Chapter Summaries

As the Auspicious prepared for its second launch and a mission to lunar orbit, Nie Yun, Nie Han, and Liu Zhengwen faced their fears before boarding. Lu Zhou watched them depart, joked with Director Li about joining them in space, and headed to ground control as the launch approached.

• Nie Yun warned Nie Han that the lunar mission was more dangerous, but she refused to give up her place.
• Nie Han spoke with the nervous Liu Zhengwen, and Nie Yun reassured him that being afraid was nothing to be ashamed of.
• The three astronauts put on their spacesuits and boarded the Auspicious as a CCTV reporter announced its upcoming lunar mission.
• Lu Zhou waved to the astronauts, then joked to Director Li about joining them for a game of Fight the Landlord.
• Lu Zhou pulled Director Li toward ground control as the launch neared.

Nie Yun, Nie Han, and Liu Zhengwen launched the Auspicious on its crewed mission to the moon, while Lu Zhou and Director Li watched from the ground. The spacecraft climbed safely toward orbit, and its crew continued the journey with the lunar trip still ahead.

• Nie Yun ignited the Auspicious after receiving ground control's clearance, and the aerospace plane began accelerating down the runway.
• The Auspicious lifted off successfully as ground crews and engineers cheered, and Director Li asked Lu Zhou how long the journey to the moon would take.
• Lu Zhou estimated that the Auspicious would reach the moon in fifty-six hours, then handed control at the launch center to Hou Guang.
• Nie Yun guided the Auspicious through a launch-mode transition at twenty kilometers, while Liu Zhengwen nervously asked Nie Han whether they had left the atmosphere.
• Nie Han and Nie Yun reassured Liu Zhengwen by recalling Lu Zhou's calmness aboard the spacecraft and reminding him that the crew would be heroes or martyrs.

As the Hua Nation launched the Auspicious toward orbit with a lunar lander, Americans reacted with surprise and NASA officials worried about falling behind. The NASA administrator pushed to accelerate the Ares Program by asking SpaceX to deliver its Life-Support Unit to Mars within six months.

• Buddy and Julie watched a report on the Auspicious launch, while their young son said he wanted to vacation on the moon.
• Professor Slade estimated the Hua Nation had roughly a one-in-three chance of landing on the moon, reassuring Buddy that success was unlikely.
• At NASA headquarters, Aiden urged the administrator to take action as the Auspicious approached the edge of the atmosphere.
• The NASA administrator learned SpaceX's Life-Support Unit was in testing and said they could not wait the expected nine months.
• The NASA administrator instructed his secretary to ask Elon Musk to accelerate testing so the unit could reach Mars within six months.

The Auspicious entered lunar orbit, and Liu Zhengwen and Nie Han prepared to descend while Nie Yun stayed aboard to pilot the spacecraft. Liu Zhengwen stepped onto the lunar surface, completing the first crewed Moon landing of their mission.

• Liu Zhengwen asked who would step onto the Moon first, and Nie Yun explained that he had to remain aboard the Auspicious while Nie Han would accompany Liu Zhengwen.
• Nie Yun and ground control guided the Auspicious into a 127-minute lunar orbit and received clearance to deploy the lunar module.
• Liu Zhengwen and Nie Han checked their spacesuits and equipment, then boarded the lunar module as Nie Yun wished them well.
• The lunar module descended to the target site and landed on the Moon as Nie Yun and ground control watched tensely.
• Liu Zhengwen leaped from the hatch and touched the lunar soil, prompting jubilant celebrations in ground control.

Lu Zhou celebrated Lunar New Year's Eve with his family, then watched a New Year's greeting from the lunar mission broadcast during the Spring Festival Gala. His father praised him for his work on the spacecraft, while the lunar crew continued their mission under tight communication limits.

• Lu Zhou ate dumplings with his family while Xiao Ai messaged him that she wanted to eat too.
• Old Lu mistook Lu Zhou's secretive phone messages for a conversation with a girlfriend, prompting Fang Mei and Xiao Tong to tease him.
• The Spring Festival Gala broadcast a New Year's greeting from Nie Yun aboard the Auspicious in lunar orbit.
• Lu Zhou explained that the spacecraft was built through the efforts of the Space Institute and Space Launch Center staff, and Old Lu praised his accomplishments.
• Lu Zhou reflected that the lunar mission had sacrificed research bandwidth to send its greeting video, but future lunar communication infrastructure could ease the limits.

