"O'Keefe does not agree to change any plan at all. Our astronauts are likely to encounter accidents during their return to the atmosphere." Hal looked at the people present: "Now, what should we do?"
“Humph, this flight was already in a hurry, and such an accident is possible. Maybe that guy Max is right again!”
"Yes, accidents may happen, but think about it, if an accident does happen and our astronauts die without warning during the return process, we still know the problem but cannot solve it. The question is, should we stay in orbit and wait to die?" mission commander Jon Harpold asked.
“They don’t have to wait to die, they can definitely dock to the International Space Station.”
"But the supplies on the International Space Station are not enough for them to consume. We have no plans to launch new rockets to replenish supplies for the time being, and Damao is not prepared."
“Starship Company, they are ready.”
"What are you thinking? We have just imposed sanctions on Starship Company and refused to have any cooperation with them in the aerospace field, but now we are asking them to help them transport supplies to us?"
“That would be better than having our astronauts die.”
"The accident is only possible, but not inevitable. Do we have to ask Max for help for a possible thing? No, we absolutely cannot do that!" Harpold shook his head.
"Harperd, you are not an outsider like O'Keefe. Don't you know that for us astronauts, no matter what is possible, we must treat it as if it will really happen?"
“That was in the past. Now, we don’t care about that much anymore. What we have to do is to defeat the Starship Company, otherwise NASA will never be able to hold its head high again!”
“Is our face more important, or the safety of astronauts?”
“face.”
Hal was disappointed that he did not participate in the discussion. His hand reached for his briefcase, where there was a recording device. Recently, he has recorded everything that should be recorded, and he is worried that if something happens, he will be pushed out of the bag.
He will not take the blame!
The seven-day flight was finally over, and everyone on the space shuttle felt very relaxed.
“We are going home soon.” Commander Rick Hartsband said: “Everyone’s space travel is coming to an end. What do you want to do next?”
“I will also participate in the following training to prepare for the next time I enter space.”
“It’s enough to come here once. After I go back, I want to continue my original life.”
There was a cheerful atmosphere in the cabin.
After Max made the prediction, they were very confused, but the last opportunity in space was too rare, so they did not refuse and participated in the mission.
They were a little worried when they took off, but everything went smoothly. Now that they are going back, they are even more relaxed.
Nine o'clock in the morning.
“Columbia has been ordered to deorbit!” Hazband was talking to the ground while giving instructions to the assistant next to him.
The space shuttle turns around in space, with its tail forward and the engine ignited. Under the reaction force, the space shuttle begins to slow down and is pulled toward the earth by the earth's gravity.
The height gradually decreases.
“Stop the engine. Adjust your attitude!”
Every action is being carried out correctly, and most of them are operated automatically. They only need to stare at the screen in front of them, ready to take over at any time if an accident occurs.
Ten minutes, twenty minutes, half an hour passed.
“We are about to enter the atmosphere, please adjust your attitude!”
The space shuttle uses its belly to contact the atmosphere, so when it enters the atmosphere, it flies at an elevation angle of 40 degrees, which allows the insulation tiles on the belly to contact the air and withstand the heat generated by friction.
“At an altitude of one hundred and thirty kilometers, we are currently over the Pacific Ocean!”
“Height one hundred and twenty kilometers!”
“Height one hundred and one!”
9:46 minutes, 102 kilometers above the ground.
“Columbia called Houston, everything is normal now, we will land in half an hour.”
This is the benefit of the space shuttle. They can glide in the atmosphere, gliding from the Pacific Ocean to over the United States, passing through states such as California, and finally landing at an airport in Florida.
“Houston received, everything is normal, you will be over California in three minutes.”
9:52, Mission Control Center, Houston.
“The space shuttle’s left landing gear temperature is rising!”
“Really? How could this happen? Could it be that the sensor is broken?”
“Probably not, there are three sensors inside that are all increasing the temperature, oh, God, there is one more, and the temperature of the fourth one is increasing faster.”
O'Keefe also received this report. He looked at the data above: "It only rose fifteen degrees. What's so scary? Just continue to land as planned!"
