bookcurios Chapter 353 How Can There Be No Regrets
Chapter 353 How Can There Be No Regrets
Four months later, French Guiana.
"Ignition sequence start. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero. Lift Off!"
(Ignition sequence starts. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero. Liftoff!)
As the ignition launch command was issued, the rocket engine reached maximum thrust, the fixing clamps were released, and the spacecraft took off in the jungle of French Guiana 500 kilometers north of the equator.
"I heard from previous astronauts that when the spacecraft takes off, you can see the Ketuer Falls. That scene is a bit like the underwater waterfall we saw when we took a helicopter in Mauritius."
Watching the spaceship rising rapidly outside the command center window and getting smaller and smaller in the sky, until finally the flight trajectory could only be seen on the monitor screen, Wen Song suddenly thought of the conversation that took place three years ago.
It has been three years already. Three years ago, she naively thought that as long as her professional ability was strong enough and she passed the physical fitness test, she could board the spacecraft to the International Space Station and enter the Columbus laboratory module.
The speed at which the spacecraft was launched did not give her much time to daydream. About four minutes later, the tracking and control center sent a message that "the spacecraft has successfully crossed the Karman line." Fifteen minutes later, the tracking and control center announced that "the spacecraft has successfully entered the planned orbit."
At that moment, everyone in the command center cheered. Wen Song excitedly hugged the staff around him and said "perfect" with a smile.
Afterwards, the command center contacted the astronauts, constantly monitored and sent instructions to control the spacecraft to adjust on the predetermined orbit. I thought I had forgotten it, but I didn't expect that more than a year later, Wen Song still remembered those steps, even the manual control docking procedure, and was familiar with it.
Six hours later, the spacecraft successfully arrived at the International Space Station and docked with the Columbus laboratory module. The astronauts participating in the mission also entered the space station from the spacecraft.
The commander-in-chief first congratulated them on their successful entry into the International Space Station. After a series of official speeches, he said: "The purpose of this experiment is to use the DOSTEL instrument in the Columbus laboratory module to detect the radiation environment in the space station and study the X-ray and gamma-ray sources in the universe. Therefore, please submit the observation and experimental data to Professor Iseylia Wen, who will also provide guidance and assistance for subsequent observations and experiments."
Wen Song also connected with the astronauts afterwards. Seeing the Columbus Experiment Station in the background, it was impossible for her to have no regrets. But she still smiled and said, "I am honored to be able to provide assistance for this research project. I hope everyone will spend a smooth 90 days in the space station and that this mission will be successfully completed."
She was not good at being polite and felt really uncomfortable, so she didn't say much. After a few simple words, she hung up the phone.
Felix saw the disappointment hidden in her eyes and whispered to her, "Iseylia, the Aether probe has also entered the final testing phase and is expected to be launched next year. In addition, ESA and NASA have decided to cooperate in the development of the Neptune-Kuiper Belt Probe. Both of these projects need you more than this XGR."
"Really?" Wen Song was a little surprised and joked, "ESA's funding has suddenly become so sufficient."
Felix also joked: "Of course, because it's with NASA."
When we left the command center, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening. Being close to the equator, the nights here were even hotter, and it was also filled with the typical tropical rainforest heat, making it a little breathless.
Wen Song stood outside the gate and lit a cigarette. She had quit smoking for a long time, but she couldn't help smoking again tonight. The long-lost smell of mint tobacco lingered around her. Looking at the stars in the sky, her troubled thoughts did not get relieved.
The tropical climate is changeable. It was cloudless just now, but it started to drizzle in just a cigarette. Wen Song was about to call Cheng Che and ask him to drive the car to the gate when an umbrella appeared above her head.
She turned her head and saw Cheng Che smiling at her with pride in his eyes. "I saw my wife on the news, as well as your conversation with the astronauts. Honey, you are so charming when you work hard. How can there be such an excellent and beautiful person in this world?"
During the live news broadcast, Wen Song wore only an ordinary white shirt and black suit pants. His long hair was combed into a low bun at the back of his head. He wore transparent-rimmed glasses and stared at the monitor seriously, looking confident and capable.
Cheng Che also saw a hint of loneliness and helplessness from her focused eyes and seemingly relaxed and concise words. When she smiled, her eyes revealed an unconcealable regret, and now, the half-smoked cigarette in her hand further confirmed his guess.
