This star is going to the moon

Chapter 519 The Orion spaceship stumbles its way to the moon, and the core module of the space hotel launches into space.

On June 24th, "Life's Big Events" was released.

This movie is good. It stars Zhu Yilong and tells the story of a funeral director, San Ge, who is released from prison and meets an orphan, Wu Xiaowen, during a funeral procession. The encounter unexpectedly changes San Ge's attitude towards his profession and life.

Lu Yun remembers that it earned 17 billion in box office revenue in its previous life.

I wonder what kind of achievements I will have in this life?
On this day, Lu Yun was also busy with important matters in his life.

A Wanhu rocket, which had been used eight times, carrying the core module of the space hotel, was pushed onto the launch pad.

This Wanhu rocket is a "big-headed" rocket because its fairing is 20.5 meters long and 5.2 meters in diameter, making it the largest rocket fairing in terms of effective payload volume currently in service in China.

This fairing was originally designed for the Long March 5B rocket, and it is better suited to meet the launch requirements of space station modules.

Of course, many improvements were made to the fairing in order to adapt it from a rocket body with a diameter of 5 meters to one with a diameter of 3.35 meters.

Coincidentally, the cabins of the space hotel were also improved based on the cabins of the Tiangong space station.

For example, the core module of the space hotel is 15 meters long, which is smaller than the 16.6 meters of the core module of the Tianhe Hotel, but its interior space is larger.

Because in addition to the large cylindrical section with a diameter of 4.2 meters, the Tianhe core module also has a smaller cylindrical section between the large cylindrical section and the node module, and its diameter is much smaller.

The core module of the space hotel has a diameter of 4.2 meters, and the spherical node module has an even larger diameter because it needs to install a large docking interface of 1.2 meters.

Therefore, the core of the space hotel is based on the space dock, which also references the space station's cabins.

(Spaceport and Skyspace Station modules)
However, compared to the space station modules with a launch mass of over 20 tons, or even the space dock with a launch mass of 15 tons, the launch mass of the space hotel is much smaller, with even the core module weighing only 10 tons.

This is mainly because the Wanhu rocket does not use the basic recovery mode with an additional upper stage, and its low Earth orbit payload capacity is only 10.6 tons.

Unlike space station experimental modules filled with experimental equipment, the biggest role of a space hotel in space is to provide humans with a habitable space.

So compared to the fully packed space station modules, it's basically like a "big jar".

empty!

Even though its interior is divided into different compartments, the compartments are basically empty.

Space is the one thing that's never lacking inside a space hotel.

Therefore, the tonnage is definitely small.

As for supplies and small equipment, they can be transported up in several trips using a space shuttle.

"Yes, all the data matches up, no problem."

After signing the inspection form, Lu Yun said, "We can launch on the 29th."

"Yes, Mr. Lu..."

After signing the document, Lu Yun looked up at the giant rocket standing to the side, filled with emotion.

He found that as his rebirth continued for longer and his influence on the world grew, he seemed to have more and more feelings about it.

But there's nothing we can do about it; that's just how humans are.

It would be great to take a photo with An Fangfei right now, but she's currently preparing for their next TV series, called "Go to the Windy Place".

This drama tells the story of Xu Hongdou, who resigns and goes to Yunnan for a temporary stay. She unexpectedly meets Xie Zhiyao, who gives up a high-paying job to return to his hometown to start a business. After moving into Youfeng Courtyard, she meets the tenants who come here with different experiences and stories.

This drama is not just a simple romance; it also includes storylines about rural revitalization, rural development, and poverty alleviation.

It not only received support and subsidies from the filming locations, but also won many awards in its previous life, including the "Five-One Project" Award for Outstanding TV Series for Spiritual Civilization Construction.

Lu Yun and An Fangfei rarely act anymore. Lu Yun's situation is self-evident, and An Fangfei's mindset has changed after experiencing various great successes different from her previous life. Now she mostly works in film and television investment and behind the scenes, only acting in dramas that are particularly suitable for the two of them.

It's hard to define "suitable," but the two of them are definitely not going to act in those simple idol dramas anymore.

After all, no matter how idol-like the script is, it can't compare to the idol-like figures in their real lives.

Take the previous drama "You Are My Glory" as an example. The male lead was over thirty years old when he became the chief designer of the unmanned probe. In reality, Lu Yun became the chief designer of the manned lunar rocket in his twenties and was also the boss of a super aerospace group.

An Fangfei's influence in film and television and her popularity among the general public are undeniable.

Anyway, Lu Yun was certain that her influence was even more domineering than in her previous life.

