Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 184 One Small Step and One Giant Leap! (6K)

This is also the area that has been the subject of the most controversy recently, from newspapers to television stations.

Physicists and astronomers from universities and research institutes are trying to lower public expectations for the moon landing.

"The professor is indeed great, but he is not omnipotent. It is still too far-fetched to go to the moon now. There are too many technical problems to overcome."

"The moon landing is a systematic project, and this moon landing is more like a sudden event. The Kremlin's sudden moon landing plan caught the White House off guard. The White House wants to reduce the possible impact of the Soviet moon landing through cooperation."

"The possibility of going to the moon is relatively high. After all, the Soviet Union and Russia completed a soft landing on the moon last year, which proves that they have a certain foundation. However, it is difficult to return. NASA has only achieved a hard landing in the past and has never succeeded in a soft landing."

In short, the experts were almost unanimously pessimistic.

There was an element of encouragement from the White House behind this, which contacted the academic community and asked these scientists to analyze the moon landing based on their own scientific literacy.

From a scientific perspective, it's hard to believe that humans could actually land on the moon.

Experts and scholars were generally pessimistic, and a 10% success rate was already considered a relatively high figure among the analyses she had seen, which Jenny reported to Lin Ran.

Europe, especially Germany, which was on the front lines of the Cold War, was the most eager to succeed.

Germany's greatest hope was that the joint US-Soviet moon landing would be successful, and that the Cold War situation could be further eased.

There was no other way; the Berlin Wall was in Germany, dividing East and West Germany into two parts, and the administration of the entire Germany was even divided into four parts.

For Germany, the threat of the Cold War was the most immediate.

"This plan, like the Berlin airdrop, will once again prove America's formidable strength."

"I believe the professor will succeed. Since NASA, led by the professor, was able to persuade the White House to accept the cooperation, we believe that the professor must have a certain degree of confidence and that it is not an attempt made out of desperation, as some outsiders have said."

"Analyzing the mathematical knowledge required for this moon landing from the perspective of the professor's mathematical expertise." This was the slogan displayed by Professor Siegel, Lin Ran's mentor, during an interview on West Berlin's Channel One's International Morning Talk program.

At this time, like East Germany, West Germany did not have private television broadcasting organizations. The main television stations in West Germany were ARD and ZDF, which were operated by public broadcasting organizations and covered audiences throughout West Germany.

International Morning Talk is a long-established serious interview program that started in 1953.

For the past month, Siegel has been speaking on television about how, from a mathematical perspective, two rockets launched at different times can land at similar landing points at similar times.

The presentation on the challenges of applied mathematics was a great advertisement for the University of Göttingen throughout Western Europe.

The dry mathematical content, because it was linked to the world's hottest news, coupled with Siegel's identity, surprisingly managed to achieve decent viewership ratings.

Overall, the attitude is pessimistic.

After hearing Jenny's question, Lin Ran pondered for a moment and then said:
"I believe we will succeed, successfully send people up and successfully bring them back."

It's an intuition, Jenny, do you believe it?
Just like when I first learned about Fermat's Last Theorem at the University of Göttingen, I was just an unknown student, but my intuition told me I could solve it.

Jenny sighed: "Professor, if you could be a little more romantic at a time like this, you should say that the moment you saw me, your intuition told you that you would fall in love with me."

Lin Ran explained, "No, Jenny, it's highly probable that you'll fall in love with me, but it's a low-probability event that I'll solve Fermat's Last Theorem."

Lin Ran appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was thinking, "I really wasn't confident this time."

We can only rely on metaphysics.

It really is only through metaphysics that we can rely on it.

In the original timeline, America conducted a total of 7 manned lunar landings, 6 of which were successful.

The only failure was during Apollo 13 in April 1970. In a bizarre incident, the oxygen tank in the service module exploded midway through launch, when the spacecraft was 320,000 kilometers from Earth, causing a massive oxygen leak and damaging the spacecraft's power and life support systems.

And so, they all returned to Earth safely without any casualties.

This is equivalent to seven moon landings with no casualties. From a later perspective, we can only believe that this was due to the work of metaphysics.

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain how someone could safely return to Earth even after an oxygen tank explosion.

This is similar to having a 70% success rate on a single attempt, and then succeeding 7 times in a row. The probability of this success is only 70% to the power of 7, which is only 8.24% (approximately equal to 70%).

Since the 8.2% probability event in the future has already occurred, it shouldn't be difficult to successfully return to 10% this time, right?

Lin Ran could only conclude from this perspective that Gagarin's safe return was highly probable.

On May 12th.

Almost all television stations had only one thing on their minds: to broadcast the US-Soviet joint moon landing live.

Because of the two major blocs, some countries in the Soviet bloc could only broadcast footage of Soviet/Russian launches.

