Less than twenty minutes had passed since the Multi-Axis Trainer's demonstration, and the astronaut candidates were taken to the next location by the transport vehicle.
Through the window, Zhang Heng saw a white main building with the American flag on the right and the NASA logo on the left. There was also an abstract sculpture of a rocket taking off by the roadside.
"The Kennedy Space Center is located on Meteri Island on the east coast of Florida.
Construction began in 1962, and the name was changed to commemorate the late President John F. Kennedy, "a high-school-looking boy said excitedly.
"According to our calculations, we should have been at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base. The Mercury Project, the Gemini Project, and the early Apollo missions all started there. That's because rockets can be launched into the ocean to avoid danger to populated areas. At the same time, it's closer to the equator, and the Earth's gravity can be used to boost the rocket's thrust. However, since it couldn't match the Saturn V rocket, the Kennedy Space Center built a brand new launch base."
"Wait, is Kennedy dead by this time?" the fat guy asked.
"Yes, in 1963, he was assassinated in Dallas. Although he gave the famous moon landing speech, he didn't see the American astronauts land on the moon with his own eyes." The high-school-looking boy shrugged.
"Everyone, do you need me to remind you that we are not here for a vacation? Shouldn't we be more concerned about our own situation?" Anthony frowned.
"Yeah, it seems that the main mission this time is for us to land on the moon, or at least reach outer space. But as far as I'm concerned, there's not much difference between the two."
"Why do you say that?" The only girl in the quest asked. Perhaps it was a coincidence that she had chosen the seat next to Zhang Heng when they boarded the vehicle.
"Don't you know?" The high-school-looking boy raised his eyebrows, looking a little surprised.
"Apollo 10 took off at 12: 49 am on May 18, 1969. The captain said that the rocket was launched three days ago, which means we entered the quest on May 21, 1969."
"So?" The girl blinked.
The boy leaned back in his chair and smiled at the girl. "Apollo 11 was launched on July 16th, 1969, and Apollo 12 was launched on December 14th. There was a gap of nearly five months in between. Considering the time limit of this quest, so …"
"Didn't you say that the US has a Gemini plan?"
"The Gemini Project was a transitional project between the Mercury Project and the Apollo Project. It started in 1961 and completed ten manned missions to orbit the Earth. It ended in 1965.
"So, if we want to complete the main mission this time, we only have one chance, and that is to board Apollo 11." His expression was solemn.
As soon as he said that, everyone's expression changed. The atmosphere in the carriage suddenly became very strange.
Only Fatty was still confused. "What's wrong? Is Apollo 11 dangerous?"
"Danger?" The high school student grinned and pointed at the NASA driver in front of him. "Yeah, this is the first time humans are challenging to land on the moon after all. Not only are the ordinary citizens unsure, but even the scientists, engineers, and astronauts in NASA are panicking. But as the latecomers, we know very well that the final result of this mission is a complete victory. So, the real problem we face now is how to get on Apollo 11."
"How many astronauts can fit on Apollo 11?" The girl asked the question that everyone was most concerned about.
The high school student raised three fingers. "As you all know, Commander Neil Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin, and Command/Service Module Pilot Michael Collins."
This time, even Fatty's expression changed, and he cried out involuntarily, "Three? But there are seven of us now! "
"Is this your first time participating in a single-player competitive quest?" The muscular man named Anthony sneered. "Don't you know what competition means?"
"I … I've always been with a team. This is my first time entering a quest alone," Fatty said with a sad face. Fatty said with a sad face, "Isn't the difficulty of the single-player dungeon too high? More than half of the dungeons are eliminated. Ever since I was young, I've never been in the middle of any of the competitive events."
"Then, why did you choose to go alone this time?" The girl asked curiously.
"Because … because …" Fatty stuttered for a long time, but he couldn't come up with a reason.
In the end, it was the muscular man named Anthony who mercilessly opened up his wound. "Because you are too weak, and you drag your team down. That's why you were kicked out by your team members. In the end, you couldn't find another team that was willing to accept you. So, you were reduced to playing solo."
Although Fatty didn't admit it, his face instantly turned ashen. Anthony's words proved that Anthony was right.
"Lucky, now we have one less competitor in this quest," the high school student said with a smile, his hands behind his head.
The middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses shook his head. "You guys are a little too optimistic. In history, Apollo 11 successfully landed on the moon. But don't forget, it was Armstrong and his team who carried out the mission. If it were us, what are the chances of you guys winning?"
His words plunged the car into silence again.
After some time, the muscular man named Anthony said, "Look on the bright side. At least we have sixty days of training time."
"Strictly speaking, it's fifty-five days. Apollo 11 will be launched on the 16th of July, and minus the quarantine period before the launch, we only have forty-eight days of training time." The high school student said, "By the way, a professional astronaut usually receives two to three years of training. In the future, deep space exploration missions might even take up to five years. Payload specialists and scientist astronauts are slightly better, but at least half a year."
"Why do you know so much about these things?" The girl asked curiously. "No matter how prepared you are, you wouldn't go out of your way to collect such unpopular knowledge, right? You even remember the launch time of Apollo 10 so clearly, down to the minute."
"Because I'm an avid astronaut. So, this round is my destiny." The high school student smiled confidently.
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