Chapter 30: All Crowded Together, a Narrow Encounter!

October, across the ocean.

A major event occurred that captured the attention of the entire American public.

Fred. Their president. He delivered a televised address.

He solemnly announced that the United States would, effective immediately, accelerate the progress of its return-to-the-moon program.

"We choose to do this precisely because it is difficult!"

Fred wore a grave expression as he faced the cameras. His eyes were resolute, and as he waved his hands emphatically, he raised his voice:

"Sixty years ago, we successfully landed on the moon, faster than that red giant. We were the first to take a half-step for humanity toward the stars. But regrettably, for various reasons, we have since remained stagnant. We have no intention of dwelling on those reasons now. When I was a child, I used to look up at the sky, gaze at the moon, and whisper to myself: We will return; we Americans will certainly return!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will return to the moon, make America great again, and let the light of our democracy shine across the entire globe!"

Fred was a master of public speaking. Hearing his speech, the public was stirred with excitement. The United States was returning to the moon! We were still the number one nation in the world! As for that country on the other side, so what if they succeed? We were the first to land on the moon, sixty years ago.

Sixty years ago. Back then, they were surely still up in the trees picking fruit!

Following the broadcast of Fred's speech, his approval rating surged by ten percentage points.

"Hahaha, Ellary, it’s up! Not only has the approval rating risen, but aerospace stocks are up, too."

Fred truly felt like a genius. This maneuver had not only turned his reputation around but also revived the stock market.

"...Mr. President, I must remind you."

Ellary, his face grim and filled with anxiety, replied, "The SLS-2 rocket is not yet ready. Our progress is already slower than China's. If we modify the safety protocols again..."

"Our launch will be extremely dangerous!"

Before he could finish, his meaning was clear. If they recklessly accelerated the schedule and a rocket exploded, the backlash would be twice as devastating as the current satisfaction.

"No, no, no. I have no concerns whatsoever."

"I understand American aerospace technology better than anyone. Given our strength, there will absolutely be no problems."

Making accordion-like gestures with his hands, Fred’s face was full of confidence.

"Ellary, you just need to get the rocket into the sky on time."

"Remember, we must get our astronauts to the moon before that country on the other side!"

Fred pointed at Ellary with an unquestionable tone.

***

Do you understand? Are you the "Know-It-All King"?

What do you know? You don't know a thing!

"Mr. President, this involves the lives of astronauts. This is not—"

Ellary prepared to reason with him.

"Shut up and do as I say, Ellary!"

Fred erupted with rage as if his tail had been stepped on, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Sir... I understand."

Ellary seethed with anger. But seeing the president’s firm stance, he knew he couldn't fight the inevitable and was forced to comply.

After the conversation, Ellary stepped out of the office. Looking up at the sky through the window, he let out a long, weary sigh. "Skipping the animal lunar orbit tests and going straight to humans—this is just gambling, isn't it?"

Speaking of gambling, his mind kept drifting back to that former red giant. In aerospace, they seemed to be following in the other’s footsteps. To win against their rival, they were beginning to abandon everything and gamble with the lives of their astronauts.

"The probability of something going wrong is far too high. Sigh, may God watch over America. Good luck to us."

***

At the same time, news that the United States would launch a manned lunar mission at the end of November to return to the moon hit headlines worldwide.

Crowds in Europe and America cheered, as if their beacon of hope had returned. However, those in the industry felt a chill, followed by a moment of silent prayer for the astronauts.

Is the current state of the SLS spacecraft fit for human passengers?

Has the U.S. lost its mind? This is a gamble with lives, isn't it?

In aerospace engineering, such gambling is a grave taboo. Even China, which uses mature, fully-tested new rockets, followed the safety verification process meticulously.

The U.S. hadn't even performed a lunar orbit test yet. They were just going for it.

This is going to be very costly for the astronauts, won't it?

This directly left Elder Zhu feeling hesitant. In the conference room, Space Agency Director Zhang Zhaoming opened the projector with a look of helplessness and explained:

"Elder Zhu, the U.S. has announced their launch date as November 12th, while our original planned date was November 13th."

The November launch windows were clustered together on the 12th and 13th. Putting them side-by-side was awkward. Even more awkward was that they hadn't announced their date yet. It was as if they had been ambushed by the U.S., who had preempted them with an announcement.

"The 13th... just one day apart..."

Elder Zhu frowned. What a nuisance; why did it have to coincide?

"Should we wait for the next window? The next one is December 1st."

Zhang Zhaoming also felt that there was no harm in launching later; if they were in such a hurry, let them go first. In any case, the title of the first moon landing was already theirs. Regardless, they could still compete for the title of "second."

"Wait for what? We stick to November 13th. We'll finish within this year and focus our energy on subsequent research!"

Elder Zhu snorted coldly. Give way? Give way to what? If he changed the date just because the other side did, wouldn't that be cowardly? Since the 13th was the original plan, they would launch on the 13th.

"Understood... I'll go issue the press release!"

Zhang Zhaoming nodded excitedly. In truth, he hadn't wanted to change it either; he only asked because the agency felt it might be unnecessary. But with Elder Zhu's backing, the decision was made.

The launch date would not change. They would go head-to-head with the U.S.—the 13th it is!

At the same time, China officially announced the flight date for its manned lunar spacecraft: November 13th!

Once this news broke, combined with the earlier announcement from the U.S., it left everyone in shock. On the internet, the comment sections turned into a carnival for netizens.

"Holy cow, they're going head-to-head with the U.S.! Just one day apart!"

"Damn, this is spectacular. Two manned lunar rockets launching one after another."

"Why does this feel familiar? I feel like I've seen this setup somewhere..."

"The Cold War, the space race, right? Damn, now that you mention it, it really does look like it."

"The guy above hit the nail on the head. Only this time, the tides have turned. Seeing the state of the SLS rocket, I can't help but suspect it’ll end up like the Challenger, turning into a firework for us."

"Let's offer our blessings to their astronauts. Amen!"

"Amen!"

"Amen!"

"To the people above, don't curse them. I think the probability of U.S. success is quite high. Why is everyone so pessimistic? Is it just jealousy? What kind of mindset is that?"

"Anyone who actually looks at the history of lunar mission testing wouldn't be defending them."

"Look at the plan. They were supposed to do lunar orbit and animal orbit tests this year, but they cut everything and went straight to humans. It’s hard to comment on that, other than to say rushing to the toilet usually ends in dirty pants."

"I smell failure."