Arizona Astronomical Observatory.

As a large-scale astronomical observatory built after 2020, this research facility has the most sensitive radio telescope array in North America, and its accuracy can even track meteorite fragments and space debris only half a meter in diameter-as long as it is located in the Earth-Moon system within.

As the newest and most advanced astronomical observatory in North America, this Arizona astronomical observatory is a civil public research facility belonging to the American Astronomical Society. However, in fact, its funding comes from the Pentagon's defense budget and is funded by Space Command has direct jurisdiction.

Now that all funds have been received from the military, it is naturally impossible for the mission of this astronomical observatory to be as simple as it was declared when it was first established.

According to an internal document from the Pentagon, the astronomical observatory has only 30% of its mission to find habitable planets outside the solar system.

As for the remaining 70% of observation missions, most of them focus on the Earth-moon transfer orbit and the moon orbit. The purpose is needless to say, obviously it is monitoring the China in the Earth-moon system for the Pentagon. Space activities.

Standing beside the coffee machine quietly waiting for the coffee to be made, Professor Reston rubbed his sour brows with a headache, trying to relax his nervous, overheated brain.

About a week ago, China launched the first batch of manned ascent plans in accordance with an open schedule for the international community.

It was also from that day onwards that he and the observation team he led did not take a day off. They were on standby almost 24 hours a day, and they did not dare to relax for an hour.

After all, no one can guarantee that China will arrange every launch plan according to their launch plan schedule that is open to the international community.

Such things are not without precedent.

Even they have done it countless times.

As the person in charge of this astronomical observatory and a researcher employed by the Pentagon, he received only one task, that is, to observe and track every detail of the Huaguo ascension plan, and to get as much as possible from Collect intelligence during their launch.

This task was explained to him personally by the US Defense Secretary at a working meeting.

Because of this, from the moment he received the task, he felt the unparalleled pressure on his shoulders.

Fortunately, this time was finally about to get through him.

The recent launch mission is already the third launch in Hua Guo's plan to assault. According to their launch plan, if there is no accident, only one last time is left.

By the end of the last time, their work can come to an end.

"Xiaguang has successfully entered the orbit."

"The third batch of components was released from the cargo hold ..."

"Successful recovery, the Hagi Bridge is accelerating the change of orbit."

"The orbital switch was successful, and the Qiaoqiao has successfully entered the orbit and transferred the orbit!"

The sound of reports came one after another.

Professor Reston, standing in the control room, listened blankly.

Although none of them could be called good news, he didn't know why, but a slight sense of relief came from his heart.

All this is finally over ...

Just as he was thinking about it, his assistant walked in from outside the control room.

"Professor Reston."

Turning to look at his assistant, Professor Reston asked.

"whats the matter?"

"Professor Phil Goethe has submitted a visit application to nasa and he will visit our astronomical observatory the day after tomorrow."

Hearing this strange name, Professor Reston frowned.

"Professor Phil Goethe?"

Read the confusion in the eyes of his boss, the assistant immediately introduced.

"He is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he is also a specially-appointed engineer at NASA and the head of the Deep Space Gate program. Only recently, in an interview with the media, he made a high-profile statement that the launch The fire plan is doomed to failure, and they have not made any adequate preparations for landing on Mars ... "

Speaking of a pause here, his assistant shrugged a little helplessly.

"Perhaps he saw that the Chinese plan has been going so smoothly so far. He may not be able to sit still."

What if I can't sit still?

Hearing this sentence, Professor Reston could not help but have a funny feeling.

Although most of the smiles were helpless.

He moved the corners of his mouth expressionlessly, and he spoke coldly.

"If he's interested, just let him come."

"Though I don't think it makes any sense."

After speaking, he put the empty coffee cup on the table next to the console, then bypassed his assistant and walked out of the control room ...

...

On the third day that the Hashiba successfully took over the third batch of manned ascent components, Professor Phil Goethe arrived at the astronomical observatory in Arizona as promised.

As soon as the 60-year-old professor entered the astronomical observatory, he saw Professor Reston approaching him, and he didn't even have time to say hello.

"How's the situation?"

"Which step has their launch plan taken?"

"Is there anything unusual?"

"In my opinion, the entire ascension plan is full of unusual places from beginning to end. Which one are you referring to?" Facing this question thrown like a cannon ball, Professor Reston shrugged. " As for what step they have taken, I think it's time to get to the final stage of preparations. "

Looking rigidly at the slightly younger researcher in front of him, Professor Phil Goethe said in a difficult tone.

