Chapter 1427: Edge Of The Solar System
Good news came from the distant Kuiper belt.
After more than half a year of voyage, the first Envoy-cla.s.s stars.h.i.+p from Earth – SS Origin, traveled nearly 30 astronomical units and finally arrived at the edge of the solar system-the Kuiper Belt. (There is also a hypothesis that the edge of the solar system is Otter cloud)
Even for light, this span would take more than four hours to finish.
The feat to pilot a million-ton stars.h.i.+p to the Kuiper belt would definitely go down in the history of manned s.p.a.ceflight and recorded in the history of earth civilization.
However, after the countless “firsts” Celestial Trade had already achieved, these t.i.tles almost people feel numb. Unlike the astronauts and officers from all over the world, the astronauts and officers from Xin on SS Origin …
Well, they were actually no different than anyone else. After all, when they personally pushed forward history, even the crew from Xin was quite thrilled.
The day before they arrived in the Kuiper Belt, they grabbed the champagne from the fridge, took out the roasted chicken from the oven, and held a celebration party in the cafeteria. They partied late into the night, and for the first time in a while, they did not follow the strict resting schedule on the s.h.i.+p.
But the next day, when they got up, everyone walked to their posts even more energetically, and people did not show any sluggishness at all. No one dozed off or felt tired because they knew very well that today was an important day. Their compatriots 30 astronomical units away eagerly waited for their good news.
Everyone had the same opportunity to be interviewed.
Everyone hoped that they would appear in front camera as their best self.
After the s.h.i.+p had completed the final deceleration step, SS Origin, which orbited smoothly along the edge of the Kuiper Belt, unfolded the quantum communication antenna on top, got in touch with the Aeros.p.a.ce Command Center in Celestial City, and presented this great moment to the media around the world.
“Ice, ice, and more ice! Just as we had observed, the water resources here are quite abundant! If you don’t see it with your own eyes, you can never imagine that a tuft of ice that is about the size of the moon is just floating beside you! Speaking of which, I’ll definitely drink the ice from the beginning of the solar system if the gamma value is okay.”
“Not only ice but there are also a large number of asteroids. The minerality is currently unknown. Our prospecting robot has just landed on one of the asteroids. Ideally, we can use the ore here to build outposts, docks, and even fortresses! No matter where our guests are from, they have to slow down here if they don’t want to miss us.”
“Look over there! Look at where I’m pointing! Well, you may not be able to see it clearly, but we will make the video public in two days. In short, just half a minute ago, our probe planted the flag of the Earth Defense Alliance on that asteroid!”
As the camera lens cut to a different shot, people of different nationalities, skin colors, cultures, and beliefs appeared in front of the camera one after another. They all shared the same joy and amazement at this moment in regards to the distant blue planet.
All the emotions spread to every corner of the world through wireless transmission, and in the eyes of people in front of the TV, in addition to joy and amazement, there were envisioning and imaginations for the future.
Once upon a time, when people heard the news of an imminent invasion of the Harmony civilization, they were so desperate. Some people even sold their cars and houses, even took out huge loans, just to purchase from different “escape funds” a ticket that they didn’t know where it led to.
“The flag of the Earth Defense Alliance is swaying at the frontiers of the solar system, and the captain will make a speech to the world on behalf of the crew…” – Xinhua News Agency
“The door to a new era has been opened, and our civilization is moving towards a great era!” – Moscow News
“The development of s.p.a.ce technology has turned s.p.a.ce travel from unattainable words to the norm. From the earliest s.p.a.ce elevator to the current Envoy-cla.s.s stars.h.i.+p, our range has also expanded from the moon to Mars, and to the present-day Kuiper belt. What else can we not conquer? Human creativity is destined to stand at the top of the food chain, and one day in the future, we will also stand at the top of the ecological chain of the universe…”- Xin Daily
These were not the sentiments shared only among the member states of the Earth Defense Alliance, the British “Times” even issued the term “Hope for all Mankind” to the Earth Defense Alliance.
Prior to this, most Western media regarded the Earth Defense Alliance as a scourge that wanted to create another Cold War in the new century. Even if they made the occasional neutral comments, it was rare to see such explicit praises.
Not only in traditional media but also on the Internet, there were overwhelming reports on SS Origin that sparked worldwide discussion. Based on Google search engine statistics, “Origin” and “Earth Defense Alliance” reached top ten in search popularity in just twenty-four hours.
On the official website of Celestial Trade, the video sent back to Earth through quantum communication technology was first published on the page for SS Origin. In less than half an hour, the video’s download reached more than 100,000 times and appeared on major streaming sites around the world.
For example, the reuploaded video of SS Origin arriving at the Kuiper Belt, accompanied by the countless comment barrage from the audience, fully expressed the audience’s enthusiasm…
“I’m impressed. I haven’t been impressed by anything else in my life!”
“Mom asked me why I’m typing this comment while kneeling on the ground.”
“HOLY! CELESTIAL TRADE IS RIDICULOUS!”
“What do you mean Celestial Trade! This time it is the Earth Defense Alliance! Every member state shares the same credit!”
“Come on, without Celestial Trade, can they send so many people to the Kuiper Belt? Even if there are another 20 member states, I doubt they’d be able to do it. Without Celestial Trade, I don’t think they can even send people to Mars!”
“In my lifetime, the plot of the prequel to the Edge of the Galaxy has unexpectedly unfolded in front of my eyes.”
“I want to drink the water from five billion years ago. Will I evolve and gain special abilities? For example, the force of the universe! XD”
…
When Jiang Chen returned to the modern world, it was already mid-December.
He spent a whole month with Sun Jiao, Yao Yao, Xiaorou, and Lin Lin. It was precisely because of this that he regrettably missed this world-renowned event, but from the newspaper kept by Ayesha, he learned that Origin successfully reached the edge of the solar system and caused a global sensation.
Just when Jiang Chen returned to this world, the UA election also entered the most intense phase.
After countless TV debates and campaign speeches, two battle-tested candidates finally stood in the final arena. This election would determine the fate of the UA, and at the same time, to a certain extent, the fate of the world.
Left or right? Forward or backward?
The people of the UA had been thinking about these two issues for an entire year…