This star is going to the moon

Chapter 438 Lu Yun and An Fangfei Collaborate Again! A Scientist Who Knows Martial Arts—No One Can Stop Him! (4200)

The Shenzhou manned spacecraft is not actually old; it's just that China's development has been too rapid, and the performance of the Shenzhou spacecraft is clearly lagging behind China's pace of development.

In the past, when there was no space station and few space research results, it was enough to just transport astronauts. Now that there is a space station, there are a lot of space research results that need to be brought back to Earth, but the Shenzhou spacecraft's 50-kilogram "downlink" capability is really limited.

At most, it will contain seeds and microorganisms for space breeding experiments.

Of course, this might not be a strong impression for ordinary people, but the live broadcast of rocket launches is truly appalling, and viewers have complained about it many times.

Because the picture quality wasn't even up to 360P ancient quality; it was practically "door lock quality".

Now, as the Shenzhou manned spacecraft and the Long March 2F manned rocket are about to be retired, the authorities have not only lifted the restrictions on their confidential filming, but also upgraded the "door lock" cameras on the rockets to high-definition cameras, making their flight attitude and separation images very clear.

However, only the cameras on the rocket were updated; the cameras on the Shenzhou manned spacecraft were not replaced.

Especially the camera from the inside of the cabin, which still produces "door lock" quality images.

Unfortunately, the safety and stability of manned spacecraft are extremely important, so its overall technology is frozen from the moment it succeeds, to prevent any major technological updates from causing danger.

It's like saying, "When a program is running, don't mess with it."

Fortunately, the Shenzhou manned spacecraft is nearing the end of its service life. The official team filmed a lot of programs this time, and even without the cabin cameras, viewers could clearly see what the inside of the Shenzhou spacecraft looks like.

With the world's most advanced "Wooden Kite" class space shuttle, so... it's alright.

It's not that regrettable.

The Long March 2F Y16 carrier rocket was launched at 9:30 a.m. When it flew into the sky and the ground camera cut to the rocket body, the audience immediately felt a different feeling.

[It's definitely different! It's so clear, you can even see the nuts!]

That's because not only were the cameras upgraded to high-definition, but the image size also increased.

Indeed, but I feel the biggest change in image quality is inside the fairing. Before, it was blurry, but now the metallic textures are clearly visible.

(Comparison of the clarity of the Shenzhou spacecraft from inside the fairing)

Haha, it really is! It's so high definition!

[It's about to be retired, so let it have a grand finale. Besides, after watching manned spaceflight live streams for so many years, this is the first time I've seen such a clear view of the internal structure of the Long March 2F manned rocket fairing.]

Is it true? Is he really retiring?

[The official announcement hasn't been made yet, but everyone thinks he's going to retire, given how over-the-top the publicity these past few days has been.]

[It's fair to say that an era has passed. We now have extremely advanced space shuttles, and the Americans have reusable, new-type manned spacecraft, while the Russians are still using outdated spacecraft?]

Yes, the Russians are in a very bad situation right now, mainly because they don't have money to fight.

[The Russians' current space program relies heavily on archaeology; it's said they still have many old spacecraft from the last century that haven't been launched yet.]

Good heavens, the Russian inherited most of its father's wealth, and now it's so pathetic?

That's how it is. After all, it only inherited part of the family business, not all of it, so many industries are underdeveloped, which prevents it from developing many things.

I heard that we're going to collaborate with the Russians on some kind of international lunar research station. Does that mean we'll actually be held back?

I've heard about this too; apparently, there's a meeting next month to confirm it.

Yes, that's the schedule. I have a friend in the delegation.

In fact, cooperating with Russia is just a matter of attitude. Just like the US brought in a bunch of countries to its Artemis program for returning to the moon, we will also bring in a bunch of countries to our international lunar research station.

Wow, looks like a new space race is really brewing; both sides are starting to recruit.

It started a long time ago, or rather, it never ended...

Shenzhou-16 docked with the space station at 4:30 p.m. After two hours of pressure equalization, it entered the space station to rendezvous with the crew of Shenzhou-15.

Compared to crew 15, crew 16 has a more important mission. In addition to the regular orbital mission, they will also be teaching the fourth lesson of the "space classroom".

In addition to showcasing those playful space experiments, this "space classroom" will also inspect the "inflatable heat shield backpack" in the space equipment maintenance and assembly workshop at the space dock. After confirming that there are no problems, it will be released into orbit through the release mechanism and then re-enter the atmosphere.

Yes, this is the second test of the inflatable heat shield prepared by the Chinese side, and it is being tested according to the standards for astronauts' escape.

