Chapter 93 - 90 Oriental Action_1

Riding the elevator slowly ascending, the crew for the Unity spacecraft’s first manned flight was about to board the spacecraft 92 meters above the ground.

Feeling the increased gravity beneath their feet, the three crew members held hands tightly, their grip betraying an inner restlessness they could not silence.

The lead organization for the ISS, NACA, established the "Alliance TMA-17M Joint Command Center (referred to as Contact Commander)," with space agencies from all of the ISS member countries joining— as well as China’s National Space Administration and New Yuan Aeronautics’ propulsion.

The former of the latter two would provide joint telemetry and navigation, while the latter was responsible for the rescue operations.

Ma’s spaceX wasn’t idle either, standing by as a backup, the Dragon Spaceship was being rapidly refitted.

This time, the joint command was led by NACA, Russia Space Agency, China’s National Space Administration, and New Yuan Aeronautics propulsion, each headed by their highest responsible person serving as a peer commander, with the authority to mobilize all forces of the joint command center.

They dubbed the mission "Oriental Action," a name also evocative of Russia Space Agency’s "Dongfang vessel" and the rescuing party, China.

Within the Unity crew, the oldest member, Li Sheng, served as the commander, responsible for directing and coordinating the mission.

Climbing into the Unity spacecraft through a corridor nearly a hundred meters high, with Zhang Zhiguang seated in the back row, less than 40 minutes remained until launch.

This was nothing like the standard orderly launch procedure, reeking of urgency and haste.

Once secured, Deng Lei began the spacecraft self-check, while Zhang Zhiguang, behind him, checked and familiarized himself with the life support backpack of the spacesuit intended for use outside the cabin.

In the absolute zero of space, the extravehicular spacesuit must ensure an astronaut’s body temperature, pressure, and communication are maintained, all depending on the not-so-thick life support backpack.

It was then that Zhang Zhiguang, prompted by his earpiece, familiarized himself with various switches and crucial fixation points while also musing:

"Technology has advanced so quickly. Your New Yuan spacesuits are much lighter than the ’Feitian’ series, much softer, and are detachable for use inside the cabin. It truly lives up to its price tag of 55 million per suit."

Li Sheng said, "It feels like we’re soldiers in the rear during wartime, the enemy is already at our doorstep, and we’re just now being handed a rifle and boarding a train to engage in battle with an unknown outcome."

"Gentlemen, my engineers, the designers of the Unity and the New Yuan-2, and I assure you that the train and rifle you’re boarding are safe,"

Lin Ju responded to Li Sheng’s words from the control center.

Then a space agency representative stepped forward, opening a microphone:

"The spacesuits made by New Yuan are also manufactured by us. I assure you that every spacesuit has undergone rigorous testing and meticulous flaw detection, so your military uniforms are also definitely perfect.

We’re also developing the next generation of extravehicular spacesuits, which will be much better than ’Feitian’."

Lin Ju cast a puzzled glance as he heard the last remark.

He clearly remembered that in six years, spacewalks were still using ’Feitian’. Had history been changed again?

"Prepare for launch in half an hour!"

Following the command from the control center, Baikonur and the space agencies from various countries shared images of the launch control room and launch tower surroundings through an online conference.

NACA’s director, Claire, looking at the central display where the New Yuan-2 and the sleek Unity spacecraft atop it were shown, felt a multitude of emotions.

Four years ago in July, the Atlantis spacecraft completed its final flight mission, thereby ending the 40-year Space Transportation System (STS) program.

Of the five spacecraft, two were lost to accidents, and the one that flew the most carried out only 33 missions, far fewer than the designed 100, causing the space shuttle to become synonymous with high cost and lack of safety.

Yet, following the appearance of H1, the era of the space shuttle was inherited by XAP (New Yuan Aeronautics propulsion), still shining brightly.

"SLS was resurrected on the carcass of STS, but it doesn’t amount to even a single hair of STS! Damn Congress, the pursuits of human spaceflight are bound to be ruined by their ignorance and shortsightedness!"

Due to NACA’s almost non-existent sense of participation in the "Oriental Action," Claire once again felt the thrill and believed that Congress also could not endure America having no sense of participation, so he was about to face another battle.

At 12:19 Capital time, Contact Commander finally confirmed TMA-17M’s orbit and the mental state of the three astronauts, ready for a 30-minute countdown to launch.

The midday news and several satellite TVs finally received the news, but due to the suddenness of the event, this time, the number of people watching online on the internet was even greater.

Since it was Sunday, as the launch time approached, the viewership steadily increased, with even more international users watching the "Oriental Action" through YouTube.

In the live broadcast, a superior, who was on a local inspection, made a remote connection to give a brief speech to the three astronauts, ending with the words, "The motherland and the people are watching you, and you also carry the hopes of all the people of the world. Please be sure to complete the rescue mission and return safely!"

The three in the cabin then swore as (retired) military personnel: "Summon us, and we will fight, and we shall prevail in battle!"

Then came the space agency big shot, and finally Lin Ju:

"I and my engineers assure you that the Unity spacecraft is in very good condition. This is the most glorious launch of Unity, and it will be a safe mission. I await your triumphant return on the ground."

...

"Countdown, 90 seconds!"

Inside the Unity spacecraft’s crew cabin, all three members secured themselves and closed their eyes to calm their heartbeats.

The launch center had almost incessant warnings about the three astronauts’ heart rates and blood pressures, with Deng Lei’s even spiking to 130 for a while.

Although it was high, the launch still proceeded on time.

Today, the number of people watching from the beach opposite the launch site could only be described as pitifully few compared to before, but their sentiments were the most sincere.

After several tests, the live-streaming platform finally upgraded its servers to support a super-large capacity for comments, scrolling through a cascade of blessings that were wishes for both TMA-17M and the crew of Unity.

Inside the return capsule of Union TMA-17M, Oleg, Lindgren, and Keimei Arii all quieted down, listening carefully to the live audio being transmitted.

"Three, two, one, ignition."

"East Wind, optical and radar tracking is normal."

"Yuanwang-1, radar tracking is normal."

"Turn for program!"

Although it was unintelligible Chinese, the commands were mostly universal, and in Oleg’s imagination, he already saw Unity carrying three brave astronauts, bearing increasing g-forces, lifting from the Earth’s surface like an intercontinental missile, racing over quickly.

He looked down at the Earth through the porthole, now entering the airspace over Yunnan Province, where he could see the Yellow River and the Yangtze River.

Lindgren and Keimei Arii, who were also listening intently, were jolted by Oleg who gave them several forceful pats, and they heard English with a heavy Russian accent:

"Get ready! It won’t be long before we see our Chinese counterparts!"

New Yuan-2 accelerated quickly, and to save time, Unity would not enter orbit first but would instead directly catch up with TMA-17M with the joint guidance of two nearby Chinese satellites, one European Space Agency satellite, and two NACA satellites, expecting to reach the vicinity of TMA-17M in 10 minutes.

The second stage rocket’s hydrogen-oxygen engine had high specific impulse and thrust, providing a continuous push sensation amid the acceleration.

Zhang Zhiguang’s seat was behind Deng Lei’s, and at the moment he was watching a tutorial on the LCD screen hanging in front of him, teaching him how to operate the mechanical arm.

Of course, it wasn’t complicated in reality, just a high-precision miniature spherical joystick and a clamp camera system for the remote controller, which can be hinged or clamped onto the spacesuit, which he had already put on before departure.

This time, Commander Li Sheng did not have the time or the conditions to perform the classic space agency pen-spinning ritual, but instead, he was preparing to establish direct communication with Union TMA-17M based on the frequency band provided by the ground.