Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 177 Lost Everything (4k)

"Robert, come here, look at this news, China has successfully tested its atomic bomb."

The successful test of China's atomic bomb was a huge shock to those who followed the event, especially the Chinese community.

After Lin Ran returned to the Redstone Base, he chatted with Zhang Lulin about the matter.

The number of Chinese engineers at NASA is very small, only a handful out of thousands.

Zhang Lulin easily caught Lin Ran's attention, but it wasn't until two years ago that Lin Ran learned Zhang Lulin's identity: the illegitimate son of Zhang Haicheng and Zhao Yidi. After 1940, he was given to Zhao Yidi's friend Yi Yage in San Francisco to raise. After graduating from Caltech with a degree in aerospace engineering, he joined NASA.

However, compared to Lin Ran's meteoric rise to become NASA's director in just five years, Zhang Lulin's NASA career was rather unremarkable. He held no official position and left behind no notable achievements, remaining in that position steadily until his retirement.

After receiving the newspaper from Lin Ran, Robert Zhang, also known as Zhang Lulin, was deeply moved and remarked, "It's truly remarkable that China has achieved this."

Not only do they have to face pressure from America, but they also have to face pressure from the North.

As a science and engineering talent, Zhang Lulin was well aware of how difficult it was to develop an atomic bomb.

Lin Ran was equally moved, having previously read about this history in books, but now seeing the news in the newspaper: "It's not easy."

England and France could rely on technology transfer from America, and the Soviet Union could obtain nuclear weapons-related technical data from America. China, however, had to rely on its own efforts, which was indeed no easy feat.

England was heavily reliant on America in nuclear weapons development. Although France was nominally developing its own nuclear weapons, America also assisted France in analyzing atomic bomb-related data through Operation Aurora.

Needless to say, the Soviet Union, in some ways, received even more from America than England regarding atomic bomb technology.

“Yes,” Zhang Lulin nodded.

Lin Ran asked, "Robert, what do you think your father would think if he saw this news?"

In 57, Zhang Lulin returned to Taipei to reunite with his parents. After hearing this, he hesitated for a moment and said, "My father should be happy about this, right?"
However, my father might not see this news, and the radio station there won't report it.

Lin Ran pondered for a moment and agreed. This news was a strategic shock to Taipei, and it was impossible for it to be widely reported. Reporting it would definitely cause public panic.

"Your father should have the authority to see this news, right?" Lin Ran asked after thinking for a moment.

Zhang Lulin shook her head and said, "I'm not sure. I've only been back three times, so I'm not sure if my father has access to news outside of official channels in his daily life."

"Everything is unpredictable."

Inside his Beitou residence on Fuxing 3rd Road in Beitou District, Zhang Haicheng sat in an old rattan chair, holding a Bible in his hand, but his gaze kept drifting to the familiar mountain scenery outside the window.

The interior was simply furnished, with a few paintings and calligraphy hanging on the wall, a few books scattered on the desk and an old-fashioned desk lamp. The only modern equipment was a Panda brand radio from mainland China, which Zhao Yidi brought back for him when he went to Hong Kong to visit relatives.

Even so, it underwent repeated inspections from the moment it was brought back to him to ensure that it did not contain any non-compliant functions.

Zhao Yidi gently pushed open the door and entered, holding a teacup in her hand, her footsteps making a soft sound on the wooden floor.

She walked to Zhang Haicheng's side, placed her teacup on the table, and spoke in a soft and calm voice with a barely perceptible undertone: "Hanqing, I just heard on the radio that the mainland has successfully tested its first atomic bomb."

Zhang Haicheng's fingers paused on the page, he slowly raised his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before returning to calm.

He put down his book, took the teacup, took a sip, and repeated softly, "Atomic bomb..." His tone was filled with complex emotions, surprise, emotion, and perhaps a hint of unspeakable loss.

He had originally wanted to ask the bald man what his reaction was, but then he thought better of it, since Zhao Yidi didn't know either.

He turned to look at Zhao Yidi, his eyes deep, as if reminiscing about the past: "This is a big deal."

After speaking, he turned his gaze back to the window. He thought of the vast land of Northeast China, the years of war, and the long period of time he had lost his freedom.

