Translator:
Henyee Translations
Editor:
Henyee Translations
Lu Zhou was the one who paid for the two cups of coffee.
After thanking Lu Zhou, Professor Keriber left the cafe and took a flight back home.
Since Lu Zhouâs body hadnât fully recovered, he didnât go to the airport with Keriber. However, he told Wang Peng to send Keriber to the airport.
Only time could tell what choices Keriber would make and what choices Europe, as a whole, would make.
Nine days after Chinese New Yearâs Eve, in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, a commendation conference was held for the successful fusion ignition of the controllable demonstration reactor. The conference opened with a brilliant speech by the host and a round of applause.
At the commendation conference, the president personally awarded the twenty-six golden 585 commemorative medals and bright red certificates to the researchers who made outstanding contributions to the demonstration reactor project. The president also expressed his gratitude to these researchers who were fighting on the front line of scientific research.
In the spring of 1958, the Institute of Atomic Energy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
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officially established a study on magnetic confinement fusion, which began the research of controlled fusion.
Up to now, there had been more than sixty years of controllable fusion research.
It took almost three generations to finally complete this project.
The commendation conference was also a perfect ending to this vigorous scientific research project.
Academician Li Jiangang was sitting at one of the tables with a golden medal rested against his chest. He wiped his eyes as he said quietly, âProfessor, we did it...â
He still remembered the year of 1982, when he graduated from Harbin Institute of Technology as a nuclear power major. His original intention was to become an aircraft carrier designer. However, his mentorâs influence completely changed his career, and since then, he had devoted himself to the field of controllable fusion research.
Forty years had passed since then. The nuclear power road used to be full of hope, but back then, he couldnât see an end to this road. He was regretful and sorrowful. However, he persisted without hesitation and gave up his position at the Culham Laboratory in Oxford when his motherland needed him most. He returned to China to continue his controllable fusion research.
However, his mentor wasnât able to see the glory of controllable nuclear fusion anymore.
But he believed that if his mentorâs spirit were in heaven, he would definitely be proud of the choices he made today...
Academician Wang Zengguang was sitting next to him. He touched the medal on his chest and felt a burst of emotion.
âIâve been in the nuclear power industry my entire life. I never would have imagined that instead of seeing the glory of the fourth generation fission power generator, I was able to witness the collapse of the third generation fission power generator.â
Fission reactor was an expensive source of energy. The electricity price was much higher than that of thermal power. It was also much more difficult to deal with its nuclear waste.
After China commissioned the Pangu fusion reactor and connected the reactor to the power supply grid, there wouldnât be any new fission reactor construction plans in China.
âSpeaking of which, Chief Designer Lu isnât an academician, right?â
Academician Li Jiangang hesitated for a bit and smiled as he said, âThe year of 2019 was so busy for him, so he didnât have time to become an academician.â
An academician had to go through two rounds of voting. The academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences would decide based on these two rounds, and this would take up a lot of time.
Since Lu Zhou was busy with the controllable fusion project for the entirety of 2019, he obviously didnât have time to be elected as an academician.
Academician Wang suddenly had a thought in his mind.
âIâll vote for him in next yearâs election.â
âAn academician in his twenties?â Academician Li hesitated and said, âIsnât it a bit too young...â
Since his old friend was staring at him, Academician Li added, âDonât look at me that way, I was just saying. When the election comes around, Iâll definitely vote for him.â
Academician Wang Zengguang smiled and said, âI guess thereâs still some kindness left in your heart then.â
Academician Li wasnât happy with that remark. âWhat are you talking about, I always had kindness in my heart. But speaking of which, itâs fine for me to vote for him since Iâm in the mathematical physics department. Youâre in the engineering department, are you really going to vote for him?â
Academy of Engineering frowned and said, âWhy does Lu Zhou have to be a mathematical physics academician? Canât he just join the Academy of Engineering?â
âOld man, youâre being unreasonable.â Li Jiangang smiled and said, âHeâs a Nobel Prize laureate and Fields Medal winner, why the hell would he be in the Academy of Engineering!â
âOh, youâre looking down on the Academy of Engineering? The controllable fusion project is way more impressive than the Fields Medal or the Nobel Prize!â
âTheyâre not the same thing! You canât compare them like that.â
Their argument seemed to have ended up in a strange place.
The two men nearly started a fight over whether Lu Zhou should join the Academy of Engineering or the Academy of Sciences.
On the other hand, Zhou Chengfu was sitting at the front of the Great Hall of the People. He looked at the medal on his chest and felt a little uncomfortable.
Even though he was one of the heroes for controllable fusion research, he always felt like an outsider. He didnât feel any joy from this honor. Instead, he felt he should be disdained.
It felt like he wasnât worthy of the thing hanging in front of his chest.
Academician Pan was sitting next to him. He smiled as he said, âWhat now? The president gave it to you himself. Do you want to take it off?â
Zhou Chengfu didnât say anything. He had a complicated expression on his face.
However, Pan Changhong knew his friend too well.
Pan Changhong sighed and looked at the stage.
âIt doesnât matter what you did, itâs been fifty years. You did the hard work and this honor should belong to you. No one makes perfect choices, you were just loyal to your research.
âAlso, Iâm not the only one who thinks like this. Even Professor Lu nominated you.â
Zhou Chengfu looked emotional...
In addition to the 26 585 medals and the 120 individual awards as well as five team awards, there was also a special medal.
This medal was about 8 cm in diameter, cast from 99.9% pure gold, weighed 527 grams, and was equipped with red and black ribbons that could be hung on oneâs chest. The main body of the medal consisted of five stars, olive branches, and light rays.
Its name was âLing Yun
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â.
It was a design that never came to life. No one had ever thought that the crazy idea of a stellarator would one day come to life in the hands of a new generation of scholars. That one day, it would produce the energy of stars.
Lu Zhou couldnât fully comprehend the significance of this medal.
After all, he wasnât from the â70s, and he didnât devote his life toward controllable fusion.
However, when his fingers rubbed against this medal and he felt the delicate textures, he could somewhat feel the historical significance that was contained in this medal...