Chapter 229: Nasa Rests On The Professor’s Shoulders Alone
As soon as you said you have money, Buzz Aldrin was left disheveled in the wind.
September in Shanghai was in the plum rain season, the hot summer had passed, and Kunshan was also part of Shanghai.
“???” Buzz Aldrin’s expression was full of question marks.
The sudden silence allowed Lin Ran to sense the other’s emotions even in the darkness.
“Of course, Buzz Aldrin, how much money do you have on your entire body? Even if you sold all your real estate in Beverly Hills, it would at most add up to 30 million US dollars.
Could 30 million US dollars make you the first person to land on the moon in the 21st century? Don’t you think this round-trip ticket is too cheap?” Lin Ran said matter-of-factly.
Lin Ran continued, “Don’t think I don’t know how much you resent that the first person to land on the moon was Armstrong and not you.
Now Armstrong has gone to another world. If you could complete a moon landing in this century, you would be a lunar astronaut no less than Armstrong.
We won’t talk about sentiment, just business. Isn’t it a sure profit for you too?”
Buzz Aldrin took a deep breath because he knew Lin Ran was right.
Any other institution would absolutely not be able to get him to the moon for 30 million US dollars.
“30 million is not enough. In front of a moon landing, 30 million can at most complete some preliminary verification.” Buzz Aldrin said.
Lin Ran nodded: “Of course, but not the billions of US dollars you think.
1 billion RMB, I estimate 1 billion RMB is enough.
30 million US dollars is close to 200 million RMB. Some payments can be deferred. After we complete the unmanned test flight and lunar module moon landing, we’ll have enough capital to secure external financing.
By the time we reach that step, with our fame, raising the remaining funds won’t be a problem.”
After thinking for a moment, Buzz Aldrin asked: “I’m already 90 years old. My body might not be able to handle the high-difficulty operations during the moon landing.
And if we use more automated systems, that involves modification, which will increase costs.”
Lin Ran explained: “Who said you’re going up alone.
Of course there will be other astronauts going up.
We’ll select some suitable candidates. You’ll be responsible for interviewing them, as well as the subsequent training. Finally, you’ll go to the moon with him.
Just like you did with Armstrong.
But the difference is, this time you’ll be the first to step out of the lunar module.
Not Armstrong.”
Buzz Aldrin was already moved.
But Lin Ran wasn’t finished: “Rather than clinging to life on Earth, dying on the moon would be much better than living like this now, right?
The moon landing ticket will only appear this once. Miss the opportunity, and it won’t come again.”
Buzz Aldrin’s voice was a bit hoarse, “Randolph, one last question: how did you know I did it on purpose?”
Lin Ran immediately knew what the other was referring to.
During the moon landing mission, Buzz Aldrin accidentally broke the circuit breaker switch for the ascent engine.
This was key for ignition return. If it couldn’t be fixed, they might be stranded on the moon.
In the official record, Buzz Aldrin had a flash of inspiration and inserted a pen into the circuit breaker slot, successfully closing the circuitry and ensuring the ascent engine ignition.
The story sounds beautiful.
It was regarded as a model of Buzz Aldrin’s quick reaction and adaptability.
Unfortunately, Lin Ran knew very well that both the mistake and the successful save were caused by Buzz Aldrin himself.
As NASA Director, after getting familiar, he had chatted with Buzz Aldrin about this matter.
Of course, Buzz Aldrin wouldn’t be stupid enough to tell the NASA Director outright that if he couldn’t be the first person to land on the moon, he would deliberately cause trouble to gain fame.
In the 60 spacetime, neither he nor Armstrong could be the first person to land on the moon, only America’s first person to land on the moon.
Because Gagarin had already taken the position they should have occupied.
Lin Ran brought it up himself, saying that if he were an astronaut and became a lunar astronaut but wasn’t the first to step on the moon, he would definitely be unwilling and harbor some dark thoughts.
Under the inducement, Lin Ran said he might try to fail when jumping back to the lunar module ladder, then adjust and succeed.
PS: This was also Buzz Aldrin’s mistake during the moon landing. On the first attempt to jump back to the lunar module ladder, he missed the target due to underestimating the moon’s gravity, then adjusted and succeeded.
Under the inducement, Buzz Aldrin admitted his dark idea of using professional knowledge to cause a mistake and then fix it.
This also confirmed for Lin Ran that the mistake in the modern timeline was deliberate by Buzz Aldrin.
Just so that after returning to Earth from the moon landing, Armstrong could keep emphasizing he was the first person to land on the moon, while he had a thrilling and interesting story to tell, not being forgotten by the media.
