Chapter 318 - Mission Accomplished (2/2)
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Collins unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed himself with his legs to Zhang Heng’s position. “Once you’ve seen this view, you will never be able to forget it for the rest of your life. Congratulations, David. You are now a real astronaut. But you’ll only be able to get your golden brooch when you return to earth.”
On the other side of the s.p.a.cecraft, a rare smile crept onto Armstrong’s lips. No matter how many times he had been to s.p.a.ce, it was hard not to be completely immersed in earth’s beauty from miles above.
Right now, though, there was other important work to be done. Apollo 11 would stay in earth’s...o...b..t for a period of time, and the s.p.a.cecraft would use that time to conduct final inspections. Then, Apollo 11 Saturn would once again reignite its engines and officially begin the journey to the moon.
This step was also known as the trans-lunar injection.
At this point, although Zhang Heng had already completed the primary mission and gained 50 game points, he was still four days away from the return date. So, he had no other option but to remain in s.p.a.ce and complete the moon landing mission with Armstrong and Collins.
Soon, it was confirmed that all systems were in order and that there were no problems with navigation. The s.p.a.cecraft was pointing in the right direction. The third stage’ J-2 engines ignited again after 148 minutes, and with its last remaining bit of fuel, the s.p.a.cecraft officially left earth’s...o...b..t.
The Saturn V launch vehicle had now completed its duty.
Next, the skills of the three men on board would be put to the test.
It was a hairy maneuver that involved seperating the Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM) from its adapter, turning the CSM around, and docking its nose to the Lunar Module before pulling the combined s.p.a.cecraft away from the third stage. It meant the pilot in charge would have to pitch up the CSM 180 degrees, make a U-turn and fly the front of the rocket before docking with it. Then, they would have to extract the Lunar Module and discard the third stage, no longer useful at this point.
While a good portion of these perilous in-flight operations would be a.s.sisted by mission control on the ground, the entire docking process required manual operation, and even the slightest error could bring catastrophic consequences.
“The next part is all you,” Armstrong told Collins.
The latter nodded and took a deep breath.
Collins separated the CSM from the rocket and gave the thrusters a little power. After he was 300 meters away, he completed the rotation. Then, at a velocity of 2 meters per second, the entire a.s.sembly reconnected with the Lunar module.
To avoid distracting Collins throughout the entire process, neither Zhang Heng nor Armstrong said a single word, merely observing quietly through the portholes above their heads.
Collins used the gas thrusters and gingerly adjusted the orientation and position of the s.p.a.cecraft as if picking up a diamond with tweezers. His hands that gripped the joysticks were firm and consistent. In the end, with the slightest tremor on the bulkhead, he successfully connected the claws of the command and service module into the docking ring on the rocket, flawless and without a single error.
Three hours had pa.s.sed since liftoff. Apollo 11 officially bid farewell to planet Earth and was on its way to the moon that was 300,000 kilometers away.