It was twelve o 'clock in the morning in Beijing.
It was eight o 'clock in the morning in Washington.
For most people in the United States, a new day had just begun.
In a house in the suburbs of New Jersey, a young couple and their child, who had just turned four years old, were sitting at the dining table in the living room, enjoying breakfast together.
Julie, who was sitting at the dining table, glanced at the news on the TV. She saw the Ares program on the TV, and she couldn't help but complain. "I don't understand, why do we have to spend money to compete with China? Isn't it better to use the money to do something meaningful?"
Buddy was chewing on his bacon sandwich while he looked at the TV and grinned.
"You don't understand, it's a waste of a man's time."
Hearing her husband's words, Julie rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I don't understand, I don't understand why a truck driver is so worried about the universe. There's no way they'll let you drive a truck on Mars. "
Buddy raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Who knows, there might be such a day in the future? Apparently, the Ares program is recruiting volunteers, maybe I'll be like Han Solo — "
"I'm warning you, don't even think about it!"
Buddy looked at his wife, who had a serious expression on her face, and he tried to convince his wife to come.
"Relax, my sweetheart … I'm just saying, of course I won't actually sign up."
At this moment, there was a small accident in the news that was being shown.
"Here's a piece of news. Just nine minutes ago, NASA's observation satellite discovered that Skyglow, carrying the lunar module, took off from the Jinling launch center in China. As of the time we received the news, they had left the stratosphere and were heading for low-Earth orbit."
Looking at the scene on the TV, Buddy's mouth opened slightly. He didn't even notice that the bacon in his sandwich had fallen onto his plate.
"Oh my God … China is landing on the moon."
Julie played with the salad in her bowl with her fork and looked at her husband speechlessly.
"So?"
Buddy didn't answer his wife's question. He just stared at the TV and complained in a low voice.
"Damn it, what the hell is NASA doing?! We haven't made any progress in the past few years! "
The news continued to play on the TV.
It was just that the original news arrangement had been completely disrupted by this sudden incident.
After receiving the press release, the host immediately contacted Columbia TV's special expert, Professor Slade from Cornell University. At the same time, Professor Slade also served as a consultant for NASA's Ares program, so his professionalism was unquestionable.
"… After receiving this news, we urgently contacted NASA's expert, Professor Slade, but he couldn't come to the scene … Hello, Professor Slade!"
Professor Slade: "Hello."
A photo of Professor Slade appeared on the screen in the studio.
Through the phone, the host conducted a live interview with him.
"What do you think of China's moon landing program?"
Professor Slade thought for a few seconds and said in a conservative tone, "China didn't disclose the specific technical parameters of Skyglow, including our speculation that it might have an advanced Hall-effect thruster and a smaller controllable fusion reactor … Of course, some people think that they used an advanced lithium-sulfur battery technology. After all, Star Sky Technology's main business is in the battery field."
Host: "I believe that the vast majority of the audience doesn't care which technical route they are using. Can you give us a prediction in simpler terms?"
"Prediction?"
The host nodded and said, "Yes, we all want to know what the probability of this launch success is."
Professor Slade: "I can't give you a clear answer, I don't have any specific information about Skyglow."
At this point, he paused for a moment and continued in a reluctant tone.
"But if I had to say, their chances of winning are higher than the Soviets."
"You think their chances of winning are higher than the Soviets?" The host's eyes widened in surprise, and he repeatedly confirmed in disbelief, "Are you serious? You think they'll succeed? "
"I didn't say that, I just said that their chances of success are 50% … Or maybe 30%," Professor Slade said vaguely. "Of course, even if they successfully land on the Moon, they're still far behind us. After all, we've landed on the Moon more than once, and … Sorry, I can't say this here. "
Bart looked at the news report.
He sighed in relief; he was in a much better mood than before.
The probability of the Chinese landing on the Moon was less than 30%.
Compared to Columbia TV, NASA's experts were a bit more convincing.
The four-year-old boy used a fork to poke the omelet on his plate. He raised his head and held the fork high above his head, like he was playing with a rocket toy.
"Daddy, I want to travel to the Moon."
When Bart heard his son's words, he smiled and rubbed the little guy's head.
"One day, my little guy, our president is leading us back to greatness! When you grow up to be as tall as me, maybe going to Mars will be as easy as going to Hawaii … Remember to bring back some local souvenirs for your daddy. "
The little boy blinked his eyes, nodded his head, and said in a childish voice.
"Okay, Daddy."
Looking at the two clowns, Julie shook her head with a smile and continued to eat her salad.
She didn't care about greatness at all.
She just hoped that everything wouldn't get worse.
…
However, the thing that most Americans were worried about was happening.
Ever since the completion of the Pangu fusion reactor, China's energy costs had dropped significantly. The situation on the other side of the Pacific Ocean had been getting worse.
NASA headquarters building.
Inside the satellite control room.
Three days before the launch of Skyglow, the observation satellite in geosynchronous orbit had already pointed its lens at Jinling, China. And now, this "annoying guy" carrying the lunar module was slowly approaching the edge of the atmosphere.
Aiden from the CIB cursed as he stared at the green dot on the screen.
"Are we just going to watch it go to space?"
The NASA director glanced at him indifferently.
"What else?"
Eden was like an angry lion as he spoke indignantly.
"We should take some measures."
The NASA director ignored the CIA officer. After thinking for a while, he looked at his secretary standing next to him.
"How is the life support system going on Space-X?"
The secretary immediately replied, "Apparently, it has entered the testing stage."
"How long will the testing take?"
The secretary hesitated for two seconds before quickly replying, "Considering the window period for landing on Mars, our colonists will have to live there for at least two years … Of course, the test doesn't need to be conducted for that long. According to Musk, nine months is enough."
"We can't wait nine months." The NASA director shook his head and looked at the flashing green dot on the radar. He said, "The Chinese are catching up to us. Advancing the Ares program to the next stage is more important than anything else."
He took a deep breath and turned his head. He stared at his secretary and spoke.
"Listen, contact Elon for me and ask him if he can shorten the testing time. I know it's difficult, but we need a victory. A victory that we can prove to the people and the Congress! "
The secretary held his breath and spoke after a while.
"Sir … What victory are you talking about?"
The NASA director spoke with a blank expression.
"Deliver the life support system to the surface of Mars within half a year.
"If the Chinese think they are catching up to us by putting their footprints on the Moon, we will use our actions to show them how small their achievements are compared to ours!"
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