This is how black technology should be used

Chapter 231 Technical hard indicators
The space agency said the choice of one of the three was based on a budget and availability assessment.

It is also said that the bid evaluation strategy is the comprehensive result of the best technical level and the lowest price.

In the bidding, the lunar module of Lanyuan Aerospace was named "Comprehensive Lander". The bid evaluation team believed that there were no particularly outstanding highlights in the overall technical plan of the lunar module, but there were some advantageous technical attributes worthy of attention.

In terms of advantages, the lunar module has a delivery capacity of 850kg on the lunar surface, which is a very powerful value.

And thanks to the three-in-one design of the upgrade, transfer stage, and descent stage, the super maneuverability of the transfer stage allows the upgrade of the lunar module to maneuver better on the lunar orbit, which is conducive to traveling to and from the completed construction in the future. Lunar Orbital Platform Gateway space station.

It is roughly equivalent to the large "Apollo Lunar Module", allowing it to provide enough flexibility for SLS and Orion launches, while being assembled in orbit in three launches using a variety of commercial rockets.

And its extravehicular activity capability exceeds the requirements of NASA, which can provide higher flexibility when performing lunar surface maneuvers.

Most importantly, it puts astronaut safety first in all mission phases, providing the necessary mission termination capabilities and redundancy.

For example, the upgrade can be separated when the downgrade fails, and three engines can be upgraded at the same time to allow one to fail.

However, its disadvantages are also relatively obvious, especially in the consideration of the space agency, the quotation of 60 billion federal currency is too high, and it also requires an advance payment instead of receiving a grant based on milestones, that is, paying once for completing a task. meet the bidding requirements.

Moreover, three different propulsion systems are used for the upgrade, transfer stage and descent stage of the lunar module, which is its advantage and also its disadvantage.

The more things, the more complex, the greater the chance of problems under the same conditions.

There is also a big problem, and that is that Blue Origin failed to provide a comprehensive commercial operation plan for the integrated lander in addition to missions under NASA contract.

In other words, it has no other use except manned to the moon.

Although the lunar module has some mission scalability, it needs a lot of redesign and certification, and its practicality and cost are questionable.

Taking the ability to upgrade the lunar module from supporting 2 people to supporting 4 people to carry out lunar surface missions as an example, the upgrade needs to modify the structure of the crew cabin, upgrade the thermal control system, environmental control and life protection system, and the propellant filling interface.

Due to the changes in the upgrade, the downgrade also requires a series of adaptive redesigns.

As for the "manned landing system" of the small business team, the overall evaluation results are similar to those of Blue Origin. There are no particularly prominent highlights in the overall technical solution, but there are some advantageous technical attributes worthy of attention.

Its upgrade and descent stages are combined into a "single-stage lunar module", so the lunar module does not need to design a separation and docking mechanism, and all systems can be fully tested on the ground.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration believes that this design greatly simplifies the management system and execution capability requirements of small companies, and it can be regarded as customized for small companies.

Moreover, the lunar module is equipped with two driving positions, which can provide control redundancy during the mission, and is equipped with large observation windows to maximize the astronauts' vision when approaching and landing.

At the same time, there is another bright spot, that is, the engine and fuel tanks are placed on both sides, so that the door of the lunar module is very low, only 1 meter from the lunar surface, which makes it very convenient for astronauts to enter and exit the lunar module and carry loads and samples.

This is very important, because the moon is no better than the earth. Not only are astronauts not used to its low gravity, but they also have to wear thick spacesuits when they go out of the cabin, which greatly affects their mobility.

If the hatch is only 1 meter away from the lunar surface, it would be the ecstasy of the astronauts.

However, as obvious as the advantages are, the disadvantages are as great. Because its plan was proposed by the small business team, so the technical capabilities are insufficient, causing them to have a lot of technology to overcome, and the quotation directly soared to nearly 100 billion federal currency.

Moreover, the team seriously underestimated the weight of the entire lunar module, which made NASA doubt the feasibility and execution capability of its mission structure. The team has also realized the problem of overweight, but failed to provide a clear and feasible solution.

There are also problems such as lack of detailed information on key technologies, lack of sufficient evidence to prove the design maturity and performance of the lunar module tank filling system, low-temperature fluid management system, and insufficient and inconsistent design and analysis details of the propellant long-term storage system. Seriously reduced the confidence of the space agency in completing the development of this function on schedule.

But when it came to Emmalon's "moon landing spacecraft", the evaluation results were different.

The space agency believes that the various performances of the "lunar landing spacecraft" have greatly exceeded the contract requirements. For example, the lunar landing spacecraft can independently fly in orbit around the moon for 100 days, exceeding the 90-day target period stipulated by the space agency. Provides greater mission flexibility in case of launch.

For the space agency that has no money, the lowest offer among the three is a big advantage.

Moreover, the powerful lunar surface delivery capability of the lunar landing spacecraft has brought great convenience to the NASA’s subsequent large-scale lunar surface activities. It can directly deliver large equipment such as pressurized lunar vehicles and living modules, and can also support more times and Longer-duration lunar surface extravehicular activities.

Thanks to its huge cargo compartment volume, pressurized and non-pressurized cargo space can be flexibly allocated, and it also provides the potential for large-scale lunar sample return capabilities.

These advantages are not at the cost of sacrificing the safety of the lunar module. When an emergency on the lunar surface requires an early return, the remaining propellant can be used to accelerate the ascent to the orbit around the moon.

The propulsion system provides full power redundancy capabilities, which the space agency says are "compelling" designs that provide flexibility for astronauts during emergencies and enhance safety at multiple stages.

This capability has been actually verified in the test flight of the starship SN-15. One Raptor engine shut down unexpectedly during the ascent of the flight test. The flight controller re-planned the flight strategy in real time. With the remaining two Raptor engines, the starship still landed smoothly.

The lunar landing spacecraft is equipped with two airlocks, which can provide redundant entry and exit capabilities, and each airlock is equipped with an independent environmental control and life protection function, which can provide the necessary emergency living space for astronauts.

The redundant propellant can provide astronauts with a large reserve of consumables for life support, such as decomposing fuel to obtain oxygen, in case of accidents.

In terms of mission sustainability, the lunar landing spacecraft meets all the requirements of the space agency, and can provide living space for four astronauts without any lunar surface facilities.

Cargo space and capabilities could provide the capability and flexibility for sustainable development of the lunar surface without the need for additional R&D.

Based on the commonality with ordinary "starships", this solution directly has the conditions and capabilities of repeated use, which can greatly avoid redesign.

All these advantages come from the huge size of the "lunar spacecraft".

And the huge size also brings disadvantages.

For example, the lunar landing spacecraft needs multiple consecutive fast-paced intensive launches to perform the mission, which is considered by the space agency to be a major flaw.

The intensive launch is for multiple large-scale cryogenic propellant in-orbit refueling, which NASA believes is also a major risk.

Even if it landed on the moon, its hatch is as high as 30 meters from the lunar surface!
It is two extremes with the one of 1 meter, which is very inconvenient for astronauts to enter and exit, and elevators are required.

Once the elevator fails, it’s okay if the astronauts are in the spaceship, but if the astronauts just came back from a scientific research outside, then... it’s miserable.

(End of this chapter)