Chapter 1046
The Eagle Tribe Makes a Big Appearance
On the eve of the launch, Su Dingping was enjoying the breeze on the top floor of the command center building near the launch site.
He never expected to see Guo Xueyun here.
She had just finished her work and rushed over from the satellite control center, looking somewhat travel-worn.
"Is everything ready?" Guo Xueyun asked.
Her gaze fell on the distant launch tower, which was illuminated by spotlights as if it were daytime.
"Everything is ready." Su Dingping nodded. "'Haotian' capsule has undergone all the extreme ground tests we can think of, and there will be no problems."
"But... the real test is actually after we go to heaven."
"I thought you were never nervous."
Guo Xueyun was somewhat surprised.
"You always seem so confident, I never expected you to feel a little nervous."
Su Dingping shook his head.
"I am, after all, human, not some otherworldly deity. How could I not be nervous?"
He smiled.
"If even I, the person in charge, am nervous, what about everyone else?"
Therefore, in order to put the entire project team at ease, Su Dingping had to appear confident and composed.
"Like the first satellite of Starlink."
Guo Xueyun smiled.
"Trust our team, trust the data..."
The two stood side by side, without saying another word.
The night sky was clear and dotted with stars.
"If, I mean, if the launch is successful, could you grant me a small request?"
Guo Xueyun gazed into the distance and suddenly spoke.
Su Dingping's heart stirred: "You..."
Guo Xueyun suddenly leaned forward and gently pressed her index finger against Su Dingping's lips.
"No need to say anything, everything will wait until tomorrow..."
……
On launch day, the sky was clear and blue.
The new super-thrust carrier rocket carried out its first actual launch mission, and its massive body is more imposing than any previous model.
The entire launch process was broadcast live, attracting countless viewers across the country and even the world.
Initially, when this project was announced, it didn't attract much attention.
After all, this project doesn't have much to do with ordinary people; there's so much news in the world every moment.
The news announced by the Longxia tribe is indeed nothing special.
But gradually, everyone realized that the Longxia tribe seemed to be serious.
Internationally, there has also been a growing interest in the Longxia tribe's space station.
However, this didn't garner much attention until today, when the Longxia Tribe officially announced a live stream, which suddenly sparked public discussion and attention.
Countdown to zero, ignition!
Amidst a deafening roar, the rocket spewed out dazzling flames, steadily ascending into the sky, carrying the "Haotian" capsule straight into the clouds!
From the successful separation and orbit insertion of the "Haotian" module to the smooth deployment of the solar panels, and then to the successive power-on self-tests of each system inside the module, every step has touched the hearts of countless people on the ground.
The entire launch process lasted for dozens of hours, and each step seemed to take just as long to those on the ground.
Even so, some people stayed up day and night in the live broadcast room, just waiting for the announcement of success!
When the first clear images from the Haotian capsule showed that all environmental parameters were normal, the command center finally erupted in thunderous cheers and applause, a sound that had been suppressed for a long time.
Su Dingping clenched his fists tightly, his palms sweating profusely.
Guo Xueyun stood beside him, letting out a soft sigh of relief, her eyes also glistening with tears.
Although this is only the first step, it is the most solid and crucial first step!
In the midst of this joyful atmosphere, Su Dingping suddenly thought of something.
"The request you mentioned before was..."
Before he could finish speaking, Guo Xueyun rushed over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
Many people witnessed this moment and cheered.
Guo Xueyun ran away with her face flushed, leaving Su Dingping standing there frozen in place.
The young men from the materials team boldly rushed over, lifted Su Dingping up, threw him into the air, and caught him.
The cheerful atmosphere actually lessened the awkwardness of the previous moment.
Su Dingping was both amused and exasperated, but since it was a joyous occasion, he let them be.
……
Just as news of the stable operation of the "Haotian" capsule reached the ground, a less than ideal message came from the Eagle Tribe, far across the ocean.
