Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 324 Burning Number One in 60 Time and Space

"Lydon Johnson's problem is that he turned to the war too late, and the Vietnam ceasefire came too late. If it had come six months earlier, I really wouldn't be confident of beating him."

Lin Ran asked, "What if the Star Wars program succeeds?"

"What do you mean?" Nixon's face turned serious.

The moon landing greatly boosted Lyndon Johnson's reputation; Kennedy deserved credit, and so did Lyndon Johnson.

If the Star Wars program succeeds, Nixon feels this year's election will turn from a dream into a nightmare.

Lin Ran pointed to the sky and said, "In the next two days, we will launch a reusable rocket, including the first batch of GPS satellites."

This time, we'll achieve five satellites in one launch!

This news gave Nixon a chill. He said, "Professor, thank you for telling me this in advance."

Giving him advance notice means he has time to prepare.

What else can be done but blindly attribute the credit for Star Wars and the moon landing program to Lin Ran?

If he were to publicly declare his election again, he would still hire Lin Ran as NASA Administrator.

Let voters know that as long as Lin Ran is in the White House, no matter who is president, America's space program will be indestructible.

The party can prepare its propaganda in advance, writing articles and such beforehand.

After the rocket launch was successful, when Lyndon Johnson repeatedly emphasized his own contribution to the public, the media then used intensive coverage to downplay Lyndon Johnson's credit.

Therefore, the time difference is very important.

Knowing something sooner or later makes a world of difference in the outcome.

Lin Ran said, "President Nixon, actually, among all the candidates, you are the one I think is the best!"

"Mr. Fred, actually, among all the presidential candidates, you are the one I favor the most!"

NASA has announced through the media that it will launch Burning One, the first reusable rocket in human history.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s body has been returned to Atlanta, and the funeral is scheduled for April 9 at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

The rocket launch took place on April 7. Lin Ran, as a close friend of Martin Luther King Jr., was invited to give a memorial speech at his funeral. Lin Ran claimed that this rocket launch was also a way for him to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.

Therefore, a large number of journalists and dignitaries rushed to Huntsville to watch the rocket launch, hoping to witness history.

Fred was no exception; he brought his son, Big T, along. Fred was going to be on Big T's show, so how could there be any discord between father and son?

Furthermore, Fred demonstrated strong appeal in the primaries, trailing Nixon by only a few percentage points even in Wisconsin, a state surrounding the Great Lakes and not a Southern state. This forced Big T to reassess his father's appeal.

Thinking that she was still inexperienced and needed her father's help to garner votes, she realized that she was still in the early stages of her career.

"!" Upon hearing Lin Ran's words, Fred could only feel an exclamation mark in his mind.

I am indeed exceptionally talented; even the professor has high hopes for me!
“Professor, thank you for your high regard. If I am elected, I will definitely give you a greater role in the White House, instead of letting you get into trouble when things go wrong like the foolish Johnson did,” Fred said.

Fred was extremely pleased with himself, not only because he was only slightly behind Nixon, but also because he was far ahead of Ronald Reagan in the polls.

It's important to know that Ronald Reagan was the governor of California, and there was another candidate, Nelson Rockefeller, who was originally slated to run for governor of New York.

Fred's approval rating means that if he were to run for governor, he would win in either California or New York.

In this way, he can free up the congressional seat and give it to Big T.

Fred himself served as the governor of New York, while his son served as a New York State assemblyman.

What a wonderful thing this is! The T family will be a political family rooted in New York.

Fred is indifferent to the presidency; participating in the Elephant Party primary is more of a political propaganda move.

Of course, after Lin Ran said that he was the most likely candidate, Fred's hope was rekindled.

He initially felt his chances were slim, as Martin Luther King Jr.'s death was very detrimental to him.

In electoral politics, the most effective tool for mobilizing votes is hatred; hatred is what motivates a group to vote.

The Black community's aversion to Fred and Wallace is enough to make them lose everything in this election.

Fred asked earnestly, "Professor, is there any way you can get me elected?"

As a former friend of Nixon, having witnessed firsthand how Nixon slowly climbed out of the mire, and having himself been a product of Nixon's support in his rise, Fred knew all too well how amazing Lin Ran's mind was and how keen his insight was.

Last month's US-Soviet peace talks and the Vietnam War ceasefire further reinforced this impression.

Fred desperately needed Lin Ran to find him a way to victory.

Lin Ran replied without hesitation: "You need to win the votes of Wallace's supporters, you need to win the support of conservative voters and working class, and you need to convince Nixon's opponents to support you."

There was no other way.

Fred only had a general idea after hearing this, and just as he was about to ask more questions, Lin Ran glanced at the Patek Philippe in his hand and said, "Sorry, Fred, the rocket is launching tomorrow, and I still need to do some final checks."