Countries in the liberal camp have all purchased broadcasting rights from America TV.

America TV purchased the rights from the Soviet Union and began broadcasting from the Soviet launch, through the launch of America TV, its entry into orbit, and all the way to the moon.

CBS broadcast the entire event live, with legendary reporter Walter Cronkite in attendance.

The CBS studios are located in the heart of New York City.

The walls were adorned with the Stars and Stripes and the CBS logo, and behind the studio was a huge screen displaying real-time data or photos provided by NASA.

Inside the studio, technicians were busy adjusting equipment to ensure stable signal transmission.

In the audience, reporters and guests were completely absorbed.

"I felt like my heart was about to jump out of my chest. I can't imagine how much pressure Gagarin had to endure."

"I believe in the professor, I believe in Gagarin, and I believe they can successfully complete this lunar mission."

I have only one hope: that President Johnson won't do what President Kennedy did and refuse Gagarin a visit to America to give a speech.

"You're thinking too far ahead. All I want right now is for him to come back safely."

No one in the studio, whether reporters or audience members, wanted the moon landing to fail simply because Gagarin, who was in charge of the mission, was a Soviet citizen.

The air was thick with a mixture of tension and excitement, as if everyone could sense that this moment would be firmly recorded in human history.

Every viewer can feel the weight of history.

Walter Cronkite sat in front of the studio, dressed in a dark suit, with a neat tie and perfectly styled hair.

He began the live stream with his signature opening remarks:

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this CBS special. Today, we will witness the greatest collaboration in human history—the joint US-Soviet moon landing."

Before we begin the program, let's play a recent interview with Gagarin from the Soviet Union.

His tone conveyed a sense of awe for this moment, both calm and full of anticipation, making the audience feel as if they were in the star city of Moscow.

"I feel a peace I've never felt before, yes, a peace."

I know I am about to make history for all humankind, and I carry the hopes of all humanity on my shoulders. I will not let you down.

As the torrent of history roared past, every audience member in the studio held their breath.

It wasn't just the audience in the CBS studio who held their breath; it was the audience around the world.

The White House was watching the live broadcast. The president and White House bureaucrats watched the live broadcast on television in the Oval Office, while White House reporters watched the live broadcast in a makeshift space set up in the press briefing room.

Jenny watched Gagarin's calm and collected answer, wondering what the professor was doing, and silently prayed for him, hoping that this moon landing would go as smoothly as the professor's intuition suggested.

Gagarin, wearing a spacesuit, stands next to the rocket.

Although only a small part of the rocket was visible, and its full appearance could not be seen, everyone knew that it was a lunar rocket.

"No, I don't feel tired at all. I just feel incredibly fulfilled."

"After returning to the front lines of space training, I feel my life has regained its meaning. I feel like I've been revitalized. I'm very grateful to the Kremlin, to the Russian Space Agency for giving me this opportunity, and to the White House and NASA for facilitating this cooperation," Gagarin said.

"Failure? Of course, I have considered the risk of failure. After all, I am not a professor, and I have also experienced failure in my life."

But I'm not afraid, because if I fail, it will be valuable experience for those who come after me, and humanity will eventually land on the moon.

Gagarin's interview was in Russian, but there were English subtitles below.

When the word "professor" is used, everyone knows from the context that it refers to Randolph Lin.

Gagarin's interview was brief, given that his mission was to land on the moon.

After Gagarin's interview, Cronkite said, "Whether he succeeded or not, Gagarin is a hero to all mankind! May he return safely."

Cronkite continued, "Okay, now let's take a look at some firsthand news from NASA's Redstone base, an interview with NASA Administrator Randolph Lin by a CBS reporter."

The television was then turned to Lin Ran.

Compared to Gagarin in his spacesuit, Lin Ran has a completely different style: a suit, glasses, a young face, and eyes that sparkle with intelligence. The last one is just my imagination.

After all, with the pixelation at that time, you couldn't see any radiance at all.

"Professor, are you confident? Gagarin mentioned in his interview that you have never failed," the CBS reporter asked.

Lin Ran nodded and said, "I am confident. We have made ample preparations."

I believe this will be a victory for all mankind, a perfect ending.

I don’t want to elevate this mission to the level of all humanity, but I am well aware that our work is now the focus of all humankind.

Everyone is watching our lunar mission.

"Success is the only option; failure is not an option."

The photo of Lin Ran raising his fist has been widely circulated around the world.

Time magazine bought the rights to the photo from a Washington Post reporter and made it into a poster for its December special issue on the moon landing.

Because of this poster, the special edition on the moon landing sold millions more copies than other magazines that did feature it.

"Professor, what do you think was the biggest challenge in this moon landing?" the reporter asked.

