Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 272 Entering Earth's Orbit
"Without any warning"
Without a single worry

You just appeared in my world like that.

I thought today would just be an ordinary Christmas.

People who originally refused to go on dates, refuse to eat out, refuse to participate in various shopping mall activities, and set their alarms for 7 a.m. to watch the live broadcast of the moon landing have gradually become desperate over the past two weeks.

People are cursing the Americans online for being too wicked, and praying for the astronauts to recover quickly through Apollo Technology's official channels. People have already given up hope that the Christmas offensive can continue.

Despite the various rumors circulating online, most people know that these rumors are just as unreliable as the old rumors about lithography machines.

The idea that China's space program is sending astronauts abroad, or that China's astronauts are undergoing emergency training, is as unreliable as bringing in a 14nm lithography machine from Japan to manufacture 3nm chips.

Even more outrageous news has emerged, such as the "God of Burning" personally taking to the field and undergoing emergency training.

What? A superhero has appeared in China too?
The latter is considered to be the most outrageous rumor circulating on the internet recently.

As a result, at 9 a.m. that morning, Apollo Technology's official live stream suddenly started broadcasting.

The first thing they saw was Aldrin, Lin Ran, and an unfamiliar face, all dressed in spacesuits, looking ready to carry out a mission.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm Xiao Wang, the host from Apollo Technology. As before, I will be bringing you a full commentary on Apollo Technology's lunar mission today."

The anchors at Apollo Technology are also students at National Chiao Tung University. As a comprehensive university, Chiao Tung University has a broadcasting and hosting major, and this major only admits graduate students, not undergraduates.

Those who are selected to become anchors for Apollo Technology's live space broadcasts are naturally the best of the best.

However, the sound is secondary. Just the visuals combined with the audio are enough to instantly energize those who accidentally clicked in, thinking it was an accusation or a press conference to criticize the Americans for being inhuman.

No? We're going to go to the moon? How come the God of Fire is in a spaceship?
The lunar landing simulation test was also broadcast live, so viewers are very familiar with the lunar module.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you are not mistaken. The people carrying out this mission are Mr. Lin Ran, Chairman of Apollo Technology, Buzz Aldrin, former Apollo lunar astronaut, and Mr. Wei Xuhang, a reserve astronaut of Apollo Technology."

Mr. Lin Ran will personally serve as the commander-in-chief for this lunar landing mission.

Xiao Wang's voice was sweet, but the comments section exploded like a pot:
"?????"

The screen is full of question marks.

The most outrageous rumors are actually true?

This is as absurd as your wife giving birth in the delivery room, and then the baby walks out on its own and asks whether you want to save the doctor or the caregiver.

The sound coming from the live stream:
"Countdown enters final 10 seconds!"
10...9...8...

Ignition sequence start-up…

5…4…3…2…1…

ignition!

Saturn V rocket successfully launched! China's first manned lunar landing mission has officially begun!
The rocket is breaking through the atmosphere at an astonishing speed, carrying the hopes and dreams of Apollo technology.

The serious expressions on the faces of the three astronauts told the viewers in the live broadcast room that this was no joke.

"Jingle Bell"

Seohyun was a little impatient. "Calling on a Saturday morning is so annoying. It's already annoying enough that Ran-ge's moon landing is delayed."

He answered the phone, and a familiar voice came from the other end: "Holy crap, holy crap, hurry up and watch the live stream! It's the official live stream of Apollo Technology on Bilibili. Ran Ge is going to go to the moon himself!"

After hearing this, Seohyun felt like her brain had shut down. "Huh?"

He took the iPhone away from his ear and glanced at the screen. Sure enough, it was a call from their mutual high school classmate: "Today is Christmas, not April Fool's Day," Seohyun corrected him.

The voice on the other end of the phone was very urgent: "I'm not lying to you. You can see it by watching the Bilibili live stream. We've all been tagging you in our group chat. We called to tell you to get up quickly so you don't miss this crucial moment since you didn't come out. Okay, I'm going to go watch the live stream now."

Before he could react, his high school classmate hung up the phone.

Seohyun sat up straight, but then the phone rang again.

For a full ten minutes, the phone rang non-stop. Their mutual high school classmates called to express their amazement and reiterate that he absolutely had to watch the live stream.

During this process, Seohyun was already wearing AirPods and browsing Weibo's trending topics.