After all, An Fangfei's career in film was a complete flop in her previous life.

The launch of the space hotel is in its final preparations, while the US is also releasing news about the first unmanned lunar orbiter of the new century.

After all, the maiden flight of the SLS rocket encountered some minor issues, which made the US look bad, but the Orion spacecraft, which is currently carrying out the "first unmanned lunar orbit mission of the new century," made up for this.

So the Americans temporarily stopped mentioning the SLS rocket and focused all their attention on the Orion spacecraft.

Especially after the Orion spacecraft entered lunar orbit on the 25th and transmitted back a photo of itself with the moon, the hype reached its peak.

(Orion spacecraft posing with the moon)
[After decades, human-powered spacecraft have once again reached lunar orbit.]

Indeed, the last time a human-powered spacecraft entered lunar orbit was exactly fifty years ago.

Wow, that was in 1972! Half a century ago!

Half a century—that phrase alone evokes a sense of history.

Humans back then fantasized about many things that are happening now, imagining how they could build cities on the moon and then establish forward bases on Mars.

The most classic example is still "2001: A Space Odyssey," where a human spaceship flies to the moon and discovers a black alien monolith. The montage scene of the ape-man throwing bones into the air and turning them into a spaceship left a very deep impression on me.

Unfortunately, the space race at the time was too intense, almost destroying the race itself. Once a winner was decided, the race was immediately halted, causing humanity's dream of space colonization to vanish.

[Exactly, forget about lunar cities and Mars bases; even returning to the moon would be a difficult task for humanity.]

Indeed, after fifty years, a manned spacecraft has finally returned to lunar orbit, albeit unmanned.

[This is no small feat. If the SLS rocket hadn't exploded only slightly, without a major blast, human spacecraft orbiting the moon would have had to wait another month until China's first lunar rocket launch.]

It wasn't easy for the Orion spacecraft to reach this point; it also had its share of problems...

When the US phased out manned spacecraft and started using the space shuttle, they thought it was the future. But after the space shuttle accident caused by foam insulation material falling off, they realized how good manned spacecraft were.

So the Americans started developing manned spacecraft again, which led to the Orion spacecraft.

Designed and built by Lockheed Martin, it has an interior space 2.5 times larger than the spacecraft used during the Apollo manned lunar landings and can accommodate up to 6 astronauts.

Orion consists of a service module, a crew module, an escape tower, and a spacecraft adapter. It weighs about 23 tons and has a diameter of about 5 meters.

In addition to increasing its diameter to gain more internal space, it also used fewer instrument panels than the Apollo spacecraft due to technological advancements.

This is the advantage of being a latecomer.

Compared to the Apollo spacecraft, Orion's command module, while similar, is significantly larger and more robust.

In terms of technical performance, it also represents a significant improvement over Apollo, employing many innovative technologies in its subsystems and components. Orion uses solar panels for power, resulting in high power output and long operational time, while the Apollo spacecraft could only be powered by fuel cells for short periods, which meant limited time.

Orion has the world's largest heat shield, which is made of advanced high-temperature resistant composite materials and consists of hundreds of thousands of honeycomb structures. It can effectively block the spacecraft's surface temperature of up to 1763°C when it approaches the Earth's atmosphere at Mach 26.

Furthermore, the heat shield can be replaced each time it returns to Earth, allowing the spacecraft to be reused.

Because Orion is a multi-purpose spacecraft whose flight range extends beyond the moon, the astronauts inside the spacecraft face stronger cosmic radiation. Therefore, the radiation shielding system on the Orion spacecraft is also a crucial subsystem.

The spacecraft's central computer is the most advanced in its class, capable of processing 4.8 million instructions per second, which is 25 times that of the International Space Station!
400 times the size of the Space Shuttle!
4000 times larger than the Apollo spacecraft!
Of course, this is also an advantage of being a latecomer.

Meanwhile, NASA and Lockheed Martin claim that the Orion spacecraft is 10 times safer than the Space Shuttle, greatly increasing the chances of astronauts' survival.

This is mainly because Orion is connected to the rocket in series during launch and has an escape device—the launch abort escape tower system.

The escape tower system is a critical safety design feature once a manned spacecraft enters the launch sequence.

Once Orion enters the launch sequence, if an emergency abort is required, the launch abort system, measured in milliseconds, will be activated. In an emergency, the crew capsule can be activated and an escape procedure initiated, allowing the crew capsule to detach from the rocket via a small rocket.

Meanwhile, the Orion spacecraft was launched from Launch Complex 39 at the space center.

