Chapter 430 Shenzhou-1 launch countdown
Chapter 430 Shenzhou-1 Launch Countdown
November 15, 1999, 3:12 pm.
“That’s the ‘Shenzhou No. 1’…”
Lin Xingjie narrowed his eyes, looking through the dust in the Gobi Desert, looking into the distance.
The most eye-catching in the launch center is naturally the two tallest “buildings”:
A launch tower made of steel, and a white rocket standing side by side with the launch tower.
They are like two giants, standing quietly on the wasteland, looking up to the sky. The universe deep in the sky is their home.
After getting off the plane, there will be a special car waiting to pick you up below. Lin Xingjie and a group of escorts boarded the car and drove for half an hour before arriving at the launch base. Looking at the distant target location on the empty wasteland, the actual distance that needs to be covered is always farther than expected.
Lin Xingjie was alone, sitting in the back seat of one of the special cars. She rested her cheeks with her hands and quietly looked at the barren land that was passing by quickly outside the car window.
There is really no scenery in the Gobi. At first, you will feel that the boundless world is magnificent and magnificent, but after watching it for a long time, you will only get bored.
Of course, Lin Xingjie didn’t come to travel to see the scenery. Speaking of boredom, she had already started to miss that alley with blue tiles and white walls in less than half a day when she was sitting on the plane.
“…”
The scenery outside the car window gradually transitions from a desert to a man-made building complex. The convoy drove smoothly into a long corridor leading to the underground.
She was a little interested, but after a while, she began to feel tired again.
Originally, Lin Xingjie would probably be happier if he went with Xu Xiangyang to rescue Qingyue. And now, she can’t even see Qingyue for the first time…
Can the plan succeed?
Xiangyang wants to enter the haunted house alone, which has never happened before. Does it really matter?
Lin Xingjie is always thinking about the same question. She raised her head, and what caught her eye was a huge and intricate steel structure. In addition to the conventional fuel delivery pipelines and support structures, there were also special personnel passages designed. Looking up from the inside, it was like being in a whole cuboid. labyrinth.
The people walking in this labyrinth are either dressed as doctors in white coats and white round caps, or like workers in blue coats and blue caps.
One after another cranes and trucks passed the car.
On November 15, 1999, at 16:30, Lin Xingjie arrived at the technical testing area of the South Launch Site of Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
After ten minutes, the speed of the convoy slowly decreased, and a group of people in white were standing at the end of the road waiting for the arrival of the guests. They are the main representatives of scientists and engineers on the base.
The first few people to get out of the car shook hands with the representatives of the scientific research workers in the launch base, and said a few words in a low voice. Next, everyone’s eyes were focused on the center of the team.
The young girl who got off the car is the absolute core and sole executor of the whole plan, the protagonist of today.
Although this launch is to verify the staged results of the maturity of manned spaceflight technology, it will obviously take a while of waiting and hard work to really get astronauts into space.
It is expected that in three to four years, the first pilot will fly into the universe with a rocket, which will be a space hero in the memory of a generation.
And now, because of an amazing idea, the plan has to be brought forward by several years… This is naturally a no-nonsense change.
Therefore, it is one thing for the launch base and the command center to agree to take over the mission, but in order to achieve the goal in just a few days, there are bound to be countless obstacles and difficulties.
Lin Xingjie heard that they were discussing various technical details of the exchange, and then the tone gradually became more intense and became like a quarrel. Unable to understand, she just stood by with her arms crossed and stared at them silently, but in fact her consciousness was already wandering around the world; until the people from the Science and Technology Commission looked over with embarrassment, as if expecting her to say something. a few words.
Lin Xingjie, who had come back to her senses, couldn’t help smacking her lips.
Look what am I doing?
However, everyone’s eyes were on her, as if they were expecting her to make a decision.
The psychic who followed behind her said softly:
“Miss Lin, they are waiting for your decision.”
seems to think that his hint was not obvious enough, and the other party added an additional sentence.
“Everyone’s administrative status is equal, so at this time, the important thing is not who is right or who is wrong, but someone who can end the quarrel.”