But harsh reality was that his carefully prepared routine had no effect at all. The media and public weren’t interested in his story one bit.
Lin Ran later summed it up, thinking it was still too timid. You only dared to cause a circuit breaker switch failure—what was that?
If you dared to cause a failure that delayed 72 hours, and in the final moment when both were on the brink of death, you fixed the failure and safely led Armstrong back to Earth—that would be news.
Buzz Aldrin probably didn’t know that 60 years later, an astronaut was stranded on a space station for 287 days, nearly turning into a specimen before returning to Earth.
If he knew, he would regret not being ruthless enough.
“Buzz, you went too far. I’m sure the NASA employees drawing downstairs all know about your little scheme back then. Only you thought you hid it well.” Lin Ran laughed.
Then he turned and returned to his room.
They wanted to pursue the 60s NASA employee rooms, cramming several people into one room.
Lin Ran didn’t need to.
Even in 60s NASA, as a senior official, Lin Ran had a whole large house to himself.
Now squeezing into a small room in the Kunshan Villa was already downgrading consumption.
“Haines.” In the dark room, Buzz Aldrin’s voice echoed faintly.
Haines wasn’t asleep either.
To be precise, after entering work mode, everyone realized how complete Lin Ran’s information collection was, and also gained a further understanding of the workload’s intensity.
In the past, NASA had 4,000 employees, and supplier employees added up to 400,000. Now they only had 27 people.
But even if this was a NASA career role-play show, everyone wanted to keep playing.
It made them feel vitality spreading from their brains to their limbs, a feeling of being alive again that they hadn’t experienced in a long time.
The problem was, they came for free tourism, while Buzz Aldrin had to fork over his entire fortune.
Everyone was different.
Just like in cosplay, the free exhibitors and the organizers have different mindsets.
The organizers have to calculate if they’ll lose money, while exhibitors just enjoy it.
“What’s wrong? You seem to have a lot on your mind after chatting with Randolph.” Haines asked.
After thinking for a moment, Buzz Aldrin said: “Do you think we can really achieve the moon landing goal?”
Haines said: “The probability is infinitely close to zero.”
Buzz Aldrin continued: “But what if?”
Haines thought: “Of course there’s that slim possibility.”
After a long while, Buzz Aldrin said faintly: “Just now Randolph asked me to fork over my entire fortune as funds for the Apollo Moon Landing.”
Haines asked: “And then?”
Buzz Aldrin said: “As reward, if the moon landing succeeds, I’m one of the two astronauts, and this time my foot will step out of the lunar module first.”
Haines said: “If you’re paying this money, shouldn’t you give us rewards too?
We’re all over 80 and restarting work to help you achieve your dream?”
Buzz Aldrin was a bit at a loss for words.
Haines continued: “Anyway, if you still want to go to the moon, this is indeed your last chance in life.
If I were you, even for a one-in-ten-thousand chance, I’d be willing to pay my entire fortune.
Worst case, there’s still pension. Return to America—NASA won’t let you end up homeless on the streets.”
If Lin Ran heard the conversation in this room, he would definitely say Haines is a good guy. In 1960 you were the first to help me solve my identity issue, and in 2020 you’re still helping me convince Buzz Aldrin to explode gold coins.
“Haines, back then with the ascent engine circuit breaker switch failure, did you all think I deliberately caused it?” Buzz Aldrin changed the subject.
After a few seconds of silence, Haines said: “We were just guessing.
After all, only you and Armstrong went up to the moon at the time.
No one knows the exact situation.”
After another long while, the room echoed: “Haines, let’s get to work!”
Get to work?
What work—work to prove they still had it.
The next day, Buzz Aldrin said he had 5 million US dollars in liquid funds to transfer immediately, the rest being stocks, bonds, and real estate that weren’t easy to liquidate.
He had a company in Hong Kong and would inject capital from there under the company’s name.
With money, they could recruit soldiers and buy horses.
But Lin Ran knew very well that every penny had to be calculated carefully.
China’s biggest advantage, or rather the biggest advantage during the virus outbreak, was that costs across the board were dropping.
Office spaces were cheap.
Originally thought Shanghai’s overflowing industries could reach Kunshan—turns out, no way.
Kunshan’s office prices had dropped by more than half compared to a few years ago.
For desks and chairs, computers, printers—these office supplies didn’t need to be new; just buy second-hand, and prices could be slashed further.
After the capital injection, the entire machine of the elderly group named Apollo Moon Landing started running at full speed.
“Yes, President, the current 27 former NASA employees have already checked in.”
“Their mental states look good. I can feel the flame in their hearts ignited by the professor.”
“Who is the professor? Professor Lin. Professor Lin said to just call him that usually.”
