Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 1093 Nanyang’s Dream of Flying (Third update, please subscribe)

Wanhu Cape is the space center of Nanyang.

In the past few years, not only have multiple launch pads been built here, but also a series of supporting research facilities have been established. The Nanyang Astronaut Training Center is also located in Wanhujiao. Wanhujiao covers an area of ​​more than 4,000 square kilometers and has sufficient space to build these institutions.

That morning, a C707 roared and taxied from the runway. As the plane took off, the astronauts in training in the cabin seemed very curious. Gao Binghan, like everyone else, looked at the cabin wrapped in anti-collision sponge with great anticipation, as they were about to carry out an extremely peculiar training.

As the plane climbed to a higher altitude, training officer Xiang Xingyuan looked at them and said:

"Okay, everyone will feel the weightlessness. You must complete the set training in this process!"

Weightlessness training!

How is it possible to train in weightlessness on Earth?

In this era, humans have not done much research on weightless environments. Although the United States, the Soviet Union, and Southeast Asia have all launched animals into space to conduct observational studies on weightlessness, there is zero research on the effects of the weightless environment in space on the human body, especially the brain!

Even when Gagarin was in space, medical staff and aerospace engineers were unsure how a person would react in a weightless environment. The medical staff even put forward a hypothesis - in a weightless environment, the brain might lose consciousness, so the spacecraft must be fully automatically controlled.

However, unlike their assumptions, Li Yian, who stood on the shoulders of historical giants, clearly knew how to simulate a weightless environment - one is to use an airplane to make parabolic flights, and the other is to train in a pool. Compared with the need to build a large pool, using an airplane to make parabolic flights is undoubtedly the simplest. Each parabolic flight can gain 20 to 40 seconds of weightlessness, and generally one flight can make 15 parabolic flights.

So at Li Yian's suggestion, NASA not only built a large training pool to explore pool training technology, but also found the best pilots to start parabolic flight training. After several months of attempts, today the astronaut candidates are undergoing such training for the first time.

Inside the cabin, the light was soft and mysterious, as if even the air had frozen in the moment of the miracle that was about to bloom. The astronaut candidates were wearing tight training suits, their eyes flashing with nervousness and excitement. They were about to experience a rare few seconds of weightlessness on Earth, when gravity temporarily loosened its shackles, making all the conventional laws of physics blurry and wonderful at this moment.

As the plane slowly climbed to the predetermined height and then suddenly dived down, an invisible force quietly turned the world in the cabin upside down. Gao Binghan instantly felt an unprecedented freedom, as if he had broken free from the constraints of gravity and turned into a light feather, floating leisurely in the cabin.

"I'm floating, I'm floating!"

"Me too, me too..."

Lin Polu also shouted excitedly.

"Okay, let's start the training. When you move, you need to use your hands to help. Alternately use both hands to grab the railings and move your body along the bulkhead. At the same time, use fixed objects to stop people..."

Xiang Xingyuan, who had experienced weightlessness hundreds of times, shouted loudly.

"Now, go get the food."

During weightlessness training, special emphasis is placed on "eating and drinking" training, which can ensure that astronauts can drink water and eat food while floating, rotating and moving.

In such a wonderland, daily chores like drinking water and eating become extremely challenging and fun.

Following the instructions in the training manual, Gao Binghan pushed hard and floated in the air "flying" forward. Soon, he took out food - a tube of water.

When he unscrewed the plastic tube containing water, the water overflowed from the bottle without warning, turning into strings of crystal clear beads that danced slowly in the air, and were finally introduced into his mouth in an almost magical way.

Just as they were marveling at this magical scene, a red light came on in the cabin, and they fell down, ending their weightlessness experience.

"so fast!"

Just when they felt that it was not enough, the plane climbed up again, and soon, they floated up again, and this continued again and again...

In this way, these astronaut candidates experience this incredible experience in the cabin during these short tens of seconds of weightlessness, and some of them will still be eliminated in the process.

Just like 20 pilots were initially selected, but after training with centrifuges, etc., half of them were eliminated, and two more were eliminated.

Now, there are only eight candidates left. They all have to undergo 4-5 weightlessness trainings, more than 40 parachute jumps, and 95 centrifuge experiments...

After completing the weightlessness training, Gao Binghan and his colleagues will face the most severe test - loneliness training. The biggest enemy in a long space flight is not anything else, but loneliness. Therefore, this training is necessary to test the astronauts' psychological tolerance in a state of loneliness.

During this period, each participant was tested to see if these prospective astronauts could work normally in an environment without sleep for 64 hours. The training center set up a very difficult and complex test environment for them, such as loneliness, a closed space with limited volume, no communication with the outside world, social and biological isolation - no familiar sounds, no daylight, etc.

One person stayed in an isolation room of about 1 square meters without any sound stimulation for three days. During this period, they could not sleep and could only do the prescribed work according to the 10-hour program. After only two days, someone was directly eliminated at this stage - after the training, he was carried to the infirmary because he couldn't stand it and hit his head against the wall and was seriously injured.

