Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 229 NASA carries a heavy burden on the professor's shoulders.

Upon hearing the words "You have money," Aldrin was utterly bewildered.

September is the rainy season in Shanghai, and the hot summer has passed. Kunshan is also part of Shanghai.

"???" Aldrin's expression was one of only confusion.

The sudden silence allowed Lin Ran to sense the other person's emotions even in the darkness.

"Of course, Aldrin, how much money do you have? Even if you sold all your real estate in Beverly Hills, you'd only have about thirty million dollars at most."

"Thirty million US dollars can make you the first person to walk on the moon in the 21st century. Don't you think this round-trip ticket is too cheap?" Lin Ran said matter-of-factly.

Lin Ran continued, "Don't think I don't know how much you resent that Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon instead of you."

Armstrong has now passed away. If you can land on the moon this century, you will be an astronaut no less than Armstrong.

"If we don't talk about ideals and only about business, you're still guaranteed to make a profit, aren't you?"

Aldrin took a deep breath, because he knew Lin Ran was right.

No matter which organization you come to, thirty million dollars would absolutely not be enough to send him to the moon.

“Thirty million is not enough. When it comes to the moon landing, thirty million is barely enough to complete the preliminary verification,” Aldrin said.

Lin Ran nodded: "Of course, but I don't want the billions of dollars you're thinking of."

I estimate 1 billion RMB will be enough.

Thirty million US dollars is close to 2 million RMB. Some debts can be postponed. Once we have completed the unmanned test flight and the lunar landing, we will have enough capital to raise funds from outside.

Once we complete this step, with our reputation, raising the remaining funds shouldn't be a problem.

After a moment's thought, Aldrin asked, "I am already ninety years old. My body may not be able to complete the high-difficulty operations involved in the moon landing."

However, using more automated systems would involve modifications, which would increase costs.

Lin Ran explained, "Who said you went up alone?"

Of course, other astronauts also went up.

We will find some suitable candidates, and you will be responsible for interviewing them, providing them with subsequent training, and finally, you will go to the moon with them.

Just like you and Armstrong did.

The difference is that this time you will be the one to step out of the lunar module first.

Not Armstrong.

Aldrin was already tempted.

However, Lin Ran hadn't finished speaking: "Rather than living a miserable life on Earth, dying on the moon would be much better than living like this now, right?"
"The ticket to the moon will only come once; once the opportunity is missed, it will never come again."

Aldrin's voice was somewhat hoarse, "Randolph, one last question, how did you know I did it on purpose?"

Lin Ran immediately knew what the other person was talking about.

During the mission to land on the moon, Aldrin accidentally damaged the circuit breaker switch of the ascent engine.

This is crucial for ignition and return; if it cannot be repaired, they may be stuck on the moon.

According to official records, Aldrin had a flash of inspiration and used a pen to insert into the circuit breaker hole, successfully shutting off the circuit and ensuring the ignition of the ascent engine.

The story sounds wonderful.

He is considered a prime example of Aldrin's quick thinking and adaptability.

Unfortunately, Lin Ran knew very well that both the mistake and the successful rescue were caused by Aldrin himself.

As NASA Administrator, Lin Ran had discussed this matter with Aldrin after they became acquainted.

Of course, Aldrin wouldn't be foolish enough to tell the NASA administrator that if he didn't become the first person to walk on the moon, he would try to cause trouble to gain fame.

In the 60th timeline, neither he nor Armstrong could be considered the first person to walk on the moon; they could only be considered America's first person to walk on the moon.

Because Gagarin had already taken the place they were supposed to occupy.

Lin Ran brought up the fact that if he were an astronaut, and if he became a lunar astronaut but failed to be the first to land on the moon, he would definitely feel resentful and have some dark thoughts.

Under his guidance, Lin Ran said that he might try to jump back onto the lunar module ladder, fail, then adjust and succeed.

PS: This was also a mistake made by Aldrin during the moon landing. In his first attempt to jump back onto the lunar module ladder, he underestimated the moon's gravity and missed his target. He then made adjustments and successfully completed the jump.

Under coaxing, Aldrin revealed his dark idea that he might use his expertise to make mistakes and then fix them.

This confirmed Lin Ran's suspicion that the mistake in the modern line was intentionally made by Aldrin.

The purpose was so that after returning to Earth from the moon, Armstrong could constantly emphasize that he was the first man to walk on the moon, and that he would have thrilling and interesting stories to tell, so that he wouldn't be forgotten by the media.

But the harsh reality was that his carefully prepared schemes had no effect whatsoever; the media and the public were not interested in his story at all.

Lin Ran later reflected that he was still too timid. He only dared to deal with a circuit breaker switch malfunction, which was nothing.