The astronauts on the International Space Station had just completed a manned space mission, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, their mission in space had to be extended temporarily.
This news didn't attract much attention; it wasn't a big deal.
Only Su Dingping felt a sense of foreboding upon seeing the news.
"Could it be..."
The Eagle Tribe of later generations can be described as masters of creating drama, and their antics provided a great spectacle for the people of the Dragon Summer Tribe, who were far away across the ocean.
It's unimaginable to a normal person that a country could pull off such a stunt.
Just like the famous Xuanming Elders in later generations, who were originally scheduled to carry out a mission on the International Space Station for only one week, but due to technical problems, the two astronauts were stranded on the International Space Station for a full 287 days!
Before this news broke, no one could have imagined that such a huge empire as the Eagle Tribe could have such an outrageous problem!
But we haven't reached that time of later years yet, so the Eagle Tribe shouldn't be in such a dire state, right?
Su Dingping thought to himself.
But Su Dingping didn't know that the problems with this mission were actually quite related to him.
Just as the Longxia tribe was developing its space station, the Great Chief of the Eagle tribe won the election.
One of the Great Chief's campaign slogans was to invest more resources in space and lead the Eagle Tribe into space.
At this time, the decline of the Eagle Tribe was not yet so obvious, and the public generally had a more optimistic view of the future.
After the Great Chief came to power, he naturally had to fulfill his previous promises and leave other countries far behind.
As for who this so-called "other countries" refers to, I'm sure everyone knows the answer.
The problem is that the Eagle Tribe's manufacturing industry has declined, and it no longer has the capacity to execute mega-projects.
So how can progress be demonstrated? It's simply a matter of digging out old technologies and using them again. But the problem is, the current Eagle Tribe doesn't even have the ability to replicate old technologies anymore.
The ambitious Mars landing mission was eventually scaled back and turned into a manned space mission.
In other words, it means sending astronauts to the space station to carry out so-called "high-precision" scientific research missions.
In any case, ordinary people simply cannot understand what kind of scientific research tasks they are carrying out.
This also forms a stark contrast with the country on the other side of the ocean.
Look at their countries, they're still struggling to launch their space stations, while we're already skilled at sending astronauts to the space station to carry out cutting-edge scientific research missions.
In this way, wouldn't the difference in quality be immediately apparent?
However, the Longxia tribe's progress was too fast, far exceeding the Eagle tribe's expectations.
Therefore, the launch mission, which was originally scheduled to be completed within one to two years, has been repeatedly compressed.
It was finally completed before the Longxia tribe launched its space station.
However, in the aerospace field, reducing launch time is not a wise decision.
As a result, various problems began to emerge.
At this moment, no one could have imagined just how ridiculous the Eagle Tribe would become!
……
On the other hand, the stable operation of the "Haotian" capsule also heralds the arrival of the "Great Space Age" for the Longxia tribe!
Shortly after the launch of the Haotian module, the Wentian-2 extended experimental module was also launched into space.
Unlike the technology of any other country, the Wentian-2 extended experimental module does not dock directly with the Haotian module, but is released at a certain distance from its orbit.
Subsequently, remotely controlled by the astronauts inside the "Haotian" capsule and assisted by the ground-based artificial intelligence system, the large robotic arm outside the capsule slowly unfolded and accurately captured "Wentian-2".
Under the operation of astronauts, the assembly and docking were completed in space!
This is the world's first peripheral docking of heterogeneous isomorphic bodies using robotic arms!
One month after the launch of "Wentian-2", the "Xuntian-2" multi-functional observation module also successfully docked in a similar manner.
The "Xuntian-2" multi-functional observation module also integrates some space power station verification equipment.
In the third month, the node segment of the "Beichen" annular rotating cabin was launched!
This module is also the most challenging part of the entire launch mission!
The "Beichen" annular rotating cabin is the central hub and connector of the entire rotating structure in the future. It has a complex structure and numerous interfaces.
