Chapter 316 Return to the Space Center

The Jeep stopped after less than half a circle, not because the other two people were found, but because the wind and sand were too strong, and the sand and gravel blocked the exhaust pipe. At first, it was just a lack of power, but soon the engine stalled. up.

In this situation, once the engine is turned off, it is almost impossible to turn it on again, and the other jeep is not much better, it is just a matter of one after the other, so everyone can only give up the search and wait in the car. The storm passed.

During this period, there was a small accident. The glass on the right side of a car was shattered by flying stones. Everyone had to block the glass layer by layer with clothes, so as to prevent the wind and sand from pouring into the car. .

However, no one expected that the sandstorm lasted for a whole day and night. When the wind slowed down and they could get out of the car, everyone found that half of the wheels had been sunk in the sand.

If the sandstorm lasts longer, it is unknown whether the people in the car will survive safely, let alone the people outside the car. In such a harsh environment, it is almost impossible for the missing people to survive hope.

However, even so, the captain contacted the people in Area 51 immediately after the wind calmed down, requesting the other party to dispatch manpower to search for NASA's two astronaut candidates who were missing in the sandstorm.

But before that, the captain sent Zhang Heng back to the Kennedy Space Center, because the astronauts had to undergo a one-week quarantine before the rocket launch, away from family members, colleagues, and other outsiders, so as not to catch a cold Viruses or other common diseases.

During this period, only the staff who are screened by the medical team can come into close contact with the isolated astronauts if necessary. Considering the ubiquitous bacteria and floating objects in the air, the astronauts cannot leave the isolation room. Even if spouses or children come to visit, they must first undergo a medical examination, and NASA also limits the time of visits.

This can ensure the health of the astronauts to the greatest extent, and avoid missing the launch window and delaying the launch mission because the astronauts are sick. However, after the spacecraft enters orbit, there will be no such problems. There are no bacteria or any infectious viruses in space, so it is very Very few astronauts get sick in space.

Because of the mysterious infectious disease before, NASA paid special attention to this quarantine.

However, due to the unexpected storm, Zhang Heng had already lost one day of isolation time compared to the plan. However, after the medical team conducted a comprehensive physical examination for him and confirmed that he was in good health, the top management of NASA was also completely relieved.

No one expected that things would develop into the current situation. If the return of Armstrong and Collins was a surprise, which stabilized the confidence of NASA and even Congress in landing on the moon, then this batch of urgently recruited astronaut candidates had frequent accidents. In the end, only one of the seven people survived, which was completely frightening for NASA.

Fortunately, NASA finally managed to gather enough members of the mission team, and the surviving Zhang Heng had the best training performance among the seven. This result was not unacceptable to NASA.

The selection training unexpectedly turned into an elimination training, and there was no suspense about the final candidate. Zhang Heng spent the next four days in the isolation room.

After entering the isolation period, the astronauts will have no more tasks and training. Of course, the necessary daily exercise is still necessary to keep the body in a good state. In addition, you can also use this time to adjust your sleep to adapt Work schedule in space.

In terms of diet, NASA no longer has any restrictions. In theory, astronauts can tell the nutritionist whatever they want to eat, even some relatively high-calorie "junk food", because the types and tastes of space food are far inferior to those of astronauts. The delicacies on the earth can be regarded as a disguised compensation for the astronauts before their departure.

Of course, there is also the meaning of "last meal" in it.

After all, only eight years have passed since Gagarin entered space for the first time on behalf of mankind. Human beings have to challenge to land on another celestial body. For the mission team of Apollo 11, this is certainly a record in history. Great opportunities, but also high risks.

No one knows what will happen when the rocket is launched, just as no one knows whether the spacecraft can successfully enter the lunar orbit, whether the lunar module can land on the moon safely, let alone return successfully afterwards, and at the same time, the commander in orbit / Service module re-docking.

Even though the intervening process has gone through thousands of calculations and simulations in the laboratory, no one knows what will happen when this moment comes.

After all, not even insurance companies are willing to accept insurance coverage for astronauts.

For this reason, Armstrong and others also came up with a special way of insurance. Before departure, they left hundreds of envelopes with their own autographs and souvenirs related to the moon landing mission, and gave them to their relatives, friends, and wives. , Once there is an accident on the moon landing, these signatures will be of considerable collection value as their last words, and the money from selling the envelopes can also guarantee the follow-up lives of their respective families.

Armstrong also suggested Zhang Heng to do so, but the latter declined. Zhang Heng had no one worth caring about in the United States in the 1960s. All his relatives and friends were excluded from the copy, but Zhang Heng still helped Armstrong and Collins sign together. I bought a few envelopes and took a group photo of the ruins. If it is really useful, it can be sold for a lot of money.

Zhang Heng doesn't think Armstrong and Collins are too pessimistic. After all, if there are no accidents, it is about time for the White House press secretary to start preparing a eulogy for them. For a while, US President Nixon, who had just taken office, broadcasted to the people of the United States.

While expressing condolences to them, they are also commended for their courage and fearlessness, so as to minimize the negative impact of the failure of the moon landing on the people.

However, none of this has anything to do with Zhang Heng. Taking advantage of the rare calm time before departure, he checked his previous gains. After killing Jia Lai, he received a basic reward of 20 points. Zhang Heng got three game props on his body, a wooden whistle, a lens and a glass marble. Zhang Heng guessed that the lens should be related to Jia Lai's ability to maintain his vision in the sandstorm, because this thing was created by Zhang Heng. Found in the latter's goggles.

As for the whistle and glass marbles, it is difficult to distinguish their respective functions from their appearance. In addition to the fork and teeth he got from Bruno, it means that Zhang Heng got five pieces in this round of dungeons. Game props do indeed hide high returns behind high risks.

But in comparison, what he cares more about is the small gift given to him by the engineer named Einstein in Area 51, although it is not any game props.

But the moment he opened the box, Zhang Heng couldn't take his eyes off it.

Because the thing in the box is an AirPods wireless Bluetooth headset.