The top trending topic on Weibo is: "Lin Ran lands on the moon".

Clicking on it leads to a clip of CCTV's official 9 PM special program:
"According to the latest news from our station, the Apollo moon landing, originally scheduled for December 25, will proceed as planned. The astronauts for this mission are Lin Ran, Buzz Aldrin, and others. They are expected to arrive in lunar orbit three days later on December 28, and separate from the lunar module four days later on December 29 to carry out the moon landing mission. We wish the astronauts all the best in advance."

From then until the moon landing is completed, this station will provide full live coverage through special programs. Other programs will be adjusted accordingly based on the specific content of the live broadcast.

Almost every reputable media account posted a clip of this CCTV news report.

"?????"

Clicking on the trending topic, the video with the most likes is a question mark.

Scrolling down, the comment section is filled with numerous question marks.

Seohyun waited quite a while before seeing the discussion about this matter:
"I want to know if this was a spur-of-the-moment decision or something planned in advance? If it was planned in advance, then the God of Burning is still within the realm of humanity. If it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, is the God of Burning still human?"

"Not only would the Americans not have thought of this, but we wouldn't have thought of it either!"

"CCTV stopped broadcasting it and just called it the Apollo moon landing. I guess the higher-ups were furious. They thought, 'I just wanted to land on the moon for a month, and you're giving me this kind of trick.' Before, our mother even considered giving the Americans some face, so she didn't call the F-1 engine F-1 anymore, but renamed it Moon-1."

Now that you've shamelessly stabbed me in the back, I'll slap you in the face!

"I'm so excited, I've never been so excited before. For the next five days, I won't be able to concentrate on work at all."

After scrolling through Weibo for a while, Seohyun finally calmed down.

After he calmed down, he saw that Li Yiqing, who was sitting opposite him on his dormitory bed, had also sat up. She had just finished scrolling through her phone and looked horrified. After their eyes met, Li Yiqing couldn't help but say:
"What exactly is the rare species known as the Burning God?"

Seohyun said with a wry smile, "I don't know either. We weren't together for four years of university."

Li Yiqing said, "Holy crap, the first Chinese to land on the moon, that's amazing! Just thinking about it makes me feel so cool."

"Going to the moon this year, receiving Fields Medal next year, and starting massive lunar infrastructure construction the year after—I feel like even a wish-fulfillment novel couldn't write a plot like this."

Xu Xian waved his hand: "A wish-fulfillment novel? All those wish-fulfillment novels on Qidian are about writing competition papers. Winning a Fields Medal feels like completing a fantasy novel. For Ran Ge, winning a Fields Medal is just the beginning."

I'm all set and ready to latch onto Ran Ge's coattails. I was originally thinking of going into academia, but it seems I don't have the talent. I'll have to switch to applied fields instead.

I'm going to latch onto Ran-ge's coattails. At this rate, maybe I'll be able to go to the moon within ten years.

Seohyun has already started fantasizing: "Ideally, before I get married, I want to propose to my girlfriend on the moon!"

Li Yiqing rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky: "Seriously, do you even have a girlfriend? You're already proposing! You're definitely a total shut-in, you're just playing Genshin Impact."

News spreads instantly, and gradually, videos taken by local media outlets in Wenchang began to circulate.

A dazzling flame erupted from the bottom of the rocket, and the F-1 engine ignited simultaneously, emitting a deafening roar.

Saturn V gradually accelerated, streaking into the sky with a huge trail of smoke and fire.

Related videos are being uploaded to short video platforms such as Douyin (TikTok).

You can capture the acceleration moment in Wenchang, and you can capture the takeoff footage from the entire Hainan Island.

Meanwhile, Bilibili also released the launch video they filmed at the scene.

Apollo Technologies' Christmas offensive is proceeding as planned.

This meant that nobody cared whether it was Christmas or not; everyone's attention was focused on China's first moon landing, and specifically on Lin Ran himself.

Inside the spacecraft, the astronauts were pressed into their seats by intense gravitational acceleration, and the vibrations caused the entire cabin to tremble slightly.

Lin Ran stared intently at the instrument panel, confirming the rocket's trajectory.

Wei Xuhang reports: "Acceleration is normal, altitude is 5 kilometers, and we are continuing to ascend."

