Chapter 460 - 451 Moon Expressway_1

On July 9th, at 10 a.m., the first incandescent fire meteor appeared in the skies above the South Asian Subcontinent.

It was the command capsule of Dawn III, which was decelerating by skipping across the atmosphere at about 20 times the speed of sound, with its altitude constantly fluctuating.

The Yuanwang Five Measuring Ship, which had just completed its docking and resupply in Malay, precisely calculated the spacecraft’s intended splashdown area, almost coinciding with the predetermined location.

However, the astronauts aboard the spacecraft were unaware of these details. Unlike a space shuttle, it was difficult for them to know their exact landing point at the moment, as they were still recovering their senses after the recent tumbling.

Victor and Koch had completely relaxed by now, wearing the spare spacesuits taken from the U-Tu space station by Ding Jihua. Though the suits fitted, they were not very comfortable, and being fixed on a bunch of soft packages was somewhat unpleasant.

Fortunately, the spacecraft was making a sea splashdown for recovery, which would be quite comfortable. The command capsule, with its air shield, fell into the sea at less than 10 m/s, making it feel like being tossed by a wave.

Zhang Zhiguang rested for a few minutes and then struggled to open the hatch door. The outside sunlight and the moist air laden with salt rushed in immediately.

Two helicopters had already appeared on the horizon, and if you looked carefully, you could also make out the silhouettes of vessels on the sea surface.

The first to arrive were two lifeboats from the Liaoning Ship. They clambered over each other to transfer the five astronauts onto the lifeboats one by one, then moved alongside the aircraft carrier lift, where a crane lifted them up.

Though a comprehensive supply ship and a 071 amphibious landing ship also accompanied the fleet, in terms of comfort, the larger-tonnage aircraft carrier was better.

Of course, this was also largely about showcasing the importance attached to the first Moon landing and, coincidentally, flexing some muscle.

Neither Victor nor Koch had ever imagined setting foot on an aircraft carrier and looked around curiously.

He had previously been a naval aviator, quite familiar with the sea.

"Hey, your carrier-based aircraft are really big, more than half larger than the ’plastic bugs’. Can I take a look?"

The ground crew blocked Victor from getting too close to the J-15 parked inside the hangar, casting an inquiring glance at the ship’s captain next to him.

The latter waved his hand to indicate permission, as there wasn’t much to make of it -- the confidentiality of the aircraft was moderate at best.

Victor walked around the fighter with interest, then climbed curiously into the cockpit to observe. He immediately saw many unfamiliar electronic devices inside, demonstrating that this was not just a clumsy big brute. It was more sophisticated than he imagined.

He then looked around the hangar, which was much cleaner than the one on the aircraft carrier he had served, showing no signs of being an old ship.

Soon after, the five astronauts were taken to the deck for some fresh air. It didn’t take long for Victor to spot a familiar silhouette in the distance: an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

The American military ship had finally arrived. The lone DDG-107 "Gravely" was rapidly approaching the fleet to investigate, and then the Yinchuan tried to chase it away. The two vessels kept turning and changing course close to each other, creating a lively scene.

Zhang Zhiguang, "Victor, it seems you have quite a bit of curiosity."

Victor, "Perhaps they just want to check on Koch and me?"

Zhang Zhiguang, "I’m afraid that will have to wait until after you’ve rested."

Victor, "Zhang, how much do you think John will pay for us?"

Zhang Zhiguang, "This is free of charge. Humanity should support each other in space."

"I don’t believe that."

"..."

...

The fleet would first head towards Qiongzhou to dock and then let the five astronauts disembark to take a plane to the Capital.

Journalists following the fleet recorded the astronauts’ good spirits and the scenes of them basking in the sun on the deck, declaring the lunar mission and the accompanying rescue operation a complete success.

Bringing back two human astronauts, the harvest was far greater than that of inorganic samples.

Artemis II, following close behind, remained in low Earth orbit, waiting a few more hours to land after dawn in America.

This also allowed the Aerospace Development Committee to rest easy, knowing both the astronauts and the black box were secured, and the higher-ups would soon take a brief leave from Huayin to meet the five astronauts in Beijing:

Artemis II and Dawn III, all astronauts who had landed on the Moon in mankind’s new century return to the Moon, were now within the country and were to first receive a meeting with the higher-ups.

The thought of astronauts from both countries being decorated in the Great Hall couldn’t help but make Lin Ju laugh out loud.

Academician She too was extremely moved; the Dawn project had come this far and the gains had already far exceeded the investments. At least for a while, no one would oppose further investment in space exploration.

However, Lin Ju noticed a problem while watching the fleet’s sea rescue of the astronauts:

"Didn’t the aircraft carrier bring two Z-8s this time? Why do they still use lifeboats to retrieve people, why not lift them directly onto the deck like America does?"

Academician She: "We’ve conducted direct lifting exercises, but we’ve done those fewer times. After considering all factors, using boats is safer; helicopters are prone to accidents.

However, we probably won’t have many sea recoveries in the future, land is more convenient."

"I see, I thought the helicopters were unreliable."

"That’s not the case, though the power is a bit less, their quality is certainly up to standard. What, do you have any suggestions?"

"I plan to dissolve the aviation power division."

Lin Ju’s statement was startling, as if he was speaking of an insignificant matter:

"The base is too cluttered and crowded. I plan to transfer everything including manufacturing of atmospheric engines and the design and manufacture of aircraft out and establish a new company for independent development. Airplanes like the C810 will also be produced by them.

The new company’s main business would be small and mid-sized aviators and engines, like turbofans, turbojets, turboshafts, and gas turbines. We are already packing up the relevant production lines in the base, ready to find a spot nearby to settle them down."

"Then, this new company will be quite large."

Since it’s a complete removal, the future engines supplied to domestic civil and military aircraft would definitely be manufactured by this new company. Just these orders alone could help them quickly grow into an international powerhouse. Furthermore, given New Yuan’s famously strong R&D capabilities, they probably won’t fare poorly after independence.

Lin Ju nodded, "Yes, I plan to send Androff out to lead the way. He’s planning to develop a more economical, high-thrust turbofan engine to replace the XW30. Additionally, he’s ready to get involved with helicopters, which not many people are doing domestically, and work on high-powered turboshaft engines."

Academician She: "There is indeed a lot of demand for civilian helicopters domestically, for electric grids and emergency rescue fire fighting. That’s the right direction.

Right now, you are the domestic leader in airliner manufacturing, and with the addition of helicopters, that’ll be akin to General Motors and half of Boeing. You probably won’t be short of money in the future, will you?"

Yet, Lin Ju sighed and a look of worry appeared on his face:

"Sir She, we’ve run into big trouble with mining on the Moon."

"What trouble?"

"The most accessible mining site we’ve found is 200 kilometers away from the nearest ice collection spot. It’s impossible to transport water through pipelines, and the smelting plant needs a large amount of water to synthesize chemical raw materials, so tell me, how much would it cost to build a few hundred kilometers of highway on the Moon?"

"..."