This star is going to the moon

Chapter 509 NASA is feeling a bit uneasy.

The previous lunar rover was named "Exploration".

Netizens strongly dislike this name.

It's like a bowl of sweet tofu pudding mixed into a pile of savory tofu pudding.

It's not that one tastes better, but rather that they don't complement each other.

Even if "professionals" write down its meaning, saying that it is a practice of exploring the unknown world, it vividly reflects the core mission and application value of the lunar rover in helping the Chinese people explore the mysteries of the moon.

It also aligns perfectly with the space dream of "exploring the vast universe, developing the space industry, and building a space power," demonstrating the innovative spirit of the nation's manned space program in scaling new heights and relentlessly pursuing excellence.

The word "exploration" may seem straightforward, but it carries humanity's eternal pursuit of the unknown, blah blah blah.

They even quoted a line from the poem "Li Sao" by Qu Yuan, a great poet from the pre-Qin period.

"The road is long and long, and I will search up and down!"

The conclusion states that the manned lunar rover will undertake tasks such as lunar surface exploration, scientific experiments, and resource exploration, and its name is a precise summary of the mission objectives.

Aerospace experts also stated: "This 'exploration' is not only a pursuit of science and technology, but also a continuation of the ancient Chinese civilization's spirit of 'investigating the relationship between heaven and humanity'..."

Netizens were stunned after hearing this.

No, you've already brought up "Li Sao," wouldn't it be better to just call it "Seeking Truth"?

As is well known, the names of China's space programs are basically associated with ancient myths, or at least with appropriate words found in classical Chinese texts.

Even if it's not a direct word, you can still combine them.

But after aerospace engineering terms like Chang'e Project, Yutu Lunar Rover, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, Tianwen Deep Space Exploration, Micius Quantum Satellite, Mengzhou Spacecraft, Lunar Lander, and Wangyu Lunar Suit, what's next... a manned lunar rover exploration mission?

In his previous life, Lu Yun had no choice, but this life is different for him.

Just as he influenced the number and naming of Mars rovers, changing the name from "Zhurong" to "Nezha" and "Wind and Fire Wheels".

The manned lunar rover in this era has also changed from "exploration" to "questioning," and this is taken from the poem "Li Sao."

(Seeking a manned lunar rover)

Netizens nodded in agreement upon hearing the name.

【Reasonable! 】

[It's consistent with the previous aerospace project name, which is acceptable.]

These names all sound so nice!

[Damn it, I even voted for the "Mantis Shrimp" ship, how come it didn't win?]

[Exactly! I was already disappointed that the second aircraft carrier wasn't named "Mantis Shrimp," and I didn't expect it to fail again this time?]

[Pfft! Are you guys here to be funny?]

Fortunately, the final decision rested with the space agency; otherwise, if the voting had been followed, such an important naming process would have been chaotic.

[Haha, it seems you guys have hit the nail on the head regarding the essence of voting.]

"That's the same thing. You're just doing this for fun, that's why you vote randomly. Other people vote using their sacred right; they take it very seriously..."

[Haha, there's a poll on Twitter right now, and 90% of netizens support immediately scrapping the SLS rocket and handing over the mission of returning to the moon to Elon Musk's 9-meter diameter Super Falcon rocket. Do you think NASA agrees?]

Hey, stop arguing! Lu Yun says there's more to the show.

Wow, astronauts are coming out wearing lunar landing suits, and there's even a manned lunar rover! Are these all real?

Has it been built yet?

"These are the prototypes of the Wangyu lunar suit and the Qiusuo manned lunar rover," Lu Yun said, pointing to them.

"As for the prototypes of the DreamZero spacecraft and the Lunar Lander, we can't showcase them on-site because they're too big."

"The lunar suit is different from the space station extravehicular activity suit. It is mainly used for life support and operational support for astronauts when performing lunar extravehicular activities..."

The environment in which lunar suits are used is more demanding than that of space station extravehicular activity suits. They require comprehensive protection against the complex environment of the lunar surface, including vacuum, extreme temperatures, lunar dust, and radiation.

Furthermore, the astronauts in protective suits must also perform extravehicular activities on the lunar surface, such as walking, climbing, driving, and conducting scientific research.

Although the lunar suit is bulky, its internal joints are very flexible, allowing the wearer to squat and bend over.

The comprehensive protective fabric can effectively protect against the lunar surface heat environment and lunar dust, the panoramic anti-glare window can improve visual efficiency, and the long and short focal length cameras on both sides of the head can achieve video recording at both near and far distances.

The manned lunar rover weighs 200 kilograms and can be folded up and hung on the wall of the lunar module. It needs to be lowered down by a small crane when in use.

The vehicle has multiple mounting points on its body for placing tools, and a sample box at the rear can hold samples. It can also be directly removed and placed into the lunar lander, thus avoiding air contamination of the samples inside the lunar lander.

It can carry two astronauts to carry out operations within a 10-kilometer radius of the lunar lander.

Of course, this is a conservative estimate for the first manned lunar landing by China and Laos. Later, it could be upgraded to allow operations to be carried out within a 30-kilometer radius of the lunar lander.

If it goes any further, we'll consider sending a pressurized lunar rover directly.

It's like driving around in a lunar base; that would be much safer.

Lu Yun also had the astronauts wear lunar suits and sit on the lunar rover to demonstrate the suits' mobility.

Finally, Lu Yun displayed CG images of them on the moon on the big screen, sparking endless imagination among the audience.

(CG image of manned lunar landing)
[That's wonderful! A thousand-year-old dream will be realized in just two or three years!]

Indeed, it feels like a dream.

【Dream Boat, Dream Boat, the name is truly fitting, it is indeed a boat of dreams!】

[Guys, CCTV is broadcasting live again; the Xiancha spacecraft is preparing to dock with the space station.]

【So fast? 】

That's right, this is the world's first docking in 2 hours...

………………

"That's incredibly fast! How did they manage to be so fast?"

Seeing the prototype of the "lunar landing package" released by the Chinese team, NASA's observation team watching the live broadcast raised questions.

Upon hearing this question, others mentally reviewed the current state of the Artemis return-to-the-moon program, the "whole moon landing package."

The SLS rocket failed several wet rehearsals and is currently being pushed back to the assembly building for repairs.

The Orion spacecraft itself is fine, but because it's housed in the SLS rocket, it can't function without being launched.

These two are roughly on the same timeline as the older generation.

The key point is that these two researchers started their studies much earlier than the Chinese researchers!
The gap is even wider when it comes to the crucial lunar lander. China already has a prototype lunar lander, but the Federation's lunar lander... or rather, lunar rocket prototype, is still not successful. Elon Musk is still blowing things up.

Only after the prototype is successful can it be modified into a lunar landing rocket.

"If I had known, I would have chosen Blue Origin's 'national team' lunar lander. It's on par with China's lunar probe, while SpaceX's 'Lunar Eagle' is too big and too radical!"

"Fortunately, our Artemis moonsuit was unveiled in 2019."

"Even if the lunar suits are being developed quickly, it won't help. We can't just launch astronauts directly to the moon..."

(End of this chapter)