Li Wei, Lin Ju, Jeff Bezos, Ma Yilong.

The time spent on space by the four of them has been compressed to less than one year, and they are all heavyweights in the aerospace industry in their country and even in the world.

People only feel that the space race seems to have entered a white-hot stage, with the leaders of private space going to space one by one, and the space agencies of major powers also preparing to send important leaders and scientists into space.

This gap from a few decades ago is not just a matter of courage, but an indication of a trend: since the time of Yuri Gagarin, the risks of manned space flights have gradually been reduced to a manageable level, and safety has been greatly improved.

In the 60s, how did the former alliance buy time in order to compete for the position of the first man in space?

The Soyuz rockets built 4 at a time, and as long as there were two consecutive unmanned launches, the astronauts were shot on them, and each launch was like a Russian roulette, and no one knew whether it would blow up.

However, with the continuous development and maturity of the space industry, and according to the severity of the test of space launches, the success rate of rocket launches may be higher than that of airplanes.

……

July 6, five o'clock in the morning.

The No. 1 station of the Qiongzhou Space Launch Center and the Progress-Xinyuan-2 combination were launched into the assembly building and arrived at the launch site.

Judging from the repeated calculations of a number of meteorological experts and the real-time updated cloud images of satellites, the weather is good all day today, with very few clouds and a very small risk of lightning strikes, which is the best time to launch.

The fuel has begun to be filled, but Lin Ju, who has been unable to sleep for a few days, had a good sleep last night, and was just woken up at this time to enjoy breakfast with Li Wei and Hu Dong.

Li Wei wore a green coat and went back to 13 years ago in a trance.

This time he seemed to be no different from that year, the closer the time was to the launch, the faster he felt, and the whole person did not feel sleepy at all.

Even though he knew that he was about to enter the sky again, he ate naturally and showed calm everywhere.

Deputy Commander Hu Dong was a little nervous, Deng Lei was still in the Tiangong space station at this time, and he would not come down until September or October, so he cooperated with Li Weiyi as the main and deputy commander.

He already has the energy twice and is not afraid, but the two people on the same plane are too important, and he has been practicing various emergencies these days.

One by one, in case, Hu Dong, who had always been confident, suddenly felt that this flight was full of risks, and felt that it should not be carried out.

Lin Ju was very relaxed, and at the same table were Guo Shen and Anderov, who personally led the maintenance of the three space shuttles.

Lin Ju has unconditional trust in the system and the engineers, and he believes that this launch will be as perfect as it has been in the past.

He was even joking with Anderov:

"I won't write a suicide note, if my boss dies, I will watch you two fight for the inheritance of the melon branch, and then come down to accompany me."

Guo Shen: "Boss, in fact, we can accompany you immediately." ”

Lin Ju: ?

Anderov didn't know where to pull out a cabin spacesuit helmet and put it on the table.

"The Solidarity is also on standby, why don't you change your mind now, delay it for five hours, and the five of us will go up on the Unity?"

Lin Ju hadn't answered yet, and Li Wei, who was originally stable, was almost choked by the vegetables, and waved his hand again and again:

"No, no, you haven't done any training, and the space launch mission can't be changed......"

"It's okay, they're kidding."

Lin Ju interrupted Li Wei's worries with a timely voice, and pointed to the helmet on the table with a smile:

"You can wear this helmet with his big head? I'm afraid I can't turn my head, I have to customize it. ”

There was a burst of laughter in the room, and a little prank orchestrated by the two system engineers succeeded in calming the mood completely, and the three of them ended their hearty but barely moving breakfast with a smile, except for the plate of dumplings, which was noticeably less than half, and raised their wine glasses as usual.

5 ml of wine in his stomach, Lin Ju frowned and looked at the wine glass with only a faint purple red, and deeply doubted whether his sense of taste had deteriorated.

The alcohol content of this 5 ml of wine is probably more than a Dali Garden egg yolk pie, no wonder Li Wei also drank it before going to heaven for the first time, not to mention the impact of this alcohol on people, he can't even taste it for a second.

Fortunately, he is not a drunkard, just a complaint, and there is no unfinished meaning.

The trio got into the business van they had been waiting in early downstairs and arrived at the launch center, where they would change into spacesuits.

As soon as he entered the locker room, Lin Ju, who was wearing a jumpsuit, saw the bigwigs of the Space Agency and several leaders of the launch management center.

He was not surprised, and the other party also greeted with a smile:

"Three, on behalf of the Space Administration and the Launch Management Center, I promise you that the launch of the Qiongzhou Cosmodrome on July 6 will be in excellent condition and the weather will be good, and we will make 100% guarantees that the launch and tracking and control system will be absolutely safe, absolutely reliable, and absolutely guarantee your safety."

From the mouth of the big guy, Lin Ju can already imagine how they have inspected the supporting facilities over and over again, and I am afraid that even the sand at the launch site has been checked.

Li Wei saluted and shouted loudly: "The crew of the Progress Yao-6 launch mission, all the crew members are in good condition and can carry out manned flight missions!" ”

Lin Ju was also a little more serious, and first said to the big guy: "Although I am also a crew member, I still say here that the H1 series has withstood many tests, and I guarantee that the Progress is absolutely reliable on behalf of Xinyuan Company, and I also have 100% confidence."

Director Huang," he turned to look at the director of the Launch Administration, who was about to become the chief of fire.

"This newfangling rocket shouldn't be going to ignite the trees here."

Director Huang: "If you burn a few trees, you can guarantee the success of the launch, even if you set all the trees here, it doesn't matter, I have to go and order them myself." ”

“……”

Not to mention, if it's in other countries, it's really a routine.

Unlike Shepard, the unlucky guy who urinated in his spacesuit, Gagarin emptied the rear tires of the bus before setting off, so it became customary for the crew of each subsequent Soyuz mission to do the same......

Lin Ju felt that there was no need to repeat this kind of ritual in Huaguo, and he felt a little unethical.

Soon, the trio put on their spacesuits with the help of the staff.

The weight of these spacesuits in the cabin is only 14 kilograms, and wearing them does not hinder the movement very much, on the contrary, the small air conditioner in the hand is 6 kilograms.

The portable air conditioner keeps the cool breeze flowing into the spacesuit, making it feel a little stuffy, and even the close-fitting onesie and hood are breathable and comfortable to wear.

The crew took the oath together under the flag, and there was no complicated departure ceremony.

The latter has been gradually canceled in the increasing number of commercial launches, and within a year, the astronaut expedition is no longer a big deal, just a simple process.

(End of chapter)