Lin Xingjie sighed.
She knew, of course she knew.
But whether in high positions or not, she is still just a high school student. No, even if she’s not a high school student, with Lin Xingjie’s character—
“What problem did you encounter? You can tell me about it, and I will use my superpower to solve it.”
The engineer representatives looked at each other,
Lin Xingjie frowned and repeated it again.
“I’ll use my superpowers… to try my best to solve it.” She changed her words slightly, “Only if you use words that I can understand.”
“Ms. Lin, we are not doubting your ability.” The lead engineer replied, “But in the current situation, Shenzhou-1 itself is not suitable for people to live in it. For example, the design space of the cockpit is too narrow. , you can only curl up in a fixed position, so even if you temporarily change the life support system, including urination and sweating, there are corresponding pipes that need to be adjusted…”
The current return capsule of Shenzhou-1 carries a male sim with a height of about 1.7 meters and is wearing a space suit. It is used to collect various experimental data such as temperature, humidity, oxygen, etc. of the return capsule in space. It’s a completely different matter, and the other party gestured with his hand.
“You can understand the situation of a vegetative person in a deep coma in the hospital.”
“Then there is no need for a subsistence system.”
Lin Xingjie’s answer is still concise.
“And a spacesuit, I don’t need it either.”
The rest of the people looked at each other again.
“Will it be more troublesome?”
someone asked. After all, the weight of the rocket is carefully calculated.
“It’s hard to say. If the life support system can make concessions…”
The lead engineer frowned.
“Also, is it able to resist the weightlessness and low temperature environment, and whether it can be active in outer space without the need for a space suit? Weightlessness, low temperature, pressure difference between inside and outside the body, cosmic radiation… are all problems, right?”
Someone else said.
“In fact, these are not the most important things. The purpose of this plan is to reach the universe, and the process of rocket launch is the top priority. The mission goal proposed by the superior for the manned spaceflight project is to ‘protect nine and eight’, With just over a month left until the millennium, we’ve reached the buzzer… This may not be auspicious for me, but before the actual launch, there are some things that no one can guarantee.”
Before arriving in outer space, passengers in the spacecraft also need to face the resonance phenomenon caused by the violent vibration during the ascent, as well as the high temperature: the temperature of the launch pad itself exceeds 3000 ℃, the temperature of the friction between the rocket coating and the air, during the lift-off stage It can reach more than 1800 ℃; and when walking through the dense atmosphere, the average temperature is between 2000 and 3000 ℃.
“Three thousand degrees Celsius, uh…”
Lin Xingjie clicked her chin uncertainly.
“At this level, even if I get thrown out, I should be able to hold it.”
The meaning of the girl in front of her seems to be that she wants to use her human body to withstand the ultra-high temperature of 3,000 degrees Celsius… Faced with words that are completely beyond their common sense, everyone present did not know how to react.
It’s not that they don’t understand the status of God Media and all kinds of outrageous rumors, but the scientific research field is separated by mountains.
“As long as this spaceship can send me to the sky.”
Lin Xingjie said to them very seriously.
“Worst case scenario, even if the rocket explodes during launch, I can survive.”
“…Understood.” The words have come to this point, and no one has any more opinions. “We have temporarily set up a series of test projects, which are still being debugged. Please wait for a while, comrade.”
…
November 16, 1999, 9:25 am.
Lin Xingjie is wandering around the labyrinth-like launch base under the leadership of the staff.
“Is this the cockpit?”
When passed the simulation cabin, Rapunzel took a special look inside and exclaimed.
“It’s really cramped inside!…Hey, okay, just sacrifice it to save people.”
Lin Xingjie thought to herself, if Qingyue couldn’t compensate her well after she was rescued, she would really be angry.
…
November 17, 1999, 20:54, Lin Xingjie moved towards the test site that was finally prepared.