Wen Song also smiled and said to Cheng Che, "Is it really that beautiful? Did you take a screenshot? Let me see it."
"Of course." Cheng Che took out his phone and showed her his screenshots. "How is it? Isn't it really super beautiful?"
"Yes, I am the most beautiful."
Wen Song smiled, took Cheng Che's hand, pointed to the sky slightly to the north and said, "ISS is there, orbital altitude is about 400 kms, orbital inclination about 51.6°. It's currently located exactly over 10° north latitude. But it's blocked by clouds, so we can't see it."
(The International Space Station is right there, orbiting at an altitude of about 400 kilometers, with an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees, and currently just above degrees north latitude. But it is blocked by clouds, so we can't see it.)
Cheng Che understood what she meant, hugged her, and comforted her softly: "Songsong, it's okay, we'll go next time. ESA can't just have this one manned space project. Are they short of funds? How about you help me contact their management and I'll ask my dad's company to sponsor us?"
Wen Song smiled after hearing his words and said to Cheng Che, "No, they have sufficient funds and are planning to develop the Neptune-Kuiper Belt explorer."
"Really?" Cheng Che was also a little surprised. "Isn't that what my wife has always wanted to do? That's great. So don't be unhappy, okay? Think about it, if you go to the space station this time, you may not have the time and energy to participate in the development of the Neptune-Kuiper Belt Probe.
"You're right." Wen Song smiled and said to him, "Let's go back. I'm tired."
Three months later, the project was completed and the experiment went smoothly. Wen Song also obtained the latest data on high-energy rays in space and began the next stage of research.
In October, she published a paper titled “Origin and propagation of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays: effect of interstellar magnetic field distribution on the diffusion rate of high-energy rays”10, in which she presented her new findings based on cosmic radiation data provided by the DOSTEL device in the Columbus laboratory module of the ESA XGR project.
(1 The origin and propagation of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays: the influence of interstellar magnetic field distribution on the diffusion rate of high-energy rays)
In her paper, she pointed out that supernova remnants are the main source of cosmic rays, with protons producing gamma rays in gas-rich interstellar regions and electrons producing gamma rays in gas-poor regions.
Not only that, she also deduced that the distribution of interstellar magnetic fields has a significant impact on the diffusion speed of cosmic rays, and this impact is related to the energy of the rays themselves. High-energy cosmic rays are less affected by magnetic fields than low-energy cosmic rays due to their higher rigidity. Therefore, low-energy cosmic rays experience more scattering and diffuse more slowly.
With these research results, Wen Song and Professor Kennigen, who participated in the research project together, successfully won the Kavli Prize of this year. Standing on the podium, she looked down at the people applauding her. She was smiling brightly, but when she saw Cheng Che, her eyes were wet.
After stepping down from the stage, she leaned on Cheng Che's shoulder without saying a word, looking at the trophy in her hand, and fell into silence.
Cheng Che bent down and kissed her cheek, then asked softly, "Why are you still unhappy? There are not many astrophysicists in this world who can win the Gruber Prize and the Kavli Prize in their early 30s."
Wen Song sighed, held Cheng Che's hand tightly, and said calmly: "I still want to go to ISS, but I don't know. One can't be too greedy. After all, I have never thought about winning any awards. I just want to eat and wait for death."
"Yeah, just eat and wait for death and then win the Kavli Prize." Cheng Che also laughed, pinched her face and said, "If you don't eat and wait for death, will I be applauding you in the audience at the Nobel Prize ceremony next year? Prof. Iseylia, don't be Versailles, you really put pressure on me, a person with only a master's degree."
Wen Song burst into laughter, nodded and said, "You are right. But, I have worked so hard before, I must still have regrets... just like you didn't win the gold medal in Slopestyle in this year's Winter Olympics."
"But you still have a chance." Cheng Che hugged her gently, "Songsong, life is long. Before you die, everything is possible."
"That's true." Wen Song also let it go and said to Cheng Che, "Let's go on vacation. I'm so tired. I want to go to the Maldives and sleep while watching the sea."
"Okay, let's go tomorrow."
After the award ceremony, when Wen Song stood up to go to the dinner, he suddenly felt dizzy. In an instant, everything went dark before his eyes, and he fell straight down...