Chapter 444 - 435 Cold Palace No.1_1

"Since there was no collision discovered within five minutes, the engine must have been successfully restarted, but normally, once able to enter orbit, they definitely wouldn’t take the risk of landing again."

Lin, who silently observed the entire process, also had the base use the satellites and Explorer robots under their control for detection, but there are no results yet.

Yun Hongjun, "Is there a way to use the radar to search?"

Academician She shook his head, "Right now, Dawn III’s command module and the Black Rabbit Space Station are on the far side, out of radar reach. The radars on those satellites can’t detect such a small object, and it will be at least an hour before the radar has a scanning window."

"How could the engine shut down? Relying on a single engine does have its disadvantages, once it fails, it’s too dangerous."

"We can’t apply their experience to ours. ’Blue Moon’ was too anxious, and they started with an integrated model right away, which is definitely more complicated... Lin, what do you think?"

Lin Ju, "NACA hasn’t resumed the live broadcast yet, I estimate the situation is not very good. Let’s not worry about them for now; we can’t disrupt our own plans. If there’s really an accident, the chances of a rescue are extremely low."

Academician She and Yun Hongjun both nodded, the former thought for a moment but ultimately didn’t rush the two astronauts.

...

Huayin.

"Leader..."

The superior tilted their head to listen for a while, their expression growing increasingly serious.

After a brief consideration, he whispered a few instructions and then began writing a eulogy in his notebook—time was short, an accident could happen at any time, and they had to be prepared.

Various delegates waiting for their superior’s moment of glory also witnessed this scene. The two closest hurriedly approached to inquire about what had happened.

The superior thought for a bit, after all, it was America’s affair, so there was nothing wrong with telling.

...

"14, steady it for me."

Explorer No. 9, manipulated by 14 from afar, landed on all four feet, gripping the flagpole with a base at the very bottom in a standing position.

Zhang Zhiguang connected the UPS portable power supply to the bore bit inside the flagpole, then along with Explorer, pressed down on the flagpole. The bore bit immediately began to spiral downward, drilling into the lunar soil about 1.4 meters deep before starting to tighten under mechanical force; the hollow bore bit twisted and deformed to the sides, firmly wedging itself in the lunar soil.

This was, in effect, a super-sized self-expanding screw; once it was driven in, there was no moving it.

The other five segments had already been moved out by Fang Lin, and the two worked together again, securing the second flagpole in just seven or eight minutes.

They carefully extracted two vivid solidified flags from the foil paper. Unlike the wrinkled one America had planted years ago, these were extremely smooth on the surface—technology had clearly advanced.

They fixed them onto the metal wires on either side and slid them into the guide rails—perfect.

Chinese viewers, watching this scene through the camera facing the flagpole, were on the verge of rising to their feet, following muscle memory.

It was now 20:37. The two had moved quickly.

However, there was one very important item left to place.

Zhang Zhiguang and Fang Lin went to the steps of the airlock and, together, lifted a large box wrapped in gold foil, about half their height and slightly narrower than them in their spacesuits.

The two cautiously held the handles and chose to walk slowly rather than hop as before, moving under the flagpole and gently setting down the box.

They removed the gold foil and one-time handles from the box, revealing a perfectly square, ivory-white case that emitted a soft glow in the sunlight.

Fang Lin pulled out four support stands from beneath the box and lightly pressed the exposed metal rods; the support stands were immediately anchored in place with ground nails.

He stood up and pressed the switch on the side of the box, then took a step back.

The metal lid of the box began to fold forward 240 degrees, revealing the layer inside for all to see, with a poem inscribed in gold that could last a very long time.

Following that, a life-sized bust rose from the box, fully revealing itself.

The inside of the box had collapsible supports, and once raised, it reached a height of 2.2 meters, making it appear quite tall.

Zhang Zhiguang turned on the live broadcast audio and read aloud:

"Clutch the moon in the nine heavens, catch turtles in the five oceans, return with the laughter of triumph."

Fang Lin took over:

"There is nothing difficult in the world, as long as one is willing to climb."

The sculpture was hollow, but its surface on the Moon appeared as soft and lustrous as jade on Earth. It was clear how much effort the creators had put into it, but now it was all worth it.

The two of them stood firm beneath the statue, facing the live broadcast camera a dozen meters away.

"Command center, Dawn is ready. Requesting to proceed with the next mission."

"Ground control approves!"

Underneath the flagpole that filled the frame perfectly, two astronauts, their golden visors up, stood tightly next to the bust.

"On behalf of the Manned Space Flight Office, the Aerospace Development Committee, and the Space Agency, I officially announce the commencement of our country’s long-term scientific research station on the Moon: ’Cold Palace No.1’ Moon Base. This marks a fresh step for humanity in the exploration of extraterrestrial bodies.

It is the crystallization of the wisdom of countless workers in our country. We welcome and call upon all of humankind to join in this process and accelerate the journey into the starry seas in the 21st century...

..."

Zhang Zhiguang recited the script that he had memorized long before the rocket launch with impeccable accuracy and a solemn tone, broadcasting it to the whole world through television.

In truth, the lander of Dawn 2 could already be considered part of Cold Palace No.1 Base, but it only truly mattered when people arrived.

After Zhang Zhiguang finished reading the script, it was time for a voice from Earth.

Superiors had waited for a while but hadn’t received news of Artemis II’s mishap, so it seemed that it had escaped danger, which meant there was no need to make a transoceanic phone call to express condolences.

Now his voice was to travel from Huayin to space, then relayed to the Moon, and by the time the live audience heard it, three seconds would have passed.

"Zhang Zhiguang, Fang Lin, I send my greetings to you from Huayin City."

After a few seconds of waiting, the two men on the Moon waved their hands and responded.

"You have achieved a historic accomplishment that we have never had before. It is great, and it is significant not only for the entire world, but also, the people of our nation and people around the world take pride in your achievements.

... (a long passage omitted)

Next, members from multiple countries here with me will also express their congratulations to you."

The microphone was passed to others at the venue in Huayin.

"Dear Davarish..."

"Reliable friend of the East, I..."

"..."

A sentence or two, but by the time they finished speaking, it was already 20:55. No matter how you looked at it, Dawn III had a much bigger audience for its first Moon landing than Apollo 11 did.

Two minutes later, it was time for the final event.

Zhang Zhiguang stood beside the flagpole’s hoist, shouting with all his might:

"Flag-raising ceremony, begin!"

Everyone at the Huayin venue stood up, everyone at the Qiongzhou Launch Site stood up, and across the nation, as well as overseas, countless people also stood in front of various screens.

Without any accompanying music, the astronauts started singing and only their voices could be heard in the broadcast, but people knew that at least hundreds of millions were singing along with them.

Inside the Presidential Palace, John instinctively grabbed his chair as if to stand, but was promptly held back by the sharp-eyed James.

When the song of the astronauts ended, it took John a while to regain his composure.

Wait, today is Independence Day, Independence Day, indeed. Surely no Yankees were singing along?

Just as he was contemplating this new discovery, he suddenly saw someone from the Air Force Intelligence Room enter hastily with a grim expression.

"We’ve received a report from Houston, Artemis II is in trouble."