Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 293 WOC! Ice!

Lei Jun's sponsorship was jokingly referred to by netizens as "urgently buying indulgences from Apollo Technology."

After Caixin revealed the specific amount, such comments became even more rampant.

Previously, netizens made memes featuring Musk, the White House, NASA administrators, and others saying "Why is Apollo Technology so bad?" The characters have now been replaced with Lei Jun.

At Apollo Technology, after Xiaomi was confirmed as the sponsor, the lunar rover is undergoing final painting. The special materials used for the paint job need to ensure that the logo can be maintained for a sufficiently long time in the lunar environment.

On October 7th, the same date as last year's moon landing, the last day of the National Day holiday, Apollo Technologies officially launched its 2022 manned lunar landing mission.

The Saturn V rocket was once again used for this launch mission. At the Wenchang Space Launch Site, the Saturn V rocket soared into the clouds, its silver-white shell gleaming.

Because the launch took place in Wenchang today, a large number of tourists traveled from popular tourist destinations in Hainan, such as Sanya, Haikou, and Wanning, to Wenchang to watch the launch of Saturn V.

Hotels in the vicinity with excellent views of the launch have already been sold at exorbitant prices.

Even if the hotel doesn't have a great viewing spot, they'll call and ask if you want to rent a telescope for 200 yuan a day.

As for buying it online, you can't find a good quality telescope at all. In the end, I bought one from Meituan Supermarket, but it turned out to be unusable, so I had to grit my teeth and rent one from a hotel.

So much so that the first piece of advice in the Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) guides about watching rocket launches in Wenchang is: bring your own binoculars.

Bring your own binoculars. First, you don't have to stay in expensive hotels with good locations, and second, you won't get ripped off by hotels.

Apollo Technology has further boosted tourism in Wenchang.

"All systems are normal, prepare for the countdown," the voice from the control center came through the headset to Wei Xuhang and Li Cong, calm and firm.

Wei Xuhang turned to Li Cong and said, "I'm incredibly excited! We're going to the moon!"

Li Cong grinned and said, "Yeah, even though I had imagined what it would be like to go to the moon, I thought I would go by Long March rocket. Who would have thought that my first trip to the moon would be by Saturn V!"

No wonder the Americans went crazy; thinking about it, it would be strange if they didn't.

“Professor, this is a truly devastating move,” Wei Xuhang chuckled. “The more NASA fails to replicate the Saturn V, the more anxious they will become.”

The Chinese people around the world who were following the launch could never have imagined that before the rocket launch, the two Chinese astronauts were not discussing the mission or the moon landing, but rather making fun of NASA.

倒计时开始：“10、9、8……3、2、1，点火！”

The rocket engine spewed out scorching flames, and a deafening roar filled the air.

The force pressed the two people tightly onto their seats, their bodies feeling as if they were being squeezed by an invisible force.

Wei Xuhang kept a close eye on the instrument panel to confirm that the trajectory was normal.

Li Cong closed his eyes, feeling the vibrations, and images of his training flashed through his mind.

A few minutes later, the first stage separated, the second stage ignited, and the spacecraft broke out of the atmosphere and entered low Earth orbit, where the Earth gradually appeared outside the porthole.

"This is my first time in space. I originally thought my first time would be to China's space station," Li Cong said with emotion as he looked down at Earth from the porthole.

“We’re on track,” Wei Xuhang reminded him. “Brother Li, we can reminisce later when everything is alright. Right now, we need to check the data one by one to make sure the system is error-free.”

This wasn't his first time in space, and he was very skilled at it.

Therefore, Wei Xuhang is the commander this time.

Li Cong immediately replied, "Yes, sir! Propulsion system normal, navigation system normal."

After completing checks in low Earth orbit, the spacecraft is ready to perform a trans-lunar injection.

Wei Xuhang activated the automatic navigation system, and a complex trajectory curve was displayed on the screen.

“TLI countdown 5 minutes,” Li Cong reported, his eyes fixed on the timer.

The engines ignite, the spacecraft accelerates, escapes Earth's gravity, and flies towards the moon.

