Chapter 434 - 425 MayDay_1

"1.5 meters, adjust left!"

"50 centimeters!"

Reid Wiseman gave the joystick one final gentle push, and the command module at the top of Artemis II gently moved forward, mating with the docking port of the HALO logistics module at a speed of 0.1 m/s. The locking mechanism activated immediately, causing the entire assembly to vibrate slightly.

Victor didn’t have time to admire the Moon’s passing scenery and immediately floated over to the left-side porthole to check on the "Blue Moon" lander docked on the side of HALO.

However, just a first glance made the black man swear under his breath.

"Oh shit!"

"What’s the matter, Glover?"

Jeremy Hanson also squeezed his way over and then saw white vapor continuously escaping from the mostly black exterior of the "Blue Moon" lander, starkly visible at the border of light and shadow.

There was now no need to search for the source of the leak; the malfunction was obvious.

After all three had expressed their alarm, Wiseman left the workbench. He also observed the condition of "Blue Moon" but actually breathed a sigh of relief.

The flow of liquid oxygen leaking from the pipes, according to the data received on the ground, wasn’t large. Since a clear sign could now be seen on the exterior, it meant the leak source wasn’t deep and there was no need to dismantle too many parts.

Cryogenic transfer pipes are parts that often malfunction on spacecraft, and under condition-permitting circumstances engineers usually deliberately adjust their placement for easier inspection and repair. If it were a deeper issue, they would have to quickly dispose of the lander to avoid endangering the space station with an explosion.

Wiseman glanced at his watch, then took a deep breath and said:

"Buckle up, guys. We’ll have plenty of time to gaze at the Moon later. Right now, we need to get to work immediately.

Glover, Jeremy, have Koch help you with your spacesuits. I’ll go check on ’Portal’s condition; it’s been floating here for quite some time, and now I’ll try to pressurize it."

"Sure, Commander."

Koch responded, looking out at the Moon through the porthole. She wanted to take in the view a bit longer, but now she had to follow the plan and repair "Blue Moon," so she immediately went to the aft section of the command module to find the spacesuits and equipment.

Glover and Jeremy followed her, leaving only Wiseman at the control panel, quickly confirming a series of commands.

He opened his headset, tuning to a private communication channel:

"Houston, this is Artemis. We haven’t yet exited the spacecraft but have observed the gas leak situation of the HLS. I believe it is still under control and will undergo an extravehicular inspection within an hour, over."

"...(static)... This is Houston, Claire Borden speaking. Wiseman, the ’Blue Moon’ ground team will assist you. Please be sure to open a real-time video communication link."

"Roger that."

After replying, Reid Wiseman took a quick look back and noticed that the three were busy preparing to exit. He then leaned closer to the microphone.

"Your Excellency the Director, I would like to know how much earlier Dawn III arrived."

"They just got there, half an hour ago."

Claire’s response was almost immediate, following his question, which made Wiseman fall silent for a few seconds before he spoke again:

"During the rendezvous, I logged the direction and speed with radar. There’s no need to keep it from us, sir. We are the ones who can handle the pressure best, and not knowing only works to our disadvantage."

This time it was the ground that fell silent, probably for a dozen seconds or so.

Claire, with eyes bloodshot, felt her eyelids could close at any moment, but she still forced herself to stay at the control center because the final few hours of the decisive battle had arrived.

"Listen, Reed, according to ADC’s external announcement, Dawn III started its first orbital deceleration at 17:00 and should have completed the orbit entry around 21:00."

Wiseman glanced at his watch, calculated the current time as 10:00 in Beijing, three hours.

In order to reduce the most time-consuming docking process, Houston carefully calculated the deceleration trajectory, enabling Artemis II to dock with "Portal" after just one deceleration maneuver in a large half-circle around the Moon. This rapid docking had almost reached perfection; aside from the docking itself, everything was computer-controlled, and the orbital error established by Houston was practically negligible.

It was not hard to imagine how many people had been desperately performing various simulations to earn this precious time, and Wiseman did not want to let their efforts be in vain.

"Have they confirmed the landing time?"

"I don’t want to put too much pressure on you, but... half an hour ago, they released the latest news that Beijing time 14:00, which is 4 hours later, they will start the live broadcast. I estimate the earliest time the lander will start separating is between 16:00 and 18:00. We still have plenty of time.

If ’Blue Moon’s condition is not ideal, I will cancel this mission. Nothing is more important than your lives."

16:00, 6 hours to complete ’Blue Moon’s’ repair and preparation work?

Wiseman, with his experience of extravehicular activities on the International Space Station, knew it was utterly impossible; Claire was merely comforting him.

Still, it was late.

As a military officer turned astronaut, Wiseman was almost a representation of the traditional white American—the kind brimming with conviction and daring to take risks.

He detested the decision to allow a Black person and a woman to land on the Moon to cater to public opinion. It was utterly meaningless. Everything should serve victory rather than the damned so-called public opinion.

Speaking into the microphone, he repeated the phrase he had said before departure:

"Risk is also a part of history. I request an increase in the number of EVA personnel. We don’t have that much time left."

...

Capital, Facility 507.

Liu Zesen and Jian Yushan stood at the entrance of the cafeteria, each holding a stack of posters, handing one out to each astronaut who came in.

"MayDay band’s comfort performance on July 7th, please make sure to come, wow."

Li Sheng was so unsettled by Jian Yushan’s cutesy voice that he hurried away after taking the poster.

Seeing this, Liu Zesen looked at Jian Yushan somewhat helplessly and said with slightly squinted eyes:

"Yushan, in the future, don’t speak in such a cutesy voice. You should speak Mandarin when you’re in the mainland."

"But I’ve been working hard to speak good Mandarin, and I’ve always talked like this... Colonel Pu, remember to come to the performance."

"..."

This was their second week at Facility 507. Liu Zesen was a veteran and outstanding instructor at the Air Force Academy, while Jian Yushan was a former air defense force’s weapon operator. They were being trained respectively as a professional astronaut and a payload specialist.

Initially, they were worried about being bullied when they arrived, but to their surprise, the astronauts here treated them well. Their treatment was quite different from that of the foreign astronauts in training: not in material terms, but in terms of everyday care, somewhat like distant relatives who aren’t in frequent contact but are still family.

To foster better relations between them and the astronauts at Facility 507, the authorities contacted several famous bands and singers to hold a Moon landing celebration themed as a space-themed charity performance on the mainland. Initially, over 30 performances were scheduled, all free public concerts funded by the authorities.

The first to arrange their schedule was MayDay, who had just completed a performance in Hong Kong. They were going to Capital to hold a concert for the astronauts and their families. Both were actively distributing posters around the facility, each poster allowing a whole family to attend the concert for free.