Chapter 155: Professor Lin With Unrivaled Power
“Where did you get this information from?”
As soon as the words were out, Shu Xingbei, who had already changed his name to Mu Tianlang, quickly realized he shouldn’t have asked.
“Alright, that doesn’t matter.”
It really didn’t matter.
“No problem, we can speak freely here. Professor Mu, we invited you because we thought you are experienced and have broad knowledge in the field of physics.
Here we only talk about science, nothing else, so you can say whatever you want.
The source of the technology is not without value to us. If we know its origin, we might be able to follow the origin and perhaps find some other information for mutual verification.” Bi Dexian was worried that Shu Xingbei might not dare to speak freely due to his experiences.
Everyone had come here, so there was nothing to be afraid of.
After seeing the information, Bi Dexian knew he wouldn’t be able to leave the base for a very long time.
This was still because he hadn’t seen the Raspberry Pi.
The semiconductor industry experts who saw the Raspberry Pi were prepared to never leave for the rest of their lives.
In this idealistic era, scientists who chose to return to China from abroad easily accepted such arrangements.
The Panda Radio’s great popularity in the Soviet Union camp, transmitted back to Area 51 through newspaper reports from various countries, inspired them even more, making them feel their work was meaningful.
It not only had strategic value for this ancient country but also practical significance. Light industry is industry too.
“This set of magnetron technology path is very complete. It should be the most primitive synthesis path and technical proposal from the Englishmen, and it even includes improvement proposals.
Back when I was researching radar in Yudu, we envied their magnetrons greatly.
Just this SCR-584, America gave us two sets, placed in the Southwest, used to protect the safety of transportation on the Hump Route and the Burma Road, preventing devil air raids from destroying the route.
Even Yudu at that time could only use SCR-270 and SCR-268.
Moreover, the radars America shared with us back then, SCR-270 and SCR-268, had their technical personnel training us to operate them. For SCR-584, our people weren’t even qualified to touch it.”
At that time, Chennault’s 14th Air Force, also known as the Flying Tigers, had radar stations in southern Yunnan, all maintained entirely by Americans.
“The task assigned to me back then was to research radar. We could only look with our eyes, at SCR-270 and SCR-268.
But SCR-584, we couldn’t even see it.
At most, we could invite Americans to a few meals, take them to dance halls, and stuff them with US dollars to get a few scraps of information.”
As Shu Xingbei talked about these things, his hand rubbed this information, and many bittersweet memories from the past surfaced in his mind.
“Speaking of this, I heard from America’s radar experts—well, to be honest, I think those so-called experts had pretty low levels, at best just operators, not understanding much about radar principles and not interested in delving deeper.
Just because he was the so-called technical expert for SCR-584, we had to flatter him back then.
He said that if it weren’t for the German Air Force posing a huge threat to England during the 1940 Battle of Britain, with air raids causing extremely severe casualties, the resource-short English peninsula would have had to cooperate with America.
Otherwise, the Englishmen would never have transferred cavity magnetron technology to Americans.”
(During World War II, the mural on the wall of the German Kaufbeuren Air Force Base, the device at the top is radar)
“I’ve heard of this too. I was still studying in California back then. After the war ended, I saw newspaper reports about it, saying this technology was the most precious cargo ever delivered to America’s shores.”
This was said by American historian James Phinney Baxter III.
At that time, led by English scientist Henry Tizard, they carried a black metal box containing England’s most advanced technical secrets, the most important of which was the cavity magnetron technology model E1189.
These technologies were regarded as England’s trump cards.
The American Navy representatives at the meeting said their shortwave radar system had only 10 watts of power, while England’s magnetron could output about 10 kilowatts, with a huge performance gap.
It was precisely because of this technology transfer that America later rapidly launched mass production of magnetrons. On this basis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology established the Radiation Laboratory, specifically to research and develop radar technology based on magnetrons.
The “MIT Radiation Laboratory Series” was also born as a result.
“Back to the magnetron, although I left frontline radar research many years ago, I think we should be able to make this thing now, right?” Shu Xingbei asked.