Lin Ran thought for a moment: "The biggest difficulty is that we have to pay attention to every tiny detail."

Even the smallest detail could ultimately lead to the failure of the mission.

From deciding to cooperate to the final cooperation, there were too many details, big and small.

This is the biggest challenge of this lunar landing.

"Professor, one last question. Is there anything you would like to say to the people around the world watching the live broadcast on television?" the reporter asked.

Lin Ran replied without hesitation, "This historic moment that we all witness will be perfect, smooth, and flawless. Gagarin's one small step on the moon will be one giant leap for mankind!"

Lin Ran thought to himself, "Armstrong, I'll borrow your famous quote for now. Anyway, in this timeline, you can't take this small step first."

The television screen switched back to the live broadcast studio at CBS in New York, where Cronkite remarked:

"The professor is absolutely right. This is one small step for Gagarin, but one giant leap for mankind."

"Humans will be the first to set foot on the moon. I believe in NASA, I believe in the professor, I believe in Gagarin. You can definitely do it."

The Redstone Base, now known as the Space Mission Center's control center, is not yet fully completed, but its temporary facilities are already in use.

The four control consoles are neatly arranged, each console covered with buttons, switches and a small CRT display screen, on which numbers and graphs are displayed.

The room is lit by recessed fluorescent lights, making it dim yet exceptionally futuristic.

At least that's how Lin Ran felt at the moment.

On the large screen, a map of the Earth and the Moon occupies the center, with dots and lines outlining possible flight paths.

The pneumatic pipes made soft noises from time to time as they passed documents printed on thermal paper between the control consoles.

The engineers were mostly dressed casually; they weren't wearing suits or ties, and hardly anyone wore leather shoes. Most wore cotton slippers, headphones, and monitored multiple voice loops.

The first thing Lin Ran did after returning to the control center was to take off his suit and everything else.

To ensure the successful completion of this mission, Lin Ran unusually allowed the engineers to smoke in the control center. The ashtrays on the control panel were piled high with cigarette butts, and administrative staff would come in from time to time to clean them.

Lin Ran returned to the control panel on the third floor and stood there, overlooking the entire room.

In front of him was a control panel with a screen displaying real-time task status, and next to him was a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold.

Suddenly, the teletype machine in the corner clicked, breaking the whispers in the control room.

A young operator quickly tore off a piece of paper, crossed the narrow passage between the control consoles, and handed it to Lin Ran.

The note contained a string of numbers and text, an encrypted transmission from Moscow.

Lin Ran picked up the note: "Report from the Soviet Union: Launch successful. Launch time 14:30 UTC."

The specific trajectory parameters are as follows: speed 7.8 kilometers per second, tilt angle 28.5 degrees, target landing point Tranquil Sea, coordinates 0.67408° North, 23.47297° East.

A slight commotion arose in the room.

Lin Ran raised his head and glanced at everyone present: "Focus! I let you smoke so you could focus. If anyone messes up during this mission, Director Hoover of the BI is waiting for you!"

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a mission to accomplish.

He turned to his assistant, John Smith, who was specifically in charge of the analysis:
"John, take this data and calculate our launch window based on the algorithm I've developed."

The Soviet lander's target was the Sea of ​​Tranquility, and our fuel tanks had to land within 2 kilometers.

Smith took the note and nodded in response, "Understood, sir."

He gathered the trajectory team and hurriedly headed to the computer room at the back.

There, IBM computer clusters hummed and tape drives spun incessantly.

In the computer room, Smith and his team sat around a punch card machine, inputting Soviet data into the system.

He stared at the printed preliminary data, his brow furrowed: "Wait, these speed units are kilometers per second, but our system uses miles per hour."

Time was too tight, and they didn't even have time to rehearse beforehand.

This is a temporary problem.

After hearing this, Lin Ran spoke:

"1 kilometer equals 0.621 miles, and converting one second to one hour..."

Lin Ran's results were even more accurate than those provided by a computer.

A few minutes later, after Lin Ran finished reading, they completed the conversion and re-entered the corrected data into the computer.

The computer begins processing, and the tape drive emits a low beep.

About an hour later, the computer ejected a stack of thermal paper, covered with numbers and curves.

Smith quickly reviewed the data and confirmed the results: "According to Soviet data, our optimal launch window is two hours later, at 16:30 UTC. The trajectory angle needs to be adjusted by 0.5 degrees to match the lunar position."

He loaded the results into a pneumatic pipe and sent them back to the control room.

With a "whoosh," the pipe sent the paper tube flying toward the control panel where Lin Ran was located.

Lin Ran opened the paper tube, pretending to examine it carefully.

In fact, he had already completed the calculations in his mind.

It was calculated in advance in 2020, and now it is being calculated by its own carbon-based brain computer.