Fred said, "Of course, Professor, NASA's work is the most important."

As Lin Ran turned to leave and was about to open the door, Fred's voice came from behind him: "There's another sure-fire way to win, Professor, if you publicly announce your support for me..."

Lin Ran didn't answer, he just waved and left the room.

"I'll publicly support you? Compared to Johnson and Nixon, what advantages do you have?" Lin Ran thought to himself in the corridor.
This launch did not take place at Cape Canaveral Launch Complex, but rather at Redstone Base in Huntsville.

The launch tower stood in the darkness, its spotlights casting blinding white beams that illuminated the reusable rocket below, named "Burning One."

After Lin Ran decided on the name "Burning Number One," everyone felt it was very suitable.

Everyone knows that Lin Ran's Chinese name means "burning," and no one thinks it's inappropriate, nor does anyone know that the name has another layer of meaning.

It was the foundation of the entire Star Wars program and was also seen by Lyndon Johnson as a trump card that could save his precarious election campaign.

Why is it in such a precarious situation again?
The rocket is similar to the Falcon 9 and consists of two stages. The bottom stage is equipped with nine TR-201C engines, which are derived from the descent propulsion system of the lunar module. Under the leadership of von Braun, these engines were modified to enhance their deep throttling capabilities and heat-resistant coatings to adapt to recovery and landing in Earth's atmosphere.

To elaborate further, the concepts of reusable rockets and vertical takeoff and landing have existed for a long time, but their emergence has been limited by three aspects: materials science, control systems, and engine design.

Lin Ran's expertise in orbital calculations solved the control system problem; from the engine level, only America is currently capable of solving it.

The descent propulsion system used in the Apollo lunar module was called the TRW TR-201 engine. It was the only liquid rocket engine in the entire 60s that could achieve deep throttling, and could be continuously adjusted from 10% to 100% thrust.

This is crucial for reusable rockets because the landing phase requires reducing thrust to match gravity and avoid a hard landing or explosion.

In contrast, most contemporary engines could only provide a fixed thrust or limited adjustment, with limited adjustment referring to a range of 65% to 100%.

It also has the capability for multiple ignitions, supporting restarts during flight and adjustments during recovery, whether hovering or correction.

Lin Ran, Lyndon Johnson, and von Bryant stood at the foot of the launch tower, their clothes fluttering in the night wind.

von Braun is nearing retirement, and his past at NASA has been exposed. He must stay at NASA to maintain his wealth and status, so he works exceptionally hard.

Lin Ran's emergence led to the Jewish group developing much faster than in history, and they had long been eyeing von Braun.

Of course, Burn One was also his dream. Reusable rocket, what a wonderful word. With the completion of Burn One, von Braun keenly realized that reusable rockets were the future of spaceflight. He was impressed by Lin Ran's keen sense of opportunity.

Under Lin Ran's leadership, NASA has keenly grasped the future.

Lyndon Johnson's dark circles were even worse. The death of Martin Luther King Jr. was like a bolt from the blue for him, the worst news imaginable. His eyes were burning with fanaticism, and Burning One was his last lifeline.

At this point, Lyndon Johnson had already made up his mind that if the launch failed the next day, he would announce that he would not participate in this year's presidential election; if it succeeded, he would make a final push.

The engines, originally intended for lunar landing, are now clustered at the bottom of the rocket, with nine engines arranged in a ring: one in the center and eight around it, forming a petal-like layout.

Each engine's combustion chamber is reinforced with titanium alloy, and the throttling range is expanded from 10% to 105%, allowing the rocket to precisely control its descent speed during recovery, avoiding the disintegration into fragments in the ocean like previous expendable rockets.

“This is not just about launching,” von Bryan thought. “This is the future. Recovery means cost, it means we can conquer space faster, and cost is the key.”

Team members surrounded him, including propulsion engineers, structural engineers, control systems experts, and so on.

In the control center, real-time data scrolls across the screens of the IBM System/360.

Workers pushed fuel trucks, and there was a faint chemical smell of Aerozine 50 fuel in the air. It was the bicomponent propellant of TR-201C, which is stored at room temperature and is easy to ignite multiple times.

Lyndon Johnson remained silent. He shouldn't have been there at this time. It was only after he insisted and made a promise that he wouldn't interfere with their work that Lin Ran allowed him to come. In the distance, the White House photographer was recording a masterpiece: the professor directing the operation of a reusable rocket.

It's also difficult for photographers; they have to find the right angles so that Lin Ran doesn't appear in the photos.

When Lin Ran and Lyndon Johnson appear in a photo together, no one would assume that Lyndon Johnson is directing the work.

