Chapter 316: The Apprentice Premiere
On November 14, 1967, Florida’s Cape Canaveral Launch Site was shrouded in gloomy rain clouds.
It had a new name, Kennedy Space Center, but NASA’s employees still preferred to call it Cape Canaveral.
Lin Ran also preferred this name; Kennedy Space Center would remind him of the 2020 spacetime, and he hoped to fully immerse himself in this world in 1960.
On Launch Pad 39A, the Saturn V rocket responsible for executing Apollo 12 stood here.
For this moon landing mission, aside from Buzz Aldrin who was still on the outside, the other two were replaced by command module pilot Richard Gordon and lunar module pilot Allen Bean, together forming the moon landing trio.
According to the original spacetime Apollo aerospace project’s convention, astronauts needed to rotate after execution, so Buzz Aldrin wouldn’t have a turn for the second moon landing at all.
This was also a tradition pioneered by the Soviet Union; after Yuri Gagarin executed a manned spaceflight mission, to protect meritorious astronauts, they were treated like idols and enshrined.
Lin Ran was different; Lin Ran treated astronauts like consumables, using Buzz Aldrin as long as he was useful.
As for Armstrong, since you didn’t try to bribe me, you take a step back.
Neil probably never imagined that he would lose so many opportunities because of Neil and Buzz from another spacetime.
For this moon landing, President Lyndon Johnson and Vice President Humphrey Robert came to the scene in person.
For the White House, this was also a method among no methods.
Originally, Lyndon Johnson didn’t want to come; he felt that coming once was enough, and sending Vice President Humphrey as representative for the second time would do.
He couldn’t withstand the numerous scandals from the Vietnam War frontline, so he had to come to avoid the limelight.
Things like cheating slot machines squeezing dry frontline officers’ hard-earned money, such top-notch scandals had emerged, and Lyndon Johnson couldn’t bear the pressure.
At least here, on the professor’s home turf, those damn reporters wouldn’t ask embarrassing questions.
Tossing the topic to the professor, though it would make Lyndon Johnson feel ignored, being ignored was much better than being constantly criticized, right?
No matter what, Lin Ran wouldn’t be his opponent in campaigning for president, Lyndon Johnson thought.
Moreover, with China rejoining GATT, there was no rift between him and Lin Ran; they were close partners without distance.
Here, he could also hear the professor praising him, which was far better than staying at the White House and being asked all sorts of questions by White House reporters in the East Room that he had no idea how to answer.
That day’s wind speed reached 151.7 knots, extremely high.
One hour before the launch countdown, raindrops tapped on the windows of the viewing room, with distant cloud layers dark and low, as if about to fall to the ground.
Lyndon Johnson worriedly said: “Professor, the weather today isn’t great. With such thick clouds in the sky, are we really launching Apollo 12 under these conditions?
Isn’t this too risky? What if lightning strikes the rocket? We can’t let the astronauts take unnecessary risks!”
Lin Ran explained: “Mr. President, I thank you on behalf of the astronauts for your concern.
As you said, today’s weather is affected by a low-pressure trough extending from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico; a cold front is passing through northern Florida, bringing unstable air layers.
Radar shows cloud layers between 800 and 10,000 feet, with local cumulonimbus, precursors to thunderclouds, with cloud tops up to 23,000 feet, plus light rain and possible ice crystal formation.
These conditions do increase the risk of atmospheric charge, but based on our evaluation under the current launch commitment criteria, the risk of launching directly toward active thunderstorm clouds is fully controllable.
Mr. President, you know that launching directly toward thunderstorm clouds would trigger natural lightning strikes.
But here, our electric field meters show surface electric field strength below 100 volts per centimeter, no active thunderstorm signals, no continuous lightning activity or radar echoes indicating immediate threats.
So, we can proceed with this launch because the rocket trajectory won’t directly pass through the cloud cores.”
Lyndon Johnson doubtfully said: “Professor, it sounds a bit casual.
Can you explain in detail? Since thunderclouds are so dangerous and could interfere with the rocket’s operation, can we change the day or add protections like lightning rods?
Sorry, too many things have gone wrong lately; if this launch encounters danger again, I really don’t dare to imagine how the media will report it.
‘The invincible professor suffers Waterloo on President Johnson’s watch’—I can already imagine how the media will report it. If this launch fails, the media will definitely pin all the blame on me.
I’ve finally understood how Nixon felt back then; whatever you do is wrong.
Professor, so I want to ask a few more questions to avoid real accidents.”