O'Keefe, a layman, had no idea what this meant.
“The temperature of the entire fuselage is rising!”
“Don’t panic, is there a way to solve this problem now?”
O'Keefe's question is correct. Even if everyone is scared because of this incident, it doesn't make any sense because they have no way to deal with it. Terminate the landing? Eject the astronauts? There is no such function at all!
“The Columbia flew over the Nevada Desert!”
“Come back, kids, and you’ll be fine,” O’Keefe muttered.
“It’s now over southern Arizona!”
“Coming to New Mexico!”
“Look, isn’t this coming soon?” O’Keefe was very calm. At this moment, someone shouted: “The space shuttle suddenly yawed to the left!”
“The data connection with the temperature sensor has been lost!”
“Houston calls Columbia, Houston calls Columbia, you are yawing! Please correct the course manually.”
“Columbia reports that the space shuttle is rolling. We have turned on the trim roll stabilizer, but we still cannot control the space shuttle roll. We are trying to activate the yaw jet thrusters..."
There was no sound on the radio, just a brief noise.
"Houston calls the Columbia! Houston calls the Columbia!" The people here were completely anxious.
"The radar has lost sight of the Columbia." A staff member reported: "I'm afraid..."
"No, there is no fear, no if!" O'Keefe said anxiously: "This is just an interference, Sun Ling interference!"
O'Keefe was still forcing his position, but at this time, some people in New Mexico had already raised their heads and looked at the beautiful fireworks appearing in the sky in surprise. A reporter even happened to pick up his camera and took a wonderful picture. lens.
At this time, they did not know that Columbia had exploded and that the seven astronauts had spilled their blood into the sky.
When the news arrived on O'Keefe's desk, he was completely dumbfounded.
The space shuttle had entered the atmosphere and was about to land, but it exploded before landing!
how so? Is it really the same as what Max said?
No, this is absolutely not true!
O'Keefe's face was extremely ugly, and his mind was in a mess.
咣!
“Damn!” Someone cursed: “Treat the space mission like a child’s play, without careful planning, without careful inspection, relying on administrative orders instead of scientific arrangements! This tragedy is obviously a personal disaster!”
“That’s right, if we had listened to Max and stopped this risky launch, this kind of accident would not have happened!”
The big guys were already complaining. Their normal work was interrupted, and the endless overtime work made them anxious. If this mission could succeed, they might accept it. After all, the joy of success would dilute their fatigue, but now it has failed. ! When they failed at the most critical moment, they naturally blamed the failure on their leader.
His eyes looked at everyone, and then settled on Wayne Hall. Obviously, he was the most suitable scapegoat!
"Hal, what's going on?" O'Keefe asked, "You **** guy, you ruined a perfect launch for us!"
There was a sadness in Wayne Hall's heart, and he felt unworthy for the dead astronauts. Now, the most terrible accident happened. NASA's top leaders did not immediately investigate the real cause of the accident, but began to quickly Find a scapegoat to shirk responsibility!
Is NASA like this still worth his nostalgia?
"This matter has nothing to do with us. It's clearly..." A technician opened his mouth to argue, but was met with O'Keefe's cold gaze. He shuddered in his heart and swallowed the rest of his words. .
“Why, if it’s not our fault, then whose fault it is?” O’Keefe asked.
"Yes, yes, it's **** Max!" the technician said: "It's all his curse! Our space shuttle is operating normally because of his curse, which caused the crash of our space shuttle. He is fully responsible. !”
Okay, if the curse can destroy the space shuttle, then their entire NASA will probably be destroyed by the curse, right? Hal thought with some disdain.
“Yes, it’s very possible!” said O’Keefe.
After learning about the space shuttle explosion, NASA fell into chaos. For a long time, no one thought to investigate the truth of the accident. They were all trying to distance themselves from the accident. Just like that, they kept waiting. When reporters who came to inquire blocked their door, they realized something.
"Hal, you are the flight director, now it's up to you to deal with those **** reporters." O'Keefe immediately assigned this most difficult task to Hal.