The space dock has been connected to the Tiangong space station for almost a year, and after several equipment installations, it is now fully functional.

In the past few months, in addition to serving as a cargo storage facility, the astronauts also used parts brought up by the space shuttle to assemble a small satellite in the maintenance and assembly workshop. The satellite was then released into orbit through the release mechanism, providing a good test for future large-scale space manufacturing.

A few days later, after Children's Day, the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft returned to Earth carrying three astronauts who had worked for half a year.

It's still the familiar Dongfeng landing site located in the wilderness.

At the beginning, the command center provided a general landing point, and then the search team's helicopters and vehicles drove there.

As the return capsule got closer to the ground, the landing point prediction became more and more accurate, and the search team continuously made minor adjustments to their direction to find it.

After the Shenzhou-15 manned spacecraft's return capsule landed, its position was not ideal; the astronauts were strapped to their seats and suspended face down.

"..."

After the three finished reporting the situation, they waited for the rescue team to arrive. After a moment of silence, the commander said, "Our next space mission should be in a space shuttle. That thing is comfortable and will land precisely on the runway. We won't have to wait for the rescue team in such an unseemly position."

The other two laughed when they heard this.

"Haha, yes, our country's aerospace technology is really getting better and better."

Deng Qingming, a "veteran newbie" who was among the first batch of astronauts but also carrying out his first space mission, said.

Zhang Lu, a "newcomer" to the second batch of astronauts, chimed in: "When I was a kid, I thought we would catch up with the Americans for decades, but now we have already surpassed them in manned spaceflight."

"Who can disagree? Talented people emerge in every generation!"

Commander Fei Junlong remarked with emotion, "Old Deng and I will probably retire after one more space mission, but Xiao Zhang, you might even be selected for a manned lunar landing mission."

"Brother Long, stop teasing me. You two are in such great shape. I can't even outrun you when the team has sports competitions..."

The group chatted casually while "suspended in the air" until the helicopter arrived.

The viewers in the live broadcast also felt that the old-fashioned manned spacecraft was inferior to the advanced space shuttle in terms of both operating cost and efficiency, and it was only right that it retired now.

When they saw the "sealed" return capsule lying on the ground, they knew that the astronauts' posture was definitely wrong. Space enthusiasts could even analyze that they were "hanging in the air, lying down".

Fortunately, the Shenzhou spacecraft is nearing retirement; these old spacecraft, developed since the last century, are indeed outdated.

[That's right, these cramped, bell-shaped reentry capsules that tip over upon landing are really too small. Currently, only we and the Russians use them; the Americans use slightly larger reentry capsules that can stand upright.]

Thankfully, we have space shuttles; otherwise, we would have to use these stuffy return capsules for many more years.

[Yes, even the reusable and upright-returning next-generation manned spacecraft that was tested before, it will still be several years before it can be officially used.] [Lu Yun is truly a lucky star; thankfully, he led the team that developed the space shuttle.]

[That's right, thankfully our country has Lu Yun. What's he doing now? Researching lunar rockets?]

[That's probably true, since he said the lunar rocket will have its maiden flight next year, which is a very tight timeframe.]

Speaking of Lu Yun, my friend met a film crew in Hengdian a couple of days ago. It's a period drama, and Lu Yun and An Fangfei seem to be on the cast list. Filming is supposed to start in the next couple of days.

[Really? He still has time to film TV dramas?]

[Haha, you don't know Lu Yun? He's a famous "time management master"!]

[Isn't the time management guru that celebrity, Show Lo?]

[That guy's not much of a time management master; he's retired from the industry. Lu Yun is the real time management master; he can juggle aerospace research and film production simultaneously!]

Holy crap, that's awesome!

[So what's the name of Lu Yun and An Fangfei's new drama? I just finished reading "The Three-Body Problem," and now there's news about a new drama! That's great!]

[It's called *Meng Hua Lu*, adapted from Guan Hanqing's Yuan dynasty play *Zhao Pan'er Saves a Courtesan from a Romantic Encounter*.]

Wow, it's a masterpiece!

[Waaaaah, I'm a huge fan of Lu Yun's films and TV shows! He shoulders the great responsibility of the nation's manned lunar mission, and he still hasn't forgotten to make movies for us to watch! I'm so upset...]

Ever since people learned that Lu Yun and An Fangfei were going to film a new drama, everyone has been keeping a close eye on their every move.

On June 5th, they both shared the news of the start of filming for the TV series "The Beginning".

