Every technological revolution in aerospace requires repeated verification. The manpower, resources, funding, and materials involved are not something a single Ph.D. in aerospace engineering can decide on his own.
So, even though Dr. Ronald thought Mike's multi-stage propulsion theory was excellent, he also felt it was too far ahead of its time, making it seem impractical for now.
"That's a very creative idea, young man. May I ask your name?" Dr. Ronald asked with a friendly smile.
"Everyone calls him Mike!"
A chorus of girls from the audience answered for Mike before he could speak.
"Excellent. It seems Mike is quite popular at school..." Dr. Ronald chuckled, then continued, "Let's give Mike a round of applause for his contribution."
As the students applauded enthusiastically, Dr. Ronald took a moment to reflect.
He realized he might have held some prejudice against public high school students, assuming that their "happy education" meant they couldn't grasp advanced aerospace concepts.
But after hearing Mike's advanced theory, Dr. Ronald acknowledged that even in a public high school, there was no shortage of brilliant minds.
And technological progress is often driven by these few brilliant individuals.
So, for the rest of the time, Dr. Ronald shifted gears and truly began to lecture on professional aerospace knowledge.
To the uninitiated, this dense, technical jargon was incredibly dry.
After listening for a while, the students below started to drift off one by one, as if hypnotized. The atmosphere in the auditorium grew heavy and dull.
However, seeing that Mike and a very small number of other students were still listening intently, Dr. Ronald chose to explain the entire theory of rocket launching in detail.
When the dismissal bell finally rang, Dr. Ronald's lecture was also nearing its end. He clapped his hands to regain the students' attention and said, "Thank you all for patiently listening to an old man ramble for the whole afternoon..."
Regaining his humorous tone, Ronald once again won a round of laughter from the students.
He continued, "That's all for today's lecture. If any of you are interested in aerospace, feel free to come find me at the Houston Space Center..."
As he spoke, Dr. Ronald's gaze landed on Mike in the front row. His invitation was clearly directed at someone specific.
It was safe to say Mike's earlier performance had won the aerospace doctor's approval.
Next, Principal Tom, who was very satisfied with the outcome of this open class, took the stage to dismiss everyone.
Watching Dr. Ronald about to leave, young Sheldon, who had been deep in thought, suddenly stood up and chased after him.
"Dr. Ronald, I think there are still some flaws in the rocket launch theory you just explained," Sheldon said, blocking his path.
It had to be said, a brain with an IQ of 187 was highly efficient. Just from one broad overview lecture, Sheldon had basically grasped the current principles of rocket launching.
Moreover, he had spotted holes in those complex theoretical formulas.
The reason Sheldon had been so quiet earlier was that he was busy thinking of solutions to these loopholes.
On the other side, Dr. Ronald saw the inquisitive kid approaching him again and couldn't help but shake his head.
The current rocket launch theories were the result of countless experts' summaries and practices. Dr. Ronald didn't think a child could offer any significant insight.
"Oh? What did you find?" Dr. Ronald asked. Although he was smiling, his attitude and tone were still patronizing, like he was humoring a child.
Possessing an eidetic memory, Sheldon quickly recited every point he found problematic.
Dr. Ronald was genuinely surprised by Sheldon's powerful memory.
However, the issues Sheldon raised were exactly the difficult problems that countless aerospace experts were currently trying to solve.
"Do you have solutions for these problems?" Dr. Ronald asked half-jokingly.
"Well..." This stumped Sheldon. Even though his brain was brilliant, without sufficient data and time, he couldn't come up with a solution on the spot.
Obviously, problems that stumped countless experts weren't going to be that simple.
"Alright, son. Like I said before, these aren't things you need to worry about right now. your job is just to grow up well." Sure enough, Dr. Ronald still treated Sheldon like a kid.
Being looked down upon again and again was too much for Sheldon. He retorted seriously, "No, just give me time, and I will find the solutions to those problems."
"Okay, whatever you say," Dr. Ronald chuckled, shook his head, and left with the principal.
Dr. Ronald's dismissive attitude completely ignited Sheldon's fierce competitiveness.
He decided he would find the correct method and make the man apologize for his arrogance.
"Mike, I think we need to talk. Your multi-stage propulsion theory and booster recovery hypothesis should be added to my plan..." Having made up his mind, Sheldon turned to Mike for help.
Since he had decided to prove the doctor wrong, Sheldon wanted his plan to be perfect.
So, Mike spent the rest of that Friday discussing rocket launch theories with Sheldon.
Although Mike hadn't specifically studied rocket science, thanks to his "Memory Palace" ability, he had plenty of advanced theoretical knowledge stored away ready for discussion.
By dinnertime, Mike and Sheldon had hammered out a complete proposal for rocket launching and booster recovery.
What was needed next was the organization of a massive and complex amount of data.
"Shelly, what's wrong?" At the dinner table, after saying grace, Mary looked at Sheldon, who was staring blankly into space.
"I'm organizing data..." Sheldon snapped back to reality, sounding distressed. "There's too much data. My brain doesn't seem to have enough capacity."
Rocket launching required considering so many aspects, and the volume of data was terrifying. Even Sheldon's brain couldn't handle it all at once.
Seeing her son acting all mysterious, Mary felt helpless and could only shake her head.
Missy, sitting across from him, asked curiously, "Data? Is it math? If you can't calculate it, why don't you use a calculator?"
Missy's innocent comment made Sheldon's eyes light up.
Right! If his brain couldn't handle the calculations, why not use a tool?
Whenever they went to the mall, Sheldon loved investigating the display computers.
Sheldon had already figured out basic computer operations on his own. Now, he realized what he needed.
"Dad, can you buy me a computer?" Sheldon asked out loud.
"A computer?" George, having been addressed, thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, those things are too expensive. Besides, we wouldn't use it..."
George had seen the computers at the mall too. In his impression, it was just a bulky TV that could play simple games. It had no other use.
Of course, the main reason was the price. Just a random one cost over two thousand dollars.
Having lost his high-paying coaching job, George didn't think his family could afford it.