American: Native Empire

Chapter 193: Space Exploration.

Meanwhile, the world civilization was preparing to move on to the next stage.

The driving force behind this change was, once again, the Golden Lake.

After commercializing airplanes made of very sturdy duralumin, the Golden Lake announced his ambition to explore space using duralumin and rockets to his acquaintances.

By this time, the Golden Lake had already gained an immense reputation as a scientist who surpassed the century’s genius and was comparable to Kim Ki-woo. 

Naturally, his every move became a topic of discussion.

“…He wants to explore space this time. What a grand ambition.”

“And yet, he doesn’t seem like he would fail…”

“Well, the Golden Lake always succeeded in his research, just like His Majesty.”

“Hey! You shouldn’t compare him to the great Emperor!”

“Hmm. I’m just saying.”

The flatterers wondered if the Golden Lake’s challenge would succeed this time.

This story also reached the ears of the Blue Leaf, the owner of one of the top firms in the empire. So he arranged a meeting with the Golden Lake.

“You want to explore space this time.”

“I should have told you sooner, but I was late. Yes, my research topic is space exploration. Here, I brought a proposal…”

“You don’t need to give it to me.”

The Blue Leaf raised his hand and firmly refused. 

The Golden Lake’s face showed a question.

And then he expressed a slight displeasure.

“…Are you rejecting my research?”

“Ha ha. Of course not. You seem to have misunderstood something. I didn’t want to meet you to hear your research plan. I wanted to tell you the size of the budget that will be allocated for your research.”

“Then you need this proposal to determine the support scale.”

“No. The firm has already decided to allocate this much budget for you.”

Swoosh.

The Blue Leaf handed over a note. josei

The Golden Lake narrowed his eyes slightly and opened the note.

At that moment.

“Huh…!”

Even the Golden Lake, who rarely got surprised, couldn’t help but be astonished by the astronomical amount written on the note.

And then he asked incredulously.

“…Is this really the budget allocated for my research?”

“If you think it’s too little, I’m willing to raise it more.”

“No, it’s too much.”

“We don’t care what you do with that money as long as it’s for your research. Of course, we hope that you will share the rights to the profits from your research, as usual.”

It was a radical offer. 

In fact, there was no scientist in the entire empire who received as much rights as the Golden Lake.

The Golden Lake expressed his doubt.

“If this amount evaporates, even the firm might be shaken.”

“Ha ha. You underestimate the power of our firm. Don’t worry. And this much financial support is your rightful due. It’s thanks to you that our firm could come this far.”

“…”

The Golden Lake could read infinite trust in the Blue Leaf’s eyes. 

That’s why his heart felt warm.

In fact, he had plenty of opportunities to become independent if he wanted to.

He just didn’t do it because this lab was the only place that accepted him when he was a construction worker, and because of the loyalty and gratitude he had accumulated over time, and because he thought that the process and aftermath of independence would be annoying.

The result was this infinite trust. 

That’s why he felt confident that his judgment was right.

“This money is a bribe from our firm to tell you that we want to stay with you forever. So don’t leave us?”

“Ha ha. Of course not. Let’s go together until the end.”

In fact, the Blue Leaf had a slightly different mind. 

He was one of the top owners in the empire. 

He wasn’t in a position to make decisions based on emotions.

‘I can’t afford to lose him no matter what.’

Maybe he won’t succeed in any profitable research in the future. 

But anyway, his overwhelming reputation played a huge role in the image of our firm, and the Blue Leaf knew that well.

This was something that money couldn’t buy.

Their thoughts were different, but at least their trust relationship between them became stronger.

***

After meeting with the owner, the budget allocation was done immediately.

The Golden Lake checked this huge fund and decided.

“Well, if they want me to spend it, I should spend it. Let’s see how much I can spend.”

His research environment was not lacking so far, but he had restrained himself somewhat in allocating research funds.

But now he threw away such limitations.

That’s when the real spending began. 

He brought in facilities, equipment, and experts in various fields needed for space exploration, including rockets.

Of course, there was one problem. 

The Golden Lake’s lab was located in South Continent, and many famous scientists were already tied up with universities or labs.

But a hefty salary, the Golden Lake’s reputation, and the great goal of space exploration were enough to overcome these obstacles.

The development of passenger ships and the construction of large airports also made it easier to travel between the north and south.

It took a lot of time and effort to set up the research, as it was a large-scale project.

The Golden Lake didn’t idle during that time. 

He was involved in setting up the research while designing the rocket theoretically.

Of course, sometimes he felt overwhelmed. 

