Chapter 1103 Big Order

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&b;&b;&b;&b;Domey Point Manor, early morning restaurant.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Janet came in last, ran to her aunt first, put her arms around Veronica's shoulder and kissed her on the face, then turned to Simon with a smile, and broke the man's head. kissed and finally sat down next to the man.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The little guys at the table don't know. So, Jennifer, who has to take care of the two children next to her with her belly out, can't help rolling her eyes, Veronica bows her head slightly and pretends not to see it to help Melbourne divide the meal .

&b;&b;&b;&b;Janet picked up the cutlery, drove away the waitress who was helping out, and asked Simon, "How's the east coast?"

&b;&b;&b;&b; Knowing what the woman was asking, Simon shook his head regretfully: "I just received the news that Skeff shut down the Pittsburgh Tribune."

&b;&b;&b;&b;"It's really a retreat to the end. It's a pity that the Mellon family has retreated so quickly this time, and some of our follow-up plans can't be implemented."

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Yes, there is an idiom in China called..."

&b;&b;&b;&b;"The rabbit is dead and the fox is sad."

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Oh, your Chinese is at least level 8 now," Simon praised, and continued: "Anyway, the Mellon family suddenly retreated so completely, we can't do anything else, otherwise it will make the federal government Other old money families are more cautious and vigilant, and they can't offend everyone at one time."

&b;&b;&b;&b;Simon's original consideration was to use the opportunity of the Mellon Financial Group incident to attack the Mellon family's interests in other industries and achieve the goal of weakening the Mellon family to the greatest extent possible.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The Mellon family suddenly and completely abandoned Mellon Finance over the weekend, which caught Simon by surprise.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The other party did not forcibly resist Mellon's financial issues, and Simon could no longer be aggressive. After all, the Mellon family is not without foundation in Washington and Wall Street. The old Qian family was so sad that the rabbit died and the fox even shared the same hatred.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Just stop.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Simon's side stopped, and the Mellon family chose to back down. The investigation into the Mellon family's loan fraud has just been provoked, and it will probably be reconciled soon.

&b;&b;&b;&b;I don't know what happened behind the scenes, Simon can only feel the decisiveness of the century-old Qian family.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Thinking about this, Simon added: "Actually, the most regrettable thing is the stock market. Last week, Mellon Financial led Chevron, Alcoa and other companies to plummet for three consecutive days, but failed to pull the Nasdaq. Going down, I initially thought it was a good opportunity."

&b;&b;&b;&b;Across the street, Jennifer said: "Mellon Financial is on the New York Stock Exchange, not Nasdaq."

&b;&b;&b;&b;Simon shrugged: "Almost, it's the federal stock market after all."

&b;&b;&b;&b;Janet took a sip of the milk, probably felt that the milk was not good today, poured some for Seattle next to her, and gave half of it to her man. She smiled and asked, "You are in a hurry. La?"

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Of course it's urgent, time is money," Simon also replied with a smile: "No matter how high the market value of Igret's family is, it is only a number now, and there is no more meaning. And the entire Nasdaq disk The high level of the company has had a negative impact on the layout of the Westeros system in the new technology field, and the cost of both self-expansion and external mergers and acquisitions has increased significantly, resulting in many of our plans can only be postponed."

&b;&b;&b;&b; Janet said: "If you are in a hurry, we can just break it out ourselves. We only need to sell a large amount of stock, and we can also cash out the funds."

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Continue to put pressure on the Mellon family, and only the old money class will be stimulated. If you reduce your holdings of technology stocks now, it will offend the whole world."

&b;&b;&b;&b;Janet waved her fork gently: "It's really troublesome."

&b;&b;&b;&b;"We'd better do nothing anyway."

&b;&b;&b;&b;The opposite Jennifer listened to the conversation between the two and asked, "When will Soros start?"

&b;&b;&b;&b;"About the month," Simon said, followed by nodding, and said, "This is another opportunity. Soros is short in Southeast Asia, and the impact will definitely be transmitted to North America. If the Nasdaq can survive then, That would be a miracle."

&b;&b;&b;&b;In memory, the Thai baht fell in the month, but in fact, international speculators began to sell short from the month.

&b;&b;&b;&b;On the other hand, the first circuit breaker after the establishment of the circuit breaker mechanism in the U.S. stock market in the original time and space was the month of the year, when the Dow Jones plummeted due to the impact of the Southeast Asian financial crisis.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The Nasdaq has not gone crazy yet.

&b;&b;&b;&b;This time, the impact of the Southeast Asian financial crisis came. It should not be the Dow Jones, but the Nasdaq, which will be hit first, and the time may be much earlier, not the one that was once in Southeast Asia. The worst month of the financial crisis.

&b;&b;&b;&b;In any case, Simon can only wait patiently.