If you dared to cause a malfunction that delayed things for 72 hours, and then only managed to fix the problem and successfully lead Armstrong back to Earth in the final moments when both of them were on the verge of death, that would be news, okay?

It's estimated that Aldrin didn't know that sixty years later, an astronaut was trapped on the space station for 287 days, almost turning into a specimen, before returning to Earth.

If he knew, he would regret not being ruthless enough.

“Baz, you’ve gone too far. I’m sure the NASA employees drawing up the plans in the room downstairs knew exactly what you were thinking back then. Only you thought you were keeping it a secret.” Lin Ran laughed.

He then turned and went back to his room.

They wanted the NASA employee rooms of the 60s, where several people would squeeze into one room.

Lin Ran doesn't need to.

Even in NASA during the 60s, Lin Ran, as a high-ranking official, had an entire large house to himself.

Living in a small room in a villa in Kunshan now is already a sign of downgrading one's consumption.

“Haines.” Aldrin’s voice echoed softly in the dark room.

Haines didn't sleep either.

To be precise, it was only after everyone got into work mode that they realized how comprehensive Lin Ran's data collection was, and they also gained a better understanding of how demanding the work was.

NASA used to have 4,000 employees and its suppliers had a combined total of 400,000 employees, but now they only have 27 people.

Even though this is a NASA career role-playing show, everyone wants to keep playing it.

This made them feel life spreading from their brains to their limbs; they hadn't experienced this feeling of being reborn in a long time.

The problem is, they're here for a free trip, while Aldrin is going to have to spend all his savings.

Everyone is different.

Just like how the feelings of those who participate in cosplay for free and the organizers are different, even though they are both cosplaying.

The organizers need to calculate whether they will lose money; as long as the exhibitors have a good time, that's all that matters.

"What's wrong? You seemed to have a lot on your mind after your talk with Randolph," Haines asked.

After a moment's thought, Aldrin said, "Do you think we can really achieve our goal of landing on the moon?"

Haines said, "The probability is infinitely close to zero."

Aldrin continued, "What if?"

Haines thought for a moment: "Of course, there's always that possibility."

After a long pause, Aldrin said quietly, "Randolph just told me to hand over all my savings as funding for the Apollo moon landing."

Haines asked, "And then?"

Aldrin said, "As a reward, if the moon landing is successful, I will be one of the two astronauts, and this time my foot will step out of the lunar module first."

Haines said, "If you're going to pay this, shouldn't you give us a reward?"

Is it equivalent to people in their eighties having to work again to help you achieve your dreams?

Aldrin was a little unsure what to say.

Haines continued, "In short, if you still want to go to the moon, this really is your last chance in your life."

If I were you, I would be willing to give up everything I own, even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance.

Even if all else fails, there's always a pension. Go back to America; NASA can't just stand by and watch you become homeless.

If Lin Ran heard the conversation taking place in this room, he would definitely say that Haines is a good person. In 1960, you were the first person to help me solve my identity problem, and in 2020 you even helped me persuade Aldrin Popcorn.

"Haines, back when the circuit breaker switch for the Ascendant malfunctioned, did you all think I deliberately sabotaged it?" Aldrin changed the subject.

After a few seconds of silence, Haines said, "We're just guessing."

After all, only you and Armstrong went up to the moon back then.

Nobody knows the specifics.

After a long while, a voice rang out from inside the room: "Hains, get ready to get to work!"

Work?

Whatever job you do, do something that proves you're capable.

The next day, Aldrin said he would transfer five million dollars in liquid funds immediately, and the rest would be stocks, bonds and real estate that were not easy to liquidate.

I have a company in Hong Kong, and I will use that company's name to inject capital from Hong Kong.

With money, one can naturally recruit soldiers and buy horses.

However, Lin Ran knew very well that every penny had to be carefully calculated.

The biggest benefit for China, or rather, the biggest benefit during the pandemic, is that costs in all aspects have decreased.

Office buildings are cheap.

Originally, it was thought that Shenhai's industries would spill over to Kunshan, but it turns out that's out of the question.

Office building prices in Kunshan have fallen by more than 50% compared to a few years ago.

Office supplies like desks, chairs, computers, and printers don't need to be bought new; just buy secondhand, and the price will be significantly lower.

After the funds were injected, the entire machine called the Apollo moon landing project started running at full speed.

"Yes, Principal, 27 former NASA employees have already moved in."

"Their mental state appears to be very good; I can sense that the professor has ignited a fire within them."

"Who is the professor? Professor Lin, that's what we usually call him." "That's right, they've already started working and are full of energy. I've never seen someone so old still able to work."

The process was a bit slow, but the calculus formulas they were calculating were more complex than those in my partial differential equations final exam.

