I'm Really Going to Become an Immortal
Chapter 485 - 303 Hello, Houston_2

Chapter 485: Chapter 303 Hello, Houston_2

Located at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, established in 1962, is Lighthouse Country’s research and development base for manned space shuttles and a hub for manned space flight operations and control. It is also one of the largest space research centers under NASA.

This was also the control center for the first human lunar mission in 1969.

The first word spoken on the Moon was "Houston," which made "Houston, we have a problem" an iconic line.

In a corner of the Houston command center, there’s an inconspicuous small office.

The office isn’t large, furnished with a few desks and an old computer, and on the wall hangs a photo of the Apollo 17 astronauts, commemorating that glorious lunar mission.

It was now the summer of 2024, and a half-century had passed since Apollo 17 last set foot on the Moon.

With the advancement of technology and the deepening of human space exploration, the glory days of the Apollo era seemed to become part of history.

However, time seemed to stand still in this small room.

Everything maintained the style of the 1970s; the wall clock ticked, and a few yellowed technical manuals were scattered on the desks.

And old-fashioned computer monitors displayed real-time data from the Moon.

In this room, the small team responsible for managing the Apollo 17 Lunar Rover was leisurely enjoying their morning.

The team consisted of five members, whose relationships were as close as a family.

The core figure of this team was an old engineer named Jack, who had worked at NASA for nearly thirty years and had witnessed countless historic moments.

Sitting next to Jack was Emily, a young and talented female engineer, who was full of passion for space exploration.

The other three members were technical expert Daniel, communication expert Lisa, and mechanical engineer Mike.

The first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the window, bringing a touch of warmth to the somewhat dated space.

Each person started their day according to their habits.

Jack liked to get up early, and he was always the first person to arrive at the office.

Today was no exception; he had brewed some coffee early using the old coffee machine, creating a pot filled with the rich aroma of American coffee.

Emily followed closely, bringing her homemade breakfast—a healthy salad and a slice of whole-grain bread—and listened to Jack talk about his son’s football game the previous night.

Meanwhile, Daniel had already opened his laptop and begun checking the operational status of the lunar rover. Lisa was adjusting the communication system’s frequency to ensure everything was ready.

Mike fiddled with some parts in the corner, occasionally humming a few lines of a song.

Although the outside world considered their work to be of little importance, for this team, every day’s work was a validation of their professional skills.

As time passed, the office gradually buzzed with activity.

The jokes between Daniel and Mike echoed back and forth, while Emily and Lisa discussed their plans for the weekend.

Jack stood quietly by the window, looking at the distant, bustling command center, feeling an indescribable emotion well up inside him.

He remembered his youthful dreams and the faces of colleagues who had strived alongside him.

Now, everything had changed, but his passion for space exploration had remained unchanged.

Just then, Emily’s voice broke Jack’s reverie, "Jack, how are the solar panels doing today?"

"Everything’s normal," replied Jack, "The solar panels charged well last night, and we can proceed as usual today."

Emily nodded, "Let’s start then!"

As preparations were made, the team members began to activate the daily protocols for the Apollo 17 Lunar Rover.

Jack and Emily sat in front of the control panel, carefully observing the data displayed on the screens. Daniel and Lisa monitored various functional indicators of the lunar rover while Mike stood by, ready to address any technical issues that might arise.

The team members each took their seats, sipping coffee and staring at their computer screens, ready for the routine tasks of the day—using the Apollo 17 Lunar Rover’s solar system to activate the vibration dust removal feature and turn on the front cameras to observe the Moon’s surface and transmit the images back to Earth.

Outsiders commonly thought the Apollo 17 Lunar Rover had been scrapped decades ago, but in reality, it could still be of some use.

Although it could no longer move due to various reasons and had sustained damage in several areas, the solar system, front cameras, communication module, and vibration dust removal feature had miraculously survived.

Considering the high cost of repairs and limited practical significance, Lighthouse Country had not considered sending a new lunar rover to repair the aging one.

Nonetheless, as long as it was still operational, it held some value.

No additional investment was needed.

Thus, every day, the team members followed the established procedure, remotely activating the lunar rover’s vibration dust removal feature to prevent erosion by Moon soil dust.

Then, they would turn on the front cameras.

Observing the unchanged lunar surface scenery for decades, they transmitted the images back to Earth.