Chapter 435

Chapter 435: A Step to Great Heights

It will still take ten years for the real spacecraft chosen from this astronaut selection to be completed. This decade will allow them to accumulate all the necessary experience.

A large and complex spacecraft cannot be produced like items on an industrial assembly line. It will take the meticulous effort of many to refine it gradually, and sometimes even handcrafting is required. Even then, the rate of defective parts remains astonishingly high.

“Number two, check the flight system and compare the parameters. I need to be able to switch to manual control at any time.”

“Comparison complete. Number one, do you really need to do it manually? Didn’t Engineer Chen say that the launch process is all automatically set during class?”

“Better safe than sorry!”

Rather than entrusting his life to others, Lin Mo believed more in his own capabilities.

“Okay! Everyone, take your positions. Get ready for one minute of breathing adjustment. Breathe in!… Breathe out!… Breathe in!… Breathe out!”

Having the right mindset before takeoff is crucial. Check, check, and check again. The more prepared they are before entering outer space, the more secure they will feel. As future astronauts, they needed to keep calm to identify any problems.

Even the slightest risk could lead to the sacrifice of an astronaut. Before ignition, the astronauts had the power to veto the launch sequence.

No one could joke around with human lives.

This breathing technique was a little tip Lin Mo shared with the others. No one knew how to relax and stay calm better than a soldier.

Once everyone had calmed their minds, they began checking all the systems and functional modules again, stopping their checks only ten minutes before takeoff, waiting for the launch.

With a roar of ignition, the simulator erupted with loud noises and vibrations. Hundreds of sound effect units simulated completely realistic sounds, with vibrations that felt just like the real thing.

In front of them, they could see large LCD screens showing the outside. With intense shaking, the launch pad quickly disappeared from the screen, leaving only vast blue skies.

The feedback from the rear camera captured a simulated view of the launch rocket and its strapped auxiliary rockets firing flames and thick smoke, propelling the spacecraft into the sky as the ground grew more distant and objects shrunk smaller.

Earth’s gravity never willingly lets any object easily escape its grasp. Fighter jets can soar into the sky and fly freely, but that doesn’t mean they can break out of the atmosphere. It requires tremendous power to accomplish that.

Lin Mo and the others began to feel the G-forces transmitted through their spacesuits. This was a completely different experience from what fighter pilots encountered. The intense pressure overwhelmed every part of their bodies, even their hair strands.

The seats in the cockpit embraced the astronauts, providing comfort and softness that helped offset the G-forces, allowing the astronauts to maintain their strength as they entered outer space.

During G-force training, the levels exceeded what they would actually face, allowing for greater tolerance to overload. This redundancy is essential for the mysterious environment of outer space.

If ordinary civilians were in their place, they probably wouldn’t last even a minute.

Getting to eat food in space is no easy feat. Once selected as astronauts, they would still have to undergo more intense training to truly adapt to spaceflight.

During the journey of breaking free from Earth’s constraints, the spacecraft would not fly straight away from Earth due to gravity. Instead, it would follow a parabolic flight path, reaching a maximum orbital speed of 7.9 kilometers per second (equivalent to 23 times the speed of sound), also known as the first cosmic speed.

Such powerful thrust is required to gradually reach this first cosmic speed, fully escaping Earth’s gravitational reach and entering outer space.

The spacecraft’s speed would increase continuously through multiple ignition stages until reaching the first cosmic speed. However, it wouldn’t happen all at once, as they needed to consider the endurance of the astronauts and equipment. Also, due to the "thermal barrier" effect within the near-Earth atmosphere, at speeds exceeding six times the speed of sound, temperatures at the top of the vehicle could surpass 1480 degrees Celsius, even exceeding the temperatures in the ionosphere.

If they attempted to reach speeds over ten times the speed of sound below the ionosphere, they would likely disintegrate into ash almost instantly. No high-temperature resistant materials could withstand those temperatures; the heat generated could burn up meteors, let alone human spacecraft.

Carrying the spacecraft, the launch rocket would truly enter the high-speed stage when it was 500 to 1000 kilometers from Earth’s surface.