Hal's face turned pale. How should he explain to the reporters at this time? As long as he says the wrong thing, he may be dealt with to calm his anger. This O'Keefe just wants to deceive himself.
“Why, aren’t you going yet?”
“Okay, I’ll go.” Hal walked out.
A large group of reporters were already waiting outside. When they saw Hal coming out, they cheered and rushed up.
“Mr. Hal, what happened in this accident?”
“Is it someone’s deliberate sabotage? Before the launch, Max predicted that this operation would have a high probability of failure.”
“Mr. Hal, is NASA in decline?”
Questions were shouted out one after another. When hearing the last question, Hal nodded: "Yes, NASA is indeed in decline. We were able to set foot on the moon thirty years ago, but now, we can't even do it." There is no ability to bring astronauts back safely."
"Hal, what are you talking about?" O'Keefe was still listening behind him. When Hal said this, he immediately rushed out: "Are you going to discredit NASA? Get out!"
"Dear journalists, this accident is not what we want to see. In fact, the entire space program is close to success. We have completed the launch of the Columbia space shuttle, and our crew has spent seven unforgettable days in space. , during the return process, they could already see the landing runway, but at the last moment, there was a small problem." O'Keefe said: "NASA is still the world's largest space agency, and we are here, Strongly condemn Max, who cursed us from the beginning..."
While O'Keefe was speaking eloquently, Hal had quietly withdrawn from the crowd. He did not go back, but walked outside.
A reporter squeezed out of the crowd. He keenly felt that since he couldn't get any breaking news from O'Keefe, Hal must have more secrets in his hands.
“Mr. Hal, Mr. Hal, you are in a bad mood right now. How about we go have a drink together?”
Looking at the press pass on the other person's chest, Hal nodded: "Okay, I just have something that needs to be handed over to the media, but it must be done after I leave this **** place safely."
After dealing with a swarm of reporters, O'Keefe rushed to the White House.
"O'Keefe, what did you do? The impact this time is very bad!" The superior's eyes were serious: "Someone has to take responsibility for this!"
"The main person responsible for this accident is flight director Wayne Hal. He did not do a good job in safety, which led to this accident. You should know that I don't understand aerospace. After going to NASA, Hal He suggested to me that we could launch the space shuttle Columbia to boost morale. He also patted his chest and assured me that this was a good opportunity to boost morale, so I agreed. How could I have agreed if I knew there would be risks? Launching a space shuttle in such a short period of time."
“Immediately investigate the cause of the accident and evaluate whether the remaining three space shuttles can still fly. If they cannot fly, what will our future manned spaceflight rely on?”
After the moon landing, the United States began to develop the space shuttle as the only manned space vehicle. Now, two of the five have been destroyed, and the cost of use is getting higher and higher. They must consider what comes next. .
If there are no tools for manned spaceflight, what will happen to the International Space Station in the future? Do we have to rely entirely on Da Mao? Da Mao is not easy to deal with. If they don't have manned space tools, they will definitely be slaughtered by Da Mao in the future.
The people in the white room still have vision and can see further than O'Keefe. O'Keefe also reacted: Yes, this is really a big problem. If the space shuttle cannot fly, what will happen next?
Max has said that he is willing to provide services at half price, but they have already broken up with Starship Company, so how can they do such a thing?
Everyone continued to discuss, and O'Keefe was supposed to be the protagonist, but his understanding of the aerospace system was really limited. Instead, everyone worked together to come up with ideas.
A few hours have passed, and O'Keefe is already feeling dizzy. This meeting should be considered over, right?
"Okay, let's put this accident aside for now. We will go out to perform until the memorial service. Now let's talk about another thing. Everyone, Max claimed to protect the earth. What do you think?"
“Well, he fancied himself Superman, and he should have worn his underwear outside,” O’Keefe said.
"O'Keefe, haven't NASA considered other possibilities?" The voice turned cold: "On the surface, they say they want to protect the earth, but if they have the ability to change the orbit of asteroids, it doesn't necessarily mean preventing If an asteroid hits the Earth, is it possible that the asteroid hits the Earth on purpose?”