"Professor? The professor seems to have a magical power. These former NASA employees are exceptionally obedient to him, no, they are docile. It's as if the professor was born to be their leader."

In just half a day, these elderly people have all been quite obedient.

"PTSD? Probably not. It's hard to believe that a group of former NASA employees would have PTSD against an Asian person."

"The professor has also settled down in Kunshan."

"Mind control? Impossible, I don't feel that the professor is doing any mind control."

Li Bingnan's daily routine involved reporting his work to Lin Zhongqing.

Upon hearing the report, Lin Zhongqing felt more nervous than relieved.

He suspected that Lin Ran might have used PUA tactics on these old guys, trying to control their minds.

If it's just about generating gold coins, that's easy to explain, since it can be considered a tourist attraction, albeit a niche and somewhat bizarre one.

This was something he didn't know: Lin Ran's explosion would deplete Aldrin's gold coins, amounting to 30 million US dollars, or 200 million RMB.

If he knew, he'd probably have a heart attack.

If turning the gold coin exploding into mind control were to happen, and these old guys returned home confused and disoriented, that wouldn't be fun at all.

Lin Zhongqing realized that he had to talk to Lin Ran and couldn't let Lin Ran go off on her own.

"Professor Lin, this is only the second time we've met in my office." Lin Zhongqing was very polite and had a good impression of the young man in front of him.

After all, the other party is top-notch.

Regardless of the type of ability.

The proof of the twin prime conjecture has passed peer review and will soon be published in New Advances in Mathematics; Fields's work is a done deal.

If Lin Ran doesn't win Fields two years from now, it will be Fields' loss, not Lin Ran's.

His speaking ability, his grasp of political nuances when speaking, and even his ability to persuade these former NASA employees all demonstrate his competence.

With such competence, and the willingness to return to teach at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, which is also affiliated with his own family, it's hard not to feel a sense of goodwill towards him.

The more he liked Lin Ran, the less he wanted to see him go astray.

If these old guys are ruined, even Lin Zhongqing, let alone Lin Ran, feels he can't bear the blame.

"Principal, you can just call me Professor. Yes, the last time was at the signing ceremony." Lin Ran nodded slightly.

"Professor, are you settling in well here?" Lin Zhongqing didn't dwell on the form of address. The other party called him the principal, and he called the other party professor. Was there anything strange about that?
Lin Ran said, "Of course, Shanghai Jiao Tong University is my alma mater."

This is the true alma mater; Göttingen is the spiritual alma mater.

"That's good. The enrollment for Lin Ran's math class is underway, and the students are very enthusiastic about signing up. I saw that the enrollment rate among freshmen and sophomores is more than half. The administrative colleagues in the school office have been complaining to me that they have to find a way to free up enough classrooms and find enough proctors."

After a long pause, Lin Zhongqing finally got to the point: "Professor, I heard you recruited a group of former NASA employees."

Lin Ran nodded and said, "Yes."

Lin Zhongqing then asked, "When you asked the school for help with your visa, I looked at their information. Aren't these elderly people a bit too old?"
I'm old enough; they're probably twenty years older than me.

Lin Ran smiled and said, "Yes, it is a bit old."

Lin Zhongqing said, "At such an advanced age, if something were to happen to us, no one could bear the responsibility."

Lin Ran said softly, "Principal, don't worry, I'll have them sign a disclaimer and record a video of it. It definitely won't cause any trouble for the school."

Lin Zhongqing choked up. "You still say you're not mind control? Professor, you're still young and don't understand the intricacies of this."

Even if they do sign a disclaimer, they will still face unavoidable public pressure.

This is similar to a driver causing a car accident on the road. Even if the camera fully records the entire process and the driver did not violate any traffic regulations, but rather the pedestrian ran a red light or something else, the driver still has to bear some responsibility.

This is a principle.

It's hard for us to say for sure what happened to them in China.

The forest is filled with gentle, earnest advice.

Lin Ran said softly, "Principal, do you know what we're doing?"

Lin Zhongqing nodded: "I know a little bit."

Lin Ran asked, "Then, Principal, what are your thoughts on our plan to replicate the Apollo moon landing?"

Lin Zhongqing said, "Professor, I don't know how you convinced them. You are 27 people who are over 80 years old. How can you expect to go to the moon?"

There's a joke online that the Apollo moon landing involved crossing the Pacific Ocean in a washing machine, right? The real Apollo moon landing wasn't like that, but yours certainly was.

Lin Ran smiled and said, "Principal, you're absolutely right. Compared to NASA's 4127 employees in the 1960s, and the 67 suppliers (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and beyond), with a total supplier team of 403,867 people, the chances of these 27 old men, plus my team of 30 including Xiao Li and Xiao Man, being so slim are practically zero."