Vice President Humphrey sitting beside was holding back laughter with great difficulty.
Lin Ran smiled: “Of course, Mr. President.
The danger of thunderclouds lies in the charge separation inside them; updrafts carry positive charges to the cloud top, while descending raindrops and ice crystals bring negative charges to the cloud bottom, forming powerful electric fields, sometimes up to thousands of volts per centimeter.
Our rocket itself is a colossus, 364 feet tall, a huge conductor, plus the ionized tail from the exhaust flame, which distorts these field lines, amplifying the field strength at the rocket tip by hundreds of times, possibly reaching 300,000 volts per meter—this field strength is enough to cause air breakdown.
This isn’t natural lightning, but triggered lightning: the rocket provides a low-resistance path for the charges in the cloud to release, like a needle inserted into a high-voltage capacitor.
Our launch tower has grounding systems and lightning rods to handle ground strikes, but once the rocket lifts off, it becomes a moving target.
If the field strength is too high and the energy release far exceeds the rocket’s own electrostatic buildup, danger arises.
Fortunately, we’ve been using atmospheric noise detectors and electric field meters to monitor these, and today’s data shows controllable risks; none have exceeded thresholds.”
Lyndon Johnson nodded, then asked again: “Professor, this sounds scientific, but what if something goes wrong? What happens to the astronauts? Do you have contingency plans?”
Lin Ran thought to himself that Lyndon Johnson had indeed been living in trepidation lately, even his confidence in me had diminished.
“Absolutely, Mr. President. Our Saturn V rocket design accounts for electrical transients; solid-state equipment is most vulnerable, but fuel cells and inertial navigation system have redundancy.
If a strike occurs, our ground control center can guide the crew to switch to auxiliary power.
For example, signal conditioning equipment to Aux mode to restore operation.
Crew members Buzz Aldrin, Gordon, and Bean have undergone simulation training and can reset the system in minutes, realigning the inertial platform using star navigation.
Historically, we haven’t had such low-altitude land-triggered incidents, but our rocket launch history is short; if it happens today, it’s good for us—we gain more experience.
As for contingency plans, we would abort the mission or switch to orbit parking mode to assess damage.
Therefore, in the long term, this launch will help us refine criteria: for example, future bans on passing through cumulus with cloud tops over 10,000 feet or cold front clouds with mid-level thickness over 6,000 feet, to reduce launch window risks.”
Lyndon Johnson: “Alright, professor, as expected of you. Being with you always reassures me, unlike McNamara, whose every midnight wake-up call was bad news.
It’s better to deal with you scientists, especially you, professor; you always have ways to put me at ease.
Hope everything goes smoothly; you know, this isn’t just science, it’s politics.
Stay vigilant; if the clouds worsen, we need to call it off anytime.”
Lyndon Johnson first praised then cautioned Lin Ran.
Lin Ran naturally said: “Of course, Mr. President, our control center is monitoring in real time.
If the electric field suddenly rises or radar shows echo growth, we’ll delay; rest assured, I won’t joke with my own reputation.”
Then Lin Ran’s voice lowered: “Much less joke with Buzz and their lives.”
This sentence was very soft, barely audible amid the raindrops tapping the glass, but Lyndon Johnson heard it clearly; he patted Lin Ran’s shoulder: “Of course, none of us want to see our heroes meet with accidents!”
No accidents occurred; the control center’s monitoring indicators always showed it was safe to launch.
No anomalies, no sudden alarms.
At 11:22 a.m. local time, the rocket ignited and lifted off.
Flames erupted from the bottom, thrust slowly lifting the entire structure, tearing through the air.
Inside the crew cabin, Buzz Aldrin stared at the dashboard, Gordon monitored the navigation system, and Bean handled the initial lunar module checks.
Just 36.5 seconds after liftoff, a lightning bolt struck the rocket, triggered by electrostatic discharge, causing all three fuel cells to go offline instantly; the entire spacecraft switched to battery power, but the battery couldn’t meet demands.
“Professor! My God, what was that!” Lyndon Johnson exclaimed.
But Lin Ran had no time for him; he leaned to the microphone, reminding the crew: “We’ve tested switch failure modes; switch SCE to Aux! Bean knows the switch location.”
At 52 seconds, a second lightning bolt struck again, destroying the attitude indicator.
At Cape Canaveral’s ground control center, telemetry data instantly became chaotic.