&b;&b;&b;&b;However,

According to the recent growth rate of the Nasdaq, even if it is calculated according to the average monthly % increase, if it lasts for another three months, it is estimated that it will reach the point above, and Igret, the leader, will definitely break through trillions, even if it takes a while. It is also exciting to think about the inability to obtain too much direct benefit from these market capitalizations.

&b;&b;&b;&b; Chatting casually, having breakfast, Veronica personally sent Melbourne to school, Jennifer continued to raise the baby at home, and the Simon and his wife took a helicopter from Cape Dumay across the bay in a straight line. Playa Vista, south of Santa Monica, SX headquarters.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Today there will be a public rocket engine test.

&b;&b;&b;&b;After a year of intensive research and development driven by Simon at any time, the SX team officially launched the first rocket engine, named Merlin (Mr-).

&b;&b;&b;&b;This name was publicly solicited by Simon from the SX team. Of course, he did a little cheating by defaulting to the name provided by a guy named Elon Musk.

&b;&b;&b;&b;At first glance, the name 'Merlin' does not seem to match the names of SX's 'Falcon', 'Raptor', etc. In fact, Merlin is a transliteration of 'Mr', this English The word means 'merlin', both birds of prey.

&b;&b;&b;&b;However, the new Merlin engine is completely different from the Merlin of the original SX.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The Merlin engine used by SX, in layman's terms, the design scheme is actually a public engine architecture from NASA, similar to the ARM public version architecture concept used by many manufacturers in the chip field, and then in the SX team Under the improvement, it eventually became the famous Merlin series.

&b;&b;&b;&b;This time the new Merlin engine is based on the famous RD-rocket engine from the former Soviet Union.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The thrust of the first-generation Merlin was only several tons, but the RD- was a giant with a thrust of more than a ton. The two are the difference between the early ARM chip and the Pentium X processor, even if it is more balanced The 'push-to-weight ratio' of performance, the value of the first-generation Merlin is also much lower than that of the RD-.

&b;&b;&b;&b;

&b;&b;&b;&b;In Simon's few professional memories of this, the later Merlin series became more and more like RD-, and what happened during it is self-evident.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Simon is also considered 'one step' this time.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Speaking of which, since the formation of the SX team at the beginning of last year, a lot has actually happened around this private aerospace company.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The Simons got off the helicopter at the SX headquarters in Playa Vista, and the group of people who came to greet them can be said to best reflect what has happened around the SX in the past year.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Among these people, in addition to the SX team, there are NASA officials, Lockheed Martin executives, representatives of the Ukrainian National Space Agency and so on.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The matter still starts with Simon getting a large amount of space nuclear energy data from Ukraine privately.

&b;&b;&b;&b;In terms of aerospace, since SX decided to use RD-technology, although it is difficult to have any patents in the aerospace field due to its particularity, it is better to have some justifiable claims. Simon simply took the Ukrainian authorities Pull in.

&b;&b;&b;&b;After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, although the Ukrainian side retained a complete set of RD-engine technical data, but without the assistance of the Russian industrial chain, it has lost the ability to independently produce this engine. Due to the close relationship between the Stroe system and the Ukrainian government, as well as the real interests, the Kyiv side readily agreed to the relevant cooperation.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Not only RD-, under the operation of the Westeros system, the Ukrainian side has almost taken out all the assets that can be turned around.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The conditions for all these technology transfers are only a mere $10,000 in cash and a % stake in a shell company established by the two parties outside SX specifically for the sale of rocket engines, which is equivalent to the Ukrainian side You can only enjoy the % profit share when SX sells the engine to the outside world.

&b;&b;&b;&b;In addition, the Ukrainian side can no longer participate in the profit sharing of the SX production engine for its own use and other businesses that will be developed in the future.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Whether it is the development goal of SX or the big profit, it is actually its own business in the future. You must know that providing a full set of launch services and only selling engines will definitely not make the same profit.

&b;&b;&b;&b;In addition, while acquiring a large number of space technologies from the former Soviet Union, Simon has once again received a large number of experts in related fields.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The brand-new Merlin was born within a year, and these former Soviet experts contributed greatly.

&b;&b;&b;&b;However, the biggest progress of the Merlin this time is not the improvement on the basis of RD-, but the smooth use of 3D printing technology, which involves the complex public relations and technology in the past year. integration.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Simon acquired a 3D printing company called D-Mr last year, and in the following year, began to conduct technical research on 3D printing of rocket engines.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Because it involves software, materials and other aspects, it is certainly not enough to rely on the team of D-Mr.

&b;&b;&b;&b;In terms of software, D-Mr has cooperated with Autodesk, an industrial design software company with a heavy stake in the Westeros system.