Three days later, only six astronaut candidates remained.

Gao Binghan was one of them. After the solitary training was over, Eugene Gesan personally met with these candidates and said to them.

"Okay, guys, now you're astronauts."

"Are we astronauts?" Lin Polu looked at the director excitedly, and the other five people were mostly the same.

"Yes, no longer a candidate, eventually one of you will become Nan."

Looking at the six people in front of him, Eugene Gesan's eyes moved over them. Among the six of them, five were Chinese and one was of European descent. In terms of proportion, the population ratio was somewhat similar to that of Southeast Asia.

But in the end, only one of them has a chance to become the first Astro.

Who should I choose?

In fact, all six of them are equally excellent. Whether it is mastering the operation of the spacecraft, responding to crises, or training on the centrifuge, there is no difference between them at all.

That's the way it is with a lot of things - you never know how to pick the best of the best.

But Hans can be ruled out directly because he is of German descent.

He would go into space, but not this time, and then there would only be five of them left.

Eugene Gesan's eyes fell on them. Now was the time to make the news public.

……

"...After a long period of selection and training, Lin Polu, Xu Yunxiang, Gao Binghan, Hans, Liu Langxia, and Wang Baoxian have completed their initial training and become the first batch of astronauts in Nanyang. One of them will eventually board a spacecraft and enter space..."

Watching the news on TV, Zhao Weiming and his younger brother Weijie, both of them with two pairs of eyes, stared at the astronauts on TV, their eyes full of desire and yearning.

"Brother, as long as I become a pilot, can I go to space?"

Zhao Weijie asked.

"Not all pilots are astronauts, but astronauts are selected from pilots..."

Watching the six astronauts at the press conference on TV, Zhao Weiming's heart was filled with yearning. At that moment, he had his own ideal - to become a pilot, and then, to become an astronaut and go into space!

"I'll be a pilot, then an astronaut."

When Zhao Weiming turned his head to talk to his younger brother, he saw that his younger brother was holding a "Wanhu No. 5" toy in his hand. Listening to his brother's words, Zhao Weijie, who was only five years old, said.

"When the time comes, I will use the rocket I built to send you into space like everyone else..."

Listening to his sons and watching the TV, Zhao Liu touched his nose and muttered to himself... Don't you see that our family doesn't have that kind of wormwood? Your grandfather was a peasant, and your father only had enough food after going to Southeast Asia. Although we make a little money by selling solar hot water now, it's just luck. To be an astronaut in space? To build a rocket? Our Zhao family is not that lucky!

But Zhao Liu was just thinking about it in his mind...

In Nanyang, many things are open to the public and are not kept secret, just like this press conference. The reason for making it public is to allow these children to look up at the stars and find their own ideals. In fact, it doesn’t matter even if the dreams do not come true. After all, they once had ideals in their childhood and in their lives.

On this day, countless children saw the Nanyang astronauts through the TV screens. They looked at the spacecraft with childlike eyes, they imagined, fantasized, and looked up at the sky.

As long as someone looks up at the stars, that’s what matters!

October 10th - In another world, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite on this day.

At this moment, the Nanyang astronauts met the world for the first time through a press conference. On that day, the fourth unmanned spacecraft launch was carried out at Wanhu Cape - but the spacecraft carried a dummy and a monkey. In fact, before that, they had sent dozens of animals into space.

Unlike the three previous launches which were kept secret, this time Nanyang will broadcast the launch live on television - this will be the last unmanned spacecraft launch. The previous three launches were successful. After this success, the next launch will be a manned launch!

After the Wanhu-5 rocket successfully sent a spacecraft into space, the Nanyang Aerospace Administration announced its launch plan - Nanyang will send humans into space before May next year! Thus realizing the human dream of flying for thousands of years!
For a time, the whole world was shocked - although the United States had long ago launched their "Mercury Project" and although the Russians had not announced their plans, everyone knew that they must have joined in a long time ago. Even Nanyang had announced its own plan, but they had never thought that Nanyang would be the first to send a spacecraft into space before the United States and the Soviet Union.

Who was most surprised?
It must be Downing Street. After learning the news, Eden was completely stunned. He couldn't even believe it was true. If this was true - then he would be a big fool!

5000 million pounds were spent and large tracts of land were given away, all to help the people of Southeast Asia realize their dream of flying. What about Britain?
"How can you do this!"

Aiden is a little upset!

He didn't even know how to explain to the public that he had reached a bet with Nanyang - if Nanyang launched astronauts before the United States and the Soviet Union, the astronauts would be Nanyang, not British!

"Damn it, I'm a joke!"

Aiden was dumbfounded and muttered to himself. At this moment, he only had one wish in his heart - I hope that after seeing the news from Nanyang, the Americans will catch up, even if it's the Russians, as long as they can get ahead of Nanyang, it will be enough!
God bless, the United States and the Soviet Union are still very powerful!
(End of this chapter)