Conventional air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles paled in comparison to the launch of a space shuttle; they simply couldn’t compete. Only strategic intercontinental missiles could match it, while others wouldn’t even be able to catch up.

This immense speed and peak G-force pressure present a significant burden for astronauts.

Due to the extremely thin air and gravity being too weak to reach, it becomes easier for spacecraft to achieve astonishing speeds.

In the zero-gravity environment of outer space, there is no gravity, no resistance, and no friction. Even a simple release of gas can become supersonic. Tossing something out will have a range greater than a missile; even an ordinary person could destroy any current human creation in outer space with bare hands.

Satellites, space stations, space shuttles, aerospace fighters—they could all be knocked down like bricks.

In such a unique environment, speed becomes the most crucial element.

After ten minutes of intense shaking that felt like they were about to break apart, they suddenly felt a lightness as the screen displayed the sky changing from light blue to deep blue, and then to the black expanse of endless stars.

“Now preparing to enter synchronous orbit! Main engine ignition complete!” Lin Mo heard the voice of co-pilot Wang Xuejun in his ear.

The combination of number one and number two was also a way for the training center to observe how the two best pilots performed together.

Number fifteen, Lai Yaowu, who was in charge of navigation, and number eighteen, Meng Yinan, who was responsible for communication, maintained constant contact with the ground simulation communication nodes, their voices continuing to overlap.

All of the main boosters and strapped auxiliary rockets detached in order, and at that moment, the “Penglai” began its final sprint, beneath which was likely American territory.

Heh, if this were real flight, it would probably have already been locked onto by multiple ground-based high-power laser cannons. The Americans would respond similarly if their spacecraft flew over Chinese territory.

In recent years, the military satellites launched by America have frequently been blinded by the Chinese. Even the Russians have pulled similar tricks to hide what they shouldn’t see.

If military reconnaissance satellites could dominate the world, then America’s “Aurora” wouldn’t have to come out just to make an appearance, cruising at seven times the speed of sound isn’t an easy feat!

“Hmm, everything is normal. Switching to manual operation.” Lin Mo’s precise operation earned high praise from the training center. His piloting skills rightfully earned him the title of No. 1, unmatched in skill. Even Wang Xuejun had to acknowledge that number one’s flying technique was indeed “just a tad” better than his.

Experienced veteran pilots could often be more reliable than programmed operations. After all, when addressing unexpected situations, the human brain is far superior to rigid computer programs.

During the four days of training, aside from the initial entry into orbit and docking with the space station, as well as the return journey, the majority of time was spent on space research and experiments.

The nation invested vast sums and put in immense effort to send them into space—not for tourism, but for scientific research. In the weightless and vacuum conditions, along with cosmic radiation, many living organisms and materials undergo fascinating changes.

Some seeds mutate, becoming stronger and superior.

Without the influence of gravity, metal smelting can lead to remarkable changes. For example, tungsten-aluminum alloys, which cannot be melted on Earth, either have the aluminum vaporize beforehand or form layer upon layer as it cools, preventing them from fusing together.

However, in the weightless conditions of outer space, both tungsten and aluminum lose their weight, allowing tungsten to dissolve uniformly in molten aluminum to create a porous sponge-like tungsten-aluminum alloy. This material can be widely used in high-tech fields like aerospace and communications as a superconductor.

No wonder rare extraterrestrial metals like Split ore, which can incite fierce battles among the powerful, and the coveted Lonsdaleite are found in space—they prove that outer space is undoubtedly an unprecedented treasure trove.

Coincidences born in the complex unknown environment may create miracles.

As humanity steps into space, a new discipline emerges—space metallurgy.

Dragon God, if Lin Mo’s gold giant dragon knew about these advancements, it would surely go wild with excitement.

This is just the alloy smelting technology; there are also national strategic research aspects in biology, astronomy, and more.

"A step to great heights" might be the most appropriate phrase to describe the space industry. Mastering advanced space technology not only elevates a country’s scientific and technological strength and industrial foundation, but it also improves the livelihoods of ordinary people at the same time.