&b;&b;&b;&b;In terms of materials, this is also one of the biggest difficulties in 3D printing rocket engines, because the printing alloys of engine materials need to be ground into uniform particles below microns, and they must be carried out in an oxygen-free environment. Simon personally intervened, calling and consulting the accumulation of several major national laboratories in the United States, and then successfully found the relevant technology and team.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Otherwise, although it is only a matter of time, it certainly cannot be done within a year.

&b;&b;&b;&b;In the end, the most direct result of the overcoming of 3D printing technology for rocket engines is to shorten the manufacturing cycle of rocket engines that take six months to complete by traditional casting methods. Not only that, because of 3D printing, many parts of the engine that once required hundreds of parts to be assembled and assembled can be formed at one time, and the stability of the Merlin engine has also been greatly improved.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The most important thing is of course the cost.

&b;&b;&b;&b;According to the estimation of the SX team, with the further maturity of the technology, after entering mass production, the cost of the 3D printing engine will be reduced by more than % compared with the traditional engine. If SX can achieve rocket recycling and reuse in the future, the cost will be reduced to a terrible level.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Simon established SX, although it has its own ambitions, but from the very beginning, the company's development goals are very down-to-earth, SX must achieve commercial self-reliance, rather than vainly devote themselves to the future of mankind Dry.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Like 3D printing, in the eyes of ordinary people in this era, this technology is a bit similar to science fiction, but in fact, there have been many years of technical accumulation in all aspects, just because of various R&D lacks practical application, and even if science-fiction-level technological progress is achieved, it will often end up buried in the pile of old paper.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Human technology has exploded for decades, and this is what Simon regrets the most. Working behind closed doors and standing still, leading to the waste of a lot of social resources, the research and development of advanced technologies cannot be put into practical application. Without practical application, further opportunities are lost in practice.

&b;&b;&b;&b; Therefore, whether it is SX, or FT and SrC, which are progressing quite smoothly, the initial development strategies of these companies are mainly 'integration'.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Whether it is using normal means or stealing and abducting, first integrate the breakthrough technologies that have been achieved by predecessors, and realize the maximum practical application, and then consider going further.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Of course, Simon is also standing and talking without back pain.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Technology has developed to the present, and he is definitely not the only one who thinks of this, but there are very few people who have enough strength to do this.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Simon, on the premise of the strong financial support of the Westeros system, also happened to meet the best time for the temporary disappearance of the world confrontation and the acceleration of the globalization process to allow the smooth flow of technology and talents. These conditions Without either, the difficulty of trying to do it increases dramatically.

&b;&b;&b;&b;SX headquarters.

&b;&b;&b;&b;After greeting everyone one by one, Simon and his wife came to a hall on the upper floor of the just-completed SX glass and steel structure headquarters building. From here, you can see along the Balona Creek all the way to the sea. A large vacant lot, originally more than hectares of wasteland, was bought by Simon last year and used as a testing ground for the SX's equipment.

&b;&b;&b;&b;At this time, looking from the hall, a two-story test bench was built on the refurbished flat ground by the Barona Creek, 500 meters away.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The better-performing prototype of the first two Merlin engines has been installed on the test bench.

&b;&b;&b;&b;In fact, today's public test is more just a cutscene, and the SX team has conducted many tests in private.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Today's open beta is about big business.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Let's start from the beginning.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Since last year, the new-generation Atlas launch vehicle under the auspices of NASA and Lockheed Martin has been looking for the manufacturer of the first-stage engine.

&b;&b;&b;&b;In the past, Lockheed Martin finally signed a long-term supply agreement with Russia, and the relevant engine was the RD-.

&b;&b;&b;&b;This time, since SX is going to be commercialized, Simon will of course not miss this opportunity. Through lobbying and even pressure on the White House, Congress, NASA, Lockheed Martin and other parties, he will eventually SX was listed as a candidate and also dragged the bidding period from last year to the present.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Besides, because the 'domestic' principle comes first, and the Merlin is based on RD-, and the parameters are better, in today's test, as long as there are no accidents on the spot, SX will basically win this big order.

&b;&b;&b;&b;It's a really big deal.

&b;&b;&b;&b;According to the agreement that has been drawn up in private, NASA and Lockheed Martin will sign a year-long supply agreement with the supplier, and the total supply will reach Taiwan. Moreover, compared with the RD-10,000-dollar quotation from Russia, the blessing of 3D printing technology leads to lower costs, because the previous

The data of the period test is even better, and the quotation on the SX side is still US$10,000.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The total is a large order of billions of dollars.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Even if it is divided into years, there are only 10,000 per year. Considering the gross profit margin on the SX side, it can be regarded as a big start for this company.

&b;&b;&b;&b;And, after all, this is just a business for SX.

&b;&b;&b;&b;NASA and Lockheed Martin have not restricted the SX’s own use of the Merlin series, so it will still focus on autonomous launches in the future.

&b;&b;&b;&b;In the lobby of the SX office building, everyone sat down. SX President Gwen Shotwell confirmed that everyone was there, asked Simon for instructions, and then turned to the surrounding work sitting behind the computer personnel, start the test.

