Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 459 An Unprecedented Space Rescue

Lin Ran watched the footage synchronized from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The three astronauts had serious expressions, and it was clear that their nerves were on edge when they talked about the key points.

This was an unprecedented rescue operation.

This means that no one had ever done this before, and they had never received such training during their ground training.

Extravehicular activity training on the International Space Station includes rope operations.

In neutral buoyancy laboratories on Earth, astronauts have long mastered the technique of securing their bodies to the module with safety ropes and then slowly moving along the external handrails hand in hand.

There have been practical rope operations on the International Space Station in the past.

For example, in cabin maintenance, to deal with tiny cracks caused by micrometeorite impacts, astronauts need to secure themselves to the cabin wall with ropes, then exit the cabin and carefully apply sealant or patch the parts in the space environment.

Patching in a physical sense.

Or it could be when replacing solar panels, specifically those that have become inefficient due to high-energy particle flow or long-term use.

This would be more dangerous in terms of visual effect.

Because astronauts need to climb and work along the huge truss structure for hundreds or thousands of meters.

However, all of this occurs in low Earth orbit, which is a relatively safe, well-proven, and highly controlled environment.

However, this rescue operation is fundamentally different from the rope operations on the International Space Station.

First, there is the difference in environment. Extravehicular tethering operations on the International Space Station are carried out in a relatively stable low Earth orbit, where astronauts are always firmly bound by Earth's gravitational field.

This time, the astronauts are in a lunar transfer orbit. If they lose control, they will be flung into deep space at extremely high speeds and become floating stardust.

Drifting into deep space in a spacesuit is a far more tragic end than drifting into deep space in an escape pod.

Another challenge is the relative speed.

During maintenance on the International Space Station, the astronauts' relative speed is almost zero, and their movements are extremely slow.

This time, although the Magpie Bridge and the escape capsule achieved zero relative velocity through precise calculations, any careless thrust or any slight deviation after the reaction force control system was ejected could cause the astronauts to drift away from the ropes and enter an irreversible drifting state.

What makes people most nervous is the zero tolerance for error.

At the International Space Station, astronauts are protected by at least two safety tethers, and they have ample fuel for reentry into the airlock.

This time, they only had one tether, and their spacesuit fuel had to be conserved to the bare minimum. There was no turning back, no second chance; failure would mean the life support system's countdown would reach zero.

Inside the escape pod, Commander Jensen took a deep breath and spoke to his two teammates via the radio communication function attached to his spacesuit:

"Lina, Sarah, listen to me."

His voice trembled slightly when he uttered the first sound, but once he said the name, Jason's voice calmed down, with only slight fluctuations from the radio function.

"The ground instructions are very clear."

What we are about to do is to carry out an extravehicular transfer that we have never been trained for, but which requires the highest level of professionalism.

Forget our failed lunar module, forget this damn accident.

Now, we need to have complete faith in Apollo technology and in the professor's calculations.

Jensen, or rather the three astronauts in the escape pod, were all former NASA astronauts.

However, the difference lies in whether they have carried out official NASA missions or been to space.

Jason is a veteran who has carried out more than ten missions. He came here after retiring because of the generous benefits offered by Blue Origin. The other two black women have little experience. Sarah has never been to space before, and this is her first mission. Lena has only carried out one mission.

At that moment, Jason was struck by a sudden thought, recalling his time at NASA when Aldrin came to the Johnson Astronaut Center to give a lecture. During a break in the lecture, Aldrin mentioned Randolph, saying that Randolph preferred to be called "Professor."

Aldrin smiled faintly and joked, "When you have an accident in space, thinking 'Professor, please help me,' might just turn things around."

At the time, Jason thought it was just superstition, but he could understand it. Randolph was able to send the over-eighty-year-old Aldrin back into space, so it was perfectly normal for Aldrin to be superstitious about Randolph.

If you were Aldrin, you would have to believe it yourself.

But at this point in time, Jason, who had encountered a huge accident, inexplicably recalled that scene in his mind, and the profound meaning in Aldrin's expression when he talked about it.

