Chapter 648 - 632 Investigation

B-level base.

"The problem is in the telemetry stage, which is the only time the Departing Fire launch mission maintains close contact with the space agency."

Around 5 a.m., the base was once again sleepless, brightly lit throughout the night.

The information sent back by Lin Ju had garnered high attention from everyone. Without a second thought, they immediately called for "Mountain and Sea," initiating a no-dead-angle search and summary of the relevant content just like last time.

The others weren’t idle either. Secrecy had always been a key focus at the base. With few places at risk, they quickly found a breakthrough.

There were two communication channels with the extraterrestrial probes: one was through geosynchronous satellites equipped with large antennas for reception and relay; the other was relying on the space agency’s telemetry antenna arrays at home and abroad. However, the latter was generally the main method, as the reception capability of ground or sea-based large antennas was clearly stronger.

Following this lead and conducting a dragnet-style screening, combined with a few important time nodes set in place, "Mountain and Sea" effortlessly found the clues.

However, the subsequent investigation involving secrecy took a lot of time. Fortunately, "Mountain and Sea" had powerful associative and summarizing abilities and was able to piece together the sequence of events.

The root of the leak traced back to the day the Comet-Departing Fire complex released the disguised radio beacon:

The fake radio beacon could not only simulate the same radio signals but could also create a radar reflection signature almost identical using folded aluminum foil. However, this did not solve the problem of the probe’s signal characteristics being detected upon separation.

The base tackled this issue by taking advantage of monitoring gaps. Unlike NACA, which has a global ground monitoring network that can provide accurate signal receiving/transmitting services at any time, there is a certain time window when domestic monitoring networks turn their backs on the probes.

It was during this period that the main probe separated from the beacon, accelerating and detouring before heading to the destination. In the vast expanse of space beyond Earth, its size was much smaller than the smallest meteorite, finding it was akin to a blind cat running into a dead mouse.

This posed two potential risks:

First, the blind cat might indeed encounter a dead mouse.

Second, the space agency is not a blind cat; on the contrary, it is where the smartest, most patient, and most responsible minority converge.

After the probe had released its beacon, the space agency took some time to reconnect to its monitoring network, and the incident happened with Yuan Wang No. 6, the first survey ship to resume the signal while cruising the Indian Ocean.

At that time, Yuan Wang No. 6 only detected the disguised radio beacon, but its military design allowed it to record a faint and brief thermal signal, resulting in an additional entry in the system log.

The Comet’s thruster was nuclear-electric, powered by a nuclear reactor to supply energy to the Hall Thruster for propulsion. The downside was its small acceleration, so when releasing the beacon, it underwent a short period of high-power operation to quickly break away from the original trajectory, causing the heat sink to emit a lot of thermal energy, which was captured by the sensitive Yuan Wang No. 6 for a brief instant.

This was not any conclusive evidence, so it had been shelved until Zhong Cheng took office. Taking on a responsible approach, he reviewed all projects related to New Yuan, not overlooking this detail.

At first, he suspected there might be a problem with the probe and requested the latest status of "Departing Fire," only to be told by the base that it was under direct control and that the space agency had not paid much attention to it before reaching the destination, for the sake of convenience.

Only then did Zhong Cheng discover that for the past six months or more, the probe had only sent back basic data—except for location coordinates and logs, there was nothing else.

If it were a regular probe, this would be normal, as it would save electricity during deep space flight. However, "Departing Fire" was equipped with a nuclear reactor, with abundant electricity and the ability to work at maximum power at any time. It was unlike New Yuan’s style to be so silent—actually, this silence was abnormal.

Having doubts made the subsequent steps much easier. As of "Mountain and Sea’s" latest clue, Zhong Cheng had essentially confirmed that what was flying wasn’t "Departing Fire."

As for how far the specific investigation had progressed, "Mountain and Sea" was powerless. But this was information enough.

When everyone at the base sent their conclusions to Lin Ju, he just glanced through it and could no longer suppress his drowsiness, promptly falling asleep.

...

The morning of January 23, in accordance with the schedule, the preliminary opinions from higher-ups would be conveyed today, which simply means there would be a morning meeting.

The meeting was set to start at 8:30 a.m., and Zhong Cheng was already seated at the head of the table early. His eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating a busy previous night, and a strong smell of tobacco lingered around him.

Until most people had arrived, Lin Ju was nowhere to be seen, which was within Zhong Cheng’s expectations. If everything was as he thought, Lin Ju’s condition today would likely be one of extreme exhaustion...

"Good morning, everyone."

At the door, Lin Ju appeared, holding a cup of soy milk. He looked radiant and did not show any signs of worry or stress, seeming even more relaxed than usual, with none of yesterday’s barely concealed panic on his face.

The others didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, but Zhong Cheng couldn’t help but start to question his own memory. If last night’s events weren’t a dream, how could this young man still manage such a performance?

He watched Lin Ju’s demeanor and movements closely but couldn’t detect any flaws or traces of sleep-deprivation.

Could I have been wrong?

This thought flashed through his mind, but as everyone had arrived, it meant it was time to get down to business. He had to suppress his immense doubts, coughed lightly, and became serious:

"Ladies and gentlemen, last night we confirmed through multiple channels that America is set to carry out Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn landing missions in succession. There is substantial evidence that multiple aerospace companies have participated in NACA’s conferences regarding these matters.

Relevant proposals have also been submitted to Congress for the approval process, and NACA is recruiting scholars from related fields in society, forming the Deep Space Exploration Research Association."

This news immediately caused a stir among everyone, with expressions of disbelief all around.

Zhong Cheng observed the reactions of the crowd and continued:

"At the same time, I have received the latest instructions from senior leaders, who believe that deep space exploration indeed relates to space progress, helps push aerospace technology to new heights, breaks new ground in exploration, and creates a new trajectory for human civilization’s outward development.

Therefore, under the premise of not affecting existing space programs, we are expected to detach a portion of our staff to form a research team for deep space exploration outside the Mars orbit. We are discussing the feasibility of both unmanned and manned missions, as well as their scientific significance, and are required to compile information and submit a feasibility study report within two months.

I propose that the team leader and deputy team leader should be myself and Vice Chairman Lin, with additional members being temporarily drafted from our current research personnel."