Chapter 286 - 279: Number Four_1

"Although the launch date of the SLS was four months later than that of the CZ-10, their manned spacecraft only underwent testing in low Earth orbit, and the spacecraft was not developed for a long time and had not reached maturity."

"Our Orion spacecraft had already completed research and development testing and was very reliable over the past decade, having undergone sufficient trials, so ’Orion CM-002’ will go directly to lunar orbit to conduct circumlunar testing. This is the mission that China’s second CZ-10 undertook."

On the morning of the 12th, Claire, four hours before the launch, explained to the senators sent by Congress to oversee the operation, trying to illustrate the significance of the Artemis 1 mission and to prove that NACA was not falling behind.

Senator: "Mr. Director, are you saying that one SLS equals two CZ-10s?"

Claire: "If you must understand it that way, there’s actually no problem. According to CASA’s plan, the second CZ-10 will be launched next April. Right now, we are leading by four months."

A few senators looked at each other, then gazed at the distant SLS, nodding their heads unanimously.

One American rocket is worth double a China rocket; that’s quite freedom.

Another female senator raised a question: "I heard the spacecraft is carrying mannequins. What are they for?"

Claire’s eyes revealed a hint of bewilderment, thinking can’t you guys watch the pre-launch public reports?

"Madam, the radiation on the Moon is different from Earth’s orbit. Earth is surrounded by a radiation belt... that means radiation is lighter here, heavier on the Moon. Therefore, we fitted the mannequins with protective suits, and they will return after orbiting the Moon for about 20 days, to test the radiation protection capability of the protective vests for astronauts."

"What gender are the mannequins?"

Claire: "Both of the mannequins are female."

The female senator’s eyes suddenly widened as if she heard something terribly unacceptable by societal ethics.

"You’re exposing women to radiation? My God, this is blatant discrimination!"

Claire: ...

"It’s like this, madam. The Artemis program will send a female astronaut to the Moon for the first time. We already got the data on how male astronauts are affected by lunar radiation during the Apollo program, so the mannequins this time mainly simulate female characteristics. This is not discrimination."

"Then why didn’t they send female astronauts during the Apollo program?"

Another senator confidently interjected: "Because the Apollo program was just a hoax to dupe the Union, and the Earth is actually flat."

Claire: "..."

It took Claire a great deal of effort to get rid of these odd senators, who were only fussing over nonsensical concerns, and by that time, the SLS rocket was nearly ready to launch.

3.5 kilometers away from launch pad 39B, there stood a huge digital screen connected to the launch center, displaying the countdown to the rocket’s launch.

Since the launch was scheduled for the morning, the weather was very favorable, with a large number of cars and crowds gathered nearby, waiting for the inaugural flight of the SLS rocket.

The reporter from the Colombia Broadcasting Corporation excitedly faced away from the launch pad, introducing the great significance of the SLS rocket to the camera, calling it a great symbol of America’s resurgence.

At least 150,000 spectators were present at the site, and the number of people watching via online broadcasts exceeded ten million, a testament to the high profile of the SLS.

"When do you think we can land on the Moon?"

"Definitely before 2018."

"Wow, that’s even earlier than the time NACA has given."

"I believe America can create miracles. We’ve been to the Moon before, and going back will only be easier,"

"..."

It was now the early morning of the 13th in Capital time. Lin Ju was also pulling an all-nighter with the engineers at B-level Base, watching the inaugural launch of the SLS rocket via YouTube.

Just an hour ago, he had been on the phone with Academician She, who was still joking about the lengthy development period of the SLS.

After all, to outsiders, the technology behind the SLS rocket seemed mature, and launching it now appeared to be quite late.

But Lin knew that in future history, the SLS would be known as the "Delay King." Not only had its first launch been delayed until 2022, but it also experienced multiple mishaps, making the road to launch harsh and arduous.

The fact that the frantic rush to completion hadn’t resulted in any major issues was simply unbelievable. It could only be said that in the original timeline, the Artemis program wasn’t given much attention, officially starting only in 2020 – too slow a response.

Although the launch was brought forward by six years, the appearance of the SLS hadn’t changed much and remained the same.

With 10 seconds to launch, the phrase "here we go" sounded from the presenter, and the launchpad began filling the bottom of the rocket with water.

Beneath the water curtain, four RS25 hydrogen-oxygen engines ignited simultaneously, and the steamy mist dispersed into a spherical gas cloud.

Five seconds later, the solid rocket boosters ignited on both sides, delivering a combined thrust of over 3,000 tons.

The solid boosters’ characteristically high smoke output was immediately released around the launchpad through the trench, and before SLS even took off, its presence was formidable. In the gaps of the launchpad, a bright fireball could be seen forming.

A total of approximately 3,700 tons of thrust made the rocket begin to slowly ascend, leaving behind a vast dispersion cloud from the solid boosters, which looked incredibly spectacular against the blue sky.

Only then did the crackling sound of the rocket’s engines reach the screens, and in the cameras that hadn’t adjusted in time, all that was visible was a luminous body rising rapidly.

Due to the solid rocket boosters and the lighter upper stage, the SLS rose at a higher rate and thus accelerated quickly, turning into a bright spot in the heavens in no time.

Watching the solid boosters form a trajectory that seemed to reach straight into the sky, Lin couldn’t help but feel a tinge of awe:

"Solid rockets are too ’bugged.’ Even though the total thrust is a bit less than our New Yuan-2A, the trail they leave behind is much bigger. The Orion spacecraft’s kerosene engines are slightly better, but the methane engines of the New Yuan-2 produce faint and small flames, which aren’t as spectacular to watch."

Androff said, "The design of the SLS rocket is actually not too great. Their initial impetus may have been to use up the remaining RS25 engines. The boosters were reused from the ones fished out of the sea from the space shuttle, altered to be single-use, expensive, and impractical.

We have solid rockets with a single-stage thrust of 700 tons lasting 240 seconds. Stacked in five segments, they provide 3,500 tons of thrust, but economically, it’s just not worth it.

We would only consider using solid boosters if we wanted to develop the New Yuan-4 rocket, but that’s just a concept for now."

"No, it’s not just a concept,"

Xie Liaofu gently shook his head:

"The new workstation at the Xinyuan Launch Site is being built to accommodate a maximum width of 25 meters, compatible not only with the H2 but also large enough for the New Yuan-4 rocket."

Androff’s eyes widened: "Do we need that thing? An 800-ton lifting capacity to low Earth orbit, 14 meters in diameter—what on Earth are we planning to send up? We could just have the New Yuan-3 do multiple trips."

Xie Liaofu didn’t answer but looked towards Lin, who pointed skywards.

"The Tianwen Plan is the Aerospace Development Committee’s project, and New Yuan has its own mission for Mars exploration. Mars is so far away, we’re going to launch a super-large space station in one piece, weighing around 200 tons toward it. Only the New Yuan-4 can accomplish that, and we’ll launch it in 2018."