After the thrust disappeared, the cabin entered a state of weightlessness.

Wei Xuhang floated to the porthole and gazed at the gradually shrinking Earth: "The last time I came here with the professor and the others, it was the same scene. Seeing this scene again this time, I still have the same feeling. I feel how insignificant we humans are and how important the work we are doing now is."

Li Cong floated over, holding a tablet computer. After glancing at it, he nodded and added, "Xuhang, we need to remain vigilant for the next three days. Although the navigation system is fully automatic, we must be prepared to intervene manually at any time."

Wei Xuhang nodded: "That's natural. No one can rely on the ground control center to take over at any time, let alone us this time."

Especially during the landing phase, the terrain of Shackleton Crater is no joke.

Furthermore, this redesigned lunar probe has had its communication system tested with the Queqiao communication system, meaning we can receive signals from Earth even on the far side of the moon, which is much more reliable than our last mission.

Li Cong joked, "Do you feel more at ease being able to communicate with the control center on Earth, or do you feel more at ease having the professor on the lunar probe?"

Lin Ran's miraculous abilities were due to both Wei Xuhang's repeated mentions during training and Li Cong's firsthand witnessing of them.

Li Cong is still amazed by Lin Ran's performance in astronaut training; he is simply not human.

After thinking for a moment, Wei Xuhang said, "I feel more at ease with the professor around. I feel that no matter what happens on the Lunar Journey, he can steer the ship back to Earth."

During the three-day voyage, they took turns resting, monitoring the system, and conducting small-scale experiments.

Three days later, the pale outline of the moon appeared outside the porthole, and the edge of Shackleton Crater cast long shadows in the low-angle sunlight.

The spacecraft has entered lunar orbit and is currently performing lunar orbit insertion and burn-up.

“LOI complete, entering stable orbit,” Wei Xuhang confirmed. “Wenchang Control Center, prepare for separation.”

"Separation is scheduled for T+147 minutes and 18 seconds!"

"Roger that!"

During the preparation, Li Cong asked, "Xuhang, can the landing system really be accurate to within 50 meters?"

Wei Xuhang nodded firmly: "Our terrain-relative navigation system has undergone countless tests, and the fuel tank has been successfully tested twice."

It was right there, waiting for us.

Following the precise time given by the Wenchang Control Center, Wei Xuhang activated the descent engine, and a topographical map of the Shackleton Crater rim was displayed on the screen.

The automatic navigation system begins operation, with lidar scanning the ground to locate a safe landing point.

“Altitude 1000 meters…500 meters…” Li Cong read out the data, his voice tinged with tension.

This is just a process. The previous three landings had already thoroughly explored the entire area, and it was absolutely impossible for boulders to suddenly appear at their landing site.

Unless there is life on the moon, and that life must possess a certain level of intelligence.

Li Cong kept his eyes glued to the radar: "70 meters, 50 meters, 20 meters from the fuel tank."

The lunar module touched down gently, with only slight vibrations.

The screen displays "Landing successful".

The two looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Welcome to the lunar south pole,” Wei Xuhang said with a smile.

At this time, it was already working hours in China. Since it was the second time China had landed on the moon, most companies would not give their employees a day off.

Everyone has figured it out: with Apollo technology, moon landings have become as commonplace as eating a meal. If every moon landing were a holiday, wouldn't China have to add a few extra public holidays every month?

So despite the heated online discussions, in reality, there was no nationwide celebration like the first time last year.

Of course, the public was still very excited, because from a farming perspective, the search for water ice was actually of greater significance.

Before, it was to infuriate the Americans; this time, it's for us to farm on the moon.

Even if there's no holiday, can't I hide in the toilet and watch the live stream under the pretense of taking a dump?

If I wear headphones, who will know I'm watching a live stream?

Therefore, it's easy for Apollo Technology's official live stream to attract tens of millions of viewers.

The moment the footage of the successful landing came from Antarctica, the comments in the Bilibili live stream were all unanimously "smooth sailing".

"It feels like practice makes perfect, it's so smooth."