There was so much he needed.

But he had a lot of experience.

‘If I solve one by one, I’ll reach my destination before I know it.’

The Golden Lake realized that he had to solve three main things first.

‘I need to improve the efficiency of the rocket engine.’

He had made a name for himself in various fields, but the Golden Lake’s first start was from the development of internal combustion engines.

From the perspective of the top authority in this field, the current rocket engines seemed very inefficient.

‘The rocket fuel is also a problem.’

It was obvious, but the rocket field was already an active area of research. Whether it was for long-range missiles or space exploration like the Golden Lake.

It was also known that the escape velocity of the earth was about 40,000 kilometers per hour, and that the rocket speed and fuel had an exponential relationship. 

Based on this, the rocket equation was also derived.

But the fuel used in rockets now was in powder form. 

The Golden Lake realized this while researching the powder fuel before starting the experiment.

‘Powder fuel is not suitable for rockets.’

It had a strong explosive power for sure. But it didn’t burn evenly, so it seemed impossible to explore space with powder fuel.

And the last problem was not about the rocket itself.

‘It looks like a lot of calculations are needed. To calculate all these things by hand… Ugh, it’s horrible just to think about it.’

Weather, season, location, shape, weight, amount of fuel, engine efficiency…

All these things had to be calculated enough to launch a rocket. 

Otherwise, the rocket would go somewhere else than intended.

‘To solve this… I need a calculator that is incomparably better than now.’

He guessed that as the research progressed, more calculations would be needed and they would require more precision.

While he was racking his brains over this.

The research preparation was finally completed.

***

“With the rockets that have been made so far, we can never explore space.”

Before starting the research, the Golden Lake gathered the prominent scientists who participated in this research and spoke.

Some of them were the ones who made the ‘current rockets’ that he mentioned, but his harsh criticism had no mercy.

He criticized every little part of the rockets that had been developed so far, using them as examples.

“We’re going to overhaul all these things. It doesn’t matter how much money or time it takes in the process. What matters is that we will be the first to succeed in space exploration. So please follow me.”

It was an arrogant statement. 

But thanks to his achievements so far, it didn’t sound arrogant.

After that, the real research began.

The Golden Lake focused on three things that he thought were most important. 

And he exchanged opinions with the researchers every day on these topics.

The first result came out in the field of rocket fuel.

“If you abandon powder fuel… wouldn’t liquid fuel be ideal? It seems easier to control the rocket if it’s liquid.”

“Hmm… I think solid fuel would be better than powder.”

The opinions of the researchers diverged in various ways.

And the Golden Lake’s conclusion was very simple.

“Let’s experiment with everything. We have plenty of budget anyway.”

He had already thought before starting the research that if he could buy time with money, he would do so. 

That’s why he could easily make a decision.

After that, experiments on these fuels were conducted. 

As a result, a liquid fuel suitable for rockets was developed.

And then, an innovative idea was proposed.

Knock knock.

“Sir. I’m coming in.”

“Go ahead.”

The Golden Lake looked at the man who came into the room with a surprised look.

“What brings you here?”

The man, Clear Eyes, was a brilliant scientist, but he hated mingling with others. 

That’s why he didn’t interact much with other researchers in this project.

Of course, anyone could knock on the Golden Lake’s door if they were a researcher, so he just expressed his curiosity.

“Well… I had an idea.”

“Oh? An idea… I always welcome opinions.”

With his permission, Clear Eyes began to speak.

“…To send a rocket into space, we need to overcome Earth’s gravity and get faster and faster, right?”

“That’s right. That’s also one of the problems we have to solve. That’s why we’re trying to improve the rocket engine.”

“That’s what I thought. But my idea is a little different.”

“Different? Tell me.”

At his words, the Golden Lake leaned forward.

“Do we have to put all the fuel in one tank?”

“Not putting them together?”

“Yes. Divide the liquid fuel into several tanks and detach them when they run out.”

“Ah!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Golden Lake’s eyes grew huge.

And then he jumped up and shouted loudly.

“Then the weight of the rocket will keep decreasing as it flies!”

“That’s right. The range will definitely increase and the fuel efficiency will be much higher than now.”

He was so excited that he grabbed Clear Eyes’ hand.

“Hahaha! To think of such a way! Thank you very much. Thanks to you, humanity will take one more step closer to space!”

The Golden Lake immediately summoned the relevant researchers and announced this idea.

“Oh! That’s a great idea.”

“Indeed…”

The researchers’ reviews were very positive. 

And eventually, the fuel separation was finally adopted.