Therefore, Jason subconsciously blurted out "professor".

"First, Lina and Sarah."

You must remember that we are now a passive payload. Your spacesuit propulsion backpacks are only allowed two short pulses to break free from the bulkhead.

Power must be kept below 0.5%.

Our fuel is exhausted, and any extra thrust could cause you to veer off course and out of the rope's effective range.

Slow, steady, precise.

When you exit the hatch, your target is not the spacecraft itself, but the tether.

You are not swimming toward your destination; you are drifting passively, waiting for the rope to come into your hands.

Remember this: you only have two chances!

Jensen reiterated the number 2, implying that their opportunity was precious.

He turned to Lina: "Lina, you are the first."

You are taking on the greatest risk.

Your task is to enter Spaceship One, but before that, you must be outside the capsule and visually confirm, a second time, the attitude stability indicator lights of our escape pod.

Once I initiate the separation ignition, you need to visually confirm within 3 seconds that the attitude is not rolling or yawing.

This is the final confirmation, understand?

Lina said with unprecedented firmness, "Understood, Karl. I will check the roll axis and yaw axis of the escape pod and provide visual confirmation."

He turned to Sarah: "Sarah, you will then transfer to spaceship number two."

Your task is more important. Once you have safely entered the standby cabin, you must immediately check and report the oxygen partial pressure and carbon dioxide removal rate inside the cabin.

You will be responsible for verifying the stability of the life support system.

This is your area of ​​expertise; make sure it supports our return to Earth.

Sarah replied calmly, "Understood, Carl. Life support system, my top priority."

When hope appears, the will to survive becomes the highest instinct.

Jason nodded: "Very good, I'm the last one."

I will ensure that the self-destruct separation command for our escape pod is executed accurately.

Remember, we are no longer going to the moon.

We are now in survival mode.

We must execute every instruction issued by Yanjing perfectly.

We need to trust each other with our professors. They trust our expertise, and we must absolutely trust their guidance!
We have not been defeated by the universe.

We were defeated by an unexpected event.

But we will not let an accident become our ending.

Keep breathing, stay calm. We have to get back alive!

Jason's words were broadcast live around the world, and countless netizens on YouTube prayed for him.

"I cried XDDDDDD Jason was so calm!"

"May God bless them!"

"You are all elites, one in a million. You can definitely do it. You must survive!"

"This is humanity's darkest hour and also its brightest hour. Everyone is praying for them, transcending politics and national borders."

"From now on, I will refuse to buy any Indian products. They are murderers!"

Bezos also tweeted at the same time:

"Commander Jason and his team demonstrated the greatest courage and professionalism of humankind."

They are the true heroes.

We are working closely with Apollo Technologies, who have demonstrated astonishing speed and computational precision.

This rescue tells us that at the frontiers of exploration, we are a community with a shared future for mankind.

I believe in our astronauts, and I believe in Mr. Randolph Lin's calculations.

Let's work together to bring them home. #SpaceRescue

Half an hour later, the three Magpie Bridges, shaped like UFOs but with completely different flight attitudes, were precisely and quickly entering the convergence trajectory of the escape pods, relying on the extreme fine-tuning of Hall thrusters.

In deep space hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, four spacecraft float side by side at almost zero relative velocity.

When the three astronauts saw the gray-brown spacecraft appear outside the escape pod window, they all clasped their hands together in unison, as if praying that the rescue would go smoothly.

Because at this point, they are completely dependent on themselves.

Alex, a YouTuber currently broadcasting, is a former NASA engineer who is now a full-time tech blogger.

Because of his former NASA background, much of what he does is related to aerospace, and he is also a staunch supporter of Apollo technology.

Alex's image was frozen on the live broadcast of Blue Origin.

Through the wide-angle camera on the astronaut's helmet, three oddly shaped, flat disc-shaped rescue spacecraft can be clearly seen, just like three giant UFOs, parked perfectly still next to the escape pod.

"Ladies and gentlemen, stop your comments! This is one of the most incredible scenes in the history of human spaceflight!" Alex's voice was filled with shock; he even forgot to drink his Diet Coke.