Professor, all parameters are within the expected range, and the liquid oxygen pressure is stable.

At 9:31 AM, Apollo Technology's official live stream showed that the number of users had exceeded ten million, and according to the backend data, the number of viewers was still rising sharply.

Almost everyone in the groups is discussing this.

The group, which used to be predominantly male, used to discuss either imperial maps or authentication. Now, no one authenticates or posts imperial maps anymore; everyone has transformed into aerospace experts.

"The Saturn V is currently passing through its maximum dynamic pressure point, where the rocket structure is experiencing tremendous air resistance. Our control center in Wenchang is closely monitoring the entire process to ensure everything is proceeding normally."

Inside the spacecraft, the rocket swayed slightly, and the astronauts felt the immense pressure of the air on it.

Wei Xuhang stared at the speed reading: "The structure is complete according to Max Q."

Aldrin laughed, "This guy is just as sturdy as I was back then!"

Wei Xuhang thought to himself, "The simulators during training are nowhere near as exciting as this."

The maximum dynamic pressure, or Max Q, is reached at T+1 minutes and 23 seconds.

After completing this step, Lin Ran asked, "Baz, how are you feeling?"

Aldrin laughed and said, "Professor, don't worry about me. It's just MaxQ. I feel perfectly fine!"

At 2 minutes and 44 seconds T+2, the live broadcast announced: "First stage separation! Our Saturn V has successfully separated after exhausting its first stage fuel!"
"The five J-2 engines of the second-stage S-II are about to ignite; continue propulsion!"

Apollo Technology showed no mercy to America, calling her by her full name without any pretense. "Our specialty is replicating! And we specifically target replicas that you can't make."

Inside the spacecraft, the first stage of separation brought a brief feeling of weightlessness, and the astronauts leaned slightly forward, as if they were floating on their seats.

Immediately, the second-stage engine ignited, and the new thrust pushed them back into their seats, with the vibrations being slightly less intense than those from the first stage.

Wei Xuhang reported: "Second stage ignition confirmed, thrust stable."

Lin Ran nodded: "The trajectory is good, and the altitude is about 60 kilometers."

Wei Xuhang then reported: "Liquid hydrogen supply is normal."

Lin Ran said, "We will continue to monitor the situation."

At T+9 minutes and 15 seconds, the live stream no longer showed real-time footage of Saturn V; only a simulated animation produced by Apollo Technology was being broadcast.

However, in Apollo Technology's official live stream, the host's voice actually became louder:
"Second stage separation! Second stage mission complete. The J-2 engines of the third stage are about to ignite. This is the final step to enter Earth orbit!"

Inside the spacecraft, the second-stage separation brought another brief period of weightlessness. Lin Ran reminded, "Prepare for third-stage ignition."

The S-IVB engine then started, providing stable thrust, and the spacecraft continued to accelerate.

Wei Xuhang reported: "Stage 3 combustion is normal, and the speed is close to 7.8 km/s."

Lin Ran glanced through the porthole and saw the Earth's curve gradually appear, exclaiming, "How beautiful!"

Aldrin added, "Of course it's beautiful, but the moon, which I've always longed to visit, is even more beautiful."

That was a beauty unlike anything ever seen on Earth!

9:41:35，也就是T+11分45秒，直播间里主播说道：“成功进入轨道！土星五号已将‘奔月号’送入约185公里高度的地球停车轨道！”

From the start of the live stream, Apollo Technology's official live stream room received a constant stream of virtual gifts.

Forty minutes later, the number of viewers in the live stream had exceeded 30 million.

Almost all the engineers from Bilibili's headquarters, including those from China Telecom and China Mobile, were present. They were all gathered to ensure that today's live stream would go smoothly, no matter how high the traffic was.

People privately remarked that today's event was even more extravagant than Singles' Day.

The number of virtual gifts in the live stream has exceeded 100 million yuan, and the amount of virtual gifts exceeded 100 million yuan in just half an hour.

Bilibili even issued an official announcement to celebrate:

A celebratory poster reads, "The total amount of donations in a single live stream on Bilibili exceeded 100 million yuan in one hour."

Inside the spacecraft, the S-IVB engines shut down, and the spacecraft entered orbit. The astronauts felt a continuous weightlessness, their bodies gently floating under the restraint of their seatbelts.

