Chapter 164 - 160 Boiling_1

"We send scientists into space so that those involved in the space industry have the chance to see space for themselves, in order to strengthen the sense of mission among aerospace practitioners and improve the accuracy of our control over the future direction of space..."

Musk sat in the XC4, watching the space agency big shot speak eloquently, explaining why it was necessary to send scientists into space, unconsciously tapping the automatically adjusting steering wheel.

This sports car was originally bought just for him to check out New Yuan’s technological prowess, prepared to dismantle it for study after taking a look, but after a test drive, he found himself somewhat reluctant to do so, and had Tesla buy another one for research instead.

Photos of Musk driving the XC4 were already everywhere, but he didn’t care, and as long as he was careful when going out, nobody would notice, now that there were more than two thousand XC4s in America.

Indeed, even with extremely high taxes imposed, many were still willing to buy one for the experience of intelligent driving.

It was the American Congress, though, that passed a bill declaring that the XC4, having used the Meridian satellite network, posed a risk of leaking secrets and implemented sanctions, but the actual effect was almost none.

After all, with just those few thousand cars, the American police only wanted to eat their doughnuts—who had time for such things?

Sitting inside the XC4, Musk thought about the imminent maiden flight of the New Yuan-2A scheduled for the next day and remembered how proudly China’s National Space Administration had announced its plans to send scientists into space; his expression became grave.

...

CASA announced that it would send a certain number of aerospace scientists and researchers into space every year, and the excitement wasn’t just within the country; space agencies all over the world were equally thrilled.

Because just 20 hours after that announcement, NACA declared that it would include two of its scientists in the next moon-landing crew selection for the Artemis program, including John Blevins.

Who is John Blevins? He is the chief designer of the SLS rocket.

Alright, NACA went further; it directly decided to send the chief designer of the moon rocket to the Moon, which was far crazier than what China was doing.

Whether John Blevins knew about this at the time or not, if he did know, he most certainly would have been even more devoted to the moon-landing project...

This decision was even made so quickly that it didn’t have time to be submitted to Congress for discussion before Claire made it, and afterwards it was proven that she did not face any difficulties as a result.

After all, it was just a matter of sending a few people into space—couldn’t America do even this?

It wasn’t just NACA scientists; Claire later announced that all the member countries joining the Artemis program could also send their own space scientists to space or the Moon, showcasing America’s magnanimous spirit.

Following this, Russia also announced it would send its research personnel into space, and India and Turkey disclosed their own plans, with the head of the Indian Space Research Organisation even declaring that he wanted to be the first Indian in space.

The space agency’s actions had ignited a firestorm, and whether or not others could achieve it, they all immediately chose to follow suit, leading the space industry into a new development pattern.

The enthusiasm for work among space industry employees worldwide rose to varying degrees, all hoping to seize the opportunity to venture into space.

And SpaceX brought this space fervor to a climax with their announcement: by 2017, the Manned Dragon Spacecraft would complete two unmanned test flights, and in 2017, at least two tourists and two SpaceX engineers would be sent into space.

Chief engineer Elon Musk also posted a picture on Twitter, an imaginative drawing of him standing atop a vertical Tesla roadster, with the Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft below.

SpaceX will soon send both a Tesla sports car and Musk into orbit, giving the space pioneer a firsthand space experience.

...

May 29, sunny, a light breeze in Qiongzhou.

Under the bright sunshine, the New Yuan-2A stood tall on the launch tower that was already in position, with the towering forest in front of it appearing as diminutive as the turf of a sports field.

At 122 meters, only the under-development CZ-10 could surpass it.

The CZ-10 scheduled for launch in August had nearly completed assembly. From project initiation to first flight, it had taken only 11 months.

This achievement came at a cost, however. The YF130 engine was doomed to obsolescence, and the YF77 used in the second stage could hardly be described as advanced and reliable, with a very high proportion of mature technology.

Owing to the 5-meter diameter of its body, the height of the CZ-10 was even greater, reaching 129 meters, about to set a new world record for the tallest rocket.

The carrying capacity of the CZ-10 was essentially in the same class as that of the New Yuan-2A, with a conservative payload ratio as per the space agency’s usual practice, set relatively low at 120 tons. However, this was actually on par with the New Yuan-2A.

Xiao Okada and Zhang Chuanyong stood in the VIP viewing area, unabashedly greeting those around them.

The passing figures included not only those from the space agency but also many foreigners. The Rusia Space Agency and the European Space Agency had sent quite a few people, along with the proud representative from America’s space agency, Prince Swetan.

The latter was always beaming a genuine smile because the past few months had been filled with pleasant surprises for America.

On May 23rd, Cabin 3 of the Hila Space Station was launched by the New Yuan-2, and the same day, the Mukala Aerospace Launch Site was officially completed and passed inspection!

With an operational mass of 127 tons in orbit, the Hila Space Station became the third-largest after the ISS and Tiangong, and moreover, it was a youthful version of an "international" space station operated jointly by four countries.

The modules Ask Heaven and Dream Heaven of Tiangong’s Phase II were scheduled to launch in September of this year, so following the June 26th completion of the Hila Space Station launch, it would become the world’s second-largest space station with a mass of 215 tons and have the largest livable space.

For now, the Tiangong Space Station ranked third with a mass of 190 tons, surprisingly smaller than America’s station, right?

So now America’s representatives could look down upon others with their nostrils, bragging about their space station everywhere. More than a dozen countries had requested to join the Hila Space Station, making the nearly expiring Old King Aleth ecstatic to the point of immortality, resisting death.

A space station, no less! And America could "independently" launch astronauts. Who said that one couldn’t buy technology with money? Maybe it’s just that someone’s money wasn’t green enough?

However, other countries had no choice but to be envious. Nations that had both the ability to leap politically and financially, and still had cash to burn were truly few and far between. America happened to be one of them; fate and luck were indeed on their side.

Famous individuals watching the rocket launch were not only found in the VIP seats; the common beach area might also hide figures of repute.

Such as former NACA Director Mike Griffin and the 85-year-old Buzz Aldrin.

Who is Buzz Aldrin? On July 20th, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission, he followed Neil Armstrong down the ladder to become the second human to set foot on the Moon.

Their entry into the country was done quietly. Customs noticed but did not disturb them, as they were now just ordinary tourists.

Aldrin had wanted to visit China himself. He wanted to see the second rocket capable of moon landing, so he teamed up with Griffin and flew to Qiongzhou.

In Aldrin’s eyes, the New Yuan-2A, glistening in the sunlight, radiated an aura, and in a trance, it merged with the Saturn V.

Forty-six years had passed, but the scenes of that day remained etched in his memory. He vividly remembered Armstrong’s hesitation as he stepped off the lander and his own operation of the camera, recording Armstrong’s famous "one giant leap for mankind."

Buzz Aldrin felt his blood boiling.