This star is going to the moon

Chapter 305 The highly anticipated Shenzhou-14, "Tomorrow's Astronauts" airs.

"Is it true, Aunt Liu? Is Shenzhou-14 really the last Shenzhou mission?"

"Of course, my son is a space enthusiast. He told me this himself when he went to work today."

Aunt Liu, carrying a basket, said at the entrance of the building, "I didn't know what it was before, but I found out after he showed me that 'Wooden Kite' space shuttle."

Just then, an old man came out of the stairwell and said, "Hey, you bunch of old women actually know about manned spaceflight?"

"Hey, you're a grown man talking about world affairs, why can't we talk about manned spaceflight?"

Unlike in the US, where everyone, regardless of their background, is out in the streets chanting "Black Lives Matter," in China, everyone is talking about the retirement of the Shenzhou manned spacecraft; even the aunties and grandmas on their way to the market know about it.

In fact, the news was not like this at first. It was just that the Shenzhou manned spacecraft would probably be retired after a few more launches, and each launch would be one less to see.

After all, this is Shenzhou-14 now, and from now on it will be two launches a year, and it will be three years before Shenzhou-20 arrives.

The "Wooden Kite" has now completed its maiden flight without crew, and a manned flight is likely to take place within the year.

If we calculate it this way, six launches every three years would be enough for the Shenzhou series spacecraft to have a buffer period.

Even if we don't mention costs, or rather, we must mention costs, because this is about advanced productive forces replacing outdated productive forces.

Because the technology is advanced enough, the operating cost of the "Muyuan" spacecraft is definitely much lower than that of the "Shenzhou" spacecraft.

Moreover, the "Wooden Kite" possesses a "large tonnage" descent capability that the "Shenzhou" spacecraft does not have.

In order to bring down the experimental results from the space station, the official name will definitely be "Wooden Kite".

After all, launching such a large and expensive space station is not just about showing off to the US.

If this is the ultimate goal, then the three-year transition period for the Shenzhou spacecraft is too long. It's possible that the authorities will soon have the "Muyuan" dock with the space station.

Yes, according to a joint statement from BlueStar Space and the Space Agency, the Space Dock space station module is slated for launch later this month.

Of course, it is possible that the "Muyuan" and "Shenzhou" will be used simultaneously in the next few years.

After all, the US didn't abandon the Russian Soyuz spacecraft just because they have the Crew Dragon. They will continue to cooperate for several years, but the price will definitely have to come down.

As for China, no matter how you calculate it, the Shenzhou spacecraft is definitely one less to launch, or production has already stopped, and once the stockpile is used up, that's it.

The Shenzhou spacecraft team won't be idle either. After all, there are a lot of major aerospace projects to be done in China, and many commercial aerospace companies are emerging, all of which require experienced personnel.

The current situation is that there isn't enough experienced staff.

Because no one expected that China's aerospace industry would develop so quickly!
However, putting aside the later details, the current situation is that, somehow, the rumor has spread that Shenzhou-14 was the last Shenzhou spacecraft launch.

This led to questions being asked at the Shenzhou-14 astronaut list release conference whether such a thing was true.

The space agency's response was very official: "The Shenzhou spacecraft is a very mature and successful manned spacecraft. It has played a very important role in the development of my country's manned space program. Therefore, whether or not it will be retired depends on the future development and needs of my country's manned space program..."

"?"

It's certainly official enough; to the average person, it's as if it says nothing at all.

Since you didn't say anything, don't blame me for figuring it out myself!
Therefore, with the mindset that every glance is one less, the launch mission of Shenzhou-14 has received a great deal of attention.

China hasn't lost its manned spaceflight capability, but after testing the Tiangong space laboratory, manned space missions were suspended. Now, with the construction of the Tiangong space station, manned spaceflight missions have only just resumed, so this is a time when people in China are looking forward to it. Unlike in the previous life when Lu Yun was on the verge of death, people had already become accustomed to the more than twenty Shenzhou missions.

If no one had reminded them, many people would have forgotten that there were three astronauts in space busy conducting space experiments.

This time around, things probably won't be so "habitual," because with Lu Yun around, he won't let these space missions remain unchanged; he'll keep coming up with new ideas.

People in China are not yet "used" to manned space missions. There were already many people paying attention to them, and now that they hear it's the last one, even more people are paying attention!

Whether it's "last place" or "first place," as long as it's associated with "first," there will definitely be a lot of people watching the spectacle.

The more people watched the live launch, the more they felt that "Shenzhou" was going to be retired.

[This Shenzhou spacecraft is indeed old; the interior video quality is probably still 360P, while the Dragon spacecraft opposite is already using 1080P interior video quality.]

[This pixelated image quality is 360P? I'd say "door lock quality" is more like it.]

Indeed, we live in an era where "image quality proves advancement." The "Muyuan" satellite is 1080p, and it's said that with more "Xingdou" satellites, it could be upgraded to 4K!

This is so much more advanced than anything else; we definitely need to replace it. We had no choice before we didn't have it, but things are different now.

That's right, we've taken the lead in manned spaceflight this time, so there's no need to let the veterans carry the load anymore.

That's absolutely right! If we had the H-20, why would we need to keep modifying the H-6?

[Haha, aerospace and aviation are inseparable, huh? We see references to the 'Sixth Master' everywhere.]

[H20O, H-20, water molecules, give me water, I'm thirsty!]

[The H-20 bomber will probably have to wait a while, but I feel the "Wooden Kite" will be able to carry passengers soon.]

Indeed, I can't wait to see the complete "Wooden Kite".

[I'd love to see it too! The previous "Wooden Kite" maiden flight wasn't even finished; the cabin looked like a bare shell.]

Speaking of the "Wooden Kite" manned mission, it seems the documentary "Tomorrow's Astronauts" is airing tomorrow.

[Really? I'm going to support some of our prospective students back home!]

Let's go together! Let's go together!

The Shenzhou spacecraft is indeed very mature, and there were no unexpected events during the launch. However, after watching the 1080P footage, there's no going back to watching the 360P footage.

Therefore, when "Tomorrow's Astronauts" aired, it also attracted a lot of attention.

Because it is related to the later "Wooden Kite" manned "flight".

The first scene of "Tomorrow's Astronauts" is an aerial shot, filming from the sea all the way to the coast, and finally showing a busy construction site.

Then the camera slowly pans to the ground and focuses on Lu Yun.

"Hello everyone, I'm Lu Yun. This construction site is where the first space airport in human history is under construction..."

(End of this chapter)