Bi Dexian nodded: “Correct. After obtaining Soviet radar and disassembling it, we have the basic magnetron technology, but there is still a gap compared to America’s 10-kilowatt centimeter magnetron precision from the World War II era.
At best, we can say we understand this technology at the basic principle level, and there’s still a way to go for practical application.
To reach the precision of America’s SCR-584 from the 1940s, with detailed technical data, I estimate it will take a year and a half.
To achieve the improved version, just for the high-power pulse magnetron, we have many difficulties to overcome.
Even worse, the high heat-resistant cathode materials and ceramic insulators mentioned in the information, which improve magnetron stability, are only mentioned in passing. How to manufacture these materials and how to apply them once manufactured.
These are all big difficulties for us.
All kinds of difficulties, myriad complications.
But the most important thing for us now is to first thoroughly master the SCR-584. Only after mastering this set of technology can we talk about other improvements.”
Shu Xingbei nodded after hearing this: “Correct.
I looked at your work arrangement, and I have no objections.”
With the successive arrival of radar experts and engineers from various institutes, Bi Dexian divided these people into four groups, responsible for magnetron, waveguide and antenna, receiver and signal processing, and servo control system respectively.
“My idea is to first replicate by system, and finally unify personnel for system integration and test calibration.” Bi Dexian said.
After hearing this, Shu Xingbei said: “With technical data, the most important thing is actually the precision machining problem.
Like magnetron manufacturing, it requires high-precision machining of resonant cavities, high-temperature cathodes, and vacuum sealing capabilities.
The precision of parabolic antennas and servo systems probably can’t be satisfied with our current machine tools and casting technology.”
Bi Dexian looked worried, “Yes, for circuitry design and such, we can still ask the semiconductor group for guidance.
Precision is the big problem.”
“Correct, actually besides the technology replication itself, machine tool technology is the most critical.
To be honest, I’ve always thought, the Russians can send people to America to get technology, why can’t we send people to Japan to get technology?
At least in terms of machine tool precision, Japan is at least an order of magnitude higher than us.”
Machine tool precision is almost a common requirement for all projects.
“Alright, let me think about it.” After thinking for a moment, the head of Area 51 said: “Going to Japan to get it, that’s too difficult.
Our overseas resources are just this much.
To get the technology from Japan, from layout to success, it’s at least a decade minimum.
And that’s based on no accidents and everything going smoothly.
If there’s even a little mishap, it’s a complete failure with nothing to show.”
Dean Qian wanted to say something but was interrupted, “However, importing technology is no problem.
We can directly transport a batch of Japan’s advanced machine tools from Hong Kong.
Transporting a few units is still no problem.
On one hand for our own use, on the other hand to let the machine tool factory conduct replication research.
After all, machine tools are the foundation of industry. The work we’re doing now is climbing upwards, but at the same time we can’t forget to root downwards.
That’s it then. The radio project happens to have quite a bit of foreign exchange surplus on the books.”
Hong Kong has always imported the most advanced precision machine tools from Japan due to its developed electronics industry and watch industry.
Among them, later Leeport Precision Machine Tool Co., Ltd. started agenting metal-cutting machine tools from Japan starting from 1960.
In historical data, equipment including machine tools, electronic equipment, and precision instruments accounted for a large proportion of Japan’s exports to Hong Kong.
This was due to Hong Kong’s status as a free trade port, related to America’s support for southern Vietnam at the time, and also inseparable from Hong Kong’s local industries.
The head of Area 51, as a high-level official in charge of science-related affairs, had sufficient information channels and thought of a solution.
Japan’s high-end precision machine tools imported to Hong Kong were not interrupted even after 1967, continuing to this day.
The Panda brand radio provided foreign exchange reserves to a certain extent, also giving them more choices.
Not necessarily having to buy machine tools from the big brother.
At this time point, the machine tools the Soviet Union could sell you had precision between 50 microns and 100 microns. Of course, there were also equipment with precision reaching 20 microns, but this kind used in military and aerospace fields was impossible to sell to China.
