American Strategic Deception Bureau

　So, under the military order, Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins finally entered the recording studio reluctantly. It took them three full days to finally complete the dubbing of the moon landing short film.

　Then, when Ferry left, he took away a bunch of tapes they had left over from their training as supplementary material.

　Afterwards, the three astronauts were depressed for several days before they adjusted their mood.

　But when Apollo 11 was about to launch, an even more depressing truth hit them like a bolt from the blue...

　Chapter 429, Apollo 11: Cheated on the Moon!

　On July 16, 1969, the entire American media focused its attention on the Cape Canaveral launch site in Florida.

　Because, according to NASA's official announcement, the Apollo 11 spacecraft, which is responsible for the mission of manned lunar landing, is about to set sail today!

　Although the Florida Peninsula is hot and humid in the summer, the road leading to Cape Canaveral is already crowded with cars starting at 2 a.m. - at least more than 100,000 tourists from the United States and all over the world have come to watch this moon landing event.

　Around 4 a.m., 15 kilometers from the launch site at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral

　At the training base outside, the three warriors Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins who were about to set out to participate in the moon landing expedition got up on time, underwent their final health check-up and started to enjoy breakfast.

　Although they were about to set off for the moon, they remained calm and composed - the first psychological requirement for astronauts is composure. They must have the ability to react quickly to deal with various situations in space, and also have the mentality to remain calm in the face of emergencies.

　At the same time, the chief engineer of the Saturn V rocket, the aerospace pioneer von Braun who invented the V-2 rocket for Nazi Germany and hit London, Kurt Debs, director of the Kennedy Space Center, Lieutenant General Phillips, the chief director of the Apollo moon landing, and others came to the hall of the launch control center one after another.

　A ground command team of more than fifty people was already on standby in this grand auditorium-like hall:

　They sit behind rows of dashboards, monitoring the status of rockets and spacecraft at the launch site through various instruments and TV screens. This was a common scene in space centers around the world in the backward era when computer technology was not yet developed enough and AI could not replace manual labor.

　And in the stands a few kilometers away from the launch site, the place was packed with dignitaries and guests. US President Robert Kennedy personally led 6 ministers, 102 congressmen and 19 senators, 8 governors and 31 mayors, as well as 44 foreign ambassadors and more than 2000 journalists from various countries to the space center named after his late brother to see off the Apollo 11 moon landing warriors.

　Thousands of tourists gathered around the stands, excitedly thinking that they were about to witness a major historical event.

　Two hours and 30 minutes before the launch, the three astronauts arrived at the launch site and walked towards the spacecraft with vigorous steps.

　At the launch site, Commander Armstrong spoke affectionately into the microphone handed to him by reporters: "This will be a fantastic journey. We are like a lone boat sailing in the vast ocean, full of dangers and difficulties, but also full of hope and happiness..."

　Command module pilot Collins pumped his fist and said, "We are going to march to the moon! Unveil the goddess Artemis!"

　A few kilometers away, in the stands, President Robert Kennedy, meticulously made up and with a look of deep affection, used a teleprompter to deliver a heartfelt speech to the assembled tourists and television viewers: "As we all know, eight years ago, mankind made its first voyage into space. Science fiction became reality."

　From then on, we turned our attention to the deeper universe.

　Even the moon, which is 380,000 kilometers away, is just a stop in the progress of human civilization.

　Why do we aim so high? Because the unwavering pursuit of discovery, fearless of danger and sacrifice, is the primary driving force behind human history. Only a courageous and enterprising spirit of exploration can brighten humanity's path forward and lead us step by step toward truth.

　On a clear summer night in the future, when my grandchildren and I are enjoying the cool air in the yard, I hope I can still look up at the stars in the night sky with curiosity, calculating when our spacecraft will reach outer galaxies, or waiting for brave explorers to return from space.

　Of course, the road to the universe is not smooth, and the history of human civilization has always been a history of struggle against various difficulties and obstacles.

　However, the foundation of a strong country will always be those who care about their country and place the responsibility of the whole society on their shoulders, those who give the people more in return than the people's expectations and demands, and those who make great contributions to mankind and never seek even the slightest reward.

　Here, I want to express my gratitude to the three lunar warriors who boarded the spacecraft today. Your sacrifices for our country are known to the world, and your courage and contributions will never be forgotten! In the army of conquerors of the universe, in the long history of glorious cause, you will always be the brightest stars..."

　……

　When he finished his speech, the morning light had already appeared in the eastern sky, and the huge, shining rocket was covered with the fresh morning light: bright red at first, then dark red and gold... The earth and the ocean seemed to wake up, and the world was filled with all kinds of lively noises.

