NASA。

Satellite control center.

In front of the horseshoe-shaped console, a black figure stood. Among them are NASA engineers, officials from the White House and Congress, and professionals from famous North American space companies such as Space-X and Blue Space.

The atmosphere of the scene was quite depressing, and a pair of eyes converged into a point on the big screen on the console.

All eyes were on the same spot, as if waiting for an outcome.

Three days ago, carrying the core module components of the Yuegong space station, Huaguo Xiangrui lifted off again and successfully broke through the atmosphere and entered low-earth orbit.

The eyes of almost all the space agencies in the world are focused on this spacecraft orbiting the moon.

If the launch program is successful, China will become the first country in the world to launch a space station in lunar orbit, and will also become the only country in the world that has been proven to have the ability to construct lunar orbit.

For the United States, this is clearly not good news.

If nothing else, their "Deep Space Gate" lunar orbital space station will have to wait until next year to begin launching its first form, and while the success of Project Ares has put them ahead of the Mars colonization program, it seems that losing the moon like this does not seem to be worth the loss.

Since three days ago, NASA's lens of the lunar observation satellite has been locked at the exit of the Earth-Moon transfer orbit, waiting for the spacecraft that has been out of the synchronous orbit for a long time to reappear in the footage.

If nothing else, today should be the time for Xiangrui to reach the moon's orbit......

Staring at the big screen on the console with gloomy eyes, Director Carson stood there with his hands behind his back for a long time, and suddenly looked at his watch with some impatience and spoke.

"Haven't you shown up yet?"

Standing next to Director Carson, Bill, the director of the Satellite Control Center, flipped through the folder in his hand and quickly reported to him.

"According to our calculations, they have about ten minutes left to reach the lunar orbit...... Of course, it is not excluded that they did not use the possibility of the Earth-Moon transfer orbit in the traditional sense, and cut into the orbit around the Moon by other means. ”

At this point, Bill glanced at Director Carson and continued with a somewhat subtle expression.

“…… If that's the case, we'll need more accurate lunar altitude data to make accurate observations of their spacecraft. ”

Director Carson pursed the corners of his lips.

“…… You can give us a call and ask the China Space Agency, and maybe they'll tell you. ”

Bill, the director of the Satellite Control Center, had a slight pause in his voice, and the smile on his face was a little embarrassed. Standing not far from Director Carson's side, the president glanced impatiently at his watch and spoke.

“…… We can't wait here forever, maybe next time you can give me a more accurate time. ”

Director Carson: "Please don't worry, my Mr. President, whether the situation is optimistic or not, we will see the results in two hours at most......"

If he could, he certainly hoped that damn space plane never showed up for the best. It's better to be like a comet that has gone out of control, disappearing forever at the end of the Earth-Moon system......

NASA needs an opponent who is in hot pursuit of them, not a fighter who is half a step ahead of them. No matter what field they are in, they have to do their best, and it's not just an honor, it's a damn politics. Treat it right.

However, Carson also knew that his expectations were not even a luxury.

Xiangrui, which has already succeeded in manned landing on the moon, has no reason why it can't even do such a simple thing as delivering satellites.

Sure enough, as if confirming his guess, the moment the hand was on point, there was a sudden commotion of surprise in front of the console.

A NASA engineer standing below the screen suddenly pointed to a certain part of the screen and shouted uncontrollably.

"It's Xiangrui! I see it! ”

Looking in the direction the engineer was pointing, Director Carson's pupils instantly contracted into a dot.

Appeared!

It's the Lucky Fortune!

……

Above the moon, a dark night, pierced by a faint arc of light that pierced the cold silence.

A bright silver space plane, like a silver shuttle coming from deep space, smoothly completed the orbit switch and slowly merged into the 127-minute orbit.

All the operations are done in one go, without any mud and water.

Staring at the pitted moon, Nie Yun, who was sitting in the driver's seat, had a smile on the corner of his mouth, and he had a lot of thoughts in his heart.

It's back here again......

I remember the last time I was here, it was two or three months ago.

No matter how many times he saw such a beautiful scene, he couldn't help but be fascinated.

