At the testing site.
The second rocket engine, loaded with half the propellant, performed noticeably better than the first on the test stand.
Although its nozzle also showed signs of melting, it was nowhere near as severe as the first one and had not been completely disfigured.
The second engine achieved a specific impulse of around 860 during testing.
This specific impulse was measured under simulated payload conditions. So-called simulated payload referred to the weight used during testing to replace a warhead, spacecraft module, or satellite.
After Huang Xiuyuan and the academicians spent a full day discussing the matter, the current test data indicated that Nitrogen-20-based solid rocket engines basically had research and development value.
After all, solid rocket engines were cheap to manufacture, and Nitrogen-20 fuel was not expensive either, costing roughly the same as liquid hydrogen.
More importantly, solid rocket engine technology was simpler than liquid rocket engine technology. The consensus was to use single-stage insertion for low-Earth and medium orbits, while using a solid-liquid combination for high orbits.
With Nitrogen-20's high specific impulse and immense thrust, sending heavy spacecraft modules into low-Earth orbit at altitudes of 300 to 1,500 kilometers would be more than manageable.
For higher orbits and even lunar missions, however, liquid engines still held certain advantages. Once a solid engine was ignited, it basically could not be stopped. Unless controllable solid engines were developed, solid engines would have little chance in missions such as lunar landings.
On the afternoon of the 18th, Huang Xiuyuan finished the exchange and left the testing site, returning to Chang'an from deep within the Qinling Mountains.
It was another journey of more than thirty hours.
The moment he returned to Chang'an, he had no interest in sightseeing around the ancient capital. After reading Jiang Hailin's preparation report, he fell