Chapter 757 - 474: Setting Out on the Journey to the Cosmos (Part 2)

Chapter 757: Chapter 474: Setting Out on the Journey to the Cosmos (Part 2)

Only one rocket remained standing alone on the launch pad. Three astronauts sat in the cramped crew capsule within the rocket, awaiting launch.

At this stage, most of the work had already been completed; it was just a matter of ensuring that no problems occurred in the final hour.

Next, the technicians confirmed the final system states, and the rocket switched from external cables to internal power, locking the crew capsule hatch.

Time passed quickly, and it soon came down to the last few minutes before ignition.

Standing in front of the command desk, Old Yi stared intently at the rocket on the screen and slowly took up the microphone: "Attention all units, we are now entering the final launch countdown."

At this moment, due to the live broadcasts on various TV stations, the real-time image of the rocket was also synchronized onto TV screens. The hosts and reporters stopped their reporting, waiting silently for the rocket launch. At this moment, at least hundreds of millions of people across the nation were watching this manned lunar rocket launch. They were nervously staring at the screens, fearing a problem might occur at the last moment.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

The countdown rang out. Each number Old Yi announced was like a hammer striking everyone’s heart.

All the technicians, including the three astronauts in the crew capsule, were incredibly tense at this moment.

"Six, five, four, three, two, one..."

"Ignition!"

At the moment the last call for ignition was made, the rocket’s engines at the tail erupted into a massive flame and smoke. The launch pad’s water spray system activated on time to suppress the vibration and heat at rocket launch. After the startling flame erupted, the rocket began to ascend slowly, gradually increasing in speed, climbing vertically towards its intended trajectory.

The tail left a white condensed trail behind.

The first two minutes post-launch is the phase where the fuel consumption is the greatest,

In these mere two minutes, over ninety percent of the rocket’s mass in fuel was consumed to accelerate from a standstill to beyond the speed of sound.

Keep in mind that a rocket is very heavy; the fuel and the manned spacecraft together weigh over a hundred tons, so the thrust at takeoff needs to exceed a thousand tons.

Meanwhile, the ground team continued real-time telemetry monitoring, receiving the rocket’s telemetry data in real-time, such as speed, altitude, fuel status, and temperature, ensuring all systems were functioning correctly. If there was any deviation from expected data, it would require an urgent risk assessment and attempted adjustment.

About two minutes later, the first stage rocket depleted its fuel and then detached from the main body with a "boom." After a period of free fall, it crashed onto the land, awaiting subsequent recovery. Next, the fairing protecting the spacecraft split into two and fell away. With the first stage rocket and fairing detached, the rocket’s mass immediately reduced by seventy percent. The second stage rocket then continued to fire, further increasing the rocket’s speed. The rocket’s acceleration skyrocketed a leap upwards. In the next ten minutes or so, the rocket’s speed jumped from about Mach 3 to about Mach 20.

Buzz—The rocket transformed into a streak of ascending light in the air, becoming increasingly distant from the ground yet ever closer to the Cosmos. At this point, it was almost impossible to see the rocket from the ground.

The three astronauts in the crew capsule were under immense pressure at this moment, but given their current physical condition, this pressure posed little threat.

The ground medical team was also monitoring the trio’s physiological data in real-time, evaluating their health. When they saw the astronauts endure such pressure with barely any change in heart rate, all medical personnel present were astounded. Is this the power of the Extraordinary Level? To bear an acceleration above 3G while maintaining a steady heart rate and normal physiology.

All TV stations ended their live broadcasts of the rocket’s exterior view.

At the same moment, Wang Ye, cross-legged in the wilderness, suddenly opened his eyes.

He withdrew the surrounding flames back into his body and gradually floated into the air.

Then, with an explosion of energy, his body erupted with a deafening bang. High-energy crimson flames spouted from under his feet, propelling him to instantly surpass Mach 10.

Boom!!!!

The ground beneath his feet blurred, forming a conical sonic boom cloud behind him. His body rapidly rubbed with the atmosphere, forming a high-temperature crimson plasma flame in front, with his body surface temperature gradually elevating to three thousand degrees Celsius, enough to turn a human into charcoal instantly.

As Wang Ye flew swiftly, he kept his eye on the high-altitude rocket. The distance between him and the rocket was rapidly closing. Despite his late start, and even though the rocket already exceeded Mach 20 in speed, Wang Ye, by sheer explosive energy paired with the Curvature Engine, forced his speed to increase to Mach 30, swiftly catching up with the rocket.

At this point, the second stage rocket was nearing the end of its fuel and was preparing to send the manned spacecraft into transfer orbit.

The speed to enter orbit is a significant challenge for a rocket to enter the Cosmos.

Typically, orbital entry speed must maintain at 28,000 kilometers per hour. If the rocket’s speed is below 7.8 kilometers per second upon reaching a height of 200 kilometers, i.e., 28,000 kilometers per hour, the manned spacecraft will fail to escape Earth’s gravity and ultimately fall back into the atmosphere like a stone.

This speed must be incredibly precise to ensure the rocket’s successful launch.

Historically, failures at this stage have led to the failure of rocket launches, such as the Russian Soyuz Rocket in 2021, where the second-stage engine shut off 0.3 seconds early, causing a speed difference of only 0.05%, failing to enter orbit and burning up over the Pacific Ocean.

However, this rocket launch was meticulously calculated countless times and had Wang Ye’s assistance, so such a basic error was impossible.

Wang Ye followed the rocket, gradually approaching the transfer orbit of about two thousand kilometers. They needed to fly to this orbit according to the preset flight path and continue traveling for several days to reach the lunar orbit, then decelerate to land on the Moon.

Meanwhile, the arc of Earth behind Wang Ye gradually became clear, the atmosphere presented a blue halo. Looking down at Earth at this time, a roughly circular planet was visible. Meanwhile, the starlit sky ahead grew deeper and darker, as without atmospheric scattering of sunlight, space was almost shrouded in darkness.

Shh—

In the silent Cosmos, Wang Ye’s gaze trembled slightly; he had never personally witnessed such profound darkness and stillness.

Despite all his evolution, at his core, he remained an Earth creature. Now, this Earth creature had ventured into space with a mere physical body and no protective measures, enduring the surrounding cold and void. The sense of detachment and awe was beyond what any Earth creature could imagine.

He could feel everything in the Cosmos piercing into his body; he was losing Earth’s protection. His internal systems grew unbalanced with the increasingly harsh surroundings. Moreover, since sound couldn’t travel in space, his ears felt unbearable.

Without an astronaut’s helmet, his most vulnerable eardrums were almost entirely exposed, almost rupturing several times a second, and his eyes were constantly pierced by cosmic rays and solar particles. Without atmospheric protection, sunlight turned deadly, almost destroying his corneas every second. Fortunately, his robust recovery ability prevented further brain damage.

Nonetheless, maintaining this state for long still made him uncomfortable. Wang Ye gritted his teeth, activating his Biological Force Field and Samadhi True Fire to protect his body.