There's nothing we can do about it; this TV series stars Lu Yun's sister, Zhao Jinmai.

Lu Yun had watched this TV series in his previous life, and it was quite good; it truly lived up to its reputation as a production of Daylight Entertainment.

The next day, the reporters in Hengdian finally met Lu Yun and An Fangfei.

"Wishing the filming of 'Dream of Splendor' a successful start!"

Everyone shouted in unison.

The "Dream Record" in this life is very different from the previous one. In the previous life, An Fangfei was just the female lead, but in this life, An Fangfei is not only the female lead, but also an investor and producer.

The script for this TV series was approached to An Fangfei early on, and she was involved in the entire process, even participating in some script revisions.

Of course, Lu Yun occasionally gets involved, so some of the ridiculous plot points have been changed.

In addition, An Fangfei's acting skills are much better in this life than in the previous life. With all these changes combined, this TV series will definitely be much more exciting than the previous one!
After all, Lu Yun is known for "only acting in high-quality productions".

Just like the saying "Anything produced by Noon Sunshine is a masterpiece".

An Fangfei's ancient costume skills are beyond question, but Lu Yun is acting in an ancient costume drama for the first time, and he will be playing a deputy envoy of the Imperial City Guard who is skilled in both literature and martial arts.

Dramatic scenes are no problem for Lu Yun, but the production team is worried about action scenes.

But Lu Yun looked at his Level 5 physical performance, Level 4 Qigong guiding techniques, and Level 3 military combat skills...

"Action scenes? Can't anyone do that?"

Lu Yun immediately jumped up and performed an aerial split for the director!
Then he did another round of MMA!

Although it wasn't the traditional martial arts routine, it was enough to prove that Lu Yun knew martial arts and that his physical condition was up to par.

Then practicing the martial arts routines required for the plot by following the action director is naturally a piece of cake.

Moreover, it shattered the stereotypes that Lu Yun held in some people's eyes.

Many people thought Lu Yun was the traditional scientist, the kind who was rather frail.

It turns out they knew martial arts.

Then some people realized why Lu Yun was so amazing as a scientist.

It's because "scientists who know martial arts are unstoppable!"

This is indeed a common stereotype: that great scientists spend all their time studying and researching and have no time to exercise, so they are physically weak.

In fact, those outstanding scientists are outstanding in many ways. Having top-notch cultural skills is just a basic requirement. Some can sing and dance, some are proficient in musical instruments, and some are physically strong and athletic.

They can even compete with professional athletes in sports like swimming, basketball, and badminton.

Some of these elderly scientists are even over eighty years old and still have a lot of muscle!
The production team didn't rush to announce that Lu Yun knew martial arts, but kept it as a surprise.

It only released the period costume photos of Lu Yun and An Fangfei on the day the filming was announced.

Wow, Feifei is so beautiful!

[It's Faye Wong in period drama! I'm so touched, it feels like so many years!]

An Fangfei looks so beautiful in period costume! It feels like my lost youth has returned!

[Lu Yun looks so handsome in period costume! I've seen so many of his modern outfits before that I thought he was only suited for modern clothes, but I didn't expect him to look so good in period costume too.]

[Furthermore, Lu Yun's period costume isn't the kind that looks very modern; his appearance isn't contrived, but rather like An Fangfei's ethereal and naturally beautiful period costume.]

Indeed, Lu Yun looks perfectly natural in period costume, and he and An Fangfei are a perfect match!

[This is the kind of period drama I want to see, not those cheap, studio-style productions. Especially some of the new actresses; they really don't seem suited to period dramas.]

Yes, especially that one who's called the "4000-year beauty," that semi-permanent makeup looks like it's printed on her face; she plays every role the same.

Alright, alright, this is news from "The Dream of Splendor," let's not talk about anything else, lest those people's fans come and cause trouble.

[Well, I do have a concern: as a scientist, will Lu Yun's action scenes be any good? Will he use a stunt double for the entire film?]

[No way, Lu Yun has never used a stunt double since his debut. When he was filming "The Wandering Earth," he did all sorts of falls and fights without a stunt double.]

[Actually, it's just being thrown around, he can grit his teeth and it's fine, but in "The Dream of Splendor," he's portrayed as a highly skilled martial artist who needs to perform martial arts moves. If he can't do them properly, he won't look like a martial arts master.]

This is indeed a problem...

Haha, so even Lu Yun has things he doesn't know...

While Lu Yun was about to embark on his entertainment career, the International Astronautical Federation headquarters in Paris was holding a vote on his space achievements.

(End of this chapter)