The country is progressing, and technology is developing, but he is trapped in this small space.

Zhao Yidi sat down opposite him, her hands folded on her knees, quietly watching him. She was naturally aware of the turmoil in Zhang Haicheng's heart.

After a long pause, Zhang Haicheng sighed softly, a bitter smile appearing on his lips: "Back then we fought the Japanese, but now they've built an atomic bomb. Not bad."

Zhao Yidi nodded slightly and said softly, "Yes, times have changed. China finally has the ability to protect itself, which is a good thing."

Zhang Haicheng gazed at her for a moment: "Yes, that's a good thing. No matter who is in power, only when China is strong can the nation have hope."

He paused, then said in a low voice, "But it's even more difficult for my old bones to go back."

Zhao Yidi reached out and gently grasped his hand: "Hanqing, you have already done so much for the country. All we can do is offer our blessings."

Zhang Haicheng slowly got up, walked to the cabinet, and took out a cassette player. A moment later, Gu Zhengqiu's rendition of "Watching from the Side" filled the room.
Snow-covered, myriad lights shimmered, bells tolled, sculpting a Buddhist shrine.
This is a feast for the dusty

How can we not see the former splendor of the cave paintings when their faces have changed?

But upon waking, he remained an observer.

After the song ended, it became his favorite song ever since he first heard it.

From any perspective, it perfectly reflects his state of mind and experiences.

He said quietly, "I can only be a bystander in this life no matter what, but the professor has reached a position that no Chinese person has ever held before, such as the director of NASA. How could he write this song?"

Zhang Haicheng knew Lin Ran very well. He was curious about such an outstanding Chinese man, and his son worked for him. When his son came to visit him last year, the two talked about Lin Ran for a long time.

As an old man with a keen sense of wisdom, Zhang Haicheng couldn't understand how the other party, who was fully involved and had nothing to do with watching from the sidelines, could write such a good song. His own mindset was more similar.

Zhao Yidi said softly, "Geniuses are different from ordinary people. How can we possibly fathom the thoughts of a genius like the professor?"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Haicheng said, "That's true."

The professor wasn't exactly indifferent to the Chinese community, but his attitude towards both sides was rather that of an observer. I heard that Zhou Shukai tried to recruit the professor, and while the professor verbally agreed, he never actually visited the Central Academy of Sciences, nor did he privately help Zhou Shukai lobby the congressmen in Washington.

Zhao Yidi guessed, "Could it be because the professor's identity is sensitive?"

"It's possible, but given the professor's attitude towards Chinese people, he can't stay on the sidelines forever. I suspect he's still observing. Judging from the successful atomic bomb test, it's unlikely that Taipei will gain the professor's support."

"The energy that hundreds of millions of people can unleash is far greater than that of the few people on this small island." Moscow, headquarters of the Russian Space Agency, after a successful soft landing on the moon.

Inside the office, faint sunlight streamed in through the thick clouds and frosted windows.

The table was piled high with blueprints, documents, and steaming coffee.

Models of rockets and satellites hang on the wall.

A faint, low humming sound could be heard from the street outside.

Korolev sat behind his desk, a report in his hand, his brow furrowed.

Yuri Gagarin stood before him, his hands clasped tightly, his gaze unwavering.

Korolev: "Yuri, we have an opportunity, a historic opportunity. We have built a spacecraft that can take you to the moon."

Gagarin's eyes lit up: "Really, Comrade Korolev? Are we ready to land on the moon?"

Korolev took a deep breath: "Yes, but this mission is different from your last flight. This spaceship can send you up, but the chance of a successful return is estimated to be no more than 10%."

Gagarin's expression turned serious: "So you mean, I might not come back."

Korolev nodded slowly: "That's right, Yuri. This could be a one-way trip, and you might end up on the moon forever."

Gagarin bowed his head briefly, then looked Korolev straight in the eyes: "I understand. But this is for the League, for humanity's progress in exploring the universe."

Korolev was still somewhat reluctant, and his voice trembled as he said, "Yuri, you are our hero, I will not force you to accept this mission."

Gagarin straightened his body and said firmly, "Comrade Korolev, I am willing to carry it out."

