Chapter 436 - 427 Leak_1

"Victor, how’s the situation?"

"Almost there, I’ll have it fixed soon."

Outside the "Blue Moon" lander, the black astronaut Victor and Canadian astronaut Jeremy were dismantling the lander’s shell to look for the leaky pipeline, while Wiseman was inside checking the electrical systems and sensors.

To be honest, the leak outside wasn’t that bad; Glover had removed just one aluminum panel to find the source of the leak: a one-way valve with an aging flexible part that allowed the liquid oxygen to escape.

The repair work was exceptionally simple, all that was needed was to plug the valve, as there were three other tanks and backup lines, and it had almost no impact on the mission.

But Wiseman still felt something was off; it was true the pipeline leak was a minor malfunction, but why hadn’t the sensor triggered an alarm?

The pressure sensor’s self-check found no issues, yet the oxygen had almost entirely leaked out; it should have been triggered long before.

The "Blue Moon" manufacturing team on the ground believed it might be a poor connection in the circuit or a system error. They made minor code changes and asked Wiseman to update the "Blue Moon" computer system.

After Victor plugged the valve, Wiseman updated the system and rebooted it.

At this time, the system finally showed that the total storage had been depleted by 25%, but that stubborn leaking tank still insisted the pressure was normal, as if it were still full.

He reported the problem to the ground again; Houston’s response was that they could almost be sure that the sensor also happened to malfunction, but there was no need for excessive worry.

All other sensors were normal, and since the leaking tank’s oxygen had been completely vented, even a sensor error wouldn’t have any effect.

Victor, who had been busy outside the capsule for two hours, began to put the aluminum panel back; he had been working intensively for seven hours and was desperate for some rest.

"Koch, Koch, what time is it?"

"13:55. We still have time, go get some rest. Jeremy and I will do a self-check."

Christina Koch helped Glover remove his helmet, and he immediately curled up in a corner of the command module, falling asleep quickly.

...

"Hurry, hurry, the moon landing is about to start."

In the grand Presidential Palace, Pio and the FIB agents were sweating profusely as they adjusted the "Every Village Connected" wireless satellite TV set-top box.

Pio was in charge of watching the progress bar on the TV. When the signal strength surpassed 80%, the agents froze in place like soldiers stepping on a landmine in a drama series. Then, others quickly used bricks, car keys, and water cups to secure the satellite antenna receiver, ensuring they could now receive the CGTV International broadcast of the moon landing from Zhongxing-9.

Pio wiped the sweat from his forehead, complaining somewhat dissatisfied:

"Why don’t we use the ’Meridian’ satellite network receiver? That can also show the live broadcast, and the antenna can find the satellite signal by itself."

"Your Excellency, satellite network receivers are easily located, but TV broadcast signals are not."

The FIB agent was also somewhat helpless; watching the Dawn III live broadcast was actually quite simple. CGTV had an official livestream on YouTube, but because it was so popular and often buffering, John was very unsatisfied.

To avoid any video lag, the only option was a television signal. FIB somehow scavenged a brand-new set of village-wide set-top boxes with antennas, which they set up on the lawn of the Presidential Palace.

Only then did Pio reroute the cable to the inside of the house, where John, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and Chief of Staff Kelly were already seated. He quickly found his own place and sat down as well.

"The live broadcast for Dawn III has already started, how much longer do we have?"

John asked Mattis impatiently, waiting for the live program to begin.

"I’ve just spoken with Director Claire on the phone. Artemis II has just completed its problem check and is now inspecting the lander. It will be done in an hour and a half, and the broadcast will start at 6 A.M."

"6 A.M.?"

John frowned and took another sip of coffee. It was only four o’clock now. Would he still have the energy to watch Artemis II land on the Moon after watching Dawn III?

Ah, no—wasn’t the Moon landing process itself going to take at least four or five hours? So, wouldn’t he need to watch Artemis II’s landing mission at the same time he was still watching Dawn III?

Eager to please, Pio quickly said, "Why don’t we tweet that it’s inhumane for Dawn III to land in the early morning, and that Artemis II choosing to land in the morning allows the public to rest a bit longer?"

Seeing John’s lack of response, Kelly and Mattis exchanged glances, knowing all too well that the sycophantic Pio might not last much longer here. After taking over the world’s leading nation, John had realized that flatterers without capability were utterly useless.

Moreover, it seemed he was also preparing to launch an investigation into the military logistics system and needed a stronger assistant.

Who would be the next Secretary of State? This question was as important as the Moon landing.

In the office filled with diverse thoughts, the classic background music of China’s aerospace, "Positive Outlook," began its prelude, and everyone quickly turned their attention to the television screen.

...

It was 14:00 in the afternoon, typically the time when people have lunch and a nap or prepare for work. It was also a Tuesday, a day that should have been busy with work.

However, one could markedly notice that the traffic volume in cities big and small across the country had decreased, and the number of pedestrians on the streets had sharply declined.

Ever since the Aerospace Development Committee officially announced the Moon landing time slot at 9 A.M., citizens nationwide had been trying to carve out time from their schedules to not miss the live broadcast.

Major and minor schools simply made use of the now-nationwide educational network TV endpoints to organize viewings for students on campus—it must be said that July 4th was a good day for this. Some schools had already started summer vacation, and the teaching schedule in schools that were still in session was not heavy, so no one was going against the Ministry of Education’s orders.

State-owned enterprises that could manage essentially put their work on hold for the event, with some organizing group viewings.

Of course, many companies arranged a half-day off or lightened the workload: Local law enforcement and municipal personnel were promoting this everywhere, and it would be a point of shame not to show any support at this time.

Beyond this, public places like advertising screens were now showing CCAV broadcasts, assuring that even without a television or smartphone, one could always find a place to watch.

Some of these initiatives were recently proposed by Lin Ju, ostensibly to boost the number of viewers syncing the live viewing, with the reasoning being to uplift national confidence and cultivate national pride.

New Yuan had an easier task with the sectors it could directly influence. The base naturally had full personnel viewing, and suppliers in cooperation with the base also had to comply, as New Yuan had exerted a great deal of effort in the Dawn Project.

Of course, these actions were also a little tied to the system; with the launch of the two rockets signifying the entry into a new phase of the space race, the eventual rewards would certainly be linked to popularity. It was important to be prepared.