Chapter 78: Assistant Lin Deserves The Greatest Credit
Looking at history, Lin Ran felt everything was particularly strange. Cooper even pulled off the ruthless stunt of flying an F-106 fighter jet low over the Space Agency building at Cape Canaveral.
NASA had clearly called off Cooper’s mission and switched to Shepard, but ultimately still decided to proceed with Cooper.
Even if America didn’t demand discipline, this wouldn’t be possible under normal circumstances; the requirements were too low.
Therefore, Lin Ran advised James Webber to definitely go with him to the Cape Canaveral Launch Site.
Besides going to see Freedom 7, it was to find a suitable reason to tell James Webber his guess.
You couldn’t suspect the other guy had a problem without even having met Shepard, right?
Rewinding to April, after Lin Ran and James Webber visited Cape Canaveral together, Lin Ran finally told him his observation:
“I think Colonel Allen Shepard is off.”
James Webber’s expression turned grave: “I sensed it too.
He was a bit slow to react during our conversation.”
As a former lawyer and financial personnel, James Webber’s observational skill for details was beyond doubt; he noticed Shepard’s abnormality when shaking hands with him.
Lin Ran continued: “I suspect not only Freedom 7 has a problem, but Colonel Shepard himself was carefully selected.
Because we want to change NASA’s loose status quo, which would affect NASA’s current vision, they were willing to give us a deterrence at the price of Freedom 7’s failure and the astronaut’s life.”
Afterward, after James Webber reported back in Washington, with the assistance of a certain IA, he first found Colonel Shepard’s private doctor, who revealed that Colonel Shepard had consulted him about his physical discomfort before selection and how to cover it up during the physical exam.
Then, bringing the private doctor’s consultation records, he obtained the original physical exam report for Allen Shepard from the doctors at Houston’s Hermann Hospital.
It clearly recorded: Allen Shepard suffers from Meniere’s disease.
The doctor who cooperated in falsifying it was also taken away for questioning.
Having been at NASA for just two short months, James Webber already felt more exhausted than two years in Washington politics.
He was also relieved that fortunately Lin Ran was there; without Lin Ran’s existence, the blame for Freedom 7’s failure would have been firmly pinned on them.
From James Webber and the White House’s perspective, Lin Ran deserved the greatest credit.
For the White House, Lin Ran had excellently fulfilled their initial expectation: hoping Lin Ran could break NASA’s stalemate.
As for why NASA didn’t cause more trouble later in the original spacetime, it was because James Webber raised NASA’s budget from the previous 500 million US dollars to 1 billion US dollars in just one year.
James Webber’s deep personal connections in Washington could secure research funding for NASA, greatly reducing internal opposition.
And for Lin Ran to gain prestige within NASA and turn the aerospace special assistant position into a position with real power, he couldn’t bring direct benefits to NASA like James Webber, so his method was an unconventional approach.
In ancient times, Newton was known as Sir Newton; in the last century, Yang Zhenning and Tsung-Dao Lee fell out over authorship; this century, Shing-Tung Yau and Gang Tian also had an irreconcilable falling out.
When scientists fight for power and profit, they are not inferior to politicians, and even surpass them.
After confirming Shepard was ill, James Webber’s trust in Lin Ran’s guess about Freedom 7 having a problem greatly increased.
And it was based on this physical exam report that James Webber could announce replacing Allen Shepard twelve hours before launch and gain Kennedy’s support.
Because for this White House, it would be an excellent opportunity to thoroughly clean house at NASA.
Additionally, for Kennedy, it was an excellent opportunity to sever ties with the old NASA.
This White House would not be responsible for the past failures of NASA.
At the Cape Canaveral press conference site, Kennedy waved his hands, his expression passionate and stirring:
“We must press on, for the progress of science, for the honor of the country, for the future of humanity.
NASA has too many problems. The White House will establish a special investigation team, led by Vice President Lyndon Johnson, to conduct a detailed investigation into NASA’s past problems.
Including this incident, as well as every past rocket launch failure by NASA.
I solemnly promise here that the government will thoroughly investigate NASA, severely punish those responsible, and absolutely not allow any conspiracy to hinder us from achieving the great goal of space exploration.
Facing the failure of Freedom 7, this is the failure of the old NASA. In the future, under the leadership of James Webber and Randolph Lin, NASA will only see success after success.
Failure is a test on our path forward, not a reason to retreat.
Despite the setbacks we have encountered, I firmly believe America will not be defeated by difficulties.
Our space race with the Soviet Union is just beginning; it’s far from time to draw conclusions!
Finally, I promise here that before the end of this decade, America will achieve the goal of landing humans on the Moon and returning them safely to Earth.”
Kennedy spoke passionately on stage, trying to offset the bad luck of this manned spaceflight failure and the serious internal problems at NASA by announcing America’s manned moon landing, when suddenly a faint gunshot rang out from outside.
Then the entire site’s atmosphere grew tense.
A soldier in Air Force uniform jogged up to Kennedy’s side and whispered in his ear:
“Mr. President, Robert Gilruth, director of the ground control center, just committed suicide.”
After learning the content of Kennedy’s speech at the control center, Robert Gilruth was inwardly panicked and anxious, and died by suicide with his personally carried Smith & Wesson M29 revolver pistol.
Allen Shepard was the astronaut he had directly selected for the first manned spaceflight.
Kennedy immediately announced this news.
The reporters present were all numb, because today’s news density was already high enough.
Every reporter fortunate enough to be on site felt they had gained a full harvest.
Those wanting to report positive news could report Kennedy’s moon landing announcement.
Those wanting to report negative news had plenty to write about, from NASA’s deliberate sabotage, to Robert Gilruth’s suicide, to Freedom 7’s crash.
Those wanting to report a legendary story, Lin Ran’s prediction was also a good angle.
Reporters unlike White House bureaucrats could take a special plane back to Washington anytime.
Everyone could only wait here for public transportation.
Additionally, the reporters didn’t want to leave so soon; the news had already been faxed back to the newspaper company, and their urge to discuss was uncontainable.
The reporters even found a campsite around the Cape Canaveral Launch Site, planning an outdoor barbecue, gathering in twos and threes to chat.
As for the articles, the editors at headquarters could write them.
