This star is going to the moon

Chapter 346: 91-year-old veteran astronaut finally goes into space, setting a new record for manned spaceflight!
The 28th, evening.

American, NASA's secret meeting room.

"I didn't expect Simon to be going to space so soon. I'm actually a little envious of him."

"Indeed, I am also an elite agent. If I had been involved in the infiltration and defection mission back then, could I have gone to space?"

"Then forget it, Bob. With that fat belly that looks like you're seven months pregnant, you're unlikely to pass the first test."

"Sigh, I've gotten busier and busier since I got promoted and started working in an office. I'm gaining weight from overwork..."

To be fair, they originally planned for Simon to draw attention, but the seeded players were eliminated, while Simon was selected instead.

Simon's report stated that "Lu Yun praised him for his excellent service awareness, which perfectly suited the role of a space captain and flight attendant," so he passed the assessment.

This reason is quite reasonable, because the middle-aged Simon is indeed not as sharp as the younger agents, but rather more gentle and easier to talk to, with a kind of "good guy" demeanor.

This is also an important factor in his ability to successfully complete many difficult tasks.

The task force was surprised to find that Simon had good news right away, as he had made contact with Lu Yun.

This led the task force to give him new orders, preventing him from taking action prematurely.

Instead, he was encouraged to cultivate a relationship with Lu Yun as much as possible, and to become the kind of close friends who could talk about anything.

Even if you lie low for two or three years, it won't matter.

The task force knew that Lu Yun was involved in Lao-China's manned lunar landing program, but they did not believe that Lao-China's manned lunar landing would be ahead of Artemis's "return to the moon" program.

Therefore, a good time to infiltrate for two or three years, become close friends with Lu Yun, and then turn him to defect after he becomes a leading figure in the Lao-Chinese manned lunar landing program.

It would be best to bring them back to the Federation. Even if we can't win them over, taking out Lu Yun at a crucial moment could be a fatal blow to China's manned lunar landing program!
Just like the Russian moon landing program back then, the death of Korolev, who led the mission, led to the failure of the N-1 giant launch vehicle, which in turn caused the entire manned moon landing program to fail.

So now they can just watch Simon fly into space as a commercial astronaut trainee at BlueStar Space.

This indicates that Simon is being given important responsibilities within Blue Star Aerospace, and given his good relationship with Lu Yun, he may prove quite useful before the final mission is carried out.

For example, Lockheed Martin, a new member of the task force, wanted to acquire the technology from the Kite to upgrade the X-33 space shuttle and prepare for the development of its own space shuttle later.

This is indeed an important issue. If we can really acquire cutting-edge technology, then the Federation will soon be able to have its own space fighters.

However, this matter cannot be rushed. After all, Simon is only a commercial astronaut trainee. Even after going to space, he will only be considered a commercial astronaut, not a proper technical engineer for the Kite spacecraft.

"Let's discuss this in a meeting later. Tonight, let's watch their test flight. Tomorrow is the first debate of the 2020 federal election, and we need to watch the whole thing."

"Indeed, this is a debate about the future."

"I wonder who will win..."

On the other side of the earth.

It was already past 8 a.m. on the 29th.

The Muyuan was docked back onto the jet bridge, and the crew members who participated in this test flight mission made their appearance.

[It's almost identical to yesterday's official photos; the 91-year-old gentleman looks to be in excellent spirits.]

Indeed, I thought the photoshopped images yesterday were quite extensive, but it turns out Academician Sun is in very good spirits and physical condition.

"Of course not. If Elder Sun's health isn't good, he definitely can't go to space."

[That's right. If Mr. Sun's health isn't good, even if he wanted to go to space, the country wouldn't allow it. Recipients of the Medal of the Republic are too precious to the country.]

[This was practically a special plane for Blue Star Spaceflight, with three astronauts and two staff members; only Mr. Sun was a passenger.] [I wonder when Lu Yun's space trip lottery will end? I feel perfectly healthy enough to go to space!]

[This will probably have to wait until the International Astronautical Congress next month. Lu Yun said he would announce the price of space tourism at the congress, and maybe they'll announce the price first and then draw the winners, making them instantly excited and faint.]

Haha, it's a bit sarcastic, but if I were to fall for it, I really would faint.

[The space tour spot that Lu Yun is giving away will probably have to wait until the official launch, since there's a difference between fans, company staff, and people in the aerospace system.]

What if the winner is someone from Bluestar Aerospace Company or the aerospace system?

That's definitely a cover-up; it must be me!

No, it should be me!

It's me!

Having flown several times, the Wooden Kite is now incredibly stable. Despite being just a prototype, it operates very smoothly and steadily, and many people value it more than the first standard space shuttle that is about to be rolled out.

Like many things, secondhand items are often more convenient to use and more reliable than brand new ones.

However, this time there was a 91-year-old passenger who was also a recipient of the Medal of the Republic, a valuable asset to the country, so the entire system could not afford to be careless.

"Mr. Sun, how are you feeling? Is there anything bothering you?"

Lu Yun asked personally through the communicator.

“No problem, Xiao Lu,” came Old Sun’s aged but steady voice: “Just as I said before I came, riding the Wooden Kite is indeed similar to riding a commercial airliner, which is completely within my physical limits.”

Lu Yun breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this: "That's good. Old Sun, please remember to let me know if anything comes up."

"Do not worry……"

The Muyuan rocket, being powered by a rocket engine, experiences greater vibrations and acceleration than ordinary commercial airliners, which can have a significant impact on the health of a 91-year-old, though thankfully it remains within a tolerable range.

It gave Old Sun a sense of nostalgia, as if he had returned to his youth and was sitting in the cabin of an old-fashioned airplane, his destination the launch site of the Dongfanghong-1 satellite.

However, he quickly realized that he hadn't become younger; he was still 91 years old, and he wasn't riding in an old-fashioned airplane, but in a space shuttle.

The destination was not the launch site of the Dongfanghong-1 artificial satellite, but space!

Fortunately, he wouldn't be able to withstand the high load for too long; it was only a dozen minutes of acceleration, and Mr. Sun's body was fine.

As a 91-year-old man, Mr. Sun's seat was in the middle and had a head restraint device. He needed to keep his head in the restraint device when the wooden kite took off and landed.

While others could use their heads to look at the scenery outside the window, Old Sun simply kept his head fixed on looking straight ahead.

When he saw the sky change from blue to dark blue, and then to black, and felt his body, which had been bound by gravity, suddenly lighten, he knew he was in space!

He was born in 1929. He first studied civil engineering and wanted to become a bridge engineer, but he was forced to drop out of school due to the war. Later, he studied Russian and entered the automotive department, then transferred to the aviation school, and finally went to Russia to study aircraft engine engineering.

After completing his studies, he graduated with top marks and a gold medal, and returned to China to engage in missile research.

After participating in the development of multiple types of missiles, he became the overall technical leader of the country's first satellite, leading the development of "Dongfanghong-1", thus shifting from the rocket field to the satellite field.

He was 38 years old at the time.

Now at 91 years old, he has finally reached space, to the place where the satellites he developed and manufactured "fly".

"Space is so wonderful!"

(End of this chapter)