12dz Chapter 601 Howell is dumbfounded
Chapter 601 Howell is dumbfounded
While Longguo was conducting exercises.
The sky above the Houston Rockets launch site was clear, and the sun shone brightly on the huge crowds of spectators.
President Howell stood on a high viewing platform, flanked by senior NASA officials and several military representatives, his face filled with excitement that was difficult to conceal.
As the countdown approached, the atmosphere in the venue became more tense and exciting.
“Three, two, one, fire!”
The broadcast from the launch control center resounded throughout the venue.
Orange-red flames spurted out from the bottom of the huge rocket. With a deafening roar, it slowly rose up and then rushed straight into the sky at an increasingly faster speed.
The whole audience burst into warm cheers, and national flags and hats were thrown high into the air.
The United States, a country that claims to be the world's leader in science and technology, has finally taken its first step towards space exploration.
A triumphant smile spread across Howell's face, and he took a deep breath, as if to hold the air of this historic moment in his lungs forever.
At this moment, he felt that a huge stone that had been weighing on his heart for many years had finally fallen to the ground.
Ever since he learned that Longguo had successfully launched its first artificial satellite a year ago, he could hardly sleep at night and invested all the country's resources in this space race.
"ladies and gentlemen,"
Howell stepped up to the microphone, his voice trembling slightly with emotion.
"Today is a great day in the history of the Eagle Sauce! We have proven the Eagle Sauce's technological prowess and indomitable spirit!"
"This new star shining in space will announce to the world: The Eagle Sauce has returned to its position as a leader in science and technology!"
The audience erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.
Howell continued his speech.
"I promise you, this is just the beginning."
"In the near future, we will make more breakthroughs in space exploration and plant the Eagle Sauce flag in every corner of space..."
After the speech, Howell shook hands and took photos with NASA officials, his face filled with long-lost confidence.
For many years, the United States has been leading the world in military, technology and other fields, but with the rise of the Dragon Country, this leading advantage is being eroded bit by bit.
In particular, the incident two years ago in which China's J-20 fighter jet shot down an F-15 dealt a heavy blow to the US military and political circles.
But today, he can finally hold his head high and feel proud.
Just as Howell was about to leave the reviewing stand, a government official in a suit and tie hurried through the crowd, his face full of nervousness.
He walked quickly to Howell and whispered something in his ear.
Howell's face turned pale in an instant, as if a basin of ice water was poured over his head.
"What? Are you sure?" He lowered his voice, trying to control his emotions.
"Yes, Mr. President," the official replied nervously, "according to our latest intelligence, the Dragon Kingdom is preparing to launch a manned spacecraft within a month."
“Not only have they completed all the ground tests, they’ve even selected the astronauts. This will be the world’s first human beings in space.”
Howell felt dizzy and subconsciously grabbed the railing beside him to maintain his balance.
The cheers from before seemed to still echo in his ears, but now they became some kind of ironic background noise to him.
Just a few minutes ago, he was still immersed in the pride of finally "catching up" with the Dragon Kingdom, but now he was told that the other side was already far ahead of them.
"Immediately gather NASA and military leaders," Howell ordered in a low voice. "Meet in the base's conference room within five minutes."
ten minutes later.
In a highly secure conference room at the Houston Rockets base, Howell sat at the head of a long table, facing a core team that included the NASA administrator, the Air Force chief of staff, and several intelligence chiefs.
The air in the room was so thick it was almost tangible.
"Give me the details," Howell said straight to the point. "How much intelligence do we have about Dragon Country's manned space program?"
CIA director Smith pushed up his glasses.
"According to our satellite monitoring and ground intelligence network, Longguo has completed at least three manned spacecraft launch tests at its desert base in the northwest, although none of them were actually manned."
"Their spacecraft seems to have adopted a completely new design concept, different from ours or the Russian bear's plan."
“How on earth did they do that?”
NASA Administrator Brown shook his head in disbelief.
"Our experts predict that it will take at least five years for humans to solve a series of problems in manned flight, such as high temperature, microgravity and life support systems."
“I think the answer is pretty obvious,”
Howell's voice was cold.
"That's the man—Fang Yu."
"From the J-20 to the Longguo aircraft carrier, from electric vehicles to the Three Gorges Project, all of Longguo's breakthrough technologies in recent years are related to this person."
“Now, he’s reaching out to space again.”
"Mr. President, we must act,"
The Air Force Chief of Staff said firmly.
"We cannot allow Longguo to gain a leading edge in space."
"If they succeed in sending people into space, the international prestige and military deterrence they will gain will be catastrophic."
Howell's eyes sharpened and he looked around at everyone in the conference room.
"I want you to implement two plans immediately."
"First, accelerate our manned space program at all costs."
"I know we have a Mercury program in the works now, and I want it ready to launch in six months."
"Mr. President, this is almost impossible!
" exclaimed the NASA Administrator.
"Nothing is impossible!" Howell slammed the table and stood up. "Secondly, I need a complete intelligence file on Fang Yu. This person's background, his research, his daily activities, every detail!"
“I refuse to believe that one person could have achieved breakthroughs in so many fields. He must have some secret, and I need to know what it is!”
There was a hush in the conference room, and everyone could feel the president's anger and determination.
Howell took one last look around, his voice low and resolute.
"Follow me, this is not just a space race, this is about the global leadership of the United States."
“If we lose this competition, it’s not just a loss of a game, it’s a loss of our entire future!”