Lin Ran reported via communicator: "Control center, the lunar probe has entered orbit, all systems are normal."

Ground response: "Lunar mission, received."

Wei Xuhang removed his mask and said with a smile, "Professor, Doctor, we're in space!"

Aldrin gazed at the Earth through the porthole and murmured, "This view is worth every effort."

At the ground control center, the engineers erupted in enthusiastic applause.

"Today, China's aerospace industry has written a new chapter."

Saturn V successfully sent three astronauts into Earth orbit, where they will conduct system checks in preparation for the upcoming lunar transfer orbit ignition.

Viewers, this is a great moment for all humanity! We will continue to bring you the latest reports. CCTV's official live broadcast was much more formal.

However, CCTV did not enable the tipping function, so people could only watch as Chinese citizens spent money like crazy in Bilibili's live streaming rooms.

The video of Apollo Technology's launch and entry into Earth orbit was also simultaneously released on their official Bilibili account.

The following comments from netizens were quite enthusiastic:

"My first tip was for Burning God Ascending to the Moon!"

"Bilibili couldn't give me any coins, but Ran Shen did! Ran Shen truly deserves to be called the god of coins!"

"This is my first time piloting a ship, Burning God, you absolutely have to come back safely!"

"I knew the early bird catches the worm. Getting up early really does have its benefits. If I had known it would launch as planned, I shouldn't have canceled my plane ticket and hotel in Hainan! My only regret is not being able to see the Saturn V launch in person."

"I told you, what were you trying to hide before? You should have just said openly that we used the Saturn V. I bet you've been wanting to reveal this all along. Anyway, once you do something like landing on the moon, it's considered a transgression by the Americans, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fact that the Americans haven't gone up there since. If you have this idea, you should be prepared to be targeted."

So we shouldn't have given the Americans any face in the first place. Thankfully, we've changed our minds now. I need to check if the rednecks on the Space section of Reddit are in an uproar.

These are some of the most popular comments, with the most upvoted being the simplest four words: "Have a safe journey!"

9:41:35，T+11分45秒，S-IVB引擎熄火。

The Luna Exploration rover entered the Earth parking orbit at an altitude of approximately 185 kilometers.

The astronauts felt a continuous weightlessness, their bodies gently floating under the restraint of their seatbelts.

Lin Ran unbuckled his seatbelt first, slowly floated to the porthole, gazed at the Earth, and exclaimed, "This view is much more breathtaking than in the simulator."

Aldrin unbuckled his seatbelt, his eyes filled with emotion: "Professor, I saw the same view back then."

This image often appears in my dreams.

Wei Xuhang carefully floated to the control panel and checked the life support system: "Oxygen is normal, temperature is normal..."

Lin Ran clapped his hands: "Alright, that's enough time for enjoying the scenery. Let's begin the system check. TLI can't have any mistakes."

Wei Xuhang didn't even have time to fully appreciate the beauty of Earth before returning to his seat to check the propulsion system.

His job was to check the status of the service bay engines and fuel: "Propulsion system ready, fuel pressure normal."

Next, check the life support system to ensure that oxygen, temperature, and humidity are within safe ranges: "Life support system is all green."

Lin Ran focused on the navigation system, calibrating the spacecraft's attitude using the planetarium: "Navigation calibration complete, orbital parameters meet expectations."

Inside the CCTV studio in Yanjing,
"Dear viewers, the three astronauts from Apollo Technologies are now making final preparations for Earth orbit. They will ignite the engines approximately 2 hours and 44 minutes after launch to accelerate the spacecraft to 10.8 kilometers per second, thereby escaping Earth orbit and proceeding with the subsequent lunar reentry."

We are honored to be able to interview an astronaut who is conducting an inspection in Earth orbit in this way.

Professor Lin Ran will represent the three astronauts in this interview. We will now connect remotely; please wait a moment.

After a brief blackout, Lin Ran's face appeared on the left side of the CCTV live broadcast screen.

The moment Lin Ran appeared, the female anchor's eyes practically sparkled with excitement:
"Professor Lin, hello."

"Hello, host."

"Congratulations to Apollo Technology for successfully entering Earth orbit, which is a good start for this lunar mission."

I'd like to ask how you're feeling right now?

Lin Ran said, "I'm in a great mood. It's really wonderful to be able to do what you want to do in life."

(End of this chapter)