Zhang Heng felt as if he was in the middle of an unprecedented earthquake. Everything around him was shaking violently, and the metal parts were swaying so violently that he feared they would fall apart at any moment.
The moment the rocket left the ground, the resulting acceleration pinned everyone in the command cabin to their aluminum seats. It felt as if a gorilla was sitting on their chests. Even the simple act of lifting one's arm was extremely difficult. Fortunately, Zhang Heng had undergone relevant training at the space center, and he was no stranger to such a situation.
The numbers on the main display panel were jumping like crazy!
135 seconds after takeoff, the central engine shut down. 150 seconds later, the four F1 engines on the periphery shut down. The fuel in the first-stage rocket had been completely burned away. By then, Apollo 11 had reached an altitude of 68,000 meters.
The explosive device blasted the first-stage rocket and the interstage ring apart. The former separated from the launch escape system at the top of the spacecraft, falling into the deep sea after exhausting its speed.
On the other side, the second-stage rocket had begun its work as well. The J2 rocket boosted the spacecraft's speed from 9,200 kilometers per hour to a terrifying 24,600 kilometers per hour, propelling the spacecraft into the upper atmosphere.
The entire process lasted for a full six minutes. After that, the second-stage rocket completed its mission and separated, and it was time for the third-stage rocket to ignite. Apollo 11's speed continued to climb. Compared to when it first took off, the tremors were much less intense, though the heavy acceleration was still present.
2.75 minutes after the third-stage rocket ignited, the engine shut down, and the spacecraft successfully entered Earth's orbit at a speed of 28,000 kilometers per hour.
At that moment, the ground control center in Houston was filled with jubilation. This meant that the launch phase had been successfully completed.
After the main engine was shut down, the thrust dropped to zero in just half a second. The heavy pressure on Zhang Heng's chest also disappeared, and he was now in free fall. However, the seatbelt on his body still held him firmly in his seat.
Zhang Heng had read many books and movies about spaceflight in the real world. He had also witnessed the launch of the Shenzhou 5 with his own eyes. At the same time, he also had a comprehensive understanding of every step of the moon landing program in the Apollo training camp. But when the moment came, being one of the people who experienced it firsthand, it was a completely different feeling.
Right now, they were in space 166 kilometers above the Earth's surface. They took off their helmets and let them float beside their hands like feathers. They could see the Earth below them through the porthole.
It was hard to describe such a scene with words. A blue planet was parked alone in the deep, velvety sky. The arc-shaped horizon was faintly discernible in the blue atmospheric mist. Clouds floated silently over the blue ocean. The entire ground was like a huge palette, painted with bright colors that blended in with the transition colors. The yellow desert, the uneven mountains, the dark green rainforest … gave people an indescribable shock and emotion.
Even with Zhang Heng's usual calmness, he was a little absent-minded at this moment.
At the same time, he heard a series of system notifications.
[Admiring the Earth in space, mission completed...]
[Will return in 4 days …]
[Successfully boarded the Saturn V carrier rocket. Game Points + 10. You may view the Character Panel for related information …]
"Successfully entered Earth's orbit, game points + 20. You may view the character menu for related information …"
"Successfully maintained continuous weightlessness for more than 500 seconds. Game points + 10. You may view the Character Menu for related information …"
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Collins unbuckled his seatbelt, kicked his legs, and floated to Zhang Heng's side. "Once you see this, you'll never forget it for the rest of your life. Congratulations, David. You are now a real astronaut. However, you'll have to wait until you return to Earth to receive your golden brooch."
On the other side, a rare smile appeared on Armstrong's face. No matter how many missions this was, it was hard not to be mesmerized by the beauty of Earth from this angle.
However, they still had other things to do. Apollo 11 would be parked in low-Earth orbit for a period of time, orbiting the Earth. The spacecraft would undergo a final inspection here, and after that, the Saturn V would be ignited again, officially taking them on their journey to the moon.
This step was also known as the Earth-Moon Orbit Injection.
At this point, Zhang Heng's main mission had been completed, and he had earned 50 game points. However, there were still more than four days before he returned to Earth. Being in space, he had no other choice but to complete the mission with Armstrong and Collins.
After confirming that everything was in order and that the spacecraft was heading in the right direction, the Saturn V's J2 engine ignited again after 148 minutes, using the last remaining fuel to take the spacecraft away from Earth.
The Saturn V carrier rocket had also successfully completed all of its missions.
Now, it was time to put the three people on the spacecraft to the test.
When the spacecraft was designed, the lunar module was placed in the rocket's protective layer. To pull it out, the command and service module had to be separated from it.
After that, the astronaut piloted the separated command and service module and made a 180-degree turn around. After that, he returned to the rocket, docked with the lunar module inside, and pulled it out. At the same time, he discarded the useless third stage of the rocket.
Although some of this was done with the help of the ground control center, the entire docking process had to be manually operated. Any small mistake in the operation could lead to catastrophic consequences.
"I'll leave the next part to you," Armstrong said to Collins.
The latter nodded and took a deep breath.
He maneuvered the command and service module to successfully separate from the rocket, completing a somersault 300 meters away. After that, he approached the Saturn V again at a relative speed of 2 meters per second.
To prevent Collins from being distracted, Zhang Heng and Armstrong did not speak throughout the entire process. They just quietly watched the entire docking process through the porthole above their heads.
Collins used the thrusters to carefully adjust the spacecraft's angle and position, as if he was picking up a diamond with tweezers. His hand holding the joystick was as steady as ever. Finally, with a slight tremor on the bulkhead, the small tip at the top of the command and service module was successfully inserted into the docking ring on the rocket.
Three and a half hours had passed since takeoff, and Apollo 11 officially bid farewell to Earth and flew to the moon 300,000 kilometers away.
Little Adorkable said:
This quest is coming to an end, it's finally coming to an end … That was f * cking hardcore. I'm almost an aerospace enthusiast now.
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