The Experiment in Progress, Part Three
When Rowan saw the design drawings for this part of the rocket, he inexplicably thought of the "Gatling system," which also consisted of two chambers working together to form a reaction chamber.
However, Rowan has not yet found the genetic organs that can produce the relevant fuel and oxidizer, and the structure of a living organism is unlikely to reach the strength of a rocket combustion chamber. Otherwise, Rowan might be able to create a biological rocket based on this theory and design.
In addition to adjusting its direction using movable aerodynamic rudders on its four tail fins, the rocket also has four movable gas rudders installed inside its exhaust nozzle, which can adjust the direction of the rocket's exhaust plume.
After ignition and launch, the rocket flew smoothly, soaring to an altitude of 500,000 meters. Subsequently, the fuel was exhausted, and the rocket fell back down.
This is the first aircraft built by the Rat-folk to reach this altitude. Previous prototypes could hardly even cross the 10,000-meter mark.
The altitude reached this time was several levels higher, which greatly excited the Rat-folk. The Queen even gave the whole country two days off to celebrate.
Meanwhile, this launch also allowed the Rat-folk to collect a large amount of data, and they designed and discussed a variety of improvement plans to address various shortcomings.
The revolutionary advancements in the new rocket technology had a significant impact on the Kerrigan Empire. For the first time, the Rat-folk saw a glimmer of hope for success, and the Queen, seizing the opportunity, increased investment in the Aerospace Research Institute.
The researchers at the institute were the most encouraged. With unlimited resources and the full cooperation of all departments, the improved rocket was built in just one year.
The new rocket's overall navigation and propulsion systems functioned without issue in the previous experiment. The failure was due to fuel exhaustion, so the new prototype primarily addresses this issue with some improvements.
The new prototype retains the streamlined shape of the previous model, which is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, but it is several times larger, reaching a height of 34 meters and a diameter of 3 meters. In addition, four additional boosters, each about 19 meters long, are attached to the lower half of the original rocket body, making it look like four of the previous generation's boosters are attached around the new rocket. This unique design gives it a total weight of an astonishing 280 tons.
At the same time, its fuel was changed from alcohol fuel to kerosene fuel.
The sheer size of the new experimental subject, even just standing there, exudes a strong sense of oppression.
However, due to its large size and the fact that it has a total of five propulsion units, the time required for fuel and oxidizer to be mixed before launch is very long and the process is complicated.
On the day the new experimental subject was launched, a massive crowd of Rat-folk, civilians, stood outside the three-kilometer-long cordon to watch. Their initial excitement gradually faded, and they grew increasingly hungry as preparations for the experiment finally came to an end.
The Queen herself gave the launch order, and then flames and thick smoke spewed from the bottom of the rocket, gradually obscuring its body.
But in just a moment, the rocket pierced through the thick smoke and flew into the sky. The Rat-folk watched as the rocket, carrying a streak of fire, gradually became a small dot in their sight until it disappeared completely.
The crowd gazed at the scene for a while, then erupted in a huge cheer.
Four boosters propelled this behemoth to an altitude of 1,500 kilometers, successfully breaking through the atmosphere before detaching on its own. The main thrusters were remotely ignited, and the rocket's navigation system at the front reprogrammed its course. With renewed power, the rocket continued its journey toward the moon.
After the rocket broke through the atmosphere, the air resistance it faced was greatly reduced. So, the rocket, with only one thruster left, continued to fly for nearly 100,000 kilometers before gradually losing power and being captured by the planet's gravity, becoming an ornamental object orbiting the planet.
This launch not only sent the Rat-folk into a frenzy, but also filled Rowan with extraordinary excitement. Although it was still a long way from the moon, it had already broken through the atmosphere. All that remained was to expand the fuel tank and increase the thrust, which was much easier than developing a rocket from scratch.
Meanwhile, Rowan Wen's own experiments also yielded some results during this period.
First, his Optical Stealth System works by using nanoscale lenses in the skin to form special pigment cells. These cells reflect different wavelengths of light by controlling the spacing between the lenses within them. Moreover, over the years, he has been able to actively control this skill.
Many forms of radiation are transmitted through light, and Rowan's eye structure allows him to see more primary colors. Many invisible lights, invisible to the human eye, are clearly visible to Rowan.
Through continuous experimentation and observation, Rowan selected many types of light that were particularly harmful to the body and adjusted the lens of the dermis to reflect them.
He doesn't have a good solution for the remaining types of radiation for the time being, so he can only try to withstand them by thickening the stratum corneum around his body.
The cold resistance experiment still yielded no results. Although he could survive at extremely low temperatures, it was achieved by freezing bodily functions, which was not very practical.
However, things always take an unexpected turn for the better.
After the new rocket soared into outer space, it underwent several more launch tests. Although it did not achieve another breakthrough in flight distance, it did send some satellites and observation equipment into outer space.
The information relayed back from these instruments revealed that outer space was cold, oxygen-free, and filled with various forms of radiation. Without solving these problems, the Rat-folk no way of venturing beyond the planet.
Rowan discovered early on that if he possessed the relevant theoretical knowledge, he could perform more effective operations based on that knowledge.
For example, regarding the rocket fuel combustion system mentioned earlier, once he understood the relevant theories, he could develop a biological rocket by solving just a few key challenges. This is far more reliable and efficient than trying to create something out of thin air by knowing nothing.
In terms of time, the time required to evolve the ability to travel to the moon by relying on imagination to stimulate talent is immeasurable.
However, if he possesses the relevant theories, engages in targeted evolution, and unleashes his talent to solve difficult problems, he might achieve this in just over a hundred years.
If he had possessed this knowledge back then, there would have been no need to give rise to the Rat-folk civilization. However, the mature Rat-folk civilization will now play a much greater role.
They not only continuously convert "their own people" for the Swarm, but also provide Rowan with more theoretical basis, making them a very useful tool civilization.
Because of the discovery that outer space is full of various types of radiation, related research has increased dramatically. Some experimental results and papers have also been published.
Rowan focused on papers related to how to protect against this radiation.
One of them provided him with a lot of inspiration.
Thank you to Mr. Chen, a kind citizen of Jiujiang City, for the 300 Qidian coins reward.
I've noticed that when I post chapters in the background using my phone, the emoticons I type are a bunch of question marks???