"Now I finally understand what it felt like for Americans during the golden age of the 1960s and 70s. It felt so good to be the only one who could land on the moon and succeed every time."

"No wonder there are so many conspiracy theories about the American moon landing online. If foreign netizens saw our moon landing, they would probably be suspicious too, wondering how we landed in Antarctica so smoothly."

"I wonder what kind of trouble the Americans will cause this time. Last time it was Musk breaking with the Democrats, and before that it was NASA changing its leadership. Could it be the White House changing its personnel this time?"

Regardless of the platform or the secondary stream, the chat was buzzing with discussion, with the most frequent word being "smooth".

In order to promote space exploration, Apollo Technologies did not choose the same branding strategy as NASA, since brand licensing is their core source of profit. However, in terms of promotion, after the exclusive license with Bilibili ended, they chose to fully open up their live streaming rights.

Simply put, anyone can broadcast their official live stream, and anyone can record their live stream video and use it to create clips.

This strategy led to the widespread dissemination of Apollo Technology's videos globally.

This has also made watching live space broadcasts a very popular and widespread activity.

After landing, Wei Xuhang and Li Cong saw the fuel tank through the porthole; the silver cylinder gleamed in the sunlight, about 50 meters away.

The live stream also showed footage of the fuel tank.

"It's so beautiful! If I didn't know that we launched it ourselves, I would have thought it was some alien artifact!"

"It feels like farming. Seeing a silver fuel tank makes me this excited. If I saw our own electromagnetic launch tower, solar panels, and greenhouse vegetables on the moon, I would be ecstatic!"

The rim of Shackleton Crater is rugged, and measuring instruments show that the temperature drops sharply from 54 degrees Celsius in the sunlit area to -203 degrees Celsius in the shadowy area.

"Prepare to exit the spacecraft," Wei Xuhang said, initiating the decompression procedure. "Remember to wear your spacesuits, and absolutely do not go into the shaded areas. Let the robot dog go into the shaded areas; we ourselves must not go!"

Li Cong replied, "Don't worry, I understand the importance of my life."

The two donned spacesuits and checked the oxygen and communication systems.

Li Cong's hands trembled slightly: "It's my first time walking on the moon, I'm a little nervous."

“That’s normal,” Wei Xuhang reassured him. “We’ll take it one step at a time.”

The hatch opened, and Wei Xuhang stepped out first, his boots sinking into the soft lunar soil.

He looked down at the footprints and exclaimed, "Is this what it felt like when the professor and Aldrin came last time? It was wonderful!"

Li Cong followed, experiencing the wonder of 1/6 gravity.

He carefully stepped aside, avoiding a rock: "The terrain here is much more complicated than the training ground."

They towed a small fuel transfer vehicle toward the fuel tank. This vehicle, which served to connect the fuel tank and the lunar module, consisted mainly of transfer pipes.

There is a sealed interface on the fuel tank that connects to a high-pressure hose.

Wei Xuhang skillfully connected the hoses, an operation he had repeated countless times on Earth, while ensuring no leaks: "Begin the transfer."

Li Cong started the pump, and the instruments showed that fuel was slowly flowing into the lunar module.

He glanced at the data and breathed a sigh of relief: "It looks like things are going smoothly."

The transfer was completed an hour later.

They removed the hose and secured the equipment.

Wei Xuhang patted the fuel tank: "We'll have to deal with this every time we come here in the future; it's our lifeline."

Wei Xuhang held the national flag on his chest up to the camera, then pointed to the fuel tank and gave a thumbs up, indicating that the fuel transfer had been successfully completed.

The major live streaming rooms in China immediately went wild.

In the past, there have been various opinions that China's moon landing was a replica of Apollo technology and nothing special.

Such voices are concentrated in foreign media.

Even Chinese ambassadors abroad face similar questions when giving interviews or attending international forums: Isn't your moon landing just a copy?

The media system controlled by America is trying every means to portray China's moon landing as yet another copycat empire, turning a good thing into a bad thing.

Then, they export the message through foreign media and then re-import it into the domestic market, creating a similar narrative in Chinese public opinion.