What happened next, even to those who had been prepared for it, was amazing:
With the current level of human technology, it is still very difficult to completely simulate the universe environment, but it is still possible to achieve a certain degree of reproduction by testing them one by one. In order to achieve this, a few days ago, relevant personnel and testing equipment were specially transferred from the Beishan underground laboratory of CNNC – fortunately, it is not far from Lin Province.
Using multi-stage heat sink-assisted adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration technology to simulate the low temperature of the shadow area in outer space close to minus 200 degrees Celsius; using the experimental heavy ion cyclotron to simulate high-intensity cosmic radiation, it is necessary to simulate the high temperature of 3,000 degrees Celsius, which is enough to evaporate the human body. At the same time, it sprays plasma flames directly at people…
And all of these, all the test methods capable of destroying any known life form, were all blocked by the black tide surrounding Lin Xingjie.
The young girl with fluttering long hair stood in the center of the experiment site, like a human-shaped black hole, absorbing attacks from any level.
It is not so much a kind of “blocking” or “absorption”, it is better to say that she is in another dimension at all, which is beyond the cognition of quite a few researchers.
As for the descending tower that uses free fall to simulate a gravity-free environment, as Lin Xingjie herself said, even if she falls millions of meters from outer space, she can still walk on the ground.
November 18, 1999, 3:14 am.
“Easier than I thought.”
Lin Xingjie, who successfully passed all the test items, strode out of the laboratory in the simulated environment, with a refreshing and relaxed expression on her face.
“However, this is only natural, after all, I have to fight the real enemy.”
She said to the person in charge of the special special department who was waiting outside.
At the same time, several researchers in charge of sorting out the materials were whispering:
“I think I know why the Yankees are no longer keen on any ‘Star Wars’ plans…”
Compared to space colonization or cosmic wars with huge costs and far-flung goals, mediums that are actually changing the world pattern and leading human society in another direction are obviously more worthy of research and investment.
“The universe and the distant realm are also unknown worlds that humans are eager to explore and conquer. There is no need to favor one over the other.” An older engineer coughed and said so. But looking at his still trembling hands, it was obvious that he was also in shock.
Such a shock would soon spread throughout the launch center, and with it, spread across the country.
…
Nov 19, 1999, 23:25.
The expected launch time is tomorrow at 6am.
By then, the aircraft she is in, Shenzhou-1, will be launched on a Long March 2F rocket.
Sitting in the cramped simulated cockpit, the long-haired girl curled up, lying in this closed and dark cramped space.
Since no harsh natural environment can affect the divine media, whether it is the universe or the surface, the only thing left to worry about is Lin Xingjie’s own psychological factors.
Therefore, in these short hours, she needs to adapt to the relatively confined space as soon as possible, so as to adapt to the environment in the cockpit.
I heard that there is a neurosis called “claustrophobia”. If people are in a cramped or crowded place, they will experience a series of symptoms such as anxiety, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, cold sweats, and some hallucinations. In severe cases, suffocation may even occur.
But Lin Xingjie does not have this psychological barrier.
She doesn’t hate such a quiet space, so quiet as if there is only one person left, a small dark and narrow place will give people a sense of being sheltered.
The hustle and bustle of human voices in the launch center and the noise of the machine’s operation seemed to come from a long distance…
The millennium is approaching. The space age has passed for decades. Humans can launch rockets to reach the distant moon, but they cannot reach the universe in everyone’s heart.
Lin Xingjie folded her arms and clasped her legs, waiting for the time to pass, listening to the countdown ticking in her heart.
…
Nov. 20, 1999, 4:55.
The land of China is still in the dim haze before dawn.
The Jiuquan launch base is brightly lit.
At the end of the Gobi Desert, fish maw white appeared, and the lonely cold color revealed a dew-like coolness; when the sun first rose, a trace of morning light quickly dyed the vast desert, illuminating the cold metal tower and the white rocket shell.
In the inner lobby of the command and control center, people with expressions of anticipation and anxiety sat in front of the screen, waiting for the countdown to sound.
“One hour countdown to launch…”
“Fifteen minutes countdown to launch…”
“One minute countdown to launch…”
“—3, 2, 1, fire!”
(end of this chapter)