The new warship not only used solid smoke for its outer shell but also incorporated a large number of engineering plastic parts within its structure, significantly reducing the overall mass. It was said that plastic components accounted for over sixty percent of the warship's total mass.
From cabin panels to flooring, wherever engineering plastics could be used, metal parts were avoided. And wherever a metal lining was possible, metal plating was eschewed!
According to incomplete statistics, this measure alone reduced the new warship's weight by over 80,000 tons!
Upon hearing this news, everyone was so stunned their hair stood on end and their minds reeled, unable to recover for quite some time.
While engineering plastics had always played an important role in aerospace engineering, they were typically used in non-critical locations. Such a high proportion was truly a first, like a young lady’s maiden voyage.
Furthermore, after shedding 80,000 tons, the new ship still had a total mass of nearly 10,000 tons. This meant that if built purely from metal materials, it would have been a heavy warship with a self-weight close to 100,000 tons!
Now, everyone began to understand.
With humanity's current technology, propelling a 100,000-ton spacecraft was an impossible task. Even with only 10,000 tons remaining, it was a significant challenge.
But it didn't matter. The results of the Landing Mountain research were fully utilized in the new ship, greatly enhancing its power.
However, upon hearing this news, everyone became even more concerned. Could this incredibly advanced warship actually function?
In reality, some properties of engineering plastics surpassed even steel. Crucially, they allowed for faster construction and lower costs.
This meant that, aside from the power compartment, thrusters, and other locations where metal parts were absolutely necessary, the new warship was entirely composed of plastic structures.
Calling it a plastic warship might be an exaggeration, but calling it "half-plastic" was not.
After the initial shock, everyone came to terms with it. Aliens could blast a trench in the moon's horizon with a single shot. No matter what kind of steel it was, it would be destroyed in one hit by alien weaponry. Given that, what difference did plastic and steel make?
In just two days, the solid smoke protective layer for half the warship was formed. Though it was merely an empty shell, it already bore some resemblance to a warship.
However, the precision of the surface armor molds was far from what was imagined. They were fitted together, but they wobbled like building blocks, giving the impression that they would fall apart with any more force.
The next step was not to complete the fitting of all armor plates, but to secure other modules inside the hull.
This task was also straightforward: locate the corresponding modules, send them into the hull in the correct orientation and sequence, snap them into pre-made slots to expand, and stack the compartments layer by layer, with the internal structure gradually unfolding.
Don't assume this was simple. Each module had to be installed in its exact designated position, especially at the interfaces. Any error would lead to either circuit malfunctions or signal disruptions. Therefore, only the best pilots were qualified to undertake this seemingly simple yet precise task.
Moreover, the engineering vessels were only responsible for delivering the modules to their positions. The final assembly was entirely handled by intelligent robotic arms.
These arms resembled large iron worms, clinging to the warship's hull, meticulously and with high precision piecing together the various modules.
Everyone involved in this project couldn't help but marvel at the boundless imagination of the designers. Fortunately, they had developed robotic arms; otherwise, the workload would have at least increased by an order of magnitude, and any damage to a module could have delayed the entire project.
This was far from groundless worry, as each module had to be opened in the most precise position to ensure the deployed compartments snapped into place correctly. A deviation in the rotation angle could fracture the delicate interfaces.
Once the internal modules were secured, the protective layer was also fixed, preventing it from wobbling with every movement.
Layer by layer, piece by piece, the warship took shape at an astonishing speed.
Throughout the entire assembly process, the warship had to be kept in an upright position, with its bow pointing upwards and its opening facing downwards. The hull acted as a shield against solar winds and various cosmic particles, minimizing the impact of external factors on the warship.
By the end of May, the most critical part arrived: the warship's core module was sent into the hull. This included the living quarters, control cabin, cryo-sleep pods, fusion reactor, and eight large thruster units. Almost all the metal was concentrated in the core module and the stern. If not for the significant amount of engineering plastics accumulated at the bow, it was questionable whether the warship could maintain its balance.
At this stage, the warship was considered preliminarily complete. The next step was for engineering personnel to enter the ship and meticulously inspect all circuits and pipelines.
The new ship's structure was based on alien warships. Only the core compartment needed to maintain atmospheric pressure, and this core compartment was small, occupying less than one-fifth of the warship's total volume, yet it housed all the critical equipment.
Outside the core compartment were various functional modules, highly automated. To perform any task, a simple flick of the finger on the bridge was usually sufficient, with minimal manual intervention required.
"Usually" was the operative word, as no one dared to guarantee that mechanical equipment would never fail. In case of a malfunction, one would have to put on an EVA suit to leave the core compartment.
Additionally, there were several special "intermediate compartments" that remained vacuum-sealed during normal operation. When needed, they could be pressurized at any time to become pressure-controlled cabins.
Examples included the provisions warehouse for storing living supplies and the bottom hangar bay.
Only after all inspection items were completed was the warship officially finished.
However, it was merely completed.
At this point, many modules remained in orbit, and ground crews were continuously launching transport ships to supply new modules.
These were not structural modules, however, but transport modules for weapons, provisions, fuel, and various living and combat supplies.
Since they were designed to standard specifications and the solid smoke hull had pre-reserved openings, all that was needed was to deliver the modules to their respective positions in sequence and insert them into the warship.
The resupply was much faster than the hull assembly, taking less than three days in total.
On June 7, 2065, a seemingly ordinary yet extraordinary day, the warship "Expedition" was officially delivered to the space forces.
The naming of "Expedition" was profound, signifying that this was merely humanity's first step toward deep space, with a long road ahead.
The 48 members of Team A became the first crew of the Expedition. With some time remaining, the warship underwent intensive functional tests, including its electrical system, propulsion system, weapon systems, life support system, and even its shield system!
This was a deliberate measure by the superiors to enhance the Expedition's combat capabilities. A batch of shields was gathered from Landing Mountain. Although there weren't many and they could only protect the bow direction, their significance lay not in the area they covered but in the fact that humanity's warship possessed a force field shield for the first time!
Despite being a half-plastic warship, the Expedition was, without a doubt, the strongest warship in human history!