Chapter 76: Lin Ran

The last livestream explosion was already embarrassing enough; if the astronaut dies in space again, the humiliation will be even greater.

Of course, Lin Ran knew that while the control system had malfunctioned, it hadn’t prevented Shepard from using his own skill to return safely to Earth.

So Lin Ran was completely unfazed.

Lin Ran explained: “Sometimes, not reminding people is far more effective than reminding them.”

In short, I’ve already devised a complete plan. Let’s discuss it after we return to Redstone Base.”

“But...”

“Director, there’s no ‘but.’ One failure won’t derail the bigger picture. If NASA keeps slacking like this, that’s what will hurt our lunar goal.”

The full accident report in the JFK Library gave Lin Ran ample confidence—he knew this was a rare opportunity.

Was there an accident? Yes. Was it serious? Very. But it wouldn’t cause any casualties—it would be his perfect personal showcase.

After returning to Redstone Base, Lin Ran laid out all his observations and subsequent plans:

“Mr. Webb, based on my observations, the automatic attitude control system of Freedom 7 has a serious fault—not a software issue, but a hardware failure. The capacitor malfunction prevents the system from correcting the spacecraft’s attitude flip.”

This is due to NASA’s crude testing, near-zero quality control, lack of redundant systems, and negligent testing procedures.”

We need to completely reverse this situation and rebuild public confidence in NASA.”

So this is actually the best opportunity.”

James Webb vaguely grasped Lin Ran’s line of thought: “We need to prove that NASA today has grave problems—problems so severe they must be fixed immediately.”

But if we use an astronaut’s life as the cost, the eventual declassification could spark a massive scandal.”

As a politician, James Webb didn’t truly care about the astronaut’s sacrifice—he cared that if it later emerged they knew the spacecraft was flawed yet still sent the astronaut up, it would border on deliberate murder.”

Lin Ran corrected him: “Who said we’re sending the astronaut up?”

“Why not replace the astronaut with a gorilla before launch?”

Lin Ran continued explaining his full plan:

“What I intend to do is predict—predict in advance that this launch will fail. I’ll invite every newspaper reporter to the scene, make the prediction publicly, and have them all witness the failure of NASA’s first step in the Mercury program.”

Let them witness Freedom 7 exploding in midair, proving that the old NASA was incompetent—and that to make NASA competent, we must be the ones to change it.”

We must completely overhaul NASA on the foundation of its current structure.”

I want to invite all major newspapers to witness this firsthand, and before the launch, have the prediction slips sealed in a locked box under the reporters’ observation.”

After Freedom 7 explodes, we open the box and show everyone the prediction slip.”

This also serves as a warning to NASA’s current corrupt officials: problems you failed to notice, we outsiders spotted at a glance.”

Doesn’t this prove how incompetent NASA was under Keith Glennan’s leadership? And doesn’t it prove we have the ability to reform NASA?”

James Webb was swayed by what Lin Ran said.

He realized that if this succeeded, it would drastically reduce resistance to his reforms and accelerate progress.

But the problem was this: what if it succeeded?

The entire plan rested entirely on trust in Lin Ran.

NASA’s failure would be pleasing—but if NASA succeeded, wouldn’t they look like fools?

“Professor Lin, what if Freedom 7 doesn’t explode in midair as you predicted, but returns to Earth safely?” James Webb asked.

The entire plan depended solely on Lin Ran—he couldn’t consult other NASA experts, because doing so would risk exposure.

The entire plan hinged on Lin Ran’s ability. He was a mathematical master, backed by Haines and John Morgan, yet he spotted a problem that thousands of NASA experts and engineers had missed.

Even if James Webb trusted him, he couldn’t suppress his doubts—especially since he didn’t even trust Lin Ran’s aerospace expertise.

If any other NASA expert reviewed the plan, a leak would destroy it entirely.

Whether Lin Ran’s claimed problem existed or not, the consequences would be severe.

If the problem existed, and you two found it but didn’t tell us, just waiting to watch everyone humiliated—or even risking the astronaut’s life—your credibility would vanish.

If the problem didn’t exist, it would prove Lin Ran lacked professional competence, and James Webb didn’t want Lin Ran to fail right now.

So James Webb had to be cautious.

Lin Ran explained: “Won’t that just prove it’s a great victory after NASA changed leadership?”

As for the sealed prediction slips, everyone can pretend they never existed.”

The box can be designed as a mechanism—appearing sealed, but actually not.”

Our goal is to manipulate public opinion.”

Inside are two slips: one predicting failure, the other predicting success.”

If it fails, a randomly chosen reporter present will open the box and retrieve the prediction slip.”

If it succeeds, a pre-arranged person will retrieve the congratulatory note from a hidden compartment.”

Who said we have to follow the rules honestly?

Although Lin Ran was 95% certain Freedom 7 would fail, what if it succeeded?

To convince James Webb, he had to prepare both possible scenarios.

After hearing this, James Webb was convinced.

“One more thing,” James Webb asked his final question: “What if Freedom 7 succeeds, and we’ve already replaced the astronaut with a monkey?”

Lin Ran said: “That proves our management style differs from the old NASA—we’re more rigorous.”

Why not send a primate similar to humans first, confirm it’s safe, then send the human astronaut?”

Lin Ran’s design was thorough—it had clearly won over James Webb.

Because if their plan succeeded and Freedom 7 exploded in front of countless reporters, with their prediction made in advance,

it would not only aid his reform of NASA but greatly restore NASA’s public credibility—even if that credibility rested on Lin Ran, it would still be far better than before.

Because Lin Ran’s plan was sufficiently thorough and the potential rewards of success immense, James Webb made his decision.

“Fine. I’ll report to the President immediately. If approved, we prepare to act.”