Night gradually fell.
The space launch site was brightly lit at the moment.
On a day when most people were planning their holidays and looking forward to the arrival of the New Year, there was not the slightest atmosphere of the New Year here.
The ground crew was busy on the runway. Under the command of the engineers, they were doing the final checks on the launch site and the hardware facilities on Skyglow.
The launch plan had been set, and the ignition was scheduled to start at 12 o 'clock in the evening.
According to the observation data provided by the meteorological department, this was the most suitable time for the launch mission.
It wasn't just the astronauts, all of the launch site staff were preparing for the "time difference". They had to ensure that they were in their best condition.
Inside the astronaut preparation room.
The atmosphere was quiet.
There were only three hours left before the launch. One hour later, they would have to board the spacecraft.
Nie Yun let out a long sigh and broke the silence as he spoke.
He then asked, "Are you ready?"
Nie Yan's lips curled into a smile. She stretched out her fist and hit her chest.
"I've been ready for a long time."
Perhaps it was because he was infected by her optimism, Nie Yun's taut face couldn't help but reveal a smile.
However, this smile only lasted for a few seconds.
After a moment of silence, he spoke.
"I suggest you think about it carefully. This launch mission is different from the last one. It's very dangerous. Only we know what's waiting for us on the Moon. "
Nie Yan smiled and said, "What's the point of saying this now? It's not like we can change people. "
Nie Yun said, "There's a substitute."
Nie Yan said without hesitation, "Don't even think about it."
They grew up together, so Nie Yun knew her too well. Seeing that she had no intention of changing her mind, he didn't try to persuade her.
In fact, because of their blood relationship, it was impossible for the two of them to fly together. In fact, Nie Yun was the only one selected to be the pilot of Skyglow.
However, when choosing the second astronaut, Nie Yan took the initiative to ask her superiors, hoping to participate in this mission. Considering her outstanding performance in the pilot group, as well as the opinions of her immediate family, her superiors finally approved her application.
Nie Yun didn't think this was a good thing.
Because if an accident really happened, it would be too cruel for his parents who were left on the surface …
Apart from the siblings, there was another person sitting there.
His identity was slightly different from the other two. He wasn't an official astronaut from the Air Force. Instead, he was a researcher from the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a partner of the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study. Before that, he was engaged in planetary geological exploration and research at the Lunar and Planetary Science Research Center. After the launch of the moon landing project, he volunteered to sign up and pass several rounds of selection before finally joining the project.
Before this, he had only received two months of professional training. It was not until the commanding officer of the launch mission told him to leave a will that he realized the seriousness of the problem …
Nie Yan noticed him repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists, so she began to talk to him.
"Hey, what's your name?"
Startled by the sudden voice, the person who came back to his senses stuttered.
"Liu … Liu Zhengwen."
"Nervous?"
"Hmm … a little."
Liu Zhengwen forced a smile on his face and took a deep breath. He stared at his fist on his knee for a while before he said, "I thought I was prepared, but … I'm still afraid of death."
Nie Yun went silent for a while and said, "Everyone is afraid of death, it's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Are you afraid too?"
Nie Yun nodded, then shook his head, leaving behind a sentence that was difficult to understand.
"Fear and fear are two different things."
Suddenly, the bell outside the lounge rang.
According to the pre-boarding procedure, it was time for them to go to the locker room and change into their spacesuits with the help of the staff.
Nie Yun stood up from his chair and walked next to Liu Zhengwen. He reached out and patted him on the arm.
"Relax, there are so many people praying for us.
"We can definitely do this."
…
The area around the launch site had been cordoned off by the troops stationed in the area. All vehicles and personnel were prohibited from entering the area. Military and police personnel patrolling the nearby area also took measures such as eviction, warning, and detention to deal with the people who sneaked into the site with camera equipment.
The entire launch site was like a fortress; not even a fly could get in.
On the other hand, inside the launch site.
The Central TV broadcast van that had obtained the pass was parked next to the launch site.
The camera was aimed at the three pilots walking toward the gangway. The reporter lady was so excited that her face was red. She spoke loudly into the microphone in her hand.
"The three astronauts walking past the runway are about to board Skyglow. In less than an hour, Skyglow's second launch will begin. According to the staff of the Jinling launch site, the destination of this launch mission will be the Moon orbit. Our astronauts will leave a footprint on the Moon! Our astronauts will also be on the Moon, bringing us New Year's blessings! "
After saying so much in one breath, the reporter lady took a few deep breaths before she could calm down.
If everything went well, the footage recorded by the camera would be edited for tomorrow's noon news broadcast.
If everything went wrong …
As an insignificant person, she could not imagine what kind of grief that would be.
She could only pray in her heart that everything would be fine.
Next to the smooth runway, a tall gangway slowly moved, connecting to the aerospaceplane boarding gate.
When the three astronauts boarded the plane, Lu Zhou, who was standing next to the control tower, smiled and waved at them.
Director Li, who was standing behind Lu Zhou, still had a tense expression on his face. He stared at Lu Zhou's back. Even when the gangway began to separate from the hatch, he still didn't let his guard down.
This guy really did what he said. Since an hour ago, he had been following closely behind him, not even letting go of a break in the toilet.
At most, he would stand a little further away …
When Lu Zhou saw how nervous he was, he sighed.
"After that, I thought about it carefully."
Director Li didn't understand what Lu Zhou was talking about. He paused for a second and asked, "What did you think about?"
Lu Zhou smiled and said, "You said that this lunar module can only seat two people. When the lunar module is released, we have to leave a pilot on the spacecraft, right?"
"So?"
"It's boring to stay up there alone. Why don't we go up together? We can play Fight the Landlord."
Seeing how Director Li's eyes were bulging, Lu Zhou was worried that his blood pressure was rising.
"I'm just kidding … Let's go to the ground command center, it's about to start."
Before Director Li could answer, Lu Zhou pulled him toward the control tower.
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