While Japan’s precision machine tools exported to Hong Kong, including lathes, milling machines, and grinders produced by Mori Seiki, Makino, and Yamazaki Mazak, generally reached 10 microns precision, with some high-end models even approaching 5 microns.
For China, Japanese goods were a cost-effective good choice.
At this time, the Soviet Union probably wouldn’t even sell you 50-micron precision machine tools; if they did, they would come with a bunch of conditions.
While China was climbing upwards and rooting downwards around the Raspberry Pi, Lin Ran in America was even busier.
Lin Ran would not see the news of the Chinese Academy of Sciences holding a joint examination to select talents regardless of background until the year-end holiday when he returned to his New York residence.
At this time, he was at Redstone Arsenal. Outsiders thought he was very busy, responsible for too much work, with all tech-related work coming to him.
McNamara invited him to serve as a technology consultant for the Department of Defense.
If Lin Ran weren’t the special assistant for White House aerospace affairs, McNamara would even want Lin Ran to serve as ARPA director.
“If the professor could be ARPA director, reporting to me every day, that would be great.”
ARPA was an institution established specifically to sponsor cutting-edge tech projects, founded in 1958, under the Department of Defense, independent of other R&D departments, reporting directly to Department of Defense high-level officials.
And don’t say Americans don’t like being officials.
ARPA’s first director, Roy Johnson, gave up a $160,000 annual salary as an executive at General Electric to come be ARPA office director, with this job paying only $18,000. Was it because he wanted to serve the country?
Unfortunately, Lin Ran had already been hired by Kennedy ahead of him, making McNamara sigh that he had heard about such a talent too late.
But it wasn’t too late, since he could still hire the professor as a consultant.
ARPA full-time director’s salary was $18,000, and McNamara offered Lin Ran $68,000 for this part-time consultant position.
Jack Rui, who was currently ARPA director, upon hearing this, felt his Dao heart was about to shatter.
“Professor, this is currently our most important project.” Jack Rui introduced.
Last time he came to inspect the progress of the Georgetown Translator, this time at Redstone Arsenal it was his turn to report work to Lin Ran.
Jack Rui brought a group of experts from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and after passing through layers of Redstone Arsenal security checks, finally met Lin Ran at this renowned Redstone Arsenal.
Redstone Arsenal was hyped by the media as the free world’s technology center, an important stronghold against evil forces, and Lin Ran was the top figure here.
James Webb, firstly often stationed in Washington, secondly had much less presence than Lin Ran.
Would the media report on how he argued with congressmen in Congress in Washington over budgets?
The evil doctor in the movie “Dr. NO” also changed from a Chinese-German mixed descent to a pure German scientist.
“Transit is a low-orbit, small-scale navigation system based on the Doppler Effect, mainly serving the Navy. When this project was first approved, it was mainly to provide navigation support for Polaris ballistic missile submarines, correcting past inertial navigation systems.”
After Rui finished, the project’s specific head Richard Kshona continued the introduction.
Lin Ran recognized at a glance what this thing was, the predecessor of GPS.
Similarly a product of Cold War thinking.
After the Soviet Union successfully launched a satellite, America was already thinking about how to use satellites to enhance missile precision.
Lin Ran asked in return: “Are you thinking of using the Doppler Effect for positioning?
The receiver measures the frequency change of the signal, that is, Doppler shift, then combines satellite orbital parameters to calculate the receiver’s position?”
This shocked the experts present a bit, then they sighed that the professor was indeed a professor, able to grasp the principle just from the introduction.
Obviously, ballistic missile-related technology was the most sensitive type, especially since it involved nuclear submarines.
Even with Lin Ran’s past status, he couldn’t access Transit.
Or rather, if the Secretary of Defense weren’t McNamara, Lin Ran wouldn’t have access to Transit.
“Correct, that’s what we thought before.
Currently, we can already achieve sub-meter precision.”
“Bullshit!
With current computer computing power, your receiver takes at least fifteen minutes or more for one positioning.
Moreover, limited by atmospheric drag and gravitational changes, the precision you measure still has a big gap from the effect you want.
And you can’t solve this problem!”