What you see is the Magpie Bridge in China.

But please note their code name: they are called Magpie Bridge, which means bridge in classical Chinese culture.

I prefer to call them Rapid Response Spaceships (RRS). They didn't rush here using conventional chemical fuels; they relied on electromagnetic launch and Hall thrusters combined with fossil fuel-based trajectory maneuvers.

Alex split the screen into four sections: the left side showed a live view of the spaceship, and the right side showed a calculation of its orbit.

"Let's analyze the technical difficulty involved; it's nothing short of miraculous."

Alex explained professionally: "The first thing is the distance and speed of the interception."

Everyone should understand that the escape pod is located in a lunar transfer orbit and is moving at extremely high speeds.

To achieve zero relative velocity for four spacecraft in such a distant region of deep space, hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, requires a precise solution to the seven-body problem.

“Traditional chemical rockets would consume several tons of fuel to achieve this level of rapid and precise interception.”

So why can't it be done?

Just imagine the cost and difficulty of sending several tons of fuel to the moon.

These three Chinese spacecraft used only a few dozen kilograms of xenon gas.

This proves that their new Hall thruster has achieved incredible levels of thrust vector control and specific impulse efficiency.

Every tiny orbital change relies on millisecond-level pulse calculations on the ground. By utilizing the characteristics of Hall thrusters—low thrust and high controllability—they achieved nanometer-level adjustments to the orbit and velocity, precisely inserting the spacecraft into the escape capsule's trajectory.

I can understand why senior White House officials are so nervous, because this level of precision means space interception.

At least on the moon, the Chinese have the capability to launch and intercept missiles, while we can only build a very basic lunar base.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of aerospace knows what the White House's so-called "Big T" base is. It's nothing more than a space station on the moon and a ground-based space station composed of multiple modules.

Aside from the difficulty of getting it up there, there was absolutely nothing to do with it.

On the moon, the gap between us and China is like that between the Stone Age and the Gunpowder Age.

They've already got flintlock muskets, while we're still using spears.

After switching back to Blue Origin's livestream, Alex said in a low voice, "Now, the rescue has entered its most dangerous phase."

China has already lowered the rope, but grabbing it requires 100% professional skill and courage from the astronauts.

The spacesuit's propulsion backpack was almost out of fuel, meaning they couldn't afford any mistakes.

This is the loneliest and most dangerous extravehicular transfer in human history.

Let us hold our breath and pray for these three brave astronauts. Their fate is now entirely in their own hands and in the hands of the command center in China.

Lin Ran's voice rang out: "The three of you, this is Randolph."

The Queqiao spacecraft, number one, two, and three, have been positioned according to the predetermined procedure.

Please ensure you are properly dressed in your spacesuits and have completed the airlock decompression procedure.

Jason replied, "Professor, I am Jason."

Everything is ready.

The spacesuit is airtight.

We have locked the final attitude control system of the escape pod and are awaiting separation instructions.

Lin Ran said, "Very good, Commander Jensen, you will continue to stay at the point guard position."

Lina, you are the first to be transferred.

Your target is the Queqiao-1 spaceship. Since all three spaceships look identical, you don't need to identify which one is number one. You just need to grab the rope closest to you when it appears.

Lin Ran added, "Please note, Lina, the Hall thrusters are constantly being fine-tuned, and your zero relative velocity state is being dynamically maintained."

The smaller your movements, the easier it is for us to control and command from the ground.

Everything is done with the goal of minimizing energy consumption.

Lina replied: "Received, minimum power consumption, I'm ready to disembark."

Lina secured herself inside the cramped airlock of the escape pod and made a final attitude check.

Commander Jensen extended his heavily gloved fist to her, a final, silent encouragement.

With a soft hiss of internal pressure equalization, the escape pod's hatch slowly slid open.

The deep, dark, and cold universe instantly flooded her vision.

Lin Ran said, "The hatch is open. Lina, initiate the first short pulse."

