159: Chapter 159 Determining the Base Location

"What do you mean?" Academician Chen, who was beside him, asked.

"We aren't clear on the specifics yet. Based on our current discussions, we suspect it's some kind of energy fluctuation."

"The Yutu lunar rover can detect the geological layered structure of the lunar far side down to about 40 meters; any deeper and it's powerless. The lunar crust on the far side is inherently thicker, reaching up to 150 kilometers at its thickest point, while the crust on the near side is only about 60 kilometers thick."

Academician Chen nodded and turned to look at Chu Ge. The other experts also looked at him, all seemingly waiting for him to clear their doubts.

Without them even realizing when it started, the title 'Academician Chu' had become ingrained in their very bones. He was like a god-like existence; if you needed answers, you went to Academician Chu.

"Are you sure it's a pulse signal?" Chu Ge looked at everyone and asked a question instead of giving a direct answer.

"Certain. Pulse signals have unique characteristics—they are continuous and periodic. Through this periodic cycle, we can even measure its frequency."

Director Hu answered affirmatively.

"Then it's simple. The moon itself doesn't have an emission source, and it's not a pulsar. This energy fluctuation must come from outer space, though we can't rule out the possibility that the core remains of a pulsar crashed in this area."

Chu Ge had an even bolder idea in his mind, but he didn't voice it. It was a bit too fantastical, and he felt it was better to be cautious.

"Yutu is too small; asking it to do this job is clearly pushing it too hard. I don't think this abnormal signal will affect our plans."

"On the contrary, I would suggest setting up the base in this vicinity. Scientific research accounts for a large proportion of the Lunar Base's purpose. Doesn't having so much mystery here stimulate our desire for exploration even more?"

Chu Ge looked at everyone with a smile, and they all nodded.

"Besides, I believe you are already leaning towards setting up camp here; otherwise, you wouldn't have sent both Yutu and Change to the Aitken Basin!"

Chu Ge hit the nail on the head, exposing the experts' inner thoughts. At this stage, indecisiveness would slow down the pace too much. He needed to help them make up their minds and then mobilize these departments to conduct a large-scale, detailed survey of the area.

Academician Chen nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this. Scientific exploration sometimes required Chu Ge's decisiveness; hesitation only wasted time.

"Yes, Academician Chu! After we return, we will immediately report to the relevant national departments and begin focused observations of this area." Hearing Chu Ge's words, the experts also made up their minds.

"After National Day, we will work with the relevant tracking and control technology departments to formulate a plan. We initially intend to launch 12 probe satellites to this area, covering geological structures, underground magma activity monitoring, space solar winds, electromagnetic radiation detection, and so on."

"We will also send an additional lunar rover to work with Yutu-4 to systematically measure the area's crust and rock structure as quickly as possible, providing a preliminary data model for the specific coordinates of the future base!"

Director Hu told Chu Ge and the others their entire plan in one breath, and Chu Ge nodded after listening.

This was what he wanted. As for the pulse signal, whatever. Once the base was built and they had the right equipment, it wouldn't be too late to investigate.

Right now, with just this bit of data and the spectrum, they couldn't figure anything out anyway.

With the direction confirmed, the discussion meeting was essentially over.

Director Hu shook hands with Chu Ge and Academician Chen to say goodbye. Before leaving, he repeatedly urged Chu Ge to visit the Space Agency whenever he had time.

Chu Ge readily agreed.

After Director Hu and the others left, Chu Ge followed Academician Chen back to his office. The two still needed to exchange views on the transfer of the aerospace carrier's hull construction data scheduled for National Day.

After finalizing the serial numbers of the documents to be transferred and the transport route, Academician Chen stood up and poured a glass of water for Chu Ge.

"Xiao Chu, on National Day, the shipyard will hold a ceremony for the laying of the kunpeng's keel. The military specifically requested your presence; I'll be there to accompany you."

"Elder Chen, you must be joking. When the two of us go, it's always me accompanying you." Chu Ge had always seen Academician Chen as his role model. Whenever the elder was present to oversee things, Chu Ge would obediently take a back seat.

"Haha, you... do you think I don't know what you're thinking? It won't work this time. You are the Chief Engineer of the aerospace carrier, holding the greatest authority and honor. I wouldn't dare take the credit; if I did, I might end up losing my reputation in my later years."

Academician Chen spoke jokingly, then gave Chu Ge a meaningful look. According to his plan, he wanted to gradually let Chu Ge step into the spotlight. After all, he wasn't young anymore, and now that he had found a suitable successor, it was time for him to retire and enjoy his later years.

"Xiao Chu, how long do you estimate it will take for the kunpeng to be fully completed from the time the keel is laid?"

"At most one year. Most of that year will actually be spent on the hull construction. Other modules should be finished six months in advance, leaving only the Outfitting."

Academician Chen nodded. He knew Chu Ge planned everything meticulously, but hearing such a timeline directly from Chu Ge's mouth, he still found it a bit hard to believe.

"Isn't that a bit fast? Based on past experience, even when building a new aircraft carrier with all our might, completing it within a year is quite difficult."

"Not necessarily. It depends on the foundation. The first ship of an experimental nature will definitely be slow—four to five years is normal because you're feeling your way across the river. Lack of experience can even lead to temporary Changes to certain systems during construction, which significantly delays the timeline."

"Elder Chen, look at our navy's aircraft carriers; isn't every single one of them experimental in nature?"

"The first one's hull was brought over directly, and then adding the power units, the island, the arresting gear, and so on took several more years. What were we doing during those years? We were learning. We first had to understand the basic structure of an aircraft carrier."

"The second one was fully domestically produced with a ski-jump deck and conventional power. By learning from the experience of the first ship, we figured out how to build an aircraft carrier. This one was like practice. Furthermore, we built up the shipyards and relevant Research Institutes. You should understand how important that is, sir."

Academician Chen nodded. He was listening intently; it was rare to see Chu Ge being so talkative today.

"The third one was fully domestically produced with a flat deck, electromagnetic catapults, and conventional power. It was still experimental, primarily to verify the reliability of those two major systems. It was still a process of exploration."

"The fourth one was fully domestically produced with nuclear power plus all the new technological achievements from the first three ships. This time, it primarily verified nuclear power. The larger and more complex a ship is, the longer its construction cycle, because so many things need to be verified. If everything is already available and you just focus on building, the time required will be significantly reduced."