Starlight was sailing in deep space, and it slowly approached the silver "port".
After that, a pair of long "landing gears" slowly extended from under the nose of Starlight, pointing to the module with the interface at the end of the space station. They then slowly approached it.
Johnson sat in the passenger cabin and looked at the space station through the porthole. His heart was in his throat, and his palms were sweating.
The docking of spacecraft had always been a challenge in aerospace technology.
Not only did it test the accuracy of a country's industrial cameras, the strength of spacecraft materials, engines, and control technology, but it also tested the strength of a series of software, such as computer vision and measurement technology.
In particular, the requirements for the spacecraft's orbital altitude and speed were even more stringent. Often, the engine ignition window would be compressed to within one second. A second earlier or a second later would lead to docking failure.
When the United States' Gemini manned space program first came out, it took nearly a year for Gemini 6 and 7 to achieve a rendezvous. However, even after flying for 20 minutes at a distance of 30 centimeters, the two spacecraft still didn't dock. It wasn't until the next year, when Gemini 8 successfully docked with the unmanned spacecraft that the United States had truly mastered this technology.
As for the docking of manned spacecraft, it was not until the mid- 1970s that the United States and the Soviet Union "shook hands" in the field of aerospace, and the two superpowers finally worked together to achieve docking.
One of the main reasons why the Apollo program didn't choose to launch the lunar module separately and "rendezvous" in high orbit before heading to the Moon was that docking was too difficult. In comparison, high-thrust rockets were more affordable in terms of risk and cost.
Compared to Travis and Jones, Johnson had served on NASA's astronaut team for a much longer time. He knew how difficult it was to be a NASA astronaut.
However, before he could react, the pair of "landing gears" of Starlight had already been inserted into the multifunctional docking module of the Moon Palace.
Starlight successfully connected the "landing gear" to the space station, and the "landing gear" slowly pulled itself toward the space station.
In the end, the two spacecraft, one big and one small, were tightly combined.
Then …
There was no then.
The entire docking process didn't make people nervous at all. It was so simple that it was difficult to accept.
"… WTF?"
Johnson stared blankly at everything outside the porthole. As if he had never seen the world before, he was completely stunned.
Having received training in NASA's astronaut corps, he knew very well that the docking of spacecraft was nothing like this!
The correct posture for spacecraft docking in outer space should be to first fly the spacecraft in front of the space station, then change direction and decelerate, waiting for the space station to "catch up".
He had never heard of Starlight releasing its landing gear and taking the initiative to fly toward the space station!
At this moment, the signal light on the hatch lit up.
After the cabin door was unlocked, Travis floated out of his room and stretched his limbs. When he saw Johnson standing there, he couldn't help but ask.
"Dude, what's wrong with you?"
Johnson looked at him strangely and said.
"… Didn't you see? The docking operations of the Chinese spacecraft. "
Travis scratched his head and shook his head.
"I don't quite understand what you're talking about."
Johnson sighed.
"… Pretend I didn't ask."
Why would an idiot ask such a complicated question? He must be crazy.
According to the indicator light, the three colonists who returned from Mars walked to the passenger cabin and gathered. The alloy door in the middle of the cabin slowly opened, and Liu Biao, who was wearing a spacesuit, floated in.
"Starlight has successfully docked at the Moon Palace lunar space station. We will examine your physical condition in half an hour and disinfect the interior of the spacecraft …"
Liu Biao suddenly noticed that the Caucasian male astronaut looked like he had seen a ghost. He smiled at him and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm … fine." Johnson couldn't help but ask, "How did you do it?"
Liu Biao looked at him with a confused expression and said, "What do you mean?"
Johnson opened his mouth, but he didn't know where to start, nor did he know how to start.
Should he just ask, "How did you dock your spacecraft?"
Perhaps for them, docking was just a matter of course, just like Johnson's understanding of spacecraft docking technology.
However, he still couldn't accept the fact that China's aerospace technology had advanced to the point where he was dumbfounded.
Johnson looked at the friendly Chinese astronaut and smiled awkwardly.
"Nothing … Pretend I didn't ask."
Even though he said the same thing, he felt completely different at this moment …
After Starlight and the Moon Palace docking modules were connected, the three Mars colonists, led by Liu Biao, passed through the connection port and entered the airlock of the multifunctional docking module.
When there was no spacecraft docking, this was the buffer zone for astronauts to enter and exit the space station. Astronauts who went outside to work would change into spacesuits, check equipment, and adapt to the pressure here …
However, because there was a spacecraft connected, the airlock was used as a checkpoint.
"… You guys wait here. In a while, a professional doctor will examine your body. After confirming your health condition, I will consider taking you on a tour of the Moon Palace."
Johnson looked at Liu Biao, who was standing at the cabin door, and asked, "What do we need to do now?"
Liu Biao smiled and said, "Eat something, drink something, then … The medical team from the United Nations may need you to provide some feces and urine."
Jones blushed and said, "Here?"
"Of course not." Liu Biao coughed and pointed at the alloy door next to him. He said, "There's a separate toilet next to it."
The colonists didn't have to wait for long.
With the help of two Moon Palace staff members, Johnson and the others quickly completed the physical examination. At the same time, the metabolite samples collected from the three people were sent to a special experiment cabin.
Professor Leslie from the Institute of Microbiology of the Leiman Health Medical Center in Switzerland and Researcher Zhao Shuxuan from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences were responsible for testing these samples.
Both scholars were big names in the field of biology, and they had published many articles in the unpopular field of astrobiology. Even though they weren't the most authoritative figures, they were still top scholars.
Most importantly, both of them were under 45 years old, which was relatively young. Their physical fitness was also good. Even though many authoritative figures wanted to seize this opportunity, they were too old, so they could only stare at the weightless simulation device from Star Sky Technology.
Time quickly passed by.
Whether it was inside or outside the experiment cabin, everyone was anxiously waiting for the results of the test.
Professor Leslie, who was sitting in front of an electron microscope, suddenly spoke in a low voice. He had a look of surprise and ecstasy in his eyes.
"Oh sh * t …"
"What did you find?" Zhao Shuxuan walked next to the electron microscope and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He looked at the computer screen and frowned. "What is this?"
"A very strange anaerobic bacterium with a thick cell wall and cell membrane … Wait a minute, it's a spore! No wonder it can survive on Mars. "Professor Leslie adjusted the magnification of the electron microscope. He stared at the screen and said," Jesus … Unbelievable. "
Staring at the image on the screen, Zhao Shuxuan's eyes also flashed a trace of excitement, but soon it gradually became dignified.
"We might be in trouble."
Leslie looked back at Zhao Shuxuan with a smile and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
"In theory, yes, but is it exciting? Isn't it? "
He sat in the isolation chamber and waited quietly. However, even after a long time, there was still no movement.
Johnson and the others began to feel a little uneasy. Suddenly, the cabin door opened. Not only did the Chinese man who brought them here earlier walk in, but there was also a man who looked slightly dignified beside him.
Johnson vaguely remembered that he had seen this man on Starlight. If he guessed correctly, this man was probably the captain of Starlight.
Before he could ask what was going on, Travis, who was sitting next to him, hurriedly stood up and asked.
"What happened? What kind of physical examination takes so long? When can we go home — "
"Sorry, guys."
Xu Zhenghong raised his voice and interrupted the barrage of questions. He had a dignified expression on his face as he spoke with a heavy voice.
"I'm afraid we have to postpone our trip home."
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