Chapter 78: Success Was the Accident

After the spacecraft entered its intended orbit, it began to lose control, rolling to the left at a rate of approximately one degree per second; the ASCS failed to correct this issue, and the roll rate subsequently increased to about ten degrees per second.

Lin Ran finished reading and said: “Just as I stated at the hearing in Washington, NASA has serious problems in quality control, risk assessment, and overall project management.”

“This is merely a revalidation of past issues.”

After Lin Ran finished reading, the audience erupted in uproar; both American and overseas reporters wore expressions of disbelief.

“On one hand, you somehow predicted this launch failure; on the other, if you knew it would fail, why didn’t you warn NASA earlier and delay the launch?”

Reporters in the audience raised their hands high; each one had countless questions burning inside them.

Meanwhile, NASA’s senior officials turned ashen.

James Webb and Lin Ran exchanged a glance; he stood at the center of the podium and said:

“Next, President John Kennedy will deliver his address!”

Yes, Kennedy had arrived at Cape Canaveral launch site early that morning.

Whether the launch succeeded or failed, he would step forward to address the media.

A successful launch called for one set of statements; a failed launch called for another.

After finalizing the plan, Lin Ran had already consulted with James Webb and the White House in advance.

The reason they stood by and watched the spacecraft crash was also because, under Lin Ran’s prompting, James Webb obtained a crucial piece of evidence from within NASA.

This key evidence ultimately shaped Lin Ran’s plan.

Moreover, Lin Ran had uncovered a historical truth, confirming his suspicions.

“Good morning, fellow journalists.

We had originally come here today with heavy hearts to mourn the fallen American astronauts, but fortunately, our new Special Assistant for Space Affairs, Professor Randolph Lin, detected the risk in advance and prevented this accident.”

Alan Shepard sat below, face grim, fists clenched tightly.

Because Freedom 7 had two systems—if the automatic pilot failed, he could still save the spacecraft through manual control.

It did not mean certain death.

Alan Shepard felt both relief and resentment: relief that the White House had accurately predicted Freedom 7’s failure, resentment that his chance to become the first man in space had been taken away.

He didn’t know when the next opportunity would come.

“I know you’re wondering how we knew Freedom 7’s launch would fail, and why, knowing it would fail, we still allowed it to proceed.

The former is because I trust professional judgment—Professor Lin is unquestionably a master in aerospace, just as he is in mathematics. Nor could Professor Lin have caused Freedom 7’s failure.

His entire site visit was accompanied throughout by Kurt Debus, Launch Operations Director at Cape Canaveral.

Professor Lin had no physical contact with the rocket or spacecraft whatsoever.

The latter is because we discovered someone within NASA has been deliberately sabotaging Freedom 7’s launch—he does not wish to see NASA succeed, even if it costs astronauts their lives or brings shame upon America.”

One bombshell followed another.

First, James Webb and Lin Ran staged a prediction; then Kennedy stepped out to reveal a conspiracy within NASA.

The murmurs in the audience grew louder, until an American reporter could no longer contain himself and interrupted:

“Mr. President! Who is it! Who is so malicious!” The reporter from The Washington Post stood up, voice booming, “And do you have proof?”

“Of course, gentlemen—I have proof!

In 1959, NASA recruited 110 test pilots from the Navy and Marine Corps, hoping to select candidates for the space program.

Of these 110 pilots, seven were ultimately chosen as astronauts to join the Mercury program.

Among them was our Colonel Alan Shepard.

That is, Alan Shepard was one of the 110 pilots meticulously selected to carry out this manned space mission.

Yet NASA concealed his grave health risk—he is a patient with Ménière’s disease.

This is an extremely rare condition, characterized by sudden vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a sensation of ear swelling.

Such a severe illness was clearly detected during NASA’s medical examination, yet it was deliberately concealed.

Here is the original medical report, unaltered, retrieved from NASA’s medical center, which explicitly states the physician’s opinion:

“Colonel Alan Shepard suffers from Ménière’s disease and is not recommended for spaceflight.”

Yet Alan Shepard’s final medical report declared him perfectly healthy.

Consider this: if Colonel Shepard had actually entered space, and Freedom 7 malfunctioned, could he have possibly performed the required maneuvers under the influence of Ménière’s disease and safely return to Earth?

The odds would be vanishingly small.”

Kennedy stood on stage, waving the medical report in his hand.

“Wow!” The reporters below were stunned.

NASA had failed too many times before; now, combined with Kennedy’s revelations, people began to suspect that past failures might all have been conspiracies.

Historically, even if Freedom 7 had malfunctioned, Alan Shepard had successfully completed the manned mission through his own actions.

But when Lin Ran read this history, he found it strange—very strange. Shepard had completed the mission, yes, but in 1962, when the next manned orbital mission came, he was not chosen; instead, John Glenn was selected.

In 1963, Mercury-Atlas 9 was assigned to Gordon Cooper, with Shepard as backup.

Shortly before launch, Cooper became dissatisfied because technicians had altered his spacesuit without permission, so he flew his F-106 fighter jet low over NASA’s headquarters at Cape Canaveral.

The supervisor therefore planned to cancel Cooper’s mission and assign it to Shepard, but ultimately decided to proceed with Cooper anyway.

Cooper had openly defied orders, yet NASA still insisted on letting him fly—even though Shepard had flawlessly completed his mission in 1961.

It was only in 1963 that he was officially diagnosed with Ménière’s disease.

No matter how Lin Ran read it, he couldn’t understand why NASA would operate this way.

Only when he arrived in this timeline, and saw James Webb’s plan to reform NASA, did history and the present converge—and Lin Ran seized that fleeting insight.

Freedom 7’s failure was deliberately engineered by someone inside NASA—they specifically chose Alan Shepard to ensure failure.

Alan Shepard’s diagnosis of Ménière’s disease did not occur in 1963; it was known far earlier, already detected during NASA’s medical screening.

Therefore, Freedom 7’s success was the anomaly—it was meant to fail.

The original medical report, obtained by James Webb with the help of an IA, confirmed Lin Ran’s suspicion.