire-breathing butt..."
The little girl held her crayons, muttering to herself as she drew with great concentration.
Chen Zhiyuan was watching from the side, intending to coax her to sleep when she got tired of drawing.
But as he looked at him, his expression changed.
At first, I was puzzled.
Then came surprise.
Finally, it turned into terror.
He slowly stood up, moved closer to the table, and held his breath.
Those lines...
That proportion...
Those circles represent the combustion chamber layout...
And that sharp, separating structure...
Chen Zhiyuan spent his whole life working on mechanics. Although he wasn't a rocket engineer, he understood it!
The aerodynamic design of this thing is simply perfect!
It completely avoids several major pitfalls in modern aerodynamics!
Moreover, that multi-stage separation design is simple and straightforward, yet extremely effective!
"What...what is this?"
Chen Zhiyuan's voice trembled as he pointed at the blueprint and asked.
Zhao Di didn't even look up; she was still painting the rocket with color.
"That's a rocket!"
"It was taught by the fairy uncle."
"My uncle said that if this butt gets lit, it can fly up to the sky."
"You could pluck stars off the tree and use them as light bulbs."
A rocket?
Chen Zhiyuan stared at the design drawing that was worthy of being recorded in history, his lips twitching wildly.
You call this a rocket?!
Whose rocket has four boosters?!
Who wants to separate liquid oxygen and kerosene in their rocket?!
This is clearly a national strategic asset – a carrier rocket!
“Zhao Di…”
Chen Zhiyuan swallowed, feeling a dryness in his throat.
"What...what's inside this?"
He pointed to the rocket's most crucial fuel compartment.
That's the heart of the rocket.
This is also the biggest bottleneck in the country's space program.
Our rockets can't fly high or far because the fuel is inadequate.
If the thrust is insufficient, no matter how beautiful the shell is made, it's all for nothing.
Zhao Di stopped writing.
She tilted her head and thought for a moment.
The system provided the answer in her mind.
Tell him it contains rainbow candies.
Red, blue, and black, mixed together.
That's a high-energy composite solid propellant.
Zhao Di blinked her big eyes and said innocently, "Grandpa, it's filled with paint."
"Red pink, blue water, and black charcoal."
"If you mix them together, they'll turn into a really powerful fire."
"It's a hundred times more powerful than the fire in a stove!"
Chen Zhiyuan was stunned.
Pink? Blue water? Black charcoal?
What is this recipe?
It sounds like playing house, or perhaps some ancient alchemy.
but……
Looking at Zhao Di's determined eyes.
Looking at that exquisite blueprint.
Chen Zhiyuan's heart began to pound uncontrollably.
What if?
What if this really is a formula for some new type of fuel?
This child previously grew wheat that yielded 3,000 jin per mu and repaired a machine tool that had been paralyzed for half a year.
Could the "paint" she mentioned be ordinary paint?
"Zhao Di!"
Chen Zhiyuan suddenly grabbed Zhao Di's small hand, his face flushed with excitement.
Can you mix this paint?
"Grandpa will take you to the lab! We'll start adjusting it right now!"
Zhao Di was startled by her grandfather's excited expression.
But as soon as she heard that she was going to the lab, which meant going to "play," she immediately became happy.
"OK!"
"I want to mix the most beautiful colors!"
"I want it to fly high!"
Without saying a word, Chen Zhiyuan picked up Zhaodi and ran outside.
They even forgot to wrap the child up properly in a coat.
Right now.
In his eyes.
The baby she was holding wasn't a three-year-old.
Rather, it is a spark that will ignite the Chinese nation's dream of flying into the sky!
"Quick! To the chemistry lab!"
"Wake up Lao Li and Lao Wang!"
"Wake up! Everyone, wake up!"
"Our skyrocket is going to take off!"
That night, the chemical laboratory at Base 091 was destined to be sleepless.
A group of top chemists with gray hair were dragged out of bed in their pajamas.
They watched the little girl sitting on the lab table, swinging her tiny feet, ready to play her "color mixing game".
They looked at each other, completely bewildered.
"Old Chen, are you crazy?"
"In the middle of the night, you're letting a kid play with chemical reagents?"
"What if this explodes?!"
Chen Zhiyuan, however, roared like a gambler, his eyes red:
"If it blows up, it's on me!"
"Keep an eye on them!"
"Today, we are about to witness a miracle!"
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