&b;&b;&b;&b;After a while, with the flames and thick smoke from the distant test bench, the powerful power of the Merlin made everyone feel the tremor.

&b;&b;&b;&b;At the same time, a series of parameter reports from NASA supervisors in the loudspeaker were heard.

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Sea level thrust: KN."

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Sea level specific impulse:."

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Combustion chamber pressure, wow, .M, are you sure? OK."

&b;&b;&b;&b; "Push-to-weight ratio... Push-to-weight ratio..., too strong."

&b;&b;&b;&b;“…”

&b;&b;&b;&b;In the hall, listening to the voices in the ears and the gradual commotion of the staff who came to watch the test, even the NASA officials sitting next to Simon couldn't calm down and turned their heads frequently to look at Simon. Although some data have been obtained in advance, I heard on the spot that this same professional NASA official was more or less skeptical.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Simon ignored this.

&b;&b;&b;&b;I have read through a lot of data carefully in advance, and I can probably expect the shock that these data will bring to representatives of NASA, Lockheed Martin, etc., only Janet next to me looks like a book from heaven.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Just as she was about to explain a few words to Janet, the plump and fair-skinned Ukrainian female representative sitting on the other side of her chatted diligently in standard English with the obviously confused Janet, probably It's to explain the meaning of the relevant data, but the woman's soft voice clearly raised it, as if she wanted to attract the attention of others.

&b;&b;&b;&b; The test lasted for more than half an hour. The NASA and Lockheed Martin teams were a little skeptical for the first time, so they went to the test bench to check and conducted a second test.

&b;&b;&b;&b;No problem.

&b;&b;&b;&b;There has been sufficient communication in private, two consecutive tests, and NASA has no objection. Then, under the witness of all parties, the executives of SX and Lockheed Martin, who are both parties to the transaction, signed the agreement on the spot, And the opening ceremony of champagne.

&b;&b;&b;&b;In the lively hall.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Simon and the guests simply entertained, and found Gwen Shotwell and other SX backbones, and began to splash cold water and wave the whip.

&b;&b;&b;&b;"This is just the beginning, Gwen, and everyone, the most important thing for you next is to build your own launch vehicle for SX. Also, I have set a goal long ago, SX must be Efforts to recycle rockets, oh, did anyone tell me this time that it's impossible... Very good, today is such a beautiful day, it's not good for someone to be fired..."

&b;&b;&b;&b;After pouring cold water, of course, don’t forget the sweet dates.

&b;&b;&b;&b;After announcing a reward plan totaling 10,000 US dollars on the spot, Simon turned around to look for Janet, and saw her walking with a woman with a Slavic appearance.

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Simon, this is Natasha. She speaks English very well. She doesn't seem to be Ukrainian at all. I'm planning to invite her to go shopping in the city."

&b;&b;&b;&b;Simon smiled and listened to Janet's introduction, and gave her a look of 'you pretend to be stupid and white sweet' before shaking hands with the woman in front of him: "Hello, Natasha, heh, I really like this typical Slavic name."

&b;&b;&b;&b; Looking closely, this Slavic woman with a height of about centimeters is about 100 years old, wearing a black women's suit, whether it is just the right plump body or the fair and charming face, all It is quite provocative. After speaking, there is still a bit of coquettishness in the soft voice. I wonder if it was deliberately made.

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Oh, Mr. Westeros, it's an honor to meet you today. You can call me Nata."

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Okay, Nata."

&b;&b;&b;&b; Janet continued to be silly and sweet: "Simon, you see Nata's skin is so white, I really don't know how to maintain it, I must ask later."

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Actually, it's natural, but, Jenny, your complexion looks better. I'm a little too white."

&b;&b;&b;&b;"No, Simon likes white." Janet said this, looking at the man in the woman's slightly lit eyes: "

Are you going to leave? "

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Yeah, there is a meeting soon, and I won't be going home at noon. Should I take you to the city first?"

&b;&b;&b;&b;"Okay," Janet said, not forgetting to look around: "Nata, do you have any problems separating from the others?"

&b;&b;&b;&b;The woman hurriedly shook her head with a look of honor: "Of course not."

&b;&b;&b;&b;Simon didn't bother to pay attention to Janet's sudden interest, and after saying goodbye to everyone, he left the SX headquarters with the two of them.

&b;&b;&b;&b;Fly to Beverly Hills to put down the two girls before rushing to Malibu Studios.

&b;&b;&b;&b;The shooting of "American Pie", which started at the end of last year, was completed in the middle of the month, and the rough cut was recently completed. Because it is a project that Simon personally followed up, and the work schedule has been arranged in advance, Simon will watch the samples with the main creators today and put forward suggestions for follow-up production.

&b;&b;&b;&b;

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