Lin Zhongqing recognized the classic line from "Ming Dynasty 1566" in Lin Ran's report: "The two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty are on my shoulders. It is not your place to talk about the common people under heaven."

It's just weird.

Lin Ran spoke as if NASA headquarters and these 67 suppliers were on his shoulders.

"But with such a low probability, why are they still willing to believe me?"
Because false hope is stronger than no hope at all.

Principal, you know they are old men over eighty years old; they have nothing left to lose.

With young people taking them along, even if it's just to relive past glories, what reason is there to refuse?

Lin Zhongqing let out a long sigh.

As the president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, he naturally understood the old men's thoughts. Every year during the Spring Festival, he would visit the retired professors and cadres. If these old men had the opportunity to participate in the Apollo moon landing, regardless of whether the project could be completed, it would be much better than staying at home every day.

Lin Ran then asked, "Principal, what do you think I'm doing?"

After a pause, Lin Zhongqing said, "A retirement tourism project based on the Apollo moon landing."

Lin Ran smiled and said, "It's very precise, but I'm actually quite confident that I can achieve it."

These 27 people are like sparks, sparks from the golden age of space exploration during the Cold War, ready to ignite themselves completely in this time and space, doing their final part to return to the moon.

Lin Zhongqing was moved by what Lin Ran said, but he wanted to ask more: "You said you were confident, but where's the money? Where will the money come from?"

Besides, do you really expect to rely on these people to complete the moon landing?

Lin Ran shook his head: "They are the spark."

Ultimately, we must rely on young people, on the young people of China.

There is no doubt about this.

I squeezed thirty million dollars out of Aldrin.

If spent sparingly, those thirty million dollars would be enough to complete manned spaceflight and a lunar landing.

When that time comes, if I talk about landing on the moon again, who will doubt me?
Who would dare to doubt it?
If I raise another 8 million RMB later, bringing the total to 10 billion RMB, I'm confident I can complete the moon landing.

Principal, let me be frank with you. Once I complete the first step, Yanjing will definitely provide subsequent funding.

It doesn't necessarily have to be supported by Beijing; private capital is also acceptable.

The Apollo moon landing cost 8 million RMB.

In addition to the presence of these 27 old men.

This is a blatant example of NASA's legacy being passed down in China; NASA's golden legacy is being passed down in China.

NASA engineers from the 60s, together with young Chinese people, completed the moon landing in China in 2020.

During the Cold War, both America and the Soviet Union relied on lunar landings to prove their superiority.

Sixty years later, the flame was transferred from the Americans to the Chinese in this way.

What is the significance of this, and how much impact will it have globally?

And by then, foreign investors will be scrambling to invest, as long as the final moon landing isn't completed in China.

Will Wall Street be stingy with 8 million RMB if China doesn't accomplish such a historic moment?
Will Yanjing miss out on such an opportunity again because it's stingy with 8 million RMB?
When that time comes, the false will become the true.

"Practice makes the fake real; this is exactly what it means."

Let's say that.

Lin Ran's words deeply moved Lin Zhongqing.

Because, in his view, the probability of this event was less than 0.01%.

And now, at least 1%.

More importantly, he realized that these 27 people were not necessarily there to work, but rather totems they had taken from the Americans.

It serves a spiritual purpose.

The transfer of the totem is now known only to them; the outside world is completely unaware of it.

But when China successfully landed on the moon, the engineers, scientists, and astronauts who participated in the lunar landing project spanning two centuries became the undisputed icons.

Even if America is adept at manipulating the media, can it ignore such moments and their symbolic meaning?
Lin Zhongqing was already excited, because if it could really be accomplished, it would be a significant milestone for Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

It will completely leave other universities behind and become No.1 in the aerospace field without any problem.

Even the resumes of all the students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University who participate in this project can be enriched with a unique experience.

"Professor, one last question: Is $3000 million really enough to launch an unmanned probe to the moon? Is it enough to complete a manned spaceflight? And why did Aldrin agree to pay for it?"

Without realizing it, Lin Zhongqing had naturally started calling Lin Ran "Professor".

But this is not important.

"That's enough, I'll take responsibility. This amount of money is sufficient."

Principal, don't worry, Fields is waiting for me. I have a bright future in the field of mathematics, and I would never do something like Evergrande or LeEco just to make money.

In the end, Aldrin didn't believe it either, because he had allocated the funds in installments, and only $500 million had been received so far.

Isn't a Fields Jr. worth $500 million in angel investment?
Besides, for him, 3000 million for a ship ticket is an incredibly good deal.

"Professor, what do you need the school's help with?"

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(End of this chapter)