“Professor, the throttle valve test is complete,” the propulsion engineer said. “The synchronization rate of the nine engines has reached 98%.”

The optimized TR-201 can descend from full thrust to hover mode within 30 seconds during simulated recovery.

With a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1.3, it's just enough to retain 20% of the fuel during the first stage of recovery.

Lin Ran nodded, his gaze sweeping over the bottom of the rocket.

Those engines looked like nine silver monsters, their nozzles pointing downwards, ready to devour the mixture of oxidizer N2O4 and fuel.

Lyndon Johnson crouched down and touched the cooling pipes of one of the engines; the cold metal reminded him of the metallic feel of the car's surface when President Kennedy was assassinated.

The assassination of Kennedy put him on the presidential throne last time. Can the rockets have the same effect this time?
"Mr. President, do you know what this means? If the recovery is successful, we can reuse the first-stage rocket. The cost will be reduced to one-tenth or even less of the original cost."

At the same time, we will achieve a single launch of three GPS satellites, which will be put into orbit simultaneously, providing the Navy with global positioning accuracy within 10 meters, and enabling global monitoring.

"This will be revolutionary on the battlefield," Lin Ran said.

Lyndon Johnson was thrilled; this was his last chance. "Professor, thank you. I'm leaving everything here to you!"

The structural engineer climbed down the ladder: "Structure is fine, Professor. The landing legs are reinforced with aluminum alloy, which can withstand 5G impact. In case the wind speed exceeds 15 knots, there is also a recovery platform waiting for us at sea."

Lyndon Johnson envisioned a scene of failure: the rocket flipping over upon landing, the cluster of nine TR-201 rockets going out of control and exploding into fireballs, forcing him to announce his withdrawal from the race from the White House.

My God, this is simply unbelievable.

He glanced at Lin Ran, who was directing the structural engineers to conduct the final checks. He immediately calmed down. Right, I have a professor, how could such a thing happen!
"Tom, we have a gyroscope and basic computer control. What's the terminal over there displaying?"

The voice from the control center came over the loudspeaker.

"Everything is normal, Professor."

Δv calculations show that the total velocity increment to the MEO orbit is 11 km/s.

After the first stage separation, the upper stage uses a single TR-201 variant to propel the satellite into orbit.

The separation sequence of the three satellites has been programmed: the first at T+15 minutes, the second at T+18 minutes, and the third at T+21 minutes.

The total load is 2280 kg, which is within the acceptable range.

Even if recovery fails, our satellite will still be successfully placed into its designated orbit.

Lyndon Johnson thought to himself, "What kind of engineer is this? Doesn't he know that professors don't fail? How can you say something like 'even if the recycling fails'?"
The professor's failure means my failure too. I don't like hearing that I've lived my life on thin ice.

The team remained silent for a moment.

Lin Ran stood up and looked around at everyone: "We are leading in the lunar race, and Burning One will also be a success."

Starting tomorrow, reusable rockets will no longer be a plot device in science fiction; they will become a reality.

von Blaine did an excellent job; the TR-201C could restart, could save fuel, and could bring the rocket home.

"The launch is tomorrow at dawn; it will be a new beginning for NASA."

Lin Ran's words drew applause from the team members, with Lyndon Johnson clapping the most enthusiastically.

The photographers who were waiting in the distance to take the shot were speechless.

"No, shouldn't the president be the one to initiate this conversation? Why is the professor speaking while the president is clapping?" White House photographer George and his colleagues complained, because the president's behavior made it impossible for them to complete their task.

His colleague Jack said helplessly, "This is the space center, the professor's home turf. Besides, the president may not be in a good mood, but it doesn't matter. We can always find a suitable photo, or at worst, crop the professor out."

Their work was even more difficult than that of the engineers in the distance; after all, in Huntsville, it was incredibly difficult to take a photo with only the president and no professors.

“John, remember to check the last fuel injection.” After saying that, Lin Ran walked towards the control panel, with the others following behind him. Lyndon Johnson quickly followed beside Lin Ran, and their footsteps echoed on the concrete floor.

An alarm sounded, and Lyndon Johnson immediately asked, "Professor, what's wrong?"

Lin Ran said, "Don't worry, this alarm is a minor issue, and our engineers can resolve it."

When they returned to the control center, an engineer came to report that it was just a minor fluctuation in the fuel pump, only a pressure fluctuation, and they were making corrections.

NASA engineers felt the pressure on the president so acutely that similar news had previously only appeared in newspapers and on television.

Lin Ran, who was chatting and laughing with Lyndon Johnson, appeared so calm and collected to NASA engineers that he seemed unfazed even if the sky were to fall.

The team continued working late into the night. NASA never adheres to the 8-hour workday. Lin Ran himself is a workaholic, and there's no reason for him to work hard while neglecting the engineers below him.

