Chapter 1614: Nirvana!
Just when reporters from all over the world were shocked by what they saw and heard in Penglai City, a similar scene was happening on a geosynchronous...o...b..t that was 36,000 kilometers away.
However, it was not reporters from all over the world who were touched by the sights before their eyes. Instead, it was the members of the s.p.a.ce Elevator Construction Committee who took a shuttle to check on the project, as well as the engineers and scientific researchers who were responsible for the design work.
“This is Nirvana…”
Sitting on the s.p.a.ce shuttle to Nirvana, Li Guangya looked directly at the towering s.p.a.ce fortress outside the porthole. His eyes were full of excitement, and he couldn’t help but feel emotional.
As the head of the s.p.a.ce Elevator Construction Committee, his signature on the project doc.u.ments was a stamp of approval for the entire project.
Therefore, after hearing the news of the completion for the s.p.a.ce elevator, he immediately asked his secretary to clear his calendar and took the first flight to Nirvana.
“Yes.” Lu Zhou took a look at Li Guangya, who was standing next to him. Lu Zhou replied casually, “How does this compare to the one in ancient myths?”
Lu Zhou was just joking around. He did not expect that Li Guangya, who heard this, would think about it seriously for a long time.
After a long time, he shook his head and said softly with emotion, “There is no comparison at all. The imagination of the past is too restricted. I read through all the myths and stories that I know of, and the mythical palace in the clouds is nothing compared to this towering fortress. Whether it is from the perspective of artistic value or from the perspective of practicality, this is incredible…”
The cylindrical structure of several kilometers long hovered steadily in the geosynchronous...o...b..t, with its central axis pointing straight to the blue planet. The four arc-shaped cantilevers on the outside pointed outwards, like the propellers on the tail of a submarine, spinning silently at a slow speed.
From a distance, the towering battlestar was like a spinning top. Pulled by the inertia of the two motion systems, it achieved a dynamic balance with gravity that could be adjusted at any time.
This was probably the largest and most complex s.p.a.ce project built in a gravitational environment in the history of humanity.
Although the scale was slightly inferior to the s.p.a.ce base at the Lagrange point, the ports left on the outside of the Nirvana s.p.a.ce Station provided unlimited possibilities for future expansion.
It took more than half a century for the Lagrange s.p.a.ce Base to develop into its current form.
Nirvana still had at least a century to plump its wings and show its prosperity to the world…
“There’s so much to look forward to.”
“Like what?”
Looking at Lu Zhou, Li Guangya showed a smile on his face.
“Of course for the completion of the entire elevator.”
Long before he took the position of chairman, he was working hard to realize this dream. Whether it was for the sake of keeping a name in history or for a certain ambitious plan mentioned before, this s.p.a.ce elevator was an indispensable and important part of the blueprint in his mind.
However, he considered that with the current technical conditions, perhaps he might not be able to see the completion of the s.p.a.ce elevator during his lifetime.
Who knew that during this lifetime, he would actually see his dreams slowly turn into reality.
Just like how no one thought that a great scholar from a hundred years ago would wake up from the grave to help him “realize his dream”.
All of this felt so surreal…
Lu Zhou glanced at this guy. Although Lu Zhou vaguely felt weird about how excited Li Guangya was, he didn’t say anything.
From Li Guangya’s clenched fists, Lu Zhou could even feel the shock that overflowed from Li Guangya’s heart and how he was overwhelmed by the charm of science.
Taller, stronger, and more magnificent buildings. This was the eternal pursuit of the human civilization. Over thousands of years, this dream had long been integrated into everyone’s blood and engraved in the genes of culture.
And on this s.p.a.ce station called Nirvana, these elements were undoubtedly manifested to the extreme.
It stood in the vast cold night, like a star that glowed forever, overshadowing all the sparkles in the entire night sky. It was the crystallization of wisdom for all civilizations in history.
It was not just a spectacle.
It was a milestone of civilization…
…
The shuttle pa.s.sed through the circular hatch at the bottom. The airlock was lowered and the connecting arm was extended. The shuttle soon arrived on the Nirvana s.p.a.ce station.
This would become the place where the elevator was connected.
However, the middle section of the entire s.p.a.ce elevator had not yet begun construction, so it was temporarily used as a docking station.
“The entire Nirvana s.p.a.ce Station can be divided into two parts—the central axis and the cantilevers. And we are now on the side of the central axis area… which is the first floor of the entire s.p.a.ce station.”
After getting off the shuttle, Lu Zhou walked towards the control center with a group of people. While admiring this almost perfect “artwork” designed by himself, Lu Zhou explained the situation to the others behind him.
“If the central axis area is the heart and brain, then the cantilever area is the torso.
“The outer cantilevers compensate for the s.p.a.ce station’s inertia. They also ‘create’ a gravity force to the ring structure outside the cantilevers due to their own rotation. This gravity is not caused by ma.s.s. It is provided by centrifugal force, but it can produce a similar effect.
“Therefore, when designing the cantilevers, I designated them to be the living area.
“If the living s.p.a.ce is insufficient, we can dock a new s.p.a.ce station on the outside of the cantilevers and adjust the rotation speed of the cantilevers and the position of the center of gravity for the s.p.a.ce station to restore the balance of the motion system…”
Li Guangya’s face was full of confusion as he listened to Lu Zhou.
Finally, after the introduction came to an end, he quickly coughed and interjected.
“I already know that the cantilever is the living area… What about the central axis part? I don’t care about the specific theories, you can just keep it simple…”
“This is not a complicated theory. Aside from the details, I think even high school students in the 21st century can figure out these things.”
After glancing at Li Guangya, Lu Zhou continued, “On the blueprints, I set the central axis as the industrial zone and the experimental zone. This part of the area is stationary relative to the earth, and the gravity in the longitudinal or vertical axis direction is close to zero. This part is for factories and a logistics transfer base that provides daily necessities for the residents of the cantilever district.
“At the same time, it is also the place where Nirvana connects with the s.p.a.ce elevator.”
When Lu Zhou said this, he couldn’t help but put a smile on his face. His eyes fell on the floor-to-ceiling windows unconsciously.
He could see the moon.
It was also where Guanghan was.
As a bridge connecting heaven and earth, his expectation for this s.p.a.ce elevator was not just a fast pa.s.sage for exchanging materials or a bridge that allowed people to travel to and from s.p.a.ce at a faster speed.
The second-generation controllable fusion reactor had been completed on the moon, and the huge reserves of helium-3 were being converted into endless energy. However, the industrial capacity on the moon alone was not enough to utilize this energy.
In order to allow the energy to enter Earth’s surface from the s.p.a.ce vacuum environment efficiently, he needed a fiber optic cable extending from Earth’s surface to the moon.
Thus, in addition to being an elevator, there was another use of the s.p.a.ce elevator.
Which was to be an energy and information corridor spanning between heaven and earth!