From launch, orbit insertion, capture, to docking...
Every step was like walking on thin ice!
When the node module successfully docked and locked with the "Haotian" module, the engineering team on the ground erupted in unimaginable cheers.
This means that the main structure of the entire space station has been basically completed.
Designed independently by the Longxia tribe, this space station, belonging solely to the Longxia tribe, is now ready for official use.
But the benefits of this space station don't stop there.
At times, he can even become an important political resource specifically used to win over certain small countries!
Just as the Longxia tribe was busily building its space station, the shocking news about the Eagle tribe was finally exposed by the media.
The manned mission a few months ago was originally planned to have two astronauts perform a mission on the space station for half a month before returning.
However, just as the two astronauts arrived at the space station, the spacecraft was unable to return due to problems such as thruster malfunction and helium leak.
With the return date fast approaching, the astronauts in space had no way of repairing the returning aircraft.
It's not that we can't force the two astronauts to land on the plane and fly back.
But if a problem occurs, the outcome will be a crash and loss of life.
No one is willing to take that risk.
Thus began a long discussion among the upper echelons of the Eagle Tribe.
The meeting was held again and again, but the return flight was repeatedly postponed.
The problem is that as time goes by, the risk of having to return will increase.
So after a delay of more than a month, the Eagle Tribe's space agency finally decided to let the passenger plane detach from the space station and return on its own, without the two astronauts.
Fortunately, there are still enough supplies on the International Space Station for the two astronauts.
However, the problem is that after this ordeal, according to estimates from relevant professionals, the earliest it will be possible to launch another plane to pick up two astronauts is a year from now.
The supplies on the International Space Station are only enough for two astronauts for six months.
The truth will eventually come out.
Half a year later, this news was finally broken by a reporter from the Eagle Tribe itself.
So the whole world had something to watch.
On one hand, the Longxia tribe is launching its own space station in full swing, and it looks like they will be able to send astronauts up there soon.
On the other hand, the Eagle Tribe couldn't even bring back their own astronauts.
Every day these two astronauts spend on the International Space Station is a resounding slap in the face to the Eagle Tribe.
However, for the sake of their own face, the government of the Eagle Tribe has not been able to allow a private space company to bring the two astronauts back.
If the government can't handle something, how can a private company solve it? Where does that leave the government's reputation?
Doesn't this just demonstrate the government's incompetence?
So for whatever reason, these two astronauts cannot be brought back by anyone else; the Eagle Tribe must bring them back themselves.
The problem now is that, due to the huge technical problems with the previous aircraft, simply repairing it is not enough.
We still need to spend time eliminating any potential technical vulnerabilities in the aircraft.
As for finding another plane to pick up the two astronauts, that's even more impossible.
Because the Eagle Tribe doesn't have a second plane at all.
It's too late now. The fastest it would take is nine months, and by then, the two astronauts would have starved to death in outer space.
This is my plane, not an ordinary passenger plane, but a space shuttle specially designed for manned space missions.
The technical requirements involved are far beyond those of ordinary aircraft.
In the first month after the news broke that two astronauts were stranded on the International Space Station, some people said not to worry, the Eagle Tribe would bring the two back soon.
Some even took the opportunity to mock the Longxia tribe's manned spaceflight program.
"Take care of yourselves first, or the plane might explode halfway through flight!"
The following month, some people were still stubbornly insisting that "these two astronauts could not possibly stay in space for too long."
But by the third month, even the most stubborn person couldn't find any more excuses.
At this point, resources such as oxygen and food on the International Space Station were already severely insufficient.
Even though the two astronauts started conserving resources early on, it's still not enough.
Because, including the initial month or so that was kept secret, these two astronauts have been stuck in space for more than four months!
Only then did the Eagle Tribe finally release the news, deciding to send out the aircraft that had previously encountered problems. What for…?
It's not about bringing these two people back, but about giving them survival supplies!
The news sent shockwaves around the world. (End of Chapter)