The public isn't stupid. You only need to ask why America isn't good enough, or if it's because they don't want to, and you'll be able to break through the defenses of these bloggers who are stirring up trouble.

However, since it is indeed a replica of the Apollo moon landing, people are not particularly confident in their rebuttals.

It's nothing more than repeatedly emphasizing that America is no longer viable.

This time, however, we used self-developed technology, an unprecedentedly bold solution, a solution that various professional bloggers considered wildly imaginative, and it was completed so smoothly.

Because the fuel tank uses a reusable rocket, the cost of the entire launch is incredibly low.

After the fuel transfer process was completed in the live stream, the bloggers who were broadcasting the process spontaneously applauded:
"It was amazing! We have once again witnessed the miracle brought to us by the God of Fuel. The fuel was transferred smoothly without any leaks or accidents. The whole process was so smooth."

Our astronauts also successfully landed near the fuel tank.

I'm so excited to witness this! My YouTube videos featuring Western YouTubers are already ready to go. I'll record them tonight and upload them right away. I'll also put a compilation of their moments of vulnerability on Bilibili so everyone can see how these foreign YouTubers finally broke down!

A certain aerospace-related blogger on Bilibili has found a new niche.

He makes videos on YouTube that mock American technology, speaking fluent English and using facts to create a real impact. He specifically seeks out foreign bloggers in the aerospace field to conduct targeted attacks, and then uploads the attack videos back to China after they are breached.

This created a perpetual motion machine of traffic, resulting in a rapid increase in followers over the past year. They have over 300,000 followers on YouTube and over 2 million followers on Bilibili.

Because there are more than 200 countries in the world, and it's not just the United States, European netizens love to see American bloggers get emotionally overwhelmed.

"Let me tell you all, the most important task of this lunar landing is to find water ice."

If we can find it, great! Then Shackleton Crater will be our territory, our base on the moon.

We will gradually build a base centered around this location.

In layman's terms, it means finding a good plot of land for farming, so you don't need to add fertilizer, as the soil itself has enough fertility.

"If there's no water ice, then it's a bit risky; it all depends on luck," another professional blogger explained excitedly.

After the fuel transfer was completed, they began their scientific mission.

The primary objective is to detect water ice, which may be hidden in the permanently shadowed areas of the impact crater.

They removed the lunar rover, which had the Xiaomi logo printed on it, from the lunar lander and then extended it into a small rover.

Xiaomi's logo was clearly visible in the camera feed, and comments like "Lei Zong is awesome!" and "Xiaomi is awesome!" were everywhere in various live streams.

At this time, official accounts on various platforms such as Xiaomi and Bilibili were also broadcasting the live stream, with Lei Jun personally in charge of the live stream, all for the sake of achieving the best promotional effect.

"As you can see, this is the Xiaomi lunar rover that we sponsored! It fully demonstrates our determination to build cars. Isn't this car cool?"

The 100:1 and 50:1 scale replicas of the Xiaomi lunar rover are already in the factory, and we will launch them on the Xiaomi Mall as soon as they are completed.

We were troubled for a long time because people couldn't buy Xiaomi cars or Xiaomi lunar rovers. I thought, maybe we could let people buy a model of the Xiaomi lunar rovers to satisfy their curiosity first.

"I hope all my Mi Fans will enjoy it," Lei Jun said in the live stream.

The comments were all unanimously "buy".

(In 1923, Homer Eon Flint designed a lunar rover in his novel "Out of the Moon," which looked like a large, two-legged, bird-like contraption that could walk on the moon.)
The vehicle is equipped with drilling equipment and a spectrometer.

The two drove the lunar rover into the shadow area.

They won't go in; they'll only test the waters at the edge.

"Start the roaming vehicle," Li Cong said, operating the remote control. "The target is that shadowy area."

The roaming vehicle moved slowly across the rugged terrain, and the cameras transmitted blurry images.

Suddenly, the spectrometer emitted a signal: "Water molecules detected!" Li Cong shouted excitedly.

Wei Xuhang walked over and checked the data: "This is water ice! Let's go back to the lunar module and change into our cryogenic spacesuits. We have to confirm it ourselves!"