The Hua Nation celebrated the Auspicious crewed Moon landing, while Yuan Huanmin and an old leader reflected on its significance and Lu Zhou’s achievements. Lu Zhou finished the first phase of the mission but waited to submit it until the astronauts returned with items needed for his side missions.

• The Moon landing broadcast moved people across the Hua Nation, and Yuan Huanmin cried with joy while regretting how he had opposed Lu Zhou over the Auspicious project.
• An old leader praised Lu Zhou’s talent and discussed how to honor him, then decided to consult others about an appropriate reward.
• News of the landing dominated online trends, and Lu Zhou read celebratory posts on Weibo and noticed that NASA had not yet commented on Twitter.
• Lu Zhou saw that the first phase of the crewed lunar mission was complete and its submission button was available, but he waited because the astronauts could bring back items for his side missions.

Nie Han and Liu Zhengwen planted a flag on the Moon, deployed a space planting unit, and checked its living specimens. They then began collecting lunar soil samples before moving to another crater.

• Nie Han drove Liu Zhengwen to a nearby crater, where they planted the Red Flag and discussed reaching worlds beyond the Kuiper Belt.
• Liu Zhengwen placed an infrared beacon so a planting unit released from the Auspicious could land on the lunar surface.
• Liu Zhengwen connected to the planting unit, confirmed that its systems were operating normally, and found all the white mice alive.
• Liu Zhengwen reported the unit's condition to Nie Yun, who instructed the astronauts to prepare for their next task.
• Nie Han and Liu Zhengwen collected lunar soil samples and prepared to continue at a crater two kilometers away.

The Auspicious retrieved the lunar return capsule and used its remaining propellant to follow a safe route back to Earth. After the spacecraft landed successfully, the three astronauts were welcomed by ground crews and reporters, while Lu Zhou received his side mission reward.

• The Auspicious rendezvoused with the lunar return capsule, and Hou Guang ordered the crew to begin their return journey.
• Nie Yun guided the Auspicious through its transfer orbit and, after more than fifty hours, brought it to the edge of Earth's atmosphere.
• Nie Yun reported that the spacecraft would reach the atmosphere in five minutes, then the Auspicious skipped through the atmosphere and descended toward the runway.
• The Auspicious landed and stopped on the runway, and Liu Zhengwen descended amid cheers from ground crews and reporters.
• Hou Guang rushed from the control room toward the runway, while Lu Zhou watched the astronauts and told Yan Yan he had already received his reward.
• Lu Zhou learned that his side mission was complete and went to find somewhere to rest and check the next stage's mission.

Lu Zhou completed the first stage of the "Earth-Moon Control" mission chain and received experience, points, and four draw opportunities. After using his rewards, he unlocked the second stage, which required building a semi-permanent lunar research station and left him facing a far more demanding mission.

• Lu Zhou reviewed his completed manned Moon landing mission and its four completed secondary objectives, then allocated 200,000 free experience to Biochemistry and 50,000 to Information Science.
• Lu Zhou used three draw opportunities to obtain Future brand liquid food, Future brand cola, and a Future-logo garment he thought resembled thermal underwear.
• Lu Zhou used his final draw opportunity and obtained a "Crawler" all-terrain remote-controlled exploration vehicle.
• Lu Zhou unlocked Objective 2, "Permanent Lunar Presence," which required a semi-permanent lunar research station and at least 100 tons of artificial objects on the Moon.
• Lu Zhou read the new secondary objectives and worried that the mission had become far more difficult than the lunar landing stage.

Nie Yun, Liu Zhengwen, and Nie Han returned from the moon to a jubilant welcome, while Lu Zhou woke from his system experience and hid his mysterious cola from Yan Yan. The chapter ended with Lu Zhou carefully pouring the opened drink into a cup as Yan Yan left the lounge feeling oddly refreshed.