"……The final stage?"

"That's it." Professor Reston nodded. "About half an hour ago, those Chinese had successfully delivered the last batch of components to the Moon Palace, as they had publicly stated in the timetable for the ascent plan. Same. Originally we all thought that they might evade our reconnaissance activities by temporarily adjusting the launch time. But now it seems that they seem to have not taken our snoops on them at all, not only did they not launch Plan to make any changes, even ... "

Professor Phil Goethe: "Even?"

A bitter and helpless smile appeared on Professor Reston's face.

"... even, as if it was intentionally placed there to show us."

Professor Phil Goethe fell silent, not knowing what to say.

Just over half a month ago, he also optimistically believed that China announced the launch of the ascension plan at this time, most likely to provoke Nasa and use it to provoke a new round of space competition to achieve some kind of unspeakable The purpose of human politics. And if they really start the ascension plan according to such a "rush" schedule, this immature plan is destined to become a tragedy of failure.

But now it seems that all this is purely imagination.

Not to mention that they failed, they didn't even hide their intentions, as if they didn't put their nominal opponents in their eyes.

Looking at the old professor who was silent, Professor Reston was silent for a while, and then he continued to speak.

"Let's stop talking at the door. Since it's all here, just come in and see."

"If I'm not mistaken, they're probably trying to figure out how to put those parts together into a colony ship and then shoot it with Mars astronauts."

In the second half of the sentence, he said it in a joking tone. Although there was no comfort, the dignified atmosphere around him was somewhat relaxed because of this joke.

How difficult it is to assemble a spacecraft weighing hundreds of tons in lunar orbit does not require him to say anything at all. This is something anyone who knows a little about space.

Assembling three pieces of parts on the Moon Palace sounded like a spaceship. It sounded like holding an ak47 and firing at a target several hundred meters away. All the bullets drilled into the same target eye end to end.

There is no independent power system, and its orbit is constantly adjusted according to the ccd camera and dynamic vision measurement system on the spacecraft. If accidentally, these parts will crash into a ball and become deadly space trash.

In contrast, he is more inclined to believe that the China-designed boarding spacecraft is actually a spacecraft slightly smaller than the Xiaguang, and was sent to the Moon Palace for fuel replenishment when it was first launched.

The next two launch missions were to send some simple ground support devices to the Moon Palace space station, ready to be carried by other spacecraft, and launched in batches to Mars orbit for deployment.

However, when he was thinking so, on the radar screen in the command room, the three white dots floating around the Moon Palace were drawn by some force and gradually approached together.

He had just walked into the control room with Professor Phil Goethe and noticed an unusual condition on the radar screen, Professor Reston frowned.

At first he thought there was something wrong with the radio telescope array.

However, he soon realized that this was impossible, and the engineer responsible for the equipment maintenance only maintained the radio telescope array of the astronomical observatory this morning.

Professor Phil Goethe, who was standing next to him, apparently noticed the anomaly on the radar, and muttered quietly.

"... what the **** are they doing?"

"I don't know ..." Gradually realized the seriousness of the problem, Professor Reston immediately looked at his assistant and asked, "Can you apply for the use of the universe-2 optical observation satellite?"

The universe-2 optical observation satellite is a space observation satellite commissioned by space-x group commissioned by nasa after 2022. It mainly uses high-resolution lenses to photograph the planets in the solar system.

Of course, so far this satellite, like the Arizona Astronomical Observatory, has 70% of its observation missions focused on the moon.

Or to be precise, 70% of the missions are concentrated on those Chinese astronauts who are active on the moon.

"It should be fine ... I'll ask."

Throwing this sentence away, the assistant trot quickly ran to control the outside.

Without letting his boss wait long, he quickly ran back from the outside.

"Nasa approved our application!"

After hearing this sentence, Professor Reston immediately ordered without hesitation, "Access to the Universe-2 optical observation satellite! Focus on the Moon Palace!"

At a height of hundreds of kilometers, a cylindrical satellite fine-tuned the orbit and pointing angle, and locked the lens on the Moon Palace.

The moment the camera aimed at the Moon Palace and the focus was adjusted, everyone in the control room was stunned by the picture in front of them.

Is it really special that you are assembling a spaceship? !!

wtf? !!