The only regret is that this time he can't stand on that gray land either.

But he believes that in the not-too-distant future, a trip to the moon will be as common as a flight across the ocean.

And at that time, the little wish in his heart may not be a wish at all.

Reaching out and pressing on the helmet, Nie Yun spoke in a clear voice.

“…… This is the Xiangrui, and we have successfully entered orbit. ”

After a brief pause, a cacophony of voices came from within the communication channel.

“…… This is the ground command center, and it's good to hear that you're halfway there...... Now please go to the designated airspace and prepare for the next stage. ”

"Roger!"

Reaching out and pressing on the control panel, Nie Yun switched the flight mode from orbit change mode to automatic cruise mode, and skillfully opened the door pressure measurement system.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Nie Han confirmed the data between the plane and the moon on the rangefinder, and said in a casual tone.

"The orbital altitude is normal and it is approaching the target area...... Maybe we can hurry up, and if the situation is optimistic, maybe we can catch up with the test flight of the Xiaguang. ”

Hearing her words, Nie Yun smiled and said, "Don't think about it, the test pilots have already decided, they are two young men from the aerospace team." ”

Nie Han sighed with a slightly regretful expression: "Really? That's a pity. ”

The Glower is said to have a two-wing design, with four of the five engines capable of controlling the direction of the jet at a wide angle. This new type of aircraft will be able to complete the flight from the surface to the orbital section in a safer way with lower working fluid loss.

Such a flying machine must be more interesting to fly than the Xiangrui.

Nie Yun: "There's nothing to regret, we have other test flight missions, I promise you'll be interested." ”

Nie Han: "What test flight mission?" ”

Nie Yun said with a smile: "Your old business, driving a transport plane...... Shuttle back and forth between Earth-Moon orbit and geosynchronous orbit. ”

Some time ago, he heard that Star Technology is considering using the propulsion system of the Xiangrui to develop an interplanetary electric propulsion spacecraft that can transfer to the Earth and the Moon for a fast round trip.

If this research can be successful, it may not be long before the Xiangrui will retire from the stage of history.

At the very least, withdrawn from civilian launch missions.

Nie Han rolled his eyes: "I'd rather fly the Xiangrui, I applied for this mission because I was annoyed by driving a transport plane." ”

Nie Yun quipped in a relaxed tone: "Isn't it because you can fly higher?" ”

Nie Han: "It's both...... We're here! ”

As they spoke, the two of them had already arrived at the target area.

The path of the flight is gradually deviating from the 127-minute orbit, entering an elliptical orbit.

This is the best place to launch a lunar satellite, and the core module operating in this orbit can maintain a stable operation for up to 36 months without the help of a propulsion system, thanks to the combined effect of the Earth, the sun and the gravitational pull of the moon.

With the help of propulsion systems, very little working fluid and energy is needed to keep the space station in this tranquil orbit for decades......

After confirming the orbit parameters and restraining the excitement in his heart, Nie Yun took a deep breath, reached out and pressed it on the side of the helmet, and said in a steady and firm voice.

"This is Xiangrui, and we've arrived at the space station to deliver orbit."

A short time later, an order came from the ground command.

“…… Start the cargo hold! ”

"Roger," Nie Han in the passenger seat exchanged a determined look, he reached out to lift the safety brake of the cargo hold, and then pressed the red button that popped up.

"Opening the cargo hold!"

A slight muffled sound floated up the soles of his feet, accompanied by a slow tremor, and the silver-white cylindrical spacecraft was thrown into the deep space behind him by the Xiangrui......

Looking at the four green words [Successful Separation] that popped up on the screen, Nie Yun said loudly in an excited voice.

"The cargo hold was successfully activated!"

"The Moon Palace has successfully entered the predetermined orbit!"

"We made it!"

-

(The new January has started again, ask for a monthly pass~~~ Hey, I'm so excited, I'm going to skydive tomorrow, it's said to be 13,000 feet, but I don't know if I can fly so high.) In short, it's for the sake of the material! The insurance has been bought, good luck everybody! ）

。 m.