• Nie Yun told a reporter, "Dad, Mom, I'm back," while Liu Zhengwen said he had only reached the moon ahead of his fellow countrymen.
• Nie Han received attention as the first female astronaut to land on the moon, and the reporters left after their allotted interview time.
• Wang Peng asked Yan Yan whether Lu Zhou was asleep or had passed out, so she went to check on him.
• Lu Zhou woke in the lounge, recalled his system rewards, and summoned a can of cola to celebrate.
• Yan Yan took the cola from Lu Zhou, drank some, and left after confirming he seemed healthy.
• Lu Zhou poured the opened cola into a cup, while Yan Yan walked away wondering why she felt unusually refreshed.

After the Auspicious returned from the Moon, American media and the public blamed NASA for falling behind Hua Nation, putting the agency and the White House under pressure. President and NASA Administrator Carson agreed to rush the first phase of the Ares Program by sending a Life-Support Unit to Mars for testing within two months.

• North American media turned from mocking Hua Nation to criticizing NASA, with outlets calling for investigations into its budget and failures.
• At a White House meeting, the president demanded an explanation from NASA Administrator Carson, who admitted that Hua Nation’s electric propulsion technology had exceeded expectations.
• Carson proposed launching the first phase of the Ares Program and sending a Life-Support Unit to Mars without completing its testing procedures.
• After an adviser objected that the plan bypassed necessary tests, Carson suggested testing the unit remotely on Mars before sending astronauts.
• The president approved the Mars test and told Carson to deliver results within two months; Carson pledged to do so.

After Hua Nation’s moon landing reshaped international space plans, Lu Zhou investigated a mysterious garment in his laboratory. He cut off a sample for Yang Xu to analyze and left with it and two sealed test tubes.

• Hua Nation’s successful moon landing prompted Russia to revise its schedule and seek funding, while the European Space Agency announced new lunar plans.
• The three returning astronauts underwent observation at 301 Hospital, while Lu Zhou focused on examining a gray-black garment in his laboratory.
• Lu Zhou measured the garment’s thermal conductivity and found that scissors could not scratch or cut it.
• At Xiao Ai’s suggestion, Lu Zhou used a water cutter to remove a one-centimeter sample from the garment’s cuff.
• Lu Zhou planned to give the sample to Yang Xu for analysis, then packed it with two sealed test tubes and left the laboratory.

Lu Zhou took two mysterious samples to Xu Wenhao for component analysis and learned that the Graphene Semiconductor project was still struggling with unstable production. After Director Li called to invite him to Shangjing to receive an award, Lu Zhou was left to learn what recognition awaited him.

• Lu Zhou visited Xu Wenhao at the Biochemistry Research Institute and asked him to analyze two samples.
• Xu Wenhao told Lu Zhou that Yang Xu's team had developed a method for producing Graphene Semiconductor, but the synthesis remained unstable.
• Lu Zhou left samples of liquid food and cola with Xu Wenhao and asked him to send the results and remaining samples to his office.
• Director Li called Lu Zhou and invited him to Shangjing, explaining that it was to give him an award.

At a ceremony in Shangjing City, the nation honored the astronauts and researchers behind the successful crewed Moon landing. Lu Zhou received the First-Class Aerospace Merit Medal and a piece of calligraphy from the elderly leader, which he decided to keep as a historical artifact.

• An elderly leader praised the Manned Lunar Landing Project as the third milestone in the nation's spaceflight history and thanked everyone who contributed.
• Academician Wu Kang told Yuan Huanmin how he had first suspected Lu Zhou's electrically propelled spaceplane was a scam before seeing it for himself.
• The elderly leader awarded the three astronauts the First-Class Aerospace Merit Medal and named them Aerospace Heroes.
• The elderly leader pinned the First-Class Aerospace Merit Medal on Lu Zhou and thanked him for his work.
• The elderly leader gave Lu Zhou a piece of calligraphy, and Lu Zhou decided to keep it as a historical artifact.

After the controlled fusion celebration, Lu Zhou escaped the banquet and returned to his hotel, where Director Qian called to tell him he had passed the Hua Academy of Sciences academic department review. The news left Lu Zhou confused, but he was too tired to dwell on it and soon fell asleep.

• Wang Zengguang and Li Jiangang applauded Lu Zhou and reflected on his extraordinary achievements.
• Lu Zhou drank heavily at the celebratory banquet and rested in the lounge with help from a protocol officer.
• Lu Zhou left the banquet with Wang Peng and returned to his hotel.
• Director Qian told Lu Zhou he had passed the academic department review, despite Lu Zhou not submitting his materials.
• Lu Zhou set aside his confusion and fell asleep.