After hearing Lin Ran’s voice, Buzz Aldrin immediately calmed down; he recalled the handling method for such scenarios from tests and calmly issued the order: “Flight, EECOM, try SCE to Aux.”
Bean quickly switched the signal conditioning electronic equipment to auxiliary power, restoring telemetry.
Data showed no major faults; he then brought the fuel cells back online.
The crew briefly worried that lightning might have damaged the command module parachute bay’s explosion bolts, but with no word from the ground professor, they didn’t dwell on it, and the mission continued.
After the rocket smoothly entered Earth parking orbit, the crew thoroughly checked the spacecraft.
Buzz Aldrin quipped softly: “We almost became toast.”
On Earth, Lyndon Johnson’s suspended heart finally settled; if aerospace had another incident, he felt he’d have to issue a self-criticism edict and pass the presidency to Humphrey.
Humphrey probably thought the same; when the new moon landing trio reignited the S-IVB third-stage engine, a flicker of barely noticeable disappointment crossed his face.
At mission time 2:47:22, trans-lunar injection was performed, propelling the spacecraft out of Earth’s gravity toward the Moon.
At 3:07:42, the command and service module “Yankee Clipper” separated from the third stage, Gordon executed transposition, docking, and extraction maneuvers, docking with the lunar module and pushing the third stage toward solar orbit.
“Buzz, immediately inspect the lunar module to ensure no accidents from the lightning.”
Buzz Aldrin and Bean entered the lunar module for checks per Lin Ran’s instructions; everything was normal.
At 30:52:44, mid-course correction was performed, adjusting the trajectory to a hybrid free-return path.
This was the 1960s; the first manned mission to use this trajectory, extending arrival at lunar orbit by 8 hours.
Of course, there were only three moon landings anyway.
The extended time also provided more planning flexibility.
During the journey, the crew transmitted images to Earth via television, showcasing the Moon’s magnificent landscapes.
Bean, also an amateur painter, murmured at the window: “This looks like an abstract painting, gray and black interwoven.”
Buzz Aldrin patted his head: “Bean, you’ll soon find such scenery boring, but kid, I acted the same on my first time.”
Bean nodded: “Doctor, we still need to learn more from you on this.”
Previously everyone called Buzz Aldrin orbital interaction PhD, now just doctor, no surname; this title benefited from his first person to land on the moon status, which he quite enjoyed.
Now I’m a doctor without prefix too, Buzz Aldrin felt secretly pleased inwardly every time he heard this title.
No exception in space.
He thought, it’s fine for me to be called doctor; who else but the Moon’s only PhD? Is there need to add the surname?
They adjusted their schedule, simulating activities under lunar gravity, discussing the upcoming precise landing targeting the Ocean of Storms, near the previous unmanned probe Surveyor 3.
On November 18, at mission time 83:25:26, the service propulsion system burned for 352.25 seconds, inserting the spacecraft into lunar orbit at 170.2 x 61.66 nautical miles.
On the first lunar orbit, they transmitted clear lunar surface video back to Earth.
At 107:54:02, command and service module separated from lunar module; 30 minutes later, command module thrusters burned for 14.4 seconds, separating them by 2.2 nautical miles.
Landing phase began at 109:23:39; lunar module descent propulsion system burned for 29 seconds, entering a lower orbit.
At 110:20:38, the 717-second powered descent initiated.
Bean gazed outside the window, expecting to see the snowman-patterned crater group.
Gordon was left in the command module.
When it appeared, he exclaimed: “Doctor, we’re right on target!”
Buzz Aldrin quickly switched to manual control, precisely navigating around rocks and slopes.
At 110:32:36, Intrepid successfully landed at 3.01239° S, 23.42157° W, just 535 feet—about 163 meters—from Surveyor 3.
Dust flew up, engines shut down, and Bean excitedly said: “Wow, professor, we’ve finally arrived!”
After about four and a half days.
Four hours after landing, Buzz Aldrin stepped out first, treading on the lunar surface.
Bean followed.
They set up the America national flag and deployed the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, including passive seismograph, lunar ionosphere detector, solar wind spectrometer, cold cathode ion gauge, and charged particle lunar environment experiment.
These instruments aimed to monitor moonquakes, ionosphere, and solar wind, providing long-term data.
The first extravehicular activity lasted 3 hours 56 minutes, collecting about 15.6 kilograms of rock and soil samples.
After rest, the second EVA began on November 20, lasting 3 hours 49 minutes.
They walked to Surveyor 3, an unmanned probe that landed in 1966, just 200 meters from the landing point.