　Bathed in the morning light, the three astronauts walked to the rocket launch pad, took the elevator to a height of 100 meters from the ground, and walked through the narrow temporary trestle into the Apollo spacecraft cabin on top of the Saturn V rocket.

　The engineers immediately closed the hatch, carefully checked the sealing of the hatch, and then removed the trestle.

　The atmosphere at the launch site became increasingly heated. Everyone was looking at the large countdown display board, whispering and discussing.

　Countdown 20 minutes! The spacecraft's external circuits are cut off, and it is completely powered by internal power.

　6 minutes left! Final inspection of the rocket and spacecraft completed.

　Countdown 100 seconds! The automatic ignition device started working, and everyone at the launch site evacuated the vicinity of the launch pad.

　At this moment, the launch site is brightly sunny. The scorching summer sun shines on the towering industrial behemoth, showing its majesty and power.

　The people around the stands completely forgot everything and just held their breath, quietly waiting for the moment when the Saturn V rocket took off.

　"5, 4, 3..."

　Along with the announcement from the loudspeaker, Saturn V

　The five F-1 engines of the first stage of the rocket ignited simultaneously, and a blazing bright flame gushed out, making the surrounding world seem dim and so dazzling that ordinary people could not bear it.

　Below the launch pad, dozens of high-pressure nozzles began to violently spray cooling water to cool the tower, base and flame exhaust channel.

　The high temperature of nearly 3000 degrees Celsius instantly turned the cooling water into steam, creating a strange sight of rising clouds around the rocket.

　The rocket thrust began to hit the launch pad, with a total thrust of 1.8 million horsepower, equivalent to twice the total power generated by all the rivers in North America at that time.

　"2, 1, fire!"

　At 9:32 local time, the launch button was activated.

　At that moment, the launch tower, the ground, and even the stands several kilometers away felt violent tremors.

　Then, the 110-meter-long Saturn V rocket broke free from the last few fixtures and slowly rose.

　When the majestic rocket, carrying the glory and dreams of mankind, soared into the sky with a rumbling sound and flew over the Atlantic Ocean, millions of people who were at the scene or staring at the TV, their eyes also followed the rocket and gave applause and cheers of blessing.

　After it finally disappeared into the sky and out of sight, the audience began to disperse in twos and threes. But the staff at Mission Control in Houston were nervous. The Saturn V's first-stage rocket ignition at Cape Canaveral was only the first stage; the second and third stages would follow, requiring further control from ground control. Only if both ignitions went smoothly could the Apollo 11 spacecraft accelerate to its second cosmic velocity of 11.2 kilometers per second, break free from Earth's orbit, and embark on the 38-kilometer journey to the moon.

　The most troublesome thing was that after the third stage of the rocket completed its mission, the Apollo spacecraft had to perform a "space somersault." To reduce drag, during launch, the Apollo spacecraft carried the astronauts in the command module at the top, the service module carrying supplies in the middle, and the lunar module at the bottom. A rescue rocket (escape rocket) was installed above the command module to carry it away in the event of an accident.

　However, when the spacecraft enters space and the journey to the moon officially begins, the lunar module must be placed in front.

　Otherwise, the astronauts would not be able to enter the lunar module through the passage between the command module and the lunar module.

　So, when the Saturn V's third stage separated, it wasn't the rocket itself that separated from the spacecraft; it was the third stage itself, carrying the lunar module with it. Then, command module pilot Collins, gripping the joystick, flipped the spacecraft 180 degrees, swapping its "head" and "back," and aligning the command module's conical tip with the lunar module's attachment hole, firmly engaging the inner wall of the hole with the three hooks on the cone.

　——Although this set of operations, which is comparable to circus acrobatics, does look dangerous, elite pilots will not feel afraid.

　For early carrier pilots, these maneuvers were simply the basics of landing. From a distance, the deck of a carrier was barely the size of a bathtub, undulating and often swirling with crosswinds. If a naval battle was underway, the carriers would likely have had to perform various maneuvers to evade torpedoes and enemy aircraft, further complicating landing.

　Even more daunting is that carrier-based aircraft returning from combat missions are often riddled with bullets, even malfunctioning, and their pilots exhausted and perhaps even injured. In these conditions, they still have to use their tail hooks to hook onto arresting cables on a runway just a few dozen meters long.

　For an experienced ace carrier-based aircraft pilot, the acrobats in the park are probably only fit to be their apprentices!

　In comparison, maneuvering the Apollo spacecraft into a somersault on the spot, while risky, was at least no more difficult than landing a carrier-based aircraft during wartime.

