BXBX NOVEL Chapter 707 - Triumphant Return
NASA engineers guessed correctly.
Compared to other spacecraft, Skyglow had a lot of leftover fuel for its re-entry trip.
The remaining 21% working medium might not be enough for them to fly from the surface to low-Earth orbit, but it was plenty enough for them to accelerate away from Earth-Moon’s escape velocity and go to Mars or something.
From the altitudes of 100 km to 20 km, with the help of air resistance and the engine, Skyglow’s speed decreased to Mach 7. It was flying over China’s western airspace.
Because of this relatively slow speed, a successful landing was guaranteed.
Roscosmos.
A stern-looking man wearing a black suit looked at the green dot moving on the radar screen; there was a flash of disappointment on his face.
If Skyglow landed in Russia or the Pacific Ocean, he would have gladly “helped” the Chinese. Unfortunately, God didn’t give him the chance to “help” his old Chinese friends.
There was nothing else left to see.
He was confident that at this height and speed, even he could land this thing safely.
“Cancel the Pacific fleet standby.”
A man in military uniform saluted and responded.
“Yes, sir.”
...
When the faint blue arc emerged from the clouds, the metallic silver Skyglow spacecraft appeared in people’s sights.
Cheers could be heard at the Jinling launch site command center.
Chief Engineer Hou Guang, who was standing in front of the control console, took off his headset and broke out in celebration with the staff members.
They had been on duty for the better part of the past 24 hours. Most people slept less than 2 hours, and some didn’t sleep at all.
After all, this was Skyglow’s first flight.
For them, this aerospaceplane was like their child, carrying the world’s most advanced fusion technology and ion thruster propulsion technology.
Not to mention that Professor Lu was on there as well.
A lot of people even dropped their headsets on the table and ran out of the control room, out to the launch site, waiting to meet their heroes.
Chen Yushan, who was here since last night, was in tears.
She was worried since last night.
Yan Yan was standing near the command room entrance, and she carried a portable medical box over her shoulder. She stared at Wang Peng, who was standing next to her, and asked, “That kid is a pain in the a*s for you, right?”
“It’s alright.” Wang Peng sighed and reached for the box of cigarettes in his pocket. He suddenly remembered that smoking was banned here, so he put the box of cigarettes away and said, “The higher-ups knew that this guy is difficult to control, so they’re not blaming me.”
At most, he was criticized over the phone.
Yan Yan looked at him in disbelief.
“That’s it? You’re not going to be punished? I don’t believe it.”
“I’m really not...” Wang Peng paused for a second and made a helpless gesture. “Okay, I’m probably going to lose my end-of-year bonus... But honestly, after spending this much time with this kid, I didn’t expect a bonus anyway.”
Yan Yan shook her head and looked at Chen Yushan, who was walking out of the door.
“Let’s go as well... Hopefully, he doesn’t have hemiparesis.”
Yang Guangbiao, who was standing next to them silently this whole time, coughed and said, “Please don’t jinx it.”
He still remembered what happened at the controllable fusion reactor site last time.
...
The engine turned off.
The landing gear was released and made a heavy impact with the ground. The space shuttle rolled along the runway.
When the two deceleration umbrellas were released, Nie Yun’s anxious heart finally relaxed a little.
He took his hands off the joystick and leaned against his seat. He suddenly realized that his entire back was soaking wet. Only then, did he realize what kind of responsibility and pressure he had to endure over the past 24 hours.
But at last, the victory was here.
He could faintly see people running toward the plane.
There were launch site staff members, headquarters engineers, CTV reporters...
He managed to squeeze out a smile when he suddenly reminisced back to the day he first flew the J-20 jet.
“This is like a dream...”
Unlike Nie Yun, Lu Zhou didn’t spend time being sentimental.
He already left the passenger seat. He stood in front of the porthole and looked outside. It seemed like he was thinking about something.
Nie Yun noticed his expression and asked, “Is there a problem?”
“No problem,” Lu Zhou said, “but the designs of the engine and the wing have to be changed.”
“I think it’s pretty good.”
“But it can be better.” Lu Zhou looked outside and smiled as he said, “As expected, I had to fly myself to get a better understanding.”
Nie Yun: “...”
Nie Yan: “...”
These two had a bad feeling about the future...
...
The three helped each other take off their spacesuits.
The moment they stepped out of the cabin, the three heroes were immediately surrounded by people.
Lu Zhou let Nie Yun and Nie Yan handle the interviews. He was about to go to the ground command center and talk to Hou Guang about future Skyglow designs. However, he saw a man walk forward.
Lu Zhou stared at him for a while before saying in an uncertain tone, “Director Li?”
“It’s me!”
Lu Zhou: “Oh Jesus, what happened to you? You look horrible.”
Maybe a day in space means a year on Earth?
That doesn’t make any sense.
Director Li frowned and sighed.
“It’s all because of you!”
He was about to say something, but another old man walked forward.
Lu Zhou looked at him and cursed in his mind.
Yuan Huanmin?
The f*ck?
What is this guy doing here?
Lu Zhou was about to pretend he didn’t see anything, but the teary-eyed old man shook his hand.
“I was wrong... Please let me apologize!”
Lu Zhou: “...?!”
Wrong about what?!
What is he talking about?
While Lu Zhou was still confused about it, a slim figure slipped through the crowd and hugged him.
“Thank god, you’re okay!”
Yan Yan was watching this from a distance, and she suddenly stopped herself from walking forward.
She was happy that Lu Zhou was safe.
However, there was a twinge in her heart...