“Yes, they’ve already entered work mode, full of energy. I’ve never seen people this old still working.
Their movements are a bit slow, but the calculus formulas they’re computing are more complex than my partial differential equations final exam.”
“The professor? The professor has magic. These former NASA employees are especially obedient in front of the professor—no, tamed. It feels like the professor was born to lead them.
In just half a day, these old folks are fully following commands.”
“PTSD? Probably not. A group of former NASA employees having PTSD toward a yellow person—that wouldn’t make sense no matter how you look at it.”
“The professor is currently staying here in Kunshan too.”
“Mind control? Impossible. I don’t feel like the professor is doing any mind control.”
Li Bingnan’s daily routine was reporting the day’s work to Lin Zhongqing.
After hearing the report, Lin Zhongqing not only didn’t feel reassured but became more tense.
He suspected Lin Ran wouldn’t have PUA’d these old timers and played mind control, right?
If it was just exploding gold coins, that could still be explained—as a tourism project, albeit a niche perverted one.
This was also because he didn’t know Lin Ran was exploding Buzz Aldrin’s gold coins all at once—30 million US dollars, 200 million RMB.
If he knew, he might have a heart attack.
If exploding gold coins turned into mind control, and these old timers returned home dazed, that would be trouble.
Lin Zhongqing realized he had to chat with Lin Ran and couldn’t let him play around on his own.
“Professor Lin, this is our second time meeting in my office.” Lin Zhongqing was very polite and had a good impression of the young man before him.
After all, the other’s abilities were top-tier.
No matter in which aspect.
The proof of the Twin Prime Conjecture had passed peer review and was about to be published in New Progress in Mathematics. Fields was already a done deal.
If Lin Ran didn’t get Fields in two years, it would be Fields’ loss, not Lin Ran’s.
And his speech abilities, his grasp of political scale when speaking—even convincing these former NASA employees—all proved his capabilities.
So capable, yet willing to return to Shanghai Jiaotong University to teach, and a relative too—hard not to have a good impression.
The more favorable the impression, the less he wanted to see Lin Ran go astray.
Playing these old timers to death—the blame, let alone for Lin Ran, Lin Zhongqing felt he couldn’t bear it either.
“President, just call me professor. Yes, last time was at the signing ceremony.” Lin Ran nodded slightly.
“Professor, are you used to it here?” Lin Zhongqing didn’t dwell on the title. The other called him president, he called the other professor—what’s strange about that?
Lin Ran said: “Of course, Shanghai Jiaotong University is my alma mater.”
This was his true alma mater; Göttingen was his spiritual alma mater.
“That’s good. Recruitment for Lin Ran’s math class is underway. Students are signing up enthusiastically. I saw the registration proportion among freshmen and sophomores exceeds half. The administrative staff in the president’s office are complaining to me—they need to find enough classrooms and enough proctors.”
After pulling for a while, Lin Zhongqing got to the point: “Professor, I heard you recruited a batch of former NASA employees.”
Lin Ran nodded: “Yes.”
Lin Zhongqing continued: “When you asked the school for help with visas, I saw their info. Aren’t these old folks a bit too old?
I’m old enough, and they might be 20 years older than me.”
Lin Ran smiled: “Yes, a bit old.”
Lin Zhongqing said: “At such an advanced age, if something happens here, no one can bear the responsibility.”
Lin Ran said softly: “President, rest assured. I’ll have them sign disclaimers and record disclaimer videos. It definitely won’t cause trouble for the school~”
Lin Zhongqing choked. You still say you’re not doing mind control. “Professor, you’re young and don’t understand the twists and turns.
Even if they really sign disclaimers, the pressure from public opinion can’t be avoided.
It’s like a driver causing an accident on the road. Even if cameras record the whole process, he didn’t violate any traffic rules, it was the pedestrian running a red light or something else—the driver still bears some responsibility.
It’s the same principle.
If they have an accident in China, it’s hard to explain clearly.”
Lin Zhongqing advised earnestly.
Lin Ran said softly: “President, do you know what we’re doing?”
Lin Zhongqing nodded: “I have a rough idea.”
Lin Ran asked: “Then President, what do you think of us replicating the Apollo Moon Landing?”
Lin Zhongqing said: “Professor, I don’t know how you convinced them. With your 27 elders over 80 wanting to do a moon landing.
There’s a meme online saying the Apollo Moon Landing was crossing the Pacific Ocean in a washing machine? The real Apollo Moon Landing wasn’t, but yours really is.”