　In short, with his courage, carefulness and skilled techniques, Collins successfully completed the above-mentioned difficult operation without any mistakes.

　Next, Aldrin removed the sealing panel between the lunar module and the command module, installed the power supply and cables, and connected the two together - the entire docking process looked a bit like the connection between train cars, but it was obviously more complicated and dangerous.

　The Saturn V rocket, which had completely exhausted its fuel, had separated from the lunar module and was slowly falling back into the atmosphere, turning into a burning fireball.

　At this point, the Saturn V rocket's mission was complete, and it had sent the Apollo 11 spacecraft into lunar orbit.

　During the next three days of the voyage, Apollo 11 would only rely on inertia to reach the edge of the moon...

　In order to avoid boring the audience in front of the TV, the Apollo 11 spacecraft conducted its first live TV broadcast on the first day of entering the universe, when it was still in low-Earth orbit, allowing people on Earth to appreciate the exotic scenery in space.

　To this end, Collins pointed the camera at the beautiful Earth, so that images of the eastern Pacific Ocean and the American continent appeared on the TV screen. Night had fallen on the right side of the New World, while the Pacific Ocean was still azure blue, with white clouds floating above it. The scenery was magnificent.

　Coupled with the commentary by Collins, a doctoral student at MIT, it feels like watching a well-made science and education film.

　However, for some reason, although the three astronauts were so humorous and sunny in front of the camera, as soon as the camera moved

　When they open their mouths, their expressions will always involuntarily turn gloomy in an instant...

　-

　While the three astronauts were traveling in space, the masterminds behind the scenes, including Phiri, Dr. Kissinger, and NASA Administrator Thomas Payne, were secretly reporting to President Kennedy Jr. and explaining his doubts.

　——The president expressed confusion, saying that since they had already decided to fake the moon landing, why did they still let astronauts fly into lunar orbit?

　Even if the scene of a rocket launch cannot be faked, the spacecraft can stay in a relatively safe Earth orbit for a few days and then return!

　"First, Mr. President, the thrust of the Saturn V rocket was predetermined. If the spacecraft was only intended to reach Earth orbit, the third stage would have to be removed, which would have been too noisy and detrimental to secrecy. Therefore, the Apollo 11 spacecraft had to go to the moon.

　Secondly, although the Soviets didn't yet have accurate deep-space exploration technology, and their telescopes couldn't discern the Apollo spacecraft heading for the moon, they could still roughly determine whether there were any radio signals coming from the lunar direction. If the Soviets hadn't detected any radio signals from the lunar direction after just a few days of orbiting Apollo 11, it would be hard not to be suspicious.

　Furthermore, Earth's orbit is now too "clean," with only a handful of satellites. The size of the Apollo spacecraft would have been difficult to discern if placed on the moon, 380,000 kilometers away. But in low-Earth orbit, a few hundred kilometers above the surface, the Apollo spacecraft would have been clearly visible to ground-based observatories. What if the Soviets were able to track the spacecraft with telescopes and discovered it never reached the moon?

　Finally, with current aerospace technology, it seems that a spacecraft staying in Earth orbit for ten days is not necessarily safer than going around the moon once - anyway, whether the spacecraft breaks down in lunar orbit or in Earth orbit, we will not be able to organize a rescue.

　In summary, we finally decided to let the Apollo 11 spacecraft go to the moon as originally planned, but not to land on the lunar surface."

　NASA Administrator Thomas Payne responded.

　"But this would greatly increase the risk to the Apollo 11 spacecraft itself! It's a long journey lasting ten days and covering a total distance of 380,000 kilometers! Anything could happen along the way!"

　The president said irritably, "What if Apollo 11 fails to reach lunar orbit? How will you continue with the hoax you prepared?"

　"

　If the Apollo 11 spacecraft had a very unfortunate journey and failed to even enter the lunar orbit, then we would have had no choice but to declare them a failure and then rush to shoot a new moon landing short film and have the Apollo 12 astronauts do the dubbing.

　Fieri stepped forward and replied to the President, "Administrator Payne just told us that NASA has a Saturn V rocket that is 95% complete, and the Apollo 12 spacecraft is also ready to launch this year.

　So, we still have a chance, let's take a gamble this time! No matter what big things we do, we have to take risks! Mr. President! "

　"..." President Kennedy Jr. raised his head, looked at him deeply, and finally shook his head and sighed, "Well, now it seems that we can only take a gamble! May God bless America! I'm going back to the White House now, and you guys will take care of everything that happens next!

　In short, whether it is success or failure, I want to receive the news immediately! Do you understand? "

　"Yes, Mr. President! God bless America!"