The two drove back.

A moment later, the host of Apollo Technology's official live stream explained, "They've discovered water ice! Now our astronauts are going to change into cryogenic spacesuits and personally explore the shadow region. Let's wish them good luck!"

In situations like these, luck actually plays a significant role.

If someone else were brought in, things might not go so smoothly.

The two donned cryogenic spacesuits, carried portable drilling tools, and drove a lunar rover to the edge of the moon.

Li Cong and Wei Xuhang then exchanged a glance, and Li Cong said, "I'll go!"

Wei Xuhang shook his head: "I'll do it this time!"

His tone was firm and left no room for argument.

Wei Xuhang then took out a specially made headlamp from the lunar rover's storage box, put it on his head, and plunged into the shadow area.

Then a rope was fastened to the spacesuit, with the other end locked to the lunar rover.

"If anything happens to me, remember to bring me back!" Wei Xuhang said with a smile.

Li Cong shouted, "Don't worry, I'll definitely take you back!"

In the darkness, Wei Xuhang could only rely on his headlamp for illumination and carefully avoided the rocks.

The bulky equipment restricted his movements, and a thin layer of fog would occasionally veil his helmet visor.

He holds a lunar dielectric analyzer and a portable infrared spectrometer. The former measures the dielectric constant of the lunar soil by transmitting an electric field through it.

Water ice has different dielectric properties than dry lunar soil, exhibiting a unique peak.

What Wei Xuhang needs to do is to conduct further scanning to find the area with the strongest signal.

The spectrometer will help him identify the molecular characteristics of water ice.

Wei Xuhang walked cautiously, his boots leaving clear footprints on the lunar surface, the dust he kicked up floating slowly in the low gravity.

The probe of the dielectric analyzer moved slowly above the ground, emitting a soft beeping sound, and a series of numbers appeared on the screen.

"Make sure the probe is parallel to the ground," Wei Xuhang thought to himself, while focusing intently on the screen.

Proceed slowly forward in the direction of the outlier in the distance.

Suddenly the dielectric constant jumps to 4.5, much higher than the surrounding 2.8.

Wei Xuhang's heart was pounding.

He took a small red flag from the toolbox at his waist and stuck it into the lunar soil.

He continued scanning and found three potential water freezing points.

Returning to the first marked point, Wei Xuhang picked up a portable near-infrared spectrometer and aimed it at the marked area. The laser beam swept across the lunar soil, and the absorption spectrum was displayed on the screen.

There is a distinct absorption band at 1.5 micrometers, which is a characteristic signal of water ice.

If this were on Earth, Wei Xuhang would have already jumped up.

"Wenchang Control Center, I have detected water ice!"

A moment later, the voice came back from Earth, hundreds of thousands of kilometers away: "Very good, the signal matches, now collect the sample."

Wei Xuhang picked up a lightweight drilling tool, about 1 meter long, equipped with a battery-powered drill bit.

He crouched down, aimed the drill at the marked point, and turned on the switch.

The drill emitted a low hum, and vibrations traveled up his arm. He gritted his teeth, steadying himself to prevent losing his balance in the low gravity.

Lunar soil particles splattered, revealing a simulated sample embedded with ice crystals underneath.

"Be careful, don't let the ice crystals be exposed for too long," the Wenchang control center warned.

"Understood!" Wei Xuhang took out a sealed container.

Under the headlamp's light, the ice crystals refracted a faint glow.

Wei Xuhang carefully extracted the core sample, a 10-centimeter-long cylinder, with ice crystals glittering in the lunar soil.

"Wenchang Control Center, Li Cong, crystal clear! It's definitely ice!"

Li Cong's voice came through the radio first: "Great! Remember to be careful!"

Then came the voice from the Wenchang Control Center: "Well done! Remember to save this! It's crucial for our future lunar base!"

　em
　　Can I ask for a monthly pass?

　　It's the end of the month.

　　This time I didn't criticize anyone or put anyone down; I didn't even dare to write much... I've already admitted my mistake and corrected it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)