Launch pad 39A of the launch complex was previously used to launch the Space Shuttle, while 39B is being modified to launch the Ares rocket.

At launch, the Orion spacecraft is tandem with the SLS rocket, meaning the spacecraft is on top of the rocket, unlike the Space Shuttle which is tandem with the rocket.

Therefore, it can stay away from the dangers posed by burning engines and falling debris, and completely avoid the threat of foam material falling off.

Yes, they were also terrified of the space shuttle.

Before human space technology reached the level of "science fiction," the combined use of escape towers and spacecraft could truly save lives.

Since the Space Shuttle disaster, which was technologically advanced but immature, the United States has once again turned to conservatism, until Elon Musk emerged.

Even when Elon Musk was working on reusable rockets, NASA was initially skeptical. But once Musk succeeded, it became a symbol of American space power.

Of course, by this time, the United States had already divided into traditional spaceflight and new spaceflight led by Elon Musk.

The old aerospace industry is still conservative.

New Aerospace, on the other hand, once again embraced immature new technologies.

For example, Elon Musk's 9-meter diameter reusable rocket that keeps exploding.

The reason NASA didn't object was because Elon Musk was spending his own money.

SLS rockets and Orion spacecraft are typical examples of "old space products".

The Orion spacecraft was originally launched into space by a Delta IV Heavy rocket in 2014, and after about four and a half hours of test flight, it landed in the Pacific Ocean.

Because the long-term plan for the Orion spacecraft was to use it to carry astronauts out of Earth's orbit to land on the Moon and even Mars for exploration, The Atlantic called that day "the first day of the Martian era."

NASA's plan was to have it dock with the International Space Station in 2015 and carry out an unmanned lunar orbit mission in 2018, but due to various problems, it has been delayed until now.

The crewed missions to the International Space Station were directly packaged into Elon Musk's Crew Dragon spacecraft.

The unmanned lunar orbit test mission that was the beginning of the manned lunar landing mission almost couldn't be carried out.

Even after it started, there were constant problems.

Because NASA knows that its internal staff are all "unnamed insiders" looking to earn extra money, it has issued a strict order forbidding them from disclosing this information to the outside world.

They even brought in military police to guard the site, much like the Apollo manned moon landing missions of yesteryear.

So the outside world had no idea that the Orion spacecraft had stumbled and struggled through various minor problems to reach lunar orbit; they all thought the spacecraft had reached lunar orbit very smoothly.

Many exclaimed, "The US's aerospace technology is actually quite impressive!"

After the Orion spacecraft successfully entered lunar orbit, the engineers breathed a sigh of relief, but what followed was...

"Communication interrupted!"

"Gift crab!"

"Immediately, right now, reconfigure the communication link between the spacecraft and the deep space network..."

While external praise and internal chaos were occurring simultaneously, many people's attention began to shift towards the elderly and Chinese.

Because the launch day for the space hotel has arrived!
Wait, isn't this supposed to be a new cabin on the Tiangong space station? Why is it a space hotel?

I also thought it was a new cabin on the Tiangong space station.

[I also heard it was the second phase expansion project of the Tiangong space station, which is why I watched the live stream. I was wondering why it was so fast...]

[Oh, don't you guys watch the news? This is the Space Hotel, Blue Star Space Corporation's commercial space station.]

Yes, Lu Yun plans to complete the project in about six months, and then marry An Fangfei in space next year.

【Holy crap, is this for real?】

[Of course it's true, Lu Yun already said so.]

Wow, has our country's space technology developed to this level?

This is so romantic! If someone married me in space, I'd be happy for life!!

[Ugh, don't let my girlfriend see this news. I can't afford to get married in a space hotel!]

[Lu Yun and An Fangfei have appeared; they've both arrived at the command center. Could they be here to announce the launch countdown this time?]

That's really romantic—to personally witness the construction of the space hotel where you'll hold your space wedding.

[The key point is that they not only witnessed the construction, they also built it themselves. Besides a road construction expert, who else could pull off something like that?]

Indeed, this is unique in the world!

Five minutes left in the countdown...

For this launch countdown, Lu Yun had An Fangfei call out the countdown, and then the two of them pressed the button together, which was quite a ritualistic gesture.

When the live stream host announced this, the female viewers watching the live stream were ecstatic, and the male viewers were also filled with emotion.

There's no other reason than Lu Yun's prowess!

“5、4、3、2、1，点火！”

Lu Yun and An Fangfei pressed the button together, then smiled at each other.

Just like when Lu Yun was reborn and saw An Fangfei again.

He knew he wouldn't miss this opportunity again in this lifetime.

(End of this chapter)