Buzz Aldrin and Bean carefully inspected it, cutting off parts like the camera and scoop for Earth analysis.
Bean accidentally smashed the television camera with a hammer, interrupting transmission, but they continued sampling, collecting more geological samples, including from the bottom of a crater named Bench Crater.
They stayed on the lunar surface for a total of 31 hours 31 minutes, walking about 1.3 miles, experiencing the wonder of one-sixth gravity.
After lunar activities, the lunar module ascent stage ignited at 131:51:03, burning for 248.7 seconds, entering orbit to rendezvous with the command module.
At 134:58:11, docking succeeded, and the trio reunited.
While waiting alone in orbit, Gordon had taken Moon photos, joking: “You guys having fun down there, I’m counting stars up here.”
They jettisoned the lunar module descent stage, letting it impact the lunar surface to generate artificial moonquakes for the seismograph to record.
A bit more here: every Apollo moon landing left a seismograph at the lunar module’s landing point, and the artificial moonquake from the lunar module impact was just the most superficial function for recording.
Most importantly, the artificial impact provided known time, location, and energy calibration signals to verify instrument sensitivity and network precision, helping adjust the passive seismograph array and improve detection of natural moonquakes.
The data collected from each moonquake, aggregated, could analyze the Moon’s internal structure.
Why NASA could find great spots like Shackleton Crater benefited from their seismographs on the Moon operating until 1977, providing countless data for analysis.
Of course, in the 2020 spacetime, this served Apollo Technology, but Apollo Technology was still Apollo.
In terms of NASA content, Apollo Technology might even be higher than NASA headquarters.
Service propulsion system burned for 58.1 seconds at mission time 145:14:59, entering trans-Earth injection trajectory.
On the return trip, they conducted television broadcasts, showcasing samples and experiences.
Mid-course correction on November 21.
On November 24, at mission time 244:22:00, service module separated; command module “Yankee Clipper” reentered the atmosphere at 0.57° angle, peak deceleration 10.38 g.
At 244:36:29, main parachutes deployed, splashing down safely in the South Pacific, just 2.55 nautical miles from the target ship USS Hornet.
Recovery team arrived quickly; crew picked up by helicopter, ending this precise and adventurous journey.
Total samples returned from the Moon weighed 75 pounds, providing precious data for subsequent geological research.
After this moon landing, Lin Ran returned to his faithful New York.
His godson, the new political talk show program—The Apprentice—was waiting for him.
Big T couldn’t wait to use interviewing Lin Ran as the grand opening for his Apprentice program.
As for Fred’s opinion, does it matter?
Fred couldn’t stop Big T’s behavior at all.
In the original spacetime, their “father kind son filial” segment waited until Fred developed Alzheimer’s symptoms; Big T belittled Fred and participated in a wealth transfer scheme involving suspected tax fraud.
This stemmed from his niece Mary’s 2020 memoir Too Much and Never Enough, where Big T mocked his father’s condition, comparing him to a baby or idiot, and publicly humiliated him at family meetings, saying his father was like a child.
But Big T’s side refuted this viewpoint; it’s a bit like Roshomon.
In the New York Times’ 2018 in-depth investigation report, it claimed that during Fred’s illness, Big T implemented a series of wealth transfer strategies, including tax avoidance, evasion, and suspected fraud, helping him obtain funds equivalent to $413 million in today’s value from Fred, not the “mere $1 million loan” Big T himself claimed.
The New York Times report has more credibility, including Fred’s tax records, bank documents, and interviews.
In short, after becoming famous from the Vietnam War, Big T’s ambitions rapidly expanded; even before Fred got dementia, he dared to openly rebel.
On the other hand, Lin Ran agreeing to his interview also gave him inexplicable confidence.
The professor accepting my interview, plus my own fame—what reason do I have to fail? Big T’s thinking was simple.
“Welcome everyone to the set of The Apprentice; let’s welcome our opening guest today, NASA’s emperor, the beacon of the mathematics community, the eternal professor, Randolph Lin~”
Big T dragged out the last word infinitely; screams erupted from the audience below—clearly, New York’s audience loved this style, appreciating Big T’s flamboyant performative personality.
Moreover, the other party was a hero returning from the Vietnam War frontline to New York; Americans admired that.
Only Jenny in the front row clapped perfunctorily; she really couldn’t understand why the professor would associate with scum like Big T.
Even though Big T’s reputation had soared recently, in Jenny’s view, it couldn’t hide his vile nature.
