The last part of a journey was always the most difficult.
After more than ten hours of flight, the non-stop flight from Beijing to the West Coast of North America finally landed on the runway of Los Angeles International Airport.
As early as a day ago, this international airport had been prepared in advance.
The road from the VIP entrance to the airport runway was filled with Chinese and American flags.
Representatives of local states, representatives of civic groups, and officials from the White House and NASA from Washington stood in a row next to the gangway. Under the lens of the media reporters, they welcomed the astronauts returning from tens of millions of kilometers away.
"Welcome home, our warrior …" The vice president walked forward with open arms and greeted Johnson, who was walking down the gangway. The vice president hugged this weather-beaten astronaut and said to him in a heavy voice, "You've suffered for the past six months."
"Thank you …" Johnson let go of the vice president and asked in a tired voice, "Where's my wife?"
"She's here with your children."
With that, the Vice President took a step to the side.
A little girl with beautiful blonde hair ran up to Johnson and threw herself into his arms.
"Dad!"
"Hey, my little girl … Did you miss your dad?" Johnson rubbed his daughter's head and finally had a smile on his tired face.
The angelic smile made him feel as if all the fatigue in his body had been healed in an instant.
Looking at his wife who was walking towards him with tears in her eyes and his two sons, he stood up from the ground and gave his sons and this great woman a hug.
In her husband's arms, Julian murmured with a sob.
"… You're finally back."
Johnson buried his nose in his wife's hair. He took a deep breath and spoke with a trembling voice.
He spoke in a trembling voice, "Sorry to make you guys worry …"
Not far away, the cameras in the hands of the reporters recorded this touching scene and moved it to the television screen, touching more American families.
However, for Johnson, none of this mattered.
What mattered was that his hardships weren't in vain.
He was finally home …
After Johnson let go of his wife, he shook hands with everyone who came to greet him and hugged them.
Even though the Ares program failed, no one would blame a hero who challenged the forbidden zone of life.
Being able to return safely from tens of millions of kilometers away was an amazing thing in itself.
He was the one who was saved.
Johnson sat in a limousine waiting outside the VIP passage. He leaned back in his chair and relaxed a little. However, while he was waiting for his wife and children, he saw Director Carson and the vice president get into the car.
The car door closed and the car slowly started.
Johnson raised his eyelids and looked at the vice president sitting across from him.
"You plan to send me and my family back to Arizona in a car?"
"Of course not, we will arrange for you to stay in a hotel in Los Angeles. Your flight home will be in a week." The vice president smiled and looked at Director Carson, who was sitting next to him. He said, "I'm sorry to disturb your reunion with your family, but Mr. Carson … wants to talk to you about something."
"About the Moon Palace and Starlight … and everything you saw." Carson forced a smile and said, "You know, some things are not convenient to talk about in the Chinese communication channel."
Johnson smiled and said, "Actually, it's not necessary … I don't think the Chinese would care. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let me come back, right?"
Director Carson and the vice president exchanged glances and looked at Johnson.
He opened his mouth and asked, "Maybe you need to rest now? If so, we can talk about this tomorrow … "
"No need." Johnson shook his head and said, "Let's talk about it now. It won't take too much time. I don't want to waste the whole day talking about this tomorrow."
"Okay, thank you for your cooperation." Director Carson clapped his hands and gave him an encouraging look. He said, "Then … Let's start with Starlight."
Johnson nodded and said, "No problem, but I can only tell you what I saw … Also, I hope you won't be too surprised."
Johnson closed his eyes and recalled for a moment. He then slowly told the vice president and NASA Director Carson about what he saw on the way back to Earth.
"The Cathayan spacecraft is huge. Behind the two pairs of wings, there's a blue flame … or maybe it's not fire, but xenon plasma? That's probably it. When we sat in the reentry capsule and looked out, we felt like we were a lifeboat sailing next to a giant ship. They didn't take much effort to recycle us, then provided us with fresh water and food … They even provided us with a clean bathroom.
"Starlight's cabin was probably modified from a cargo hold, but the facilities on it are quite complete. What's most shocking isn't this, but their attitude toward energy. The energy on Starlight was almost unlimited. No one told us how much electricity or water we could only use in a day. Other than returning to the cabin at a certain time, they didn't restrict our freedom … Compared to the harsh environment on the BFS spacecraft, Starlight was like a vacation.
"That's not the most surprising part. It's the Moon Palace." When he talked about the Moon Palace, Johnson's tired eyes were filled with shock. "It's like a fortress … A fortress floating in the sky. The solar panels and heat sinks are like farmland. Standing in front of it, any spacecraft is as small as a speck of dust floating in the universe … "
Compared to Starlight, Johnson was obviously more shocked by the Moon Palace.
In the remaining ten minutes, he focused on his life on the Moon Palace.
Until he said the last word, the two people sitting across from him, listening intently, didn't speak again.
The silence lasted in the car for a long time.
Sitting next to Director Carson, the vice president took a deep breath and took off his glasses with trembling fingers. He wiped his glasses with a cloth and muttered to himself.
"Jesus … Unbelievable."
If this astronaut wasn't exaggerating …
Then China's aerospace technology had reached an unimaginable level!
The corners of Johnson's mouth twitched slightly as he spoke with a self-deprecating smile.
"It's quite unbelievable …"
Johnson looked out of the window in boredom. He looked at the scenery flying by along the way and the giant egg-shaped building standing not far away from the suburban road. He squinted his eyes and asked in a curious tone.
"What is that?"
The last time he came to Los Angeles was five years ago.
He didn't remember seeing such a strange thing on the road leading to the airport.
"You mean that? That's our National Ignition, California's' artificial sun '. "The Vice President smiled and looked at Director Carson who was sitting silently next to him." Alright, my friend, there's no need to be so depressed. Even though the Ares program suffered a setback, the federal government and the Americans' determination for space will not change. "
"California's artificial sun … Is it?" Johnson smiled and spoke in a pessimistic tone. "Maybe by the time we finish building it, they will have moved the nuclear fusion device to the Moon."
Even though he didn't say who they were, it was obvious what he was talking about.
After hearing this, the vice president sitting across from him was slightly stunned and subconsciously retorted.
He said, "They can't conduct nuclear tests on the Moon."
"Maybe." Johnson wasn't interested in arguing about this topic. He said, "But if they really do it, who can stop them? Is it Director Carson, or Mr. President? Or the Congressional Budget Committee? "
No matter which one …
None of them could do it.
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