Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 68: Make NASA Great Again?
"Make NASA Great Again? MNGA?"

Lin Ran ate the fried potatoes in front of him and joked casually.

James Webb's style is more bold. The two of them were wearing suits and ties in a traditional American hamburger restaurant, and their styles didn't match at all.

Fortunately, this is Washington, and there are guests dressed similarly.

After joking, Lin Ran still wanted to answer this question properly:
"Can I improve NASA's R&D efficiency, do more verification from a theoretical level, and reduce the frequency of errors?"

In this era when computer computing power is limited and various data simulation algorithms are not yet perfect, the participation of a great mathematician is still very effective from the perspective of risk avoidance.

Lin Ran speculated that Kennedy did not want to see another incident like the live broadcast of a satellite explosion during a launch, as this would not only undermine the credibility of NASA, but also the credibility of the White House.

James Webb nodded and said, “That’s only part of it.

The current White House does not like the fact that all the scientists at NASA, from top to bottom, are former NAZI German scientists. Some of them only provide technical support to Germany, but some provide other help to Germany.

But for practical reasons we had to let them take over all of NASA.

But the White House doesn't want this to become the norm.

You know, we accused the Soviet Union in the media of stealing its atomic bomb technology from us, and similarly, they accused us in the media of using Nazi German scientists on a large scale in order to compete with them.

Ignore the crimes they have committed.

Eisenhower may not have cared, but Kennedy did.

We want you to be the iconic NASA scientist, not Brian Von.

You are currently the Special Assistant to the President for Space Affairs, and in the future you may be given the position of Chief Scientist of NASA."

There is no doubt that James Webb, who has worked in Washington for many years, has mastered the essential skills of politicians, which is to paint a rosy picture.

After listening to this, Lin Ran said in confusion: "Mr. Weber, but in the past I have only shown talent in mathematics.

Where did you hear about me, and why do you have such confidence in me and believe that I can make use of my talents in the field of aerospace?"

James Webb explained: "Haines, Haynes was a student of my father's and an acquaintance of mine at NASA.

When I put forward my idea to him and asked him if there was any scientist in NASA who could definitely be better than von Bryan, he said that he was not sure who in NASA there was, but he was sure that you could.

I later read your resume in detail in the newspaper. Your talent in mathematics is unquestionable. The fact that Professor Horkheimer accepted you as his disciple proves that you also have unique insights in philosophy.

I think it's no problem for you to achieve something in aerospace. As a lawyer by training, I was appointed NASA Administrator by President Kennedy. You're much better qualified than I am." This completes the logical loop.

Lin Ran began to recall the life of James Webb. His father was the principal of a public school in Granville County, North Carolina, and Haynes was his student. This was indeed a possibility.

As for his good math skills leading to his achievements in aerospace, this is easier to understand.

Being good at mathematics is a natural halo, not to mention that for someone like Lin Ran, the youngest Fields, the title of Prince of Mathematics is waiting to be crowned to him after he completes the Randolph Program.

Even if he had not completed the Randolph Program, he would at least be a mathematician as famous as Évariste Galois.

For laymen, there is always a myth that if you are good at math, you will be able to do anything well. Don’t you see that Wall Street recruits math PhDs with high salaries every year, even if they have no financial foundation at all.

"Washington, D.C., February 1961, 2: Randolph Linn's security hearing officially took place in Washington, D.C. Facing questions from the Federal Security Committee about the reliability of the renowned mathematician who solved Fermat's conjecture, Randolph Linn not only did not back down, but instead fought back with impressive debating skills and legal knowledge. His performance, like that of a seasoned lawyer or politician, impressed everyone present."

In the seminar room of the Department of Mathematics at the City University of New York, the number theory seminar convened by Harvey Cohen is about to begin, but apart from paper and pen, the most common things in the room are newspapers from the past two days.

The front page headlines of the newspapers were all about Lin Ran attending a hearing in Washington.

The New York Times wrote on its front page headline: "Mathematician Transforms into Lawyer, Citing Classics to Rebut Accusations," praising Lin Ran for "defending his innocence with the rigor of a lawyer and the eloquence of a politician," and lamenting: "This scientist has almost made people forget that his profession is mathematics, not law."

The Washington Post commented: "Randolph's rebuttal not only demonstrated his wisdom, but also exposed the weaknesses of the Republican congressman's accusations. His citations caught his opponents off guard and forced the hearing to re-examine the rationality of the accusations." The article also predicted that this performance might change the direction of the hearing.

Time magazine wrote in a feature article: "Randolph, with his profound knowledge and brilliant eloquence, overturned the stereotype of scientists. His performance convincingly proved that he was not only a scientific giant but also a master of debate."

Scientific American stated: "Randolph used knowledge and truth to fight prejudice, setting an example for the scientific community and society as a whole. In this era of fear, his courage is particularly valuable."

Of course, not all media outlets praised him. For example, the Chicago Tribune questioned in its report: "While Randolph's debate performance was impressive, his possible close ties to China cannot be ignored. Whether these ties are truly harmless still requires careful evaluation."

The mathematicians in the conference room took turns flipping through the newspaper, chatting as they read:

"Kane, you said Randolph will come today. Is that true? The last few times you invited him, he only came twice. He is going to work in the White House soon. How can he have time to attend our number theory seminar?" asked Courant, the Courant from the Courant Institute of New York University.

Harvey Cohen replied: "The White House appointment has not yet been made, but Randolph has already returned to New York. He promised me that he would attend today's number theory seminar and tell us about his ideas on the ABC conjecture."

After Lin Ran proposed the ABC conjecture, it caused a huge response in the field of number theory because it was proposed by him. It was considered to be a problem in the field of number theory that was no less important than Fermat's Last Theorem, and some even believed that this conjecture was even greater than Fermat's Last Theorem.

But compared with Fermat's Last Theorem, it just takes time to settle.

Chen Jingrun, the source of Harvey Cohen's confidence and Lin Ran's former student, sat in a chair flipping through a newspaper filled with Lin Ran's half-length photos, thinking:
"Professor Lin, you made such a big scene in America!"

(End of this chapter)