Lin Ran smiled, then said: “President, you’re right. Compared to 60s NASA with 4,127 employees, plus 67 primary, secondary, tertiary, and beyond suppliers totaling 403,867 supplier team members, our current 27 old men plus me, Xiao Li, and Sister Xiao Man—30 people team’s chance isn’t even microscopic; it’s basically zero.”
From Lin Ran’s numbers, Lin Zhongqing heard the classic line from “Da Ming Dynasty 1566”: “The two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty rest on my shoulders. The common people of the world—it’s not your place to speak of.”
It was oddly fitting.
Lin Ran spoke as if NASA’s headquarters and those 67 suppliers rested on his shoulders.
“But with such a low probability, why are they still willing to believe me?
Because false hope is stronger than no hope.
President, you know they’re old men over 80. They have nothing left to lose.
With young people leading them, even just reliving past glories—what reason is there to refuse?”
Lin Zhongqing sighed deeply.
As president of Shanghai Jiaotong University, he naturally understood the old professors’ and cadres’ mindsets. Every New Year he visited them. If these elders had a chance to participate in the Apollo Moon Landing, whether the project succeeded or not, it was better than staying home every day.
Lin Ran then asked: “President, what do you think I’m doing?”
After a pause, Lin Zhongqing said: “A retirement tourism project under the guise of the Apollo Moon Landing.”
Lin Ran laughed: “Very precise, but actually I’m very confident I can achieve it.
These 27 people are like kindling, kindling from the golden age of Cold War aerospace, to ignite themselves completely in this spacetime and exert their final effort to return to the moon.”
Lin Zhongqing was moved by Lin Ran’s words, but he wanted to ask more: “You say you’re confident—where’s the money? Where does it come from?
Also, are you really relying on these people to complete the moon landing?”
Lin Ran shook his head: “They are kindling.
Ultimately, it has to rely on young people, China’s young people.
That’s beyond doubt.
I got 30 million US dollars out of Buzz Aldrin.
Spending this 30 million US dollars frugally is enough to complete manned spaceflight and probe moon landing.
By then, when I talk about moon landing, who would doubt it?
Who would dare doubt?
Raise another 800 million RMB later, total 1 billion RMB, and I’m confident of completing the moon landing.
President, let me be frank: after I complete the first step, Yanjing will definitely support the subsequent funds.
It doesn’t even have to be Yanjing; private capital works too.
800 million RMB to complete the Apollo Moon Landing.
Plus the existence of these 27 old men.
This is naked NASA inheritance in China, NASA’s golden inheritance in China.
60s NASA engineers, in 2020 China, completing the moon landing together with China’s young people.
During the Cold War, America and the Soviet Union both relied on moon landings to prove their superiority.
And 60 years later, the kindling transfers from Americans’ hands to Chinese people’s hands in this way.
What significance is this? What impact will it have globally.
And by then, even foreign capital will scramble to invest, as long as the final moon landing isn’t completed in China.
To not let China have such a historically significant moment—would Wall Street begrudge 800 million RMB?
Would Yanjing give up such a moment over begrudging 800 million RMB?
By then, the fake will become real.
Practice the fake into real—nothing like it.”
To put it bluntly.
Lin Ran’s words fully moved Lin Zhongqing.
Because originally, the probability of this matter was less than 0.01% in his view.
Now, at least 1%.
More importantly, he understood these 27 people might not be here to work—they’re totems plucked from the Americans.
Serving a spiritual role.
Now the totem transfer is only known to them; the outside world senses nothing.
But when China completes the moon landing, as the only batch of engineers, scientists, and astronauts who participated in moon landing projects spanning centuries, they will be the indisputable totems.
Even if America manipulates the media, can they ignore such a moment and its symbolic significance?
Lin Zhongqing was excited, because if it really succeeded, what a bold stroke it would be for Shanghai Jiaotong University.
Completely surpassing other universities to become No.1 in the field of aerospace would be effortless.
Even all Shanghai Jiaotong University students involved in the project could add a unique resume entry.
“Professor, one last question: is 30 million US dollars really enough to launch an unmanned probe to the moon? Enough for manned spaceflight? And why did Buzz Aldrin agree to pay?”
Unknowingly, Lin Zhongqing was naturally calling Lin Ran professor.
But that wasn’t important.
“Enough. I’ll take responsibility. This money is sufficient.
President, rest assured—Fields is waiting for me. I have a bright future in the field of mathematics. I wouldn’t do something like Evergrande or LeTV just to scam money.
Finally, Buzz Aldrin doesn’t fully believe it either. He’s disbursing in batches; only 5 million US dollars has arrived so far.
Isn’t a Fields worth 5 million US dollars in angel investment?
Besides, for him, 30 million for a ticket is a huge bargain.”
“Professor, what do you need the school to help with?”