I know the risks, but I believe in our technology, and I believe in you.

Three years ago, when we carried out our manned space mission, the success rate was estimated to be only 50%, but we successfully completed the manned space mission and returned to Earth!

I believe this time will be the same; I am confident I can return successfully.

After a moment of silence, Korolev said, "No, Yuri, this time is different!"
Although the last manned spaceflight had risks such as rocket launch failure and orbital mission malfunction, and frankly, I was not very satisfied with the design of the escape system, and the whole mission did have great safety hazards, I felt that those safety hazards were controllable, and I was not too worried.

This stems from my confidence in myself, and also from my confidence in you.

But this time is different. All I can do is make sure you can get on and land safely. We achieved a soft landing last year.

But I can't guarantee I can bring you back, because to ensure the success of the lunar landing, we simplified the propulsion system and extra fuel for the return, making it difficult to guarantee accuracy during the return.

Even if you manage to leave the moon, I cannot guarantee that you will be able to return to Earth along the same route.

Yuri, you have confidence, but I don't.

What Korolev didn't say was that even a 10% chance of a return was an optimistic estimate.

Speaking of this, Lin Ran is also inextricably linked to the Soviet Union's insistence on completing the moon landing.

After Lin Ran proposed the singularity of artificial intelligence technology, the more the Soviet Union studied it, the more reasonable it seemed. When IBM's Deep Blue and Tower of Babel were exhibited at the Leipzig Fair, they brought a huge shock to all the researchers and technocrats in the Soviet Union who saw them.

They felt the innovation brought about by technology so intuitively that the technological singularity was not a concept, but a tangible reality.

Given America's moral disadvantage, the Kremlin hopes to achieve this goal in one fell swoop, completing the moon landing this year and then reducing investment in space exploration.

Spaceflight can be developed gradually; after all, we won the space race.

They invest most of their resources in semiconductors.

This shift in strategic objectives led to the dialogue between Korolev and Yuri Gagarin.

"Comrade Korolev, I need to go back and think about it," Yuri Gagarin said.

Korolev nodded and said, "We will fully respect your personal wishes."

Before leaving, Gagarin asked, "Comrade Korolev, what if I don't accept?"

Korolev said, "Yuri, you're just the first one I've talked to. We'll talk to Komarov, Leonov, Bikovsky, Nikolayev, Popovich, and others one by one. I think someone among so many will be willing to take on this task."

Even if you agree, you still need to go through training and final selection to become the astronaut who will carry out the mission.

Yuri, you need to understand that even if the probability of a successful return is only 10%, we will do our best to help you train and increase that probability as much as possible.

After listening, Gagarin turned around and sat down again in front of Korolev. "Comrade Korolev, I'll take this mission. I believe no one has a greater chance of successfully returning to Earth than I do!"

Korolev sighed inwardly. To be honest, if he had a choice, he really wouldn't want these outstanding young people to go to their deaths. In his view, this was suicide. But there was nothing he could do. Many times, circumstances forced him to make a choice.

“I understand, Yuri. Prepare well. We plan to form two astronaut training groups, and you will have to stand out in both groups.”

Compared to America, the Kremlin certainly had many perplexing actions, but the Soviet people did not betray that flag.

In the same nuclear leak at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the Russians risked human lives to extinguish the graphite fire and limit radiation release by dropping materials onto the reactor core via helicopters. The helicopters made 1800 flights and dropped approximately 5000 tons of materials.

All pilots on these missions face massive amounts of nuclear radiation and unprecedented harm to their bodies.

Because the Soviet Union lost, heroes can be forgotten, and Japan's nuclear leak can be seen as a scientific act. If you lose, you have nothing. Your contributions and sacrifices will be forgotten, or even made into documentaries to stigmatize you.

科罗廖夫转身望向窗外，片刻后说道：“我们的发射窗口将在1964年12月15日关闭。你需要在5月15号之前给我一个答复，我们需要你的最终决定。”

Gagarin walked up to Korolev and said firmly, "I am ready, Comrade Korolev!"

Korolev turned around and patted him on the shoulder: "Yuri, tell me your answer in a week."

(End of this chapter)