After a moment, Lin Ran said, "Okay, but we need to verify it again. Let's run a simulation to make sure it's foolproof."

The trajectory team quickly ran a simulation on the computer.

On the screen, a virtual rocket trajectory streaks across the lunar surface, gradually approaching the Soviet landing site.

A few minutes later, the simulation results showed that the fuel tank was expected to land 1.5 kilometers from the target point, with the error within an acceptable range.

Lin Ran nodded: "Okay. Notify Cape Canaveral to adjust the launch time to T minus 48 hours, 16:30 UTC. Follow the trajectory parameters accordingly."

John Smith was shocked when he opened the paper tube that Lin Ran had sent back: "Chief, something's not right here!"

Lin Ran firmly stated, "These are the adjusted data; proceed accordingly!"

John Smith had witnessed firsthand Lin Ran's formidable computing power. Just now, when they tried to use a computer to convert miles to kilometers, Lin Ran gave them a result that was even more accurate than what the IBM computer could currently provide.

He pondered that this was yet another demonstration of the professor's formidable computational skills: "Yes, sir!"

The control room team got busy, updating console data and coordinating with the launch team at Cape Canaveral via voice loop.

McNamara stood in the glass-enclosed observation area and whispered to the person next to him, "The professor will definitely succeed! I believe in the professor's abilities."

Dobrynin was also in the observation area, his expression equally serious. When he heard McNamara say this, he nodded and said, "We all believe in the professor!"

Dobrynin never dreamed that one day he would stand with McNamara at NASA’s Redstone base and watch Randolph Lin work.

This is an unprecedented experience!

After transmitting the parameters to the Cape Canaveral launch pad, Smith returned to the control console and took a moment to check the parameters that Lin Ran had corrected with paper and pen.

However, this was all in vain. Even IBM computers couldn't calculate it, let alone him with paper and pen.

After only two steps, John Smith gave up, saying, "Mortals shouldn't even think about following the professor's train of thought."

The control room at Cape Canaveral was packed with people.

The screen displays live footage from the Cape Canaveral launch pad.

The commander in charge of the launch echoed through the loudspeaker: "T - 10, 9, 8..."

At the "T-zero" point, the rocket ignites, flames erupt, and the fuel tank is sent into orbit.

Upon receiving feedback, the Redstone Base control room held its breath, their eyes glued to the trajectory data on the screen.

The screen shows that it is entering its designated orbit as planned.

Cronkite's voice was excited: "The rocket has launched! Two hours after the Soviet rocket launched, our rocket, with its fuel tank, has also launched!"

Both his voice and his expression conveyed immense excitement and exhilaration.

Despite Cronkite's efforts to remain professional, he couldn't hide his true feelings at this moment.

Fred Hoyle, who was in the guest seat, was specially recruited from England.

Fred Hoyle was a renowned English astronomer and professor at Cambridge University. In the 50s, he became the most famous popular science writer in the field of astronomy with his book "The Nature of the Universe".

He has historically been a preferred guest on BBC and space-related television programs.

Fred Hoyle, like Cronkite, stared intently at the screen, silently praying that the mission would be accomplished successfully.

Cronkite turned to Hoyle and asked:

"Professor Hoyle, could you explain to us what is most important right now?"

Hoyle, dressed in a grey suit and holding a microphone, spoke with a professional and composed tone:
"Of course, Cronkite, the most important step now is to land safely."

We are now waiting for news from the Soviet Union, waiting for the spacecraft carrying Gagarin to successfully make a soft landing on the moon, and for Gagarin to send back a message of safety.

The second step was the successful soft landing of NASA's fuel tank, without burning, exploding, or any other accidents.

The third step is that the two landed close to each other, theoretically allowing Gagarin to get close to the fuel tank.

The studio three days later.

"According to the latest news from the Soviet Union, the Soviet manned spacecraft has successfully entered lunar orbit."

Gagarin is currently making final adjustments to his orbit.

"Breaking news! Gagarin has landed successfully! This is a photo from Soviet Russia."

A photo of Gagarin standing on the lunar surface with the hammer and sickle flag and the stars and stripes in front of him appeared on television.

Frankly, there's no point in the Soviet Union and America arguing about which flag to plant first.

Soviet technology couldn't provide simultaneous live streaming, so America's equipment arrived a step later than Gagarin's.

So after Gagarin planted his flag and sent the photos back to Earth, nobody knew which flag was planted on the moon first.

People who saw this photo at that moment were moved to an unprecedented degree.

This is because it has strong symbolic significance, symbolizing the easing of the Cold War and that it will not cause endless suffering like World War I and World War II.

"Dear viewers, we can see that humans have set foot on the lunar soil for the first time."

As the professor said, this was one small step for Gagarin, one giant leap for mankind!

(End of this chapter)