"deliberately?"
“Yes, is it possible to precisely control the orbit of an asteroid so that it hits our big cities?”
The people in the White House are all elites, so naturally some people will consider this, and while O'Keefe is here, it's time to talk about this possibility.
"How is this possible? This is clearly a Hollywood blockbuster!" O'Keefe shook his head.
At this moment, someone hurriedly walked in.
“AFP has just published the latest report. You can watch TV.”
After the man finished speaking, he turned on the TV.
“Dear viewers, the Columbia space shuttle accident was a completely man-made tragedy. We interviewed a person who knew the inside story and obtained a lot of precious information. Let’s listen to this recording first.”
“The construction of our International Space Station is too slow! We must speed up and use the space shuttle to transport the next Destiny test module as soon as possible!”
…
"No, we can't wait that long,...we must use an excellent launch to prove that we are the strong ones in this field!"
"In order to prove his ability as soon as possible, the newly appointed top leader of NASA ignored the dissuasion of his subordinates and urged the immediate launch of the space shuttle. We know that space launches must be cautious. A launch mission may need to be prepared several years ago. However, Austria Keefe insisted on going his own way and demanded an immediate launch, which was the main reason for the flight accident."
It’s over!
O'Keefe's face turned dark. Who recorded the original meeting?
Too much, too much!
"We know that before the launch, Max, the head of Starship Company, had raised doubts that such a hasty launch mission was very dangerous, especially since Columbia was an old space shuttle that had been flying for twenty years. , but no one listened. Later, when the suspicious object in the video was found to be impacting, Max made another suggestion, but it was still not adopted. Facts have proved that NASA is no longer the original NASA. They are not only bloated, but also inefficient. Low-level, and also willful, with no regard for human life. Next, let’s listen to another conversation.”
"Yes, accidents may happen, but think about it, if an accident does happen and our astronauts die without warning during the return process, we still know the problem but cannot solve it. The question is, is it better to stay on the track and wait for death?"
This conversation is the most devastating. After discovering possible problems, how did NASA deal with the problem? I would rather let those people die than take active measures to save their lives!
It’s just possible, but not certain, so there’s no need to make a fuss.
"No, these recordings are forged!" O'Keefe said: "The French are slandering us just to promote their European Space Agency. Hum, they still have to rely on us to enter space. If they slander us without a bottom line, then in the future We will not carry a single European!"
“Whether it is forged or not is not important anymore, what is important is what to do next.” A cold voice sounded: “O’Keefe, how do you think we should handle this accident?”
Starship Corporation.
"Max, I hope to join the Starship company. NASA has no place for me anymore." Wayne Hare said: "Now that Columbia is in trouble, that **** O'Keefe wants to push me out again."
“Then what? You leaked the recording of the meeting?” Max asked.
Hal was stunned. Can you say this kind of thing casually?
“Hal, welcome to join us!” Max did not continue, but extended his hand: “Let us fight for the rest of our lives to defend the earth and land on Mars!”
Hal nodded: "Yes, only in Starship Company can you truly engage in the aerospace industry! However, Max, I hope that my whereabouts will be kept secret for the time being."
"Of course, after all, those people hate you so much now." Max said: "But don't worry, all of us in the Starship Company have no feelings for that land anymore. We are all for the same thing now." When the goals come together, there will be no such things as in NASA."
Hal nodded vigorously.
The Columbia space shuttle accident was a disaster for all mankind. All countries were mourning the deceased astronauts. However, when it was discovered that this was entirely a man-made accident, everyone's attitude changed.
For a time, accusations against NASA were flying like flakes. Under tremendous pressure, O'Keefe had no choice but to take the blame and resign, becoming the person in charge with the shortest tenure in NASA's history.
Furthermore, the Columbia crash has severely damaged the confidence of U.S. aerospace, letting the whole world see the fact that NASA is in decline.
Although Max no longer goes to the United States, a group of aerospace experts who have lost confidence in NASA have left NASA and joined the emerging Starship Company. The future of human spaceflight rests on the Starship Company!