America is quite backward in terms of worker rights protection. Even in America in 2020, it is far inferior to Europe in this regard, let alone now.

NASA engineers have a profound understanding of just how much a knowledgeable leader can influence everyone.

The launch countdown has entered its final 24 hours.

"Burning One" waits quietly, its nine TR-201C engines poised to fire, carrying Lyndon Johnson's last hopes.

The rocket is approximately 45 meters tall. The upper stage carries three GPS satellites, each weighing 760 kilograms, for a total payload of 2280 kilograms. The target is a medium Earth orbit (MEO) at an altitude of 20200 kilometers and an inclination of 55 degrees.

Lyndon Johnson stood on the outer platform of the control center, gripping the railing tightly with both hands, feeling extremely nervous.

Last night's checks were completed perfectly, and now there are only two hours left before launch.

Today's launch was so important to him that he didn't even have time to ask Lin Ran what he had talked about with Nixon, Robert, and Fred.

Lin Ran glanced at his watch. He remained calm. This was just a replica of the Burning One, and the possibility of failure was extremely low.

With all nine engines igniting simultaneously, blue flames erupted as the rocket broke free from the shackles of gravity with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1.3.

The first stage burns for about 150 seconds before separating, reserving 20% ​​of the fuel for recovery and landing; the next stage continues to propel the satellites one by one into orbit.

Everything went smoothly, marking humanity's first successful launch of three satellites from a reusable rocket.

Lin Ran had already planned out the script in his mind.

Before the final launch, Lin Ran led Lyndon Johnson around the launch tower, a moment captured by White House photographers, demonstrating the close relationship between the president and the NASA administrator.

The scene was noisy yet orderly: technicians were busy beside the fuel pipelines.

They then entered the control center, a spacious room filled with dashboards and screens.

NASA engineers were already inside, waiting.

Today, Lyndon Johnson finally seemed to be in a better mood. He shook hands with everyone and encouraged them, saying, "Guys, you are heroes."

The Baiyue people are bleeding, but space is the battlefield where we won the Cold War.

These GPS satellites enable our bombers to strike with precision, saving countless lives.

The engineers, who were highly educated and inherently anti-war, felt a surge of revulsion. They realized that Lyndon Johnson, who had been advocating for a ceasefire in the newspapers, was putting on an act, and that his true intention was to use bombers for precision strikes.

There are 30 minutes left until launch. The countdown has begun.

The president and other senior White House officials sat in the VIP section, looking out at the launch pad through thick glass windows.

Lin Ran put on his headphones, and his voice echoed throughout the Redstone base via broadcast: "All systems in place. Fuel injection complete."

TR-201C engine pre-cold start.

The screen displays: 100% synchronization rate of the nine engines, thrust ready.

"T-10 seconds," the announcer's voice rang out. "9, 8, 7..."

Lyndon Johnson was praying silently, his eyes fixed on the ground.

"3, 2, 1... Ignition!"

In an instant, all nine engines roared to life!

Blue flames erupted from the nozzles, and the ground trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

The rocket slowly rose, its thrust-to-weight ratio perfect, accelerating towards the sky, just as Lin Ran had predicted.

Cheers erupted in the control room. Lin Ran calmly said, "Monitor the throttling, and pay attention to whether the speed increase is normal."

The rocket pierced the clouds, and after 150 seconds of burning of the first stage, the separation signal was received.

The superstructure continued its advance, with a single TR-201C engine igniting to propel the three satellites toward MEO orbit.

The first satellite separated at T+15 minutes and entered its designated orbit; the second at T+18 minutes, and the third at T+21 minutes.

Ground radar confirms: all satellite signals are normal; the launch of three satellites was a success!
At the same time, the first-stage rocket turned around and recovered. Five of the nine engines reignited, with power reduced to 30%.

The rocket plunged back into the atmosphere.

The landing legs extended, and the hydraulic system hissed.

The rocket landed precisely on the sea platform with an impact force of only 3G.

As the smoke cleared, the "Burning One" stage stood perfectly intact.

The control room erupted in cheers! The engineers hugged and celebrated.

President Johnson stood up and clapped vigorously and slowly. He knew he hadn't lost the election yet, and he walked toward the microphone.

Lyndon Johnson's voice rang out on the radio, excited and firm: "Ladies and gentlemen, today we have witnessed a miracle! Burn 1 has not only launched three GPS satellites, it has proven our spirit of innovation."

Recyclable technology will make space travel as economical as driving a car.

This is not the end, but the beginning.

In this turbulent era, the sounds of gunfire still echo from the front lines, but when we look up at the sky, we see new hope.

Thank you, professor and NASA engineers, you are true heroes, you made America great! God bless America!

(End of this chapter)