　However, he could only stay more than 100 kilometers away from the moon's surface as the first cosmic liar in history and deceive the world and steal fame.

　"What? Feeling bad?"

　Lunar module pilot Aldrin took off his headset, came over and asked in a low voice. There was a panda-like dark circle under his eyes.

　In general, the three astronauts' sleep quality was not very good during the journey because the light contrast was too drastic.

　There were four windows on the Apollo 11 spacecraft, two front windows and two side windows. As a result, the spacecraft's rotation gave the astronauts a strange experience they had never experienced before - whenever the spacecraft was facing the sun, strong sunlight would shine through the windows; otherwise, it would be completely dark.

　That is to say, within every hour of this voyage, they will experience three sunrises and three sunsets.

　It felt like being in an interrogation room at a police station, with a bright light shining into my eyes every ten minutes, preventing me from sleeping.

　It’s impossible to keep your biological clock out of order!

　In addition, during the three-day journey, they could not lie down and rest all the way, but had to complete many miscellaneous experimental tasks, and even had to shoot a short film on space science and education: Collins slowly floated up and down in front of the instrument wall, trying his best to perform various weightless dances in the extremely cramped space; Armstrong made a guest appearance on the space food show, introducing how to eat various space foods, and tried them one by one.

　Aldrin explained the route of this voyage and the star map along the way in front of a small blackboard, and also had to answer questions from reporters on the ground in space.

　In addition, there are performances such as the rotation of cans in weightlessness, the use of water guns to spray spherical water droplets in the cabin, and then opening the mouth to inhale them in the air, etc.

　——Anyone who has made a short video knows how tiring it is to shoot a video in such a short time without eating or sleeping well.

　To make matters worse, the Apollo 11 spacecraft did not have a smooth journey during the three days of inertia heading towards the moon.

　There were some minor problems during this period, which almost caused the Apollo 11 spacecraft to deviate from its course.

　What's the problem? The spacecraft is tilted by the astronauts' urine!

　The entire Apollo moon landing took more than a week, and it was obviously impossible for the astronauts to hold back their toilet needs for such a long time.

　But pooping in the command module, which weighed only six tons, wasn't like using a toilet. The Apollo command module was even more cramped than a fighter jet cockpit, making it impossible to build a dedicated toilet for the astronauts. Therefore, Apollo astronauts had to use collection canisters when defecating in the cabin, much like a driver peeing in a bottle on a long drive. When wearing spacesuits outside the cabin, they had to use diapers for peeing and hold their poop.

　However, if feces and urine were to remain in such a small compartment, the smell would undoubtedly be very bad. The air filtration system on the spacecraft was very weak, and after a few days of being surrounded by feces and urine, the smell would be even more unbearable than that of a submarine returning from a long voyage.

　So, this time, the astronauts of the Apollo spacecraft will not bring feces and urine back to Earth, but will throw them away after defecation and discharge them out of the cabin through a pipe.

　Then, once the feces and urine enter space, they condense into powdery ice crystals, spreading out in all directions like a rainbow. There is no air resistance in space, so the relative speed of the feces and urine when they are first expelled from the spacecraft is very low, only 0.3 meters per second. Within a minute or two, they will surround the spacecraft.

　At first glance, it looks like it is surrounded by crystal fragments, and looks like a fairyland under the sunlight.

　But just thinking about the essence of this wonder would make people feel sick, right?

　What’s even worse is that even a tiny reaction force from pooping and peeing can interfere with the spacecraft’s forward direction!

　——As soon as the Apollo 11 spacecraft began to release excrement, the hull began to shake irregularly and the rotation speed also changed, which scared the Houston ground command center into a panic.

　Fortunately, the spacecraft was designed with a lot of redundancy, and there is more than one pipe for releasing excrement.

　The command center quickly asked Armstrong to drain the urine from another pipe in the opposite direction, and only then did they adjust the attitude of the spacecraft back to normal...

　But after all this trouble, the feces and urine in the collection tank inevitably leaked out, making the air in the command module even more smelly.

　Of course, compared with the smelly and turbid air, what makes the astronauts feel even worse is the journey itself - for a traveler, what could be more sad than trudging to the destination, only to be unable to enter and having to return home?

　At this moment, the whole world thought that they were at the beginning of a great historical moment.

　In a few hours, two American astronauts will plant the American flag on the moon, just like Columbus discovered the New World.

　But the three people on the Apollo 11 spacecraft knew that this was their end.

　"You know, Neil, I've really thought about whether I should risk everything and just go to the moon in the lunar module."

　Aldrin looked out the window at the desolate moon and said indignantly, "Screw this scam, screw this international image! I quit!"