Chapter 352 - 344 First_1

"Slow down, even slower! Tang Hubing, pay attention to the laser alignment!"

"It’s accurate, just off by three degrees, we can align it directly."

"This is a 90-ton module, a light bump could ruin it. From this angle, it seems there’s a 0.5-degree axial misalignment. Use the RCS to adjust it a bit more."

"..."

At an altitude of 500 kilometers, as Glory used its robotic arm to carefully dock the living quarters onto the connecting corridor, it marked the completion of the first step in the second phase of the Forward Space Station’s construction.

Now, including the truss, the weight of the Forward Space Station had already exceeded 560 tons. Together with Glory, that was more than 600 tons.

The title of the largest and heaviest spacecraft in human orbit had now been passed to the Forward Space Station.

Tang Hubing floated above the open cargo bay of Glory, where the angle of the sunlight forced him to pull down his visor.

Looking up from his angle, the distance from the number one living quarters to the central node cabin was over 60 meters. Lengthwise, it might not seem too impressive, but Tang Hubing was right next to the number one living quarters and felt an overwhelming sensation of spanning the heavens and the earth.

The 43-meter-long radiating cabin was surrounded by layers of distinct trusses, providing a unique mechanical aesthetic. The milky-white surfaces of the modules shimmered in the sunlight, managing to convey a sense of warmth even in the cold vacuum of space.

The five astronauts all took a moment to quietly appreciate this largest spacecraft ever built by humans, before continuing with the node fixation on the truss and checking the electrical connections of the newly added sections.

After confirming that everything had been installed, Glory readjusted its position to dock onto the axial service module.

There, they would perform their final special activity before returning to Earth: entering the living quarters for a "test stay."

The interior space of Forward was so vast that astronauts on the three H2M flight missions had all done the same thing: gently applying a carefully adjusted reverse thrust from the node cabin, then contorting their bodies to fly the full 43-meter length of the radiating cabin without collision.

"Flying" like this inside a cabin with a five-meter diameter, the body would rotate slowly due to the unbalanced thrust. The soft white light at the end was like the hazy glow at the mouth of a womb just as a baby is born, a strangely wonderful sensation.

It was as though the baby knew it was about to be born, enjoying one last swim in the warm environment of the womb, excited despite the goosebumps of fear.

If one had to define this sensation, it would be akin to the feeling of approaching space.

Unlike any previous spacecraft, Forward, with its unimaginable space and the first-time use of a centrifugal approach, was the first to give astronauts a sense of belonging.

In past and current orbiting spacecraft, astronauts often reported mysterious noises—some loud, some soft, but generally at frequencies that were tolerable, albeit still slightly uncomfortable for humans.

This was actually due to the structural parts and the hull of the spacecraft undergoing slight deformations due to the differences in internal and external air pressure, as well as the vast temperature differences, thus generating noise. And because sound cannot travel through a vacuum, all the noise was reflected inside the cabin.

Additionally, the various types of equipment normally carried on spacecraft also transmitted noise to the hull, naturally surrounding astronauts with all sorts of sounds.

Since the causes of these noises were complex and varied, crew living modules were specially designed for soundproofing optimization, but to save precious mass and space, it was only reduced to a barely acceptable level.

Whether it’s Tiangong, the International Space Station, or Hila, this is the case.

However, for a space station and spaceship like Endeavour, unprecedented in size and theoretically capable of supporting a crew for several years at a mass of up to two thousand tons, it was imperative to consider the long-term effects of noise.

Astronauts on Earth’s orbiting space stations can take spacecraft back to the planet if they can’t stand it anymore, but if they’re in the midst of deep space travel, there’s no such option, and no hibernation pods are available for them to sleep through the journey either.

Noises generated by rotation and others can easily cause psychological issues for astronauts in prolonged isolation.

Therefore, all compartments of Endeavour were designed with dense acoustic insulation layers. The once vexing problem of volume and weight trade-offs disappeared in front of the ample space of each compartment, making Endeavour undoubtedly the quietest spacecraft.

Quiet, massive, and with gravity, enough to foster a sense of identity among the astronauts towards Endeavour.

In fact, it was indeed so. One of the crew who participated in the first Pioneer mission last month served as a pilot on Unity for the Tiangong Space Station tourism service. More than once, they grumbled about the revolutionary changes made to Endeavour compared to "Tiangong," stirring envy among the latter’s astronauts.

It was also because of the wonderful experiences as recounted by the first two crews that the current Glory Crew cherished their remaining three days even more.

The first life cabin welcomed its first group of five guests. Although it couldn’t provide the gravity it was proud of, it was still a novel and unique experience.

...

It was basically foreseen by people on Earth that Endeavour would nab the title of the largest manned spacecraft in orbit, especially after Lin Ju announced the plan and soon after, a segment of more than two hundred tons was launched into space, showing the audacity of New Yuan.

But the frantic construction speed of Endeavour was still beyond their expectations, especially for the ISS.

Why was the International Space Station constructed? The space shuttle deserves 80% of the credit.

Without the space shuttle, installation of the truss structure would’ve been difficult, and the fourth generation of space stations wouldn’t have existed. However, everyone knows how long it takes and how much money it costs for America to launch a space shuttle, costs unacceptable to any country other than America.

But H2M is just too "bugged." Its launch vehicle is a reusable liquid rocket, costing at least 90% less than the old space shuttles, and supporting a high frequency of launches. It really messes with people’s heads.

Abe’s space agency was the first to congratulate the news of Endeavour becoming the largest, while sending the "Mecca," which had already flown nine times, to China for regular maintenance. It also purchased two cargo resupply missions to the Hila Space Station from Blue Sword Aerospace, with a total order amounting to 800 million yuan.

The current ISS manager, Montal responded quickly by immidiately initiating discussions among ISS member countries about extending the life of the International Space Station and planning renovations, as well as considering further expansion.

Life extension and renovation are old topics, but expansion is a new proposal.

After the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011, even if the International Space Station wanted to expand, it couldn’t carry out truss extension missions, so its potential had essentially been fixed.

But Boeing’s "Endeavour," which is slated for a nuclear engine upgrade, has revealed that it may return to flight in July. The fuel tank prepared for Endeavour has been completed... Apart from the solid rocket boosters which had production conflicts due to sharing origins with the SLS rocket boosters, efforts are being made to resolve the issue.

So, Montal’s attitude was, "Endeavour is about to return to flight, guys. How about chipping in a little more money, and we’ll expand the International Space Station just a bit more, alright?"