Lina gently touched the control button on the spacesuit's propulsion backpack with her right index finger, and she felt a faint but clear thrust from her back.

The pulse was so brief and so weak, yet it was enough to propel her from the escape pod into deep space.

Lina's body began to drift outwards at an extremely slow speed.

Jason gave confidence over the radio: "Disengagement complete, Lena, stable posture, perfect exit angle."

Lena Singh quickly shut down the propulsion backpack and placed her hands flat at her sides.

She was like a feather, thrown into the boundary between vacuum and absolute stillness.

She could feel no wind, no resistance, only endless darkness and a gray moon.

To her left front, the gray-brown, flat, disc-shaped Magpie Bridge spaceship awaited her in an eerie, completely still posture.

Its surface is covered with a complex thermal control coating, and its huge circular structure gives people a sense of quiet yet unfamiliar oppression.

Lin Ran said, "Magpie Bridge One, activate the flexible capture arm. Lina, focus! The rope is appearing."

On the side of the "Queqiao-1" spacecraft, a slender mechanical arm extends like a tentacle.

At the end of the robotic arm, a high-strength tether rope, slightly thicker than the safety rope of a spacesuit, was slowly extended.

The rope has tiny attitude modulators at the end, allowing it to approach the direction Lina is floating at a very slow speed.

This was the most psychologically demanding moment of the entire transfer process.

Lina needs to overcome her primal human fears.

Fear of missing the target, fear of being thrown into deep space.

She had to wait until the rope came into her reach on its own.

The rope, vibrating slightly, slowly passed before her eyes.

Nearly.

closer.

Lin Ran spoke faster, but his voice remained steady: "Lina, grab the window that's open! Don't rush in, don't chase it with your body! Use your wrist, gently but firmly grab it! Don't be afraid, your backpack can still make one more pulse. If you miss, remember to slowly adjust your posture, you'll have another chance!"

Lina silently recited the instructions in her mind, and her right arm seemed to detach from her shoulder, slowly extending out.

The heavy gloves precisely covered the tethering rope.

Lina: "Got it! The rope is secure!"

A slight, automatic tension came through, not as strong as she had imagined; the rope's cushioning system gently absorbed her last bit of drift speed.

She successfully grasped the lifeline from China in deep space.

At this point, we've already achieved more than half the success.

Jason and Sarah high-fived inside the escape pod, celebrating this historic moment.

Lin Ran said, "Very good, Lina."

Now, shut down all propulsion systems on your spacesuit.

Use your arms to pull along the rope towards the external standby compartment of "Queqiao-1".

Slow, steady pace, and don't rush!

Lina began to climb.

Her destination wasn't the oval-shaped, transparent single-person cabin on the side of the spaceship, but the standby cabin. She would wait in the standby cabin until the air level was equalized before entering the single-person cabin.

In the vacuum, with each pull, her heartbeat regained a slight stability.

She was no longer a weightless astronaut, but a living being climbing along a rope.

This is a subject they have trained on many times in the past. Once they get here, it is not fundamentally different from extravehicular activities on the International Space Station.

Finally, her helmet crashed into the fuselage of the standby pod.

Lina: "In position! I have reached the standby pod and am entering."

Following the operating instructions she had read beforehand in the escape pod, she quickly turned on the air valve, crawled into the cramped compartment, and then forcefully pulled the handle to close the hatch.

The notification sound indicating successful hatch sealing rang out inside her spacesuit, sounding to her like heavenly music.

Lina: "Entered the standby pod, door locked, switching life support systems."

"Professor, the power supply to Bridge No. 1 is connected. I'm safe."

Apollo Technology's official Weibo account posted immediately after confirmation: 1/3.

Countless people breathed a sigh of relief.

Because the first one is the most difficult, if the first one goes smoothly, psychologically, you'll feel more confident about the next two.

Astronaut Jason, still inside the escape pod, clenched his fists and gently slammed them down, seemingly celebrating his team's goal.

On Earth, Bezos, watching the live stream, breathed a sigh of relief; those 10 billion dollars hadn't been wasted.

(End of this chapter)