Lu Zhou visited Luo Wenxuan at the High-Energy Physics Research Institute and learned how the Lunar Hadron Collider project was progressing. He promised the massive equipment could eventually reach the Moon, then invited Luo Wenxuan to lunch.

• Lu Zhou went to the High-Energy Physics Research Institute to visit Luo Wenxuan, who told him his name was on the preliminary academician shortlists.
• Luo Wenxuan explained that the Lunar Hadron Collider project had gained experienced engineers from the BESII Project Group and technical help from CERN.
• Luo Wenxuan asked how Lu Zhou would transport thousands of tons of equipment to the Moon, and Lu Zhou promised he would find a way.
• Lu Zhou invited Luo Wenxuan to lunch, and Luo Wenxuan led him to a nearby restaurant.

Lu Zhou met Luo Wenxuan for lunch and heard that NASA planned to send life-support equipment to Mars aboard SpaceX’s BFR rocket. The news left Lu Zhou stunned as he wondered whether the Americans were really preparing for a Mars landing.

• Lu Zhou and Luo Wenxuan ate at a small restaurant and discussed recent developments in theoretical physics and Lu Zhou’s plans after the crewed lunar landing.
• Lu Zhou told Luo Wenxuan that the lunar landing was only the first step in their work.
• Lu Zhou overheard students at a nearby table discussing NASA’s newly announced plan to send twenty-five tons of life-support equipment to Mars.
• The students said SpaceX’s BFR would carry the equipment and that NASA might later recruit one to five volunteers for Mars.
• Luo Wenxuan asked Lu Zhou whether the report was real, and Lu Zhou reacted with surprise.

NASA Director Carson presented the Ares Program’s plan to send a life-support unit to Mars aboard Space-X’s BFR rocket and defended the mission’s safety and preparation. He rejected the idea that the program was a response to the Hua Nation’s lunar landing, insisting NASA’s ambition had moved on to Mars.

• Before the press conference, Director Carson told Deputy Director Gerstenmaier that he was an idealist who believed national greatness depended on people believing it was possible.
• Carson unveiled the Life-Support Unit, its proposed Mars colony, and the BFR rocket, explaining that the first phase would prepare for a self-sufficient Mars Village.
• Carson told Washington Post reporter Hamm that NASA had prepared for a Mars landing for years and would make safety measures foolproof before sending colonists.
• Carson denied that the Hua Nation’s successful lunar landing had prompted the Ares Program and said NASA was focused on Mars rather than repeating its past achievements.

NASA’s announcement of the Ares Program and its plan to send a life-support unit to Mars sparked a space-race frenzy in the United States and anxiety in Hua Nation after its recent crewed Moon landing. The chapter ended with a viral article arguing that Hua Nation had fallen behind by neglecting chemical propulsion, leaving the public fearful that it was losing the race to Mars.

• NASA Director Carson announced that the BFR could carry 550 tonnes to low Earth orbit and that the Ares Program would send a life-support unit to Mars within a month.
• Space-X, Blue Origin, and Johnson & Johnson publicized spaceflight and cryogenic-technology projects, sending space-related company values soaring.
• Hua Nation’s official media stayed silent while new media reported NASA’s plans, prompting online arguments and renewed pro-American taunts.
• An anonymous user published a widely shared article claiming that Hua Nation had lost the space race by abandoning chemical propulsion and limiting its ambitions to the Earth-Moon system.

Lu Zhou attended a national meeting to advise on whether Hua Nation should pursue a crewed Mars landing or consolidate its lunar program after the United States announced the Ares Program. The chapter ended as Director Li invited Lu Zhou to share his opinion.

• Lu Zhou read an online article criticizing the Auspicious and his work, but declined Wang Peng's offer to investigate its author.
• Lu Zhou traveled to the Great Hall for a meeting about the United States' Ares Program and asked Xiao Ai to organize his notes.
• Academician Yuan Huanmin asked Lu Zhou about the Americans' Mars plans, then argued that Hua Nation should focus on consolidating its crewed lunar landing achievements.
• Director Li explained that the meeting would consider whether to pursue Mars or continue developing the lunar strategy.
• Director Li called on Lu Zhou to give his opinion after Yuan Huanmin spoke.