Chapter 438 Our Target is the Sea of Stars (Second Update, Please Subscribe)
Star Airship Company is the largest airship company in the world... no, the only airship company.
As the only company in the world that can manufacture large airships, this company has attracted a lot of attention since last year.
The reason why military officers from various countries took notice of this company was ultimately because of the tremendous power demonstrated by the spacecraft. That seemingly unlimited potential could not be ignored by anyone.
"Our goal is the sea of stars!"
The huge billboard at the entrance of the company depicts several large airships. Of course, below them are not destroyed cities, but trains and ships. This is the future of Xingchen.
"Show me your ID, please!"
Although Sun Jinpeng was the company's chief engineer, according to convention, he still had to get out of the car for inspection. Even the carriage he was riding in had to stop outside the factory. After passing the security check, he walked into the "buffer zone" carrying his briefcase.
After walking for more than ten meters, he took the tram to the office area. Until now, Sun Jinpeng still remembers the astonished looks of the French and British people when they took the tram.
They were all scared to death!
While they were still immersed in the great achievements of the steam engine, Nanhua had already entered a new era - a new era consisting of internal combustion engines and electrical equipment.
"I really didn't expect that..."
Thinking of the surprise he felt when he first saw a steam engine in Nanhua ten years ago, Sun Jinpeng couldn't help but sigh.
Life is always so wonderful. Who would have thought that he, who was shocked by the greatness of the steam engine ten years ago, would one day become a spacecraft engineer?
Although it is magical, Sun Jinpeng is indeed an extremely outstanding engineer, from introducing a prismatic cross-sectional configuration to enhance the overall strength of the airship, to laying cables inside the airbag to disperse the weight of the airship.
It can be said that it was the continuous efforts of Sun Jinpeng and his colleagues that made Nanhua's spacecraft take the lead. Of course, there was a reason for this lead - as early as 1863, under the leadership of Zhu Xianhai, the predecessor of the Spacecraft Company, the Spacecraft Laboratory, designed an artillery calibration spacecraft to perform reconnaissance and calibration tasks. It used extremely advanced fabric-reinforced rubber, which was actually similar to the raincoat cloth of later generations.
It was from that time that, after years of hard work, Nanhua finally built the most advanced aircraft in the world and applied it to military use. When Buenos Aires burned under bombs dropped by airships, the whole world was attracted by him.
As the chief engineer, Sun Jinpeng also achieved success and fame. Earlier this year, he was awarded a medal by French Emperor Napoleon III in recognition of his outstanding contribution to human science and technology. A month later, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom also awarded him a medal.
Overnight, Sun Jinpeng became the most famous engineer in the world.
However, Sun Jinpeng was very clear that many of his ideas came from the Marshal's reminders, such as the introduction of the triangular-shaped hull.
"A single chopstick is easy to break, but what about a bunch of chopsticks?"
This seemingly simple suggestion allowed Sun Jinpeng to design a triangular-shaped hull, making it possible to manufacture large spacecraft.
It was also from that time that the Nanhua airship shocked the whole world overnight.
"The future belongs to the sky and to airships!"
As the world's most famous spacecraft engineer, Sun Jinpeng has not stopped his steps. While working hard to perfect the design of the large airship required by the military, he is also making new attempts.
Soon, after changing his clothes in the office, Sun Jinpeng came to the No. 3 airship hangar, where there was a brand new Type 3 spacecraft.
What makes this spaceship different from military spaceships is that its cabin is furnished with chairs made of bamboo frames and canvas bodies. This is exactly the project that Sun Jinpeng has been busy with recently - a passenger airship.
Entering the airship cabin, Sun Jinpeng continued speaking.
"Oops, it's still a little too heavy. It only has 24 seats, so it's a little too small."
Airship No. 3, which originated as a military airship, has a carrying capacity of only 2.8 tons. No matter how it is calculated, it can only accommodate 24 seats in the end.
"Small size is not a problem. When the No. 4 airship is put into service, it can be equipped with at least 60-80 seats."
Jiang Hui pointed at the engine at the rear of the cabin and said.
"The key is whether we can reach the speed or not. The tests we conducted in the wind tunnel laboratory have proved that the strength of our airship can guarantee a flight speed of 120 kilometers. But what is our speed? Only 30 kilometers, which is slower than a train."
The wind tunnel test laboratory mentioned by Jiang Hui was a wind tunnel specially built two years ago when designing Type 3 spacecraft. However, the specifications of that wind tunnel were very small, with a cross-section of 50 cm × 50 cm, a length of 5 meters, and an airflow speed of 100 km/h.
Last year, the company built a larger wind tunnel with a cross-section increased to 1 meter and an airflow speed of up to 160 kilometers per hour. These two wind tunnels have been used to conduct many related experimental tests for the company's development of airships. There are even several engineers now who specialize in aerodynamic experimental research.
Although the experiment achieved a lot of results, it was useless.
"Well, it's still faster than the train."
Sun Jinpeng said with a smile.
"Besides, it flies in a straight line in the air, so it must be faster."
"But it's still too slow. If it can exceed 100 kilometers, it will only take five days at most to get from Nanhua to London, and only four days to get to the Central African Republic. Even to Tangshan, immigration..."
When it comes to "immigration", Jiang Hui stopped talking. Immigrants cannot afford to take a spaceship anyway.
"We want to compete with ships with spaceships. What can we rely on? We certainly can't rely on the transport volume. Even if we build a spaceship that is several times larger than the Type 4 airship, it is still not as good as a 10,000-ton ship or a train. If we want to compete with them, we must increase the speed! Only when the speed is increased can passenger spaceships win the market!"
As an engineer, Jiang Hui knew very well what the weaknesses of spacecraft were compared with ships and trains. It was simply a matter of playing to their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses!
"Chief Engineer, when we go to England, we need to sail on the sea for about 20 days. If the spaceship can shorten the time to four or five days, those rich people will definitely not mind taking the spaceship."
“Such a seat…”
Sun Jinpeng patted the cloth chair and said.
"Sitting there for four days is not very comfortable!"
Sitting in such a chair for four days is not only not a pleasure, but an absolute torture.
"For now, let's not think too far ahead and solve the problem at hand first. After all, the price of an airship is not cheap. We have built it, but the question is whether anyone will buy it..."
Just as he finished speaking, someone outside the cabin shouted loudly.
"Chief Engineer Sun, Chief Engineer Sun, the military, the military representative is here, and he wants to see you!"
He is not a military representative at all, but the commander of the floating force.
Seeing Li Du coming over accompanied by his manager, Sun Jinpeng hurriedly went to greet him.
"Captain Li, how come you have time to come here today?"
Li is the breadwinner of the airship company. He must have come here at this time because of something.
"Because we are preparing for war..."
Li Du looked at the passenger airship and spoke directly.
"All airships, including this one, must be requisitioned! And those airships purchased by the British and French must also be requisitioned."
"What war?"
Sun Jinpeng said with some surprise.
"Prepare for war. What war?"
(End of this chapter)
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