Moon Hoax (Hoax Trilogy Book 1) Read online

  PAUL GILLEBAARD

  All characters in this book, with the exception of Yuri Gagarin, are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The names, incidents, dialogue, and opinions expressed are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Nothing is intended or should be interpreted as expressing or representing the views of the CIA, NASA, CNSA or any other department or agency of any government body.

  MOON HOAX

  Copyright 2012 by Paul Gillebaard.

  2016 revised edition for Hoax Trilogy.

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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  ISBN: 978-0-615-45576-1

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  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Having no writing background and not sure where to start, I met with Ed Gibson to discuss my idea for this book. Ed had written a couple of novels and flown in space. He was very encouraging and gave some wonderful early suggestions and advice. Over the following years, he was always available to address both technical and writing questions. The book would have died in those early days if not for him. So a BIG thanks to Ed. Thanks to Charlie Duke for answering a question that could only be answered by a moonwalker. Thanks to the experts in their field, Ying Li and Kathy Greff. Thanks to Ted for some early ideas for the book and Gus for a meaningful suggestion. Thanks to my editor, Kelly Lynne. She took an unpolished book, and made the words jump off the page. She was a great help and supporter. Thanks to Lola Gillebaard (mom), my second editor. In a simple two line comment, she made a huge impact on the overall story line that proved to be the heart and soul of the book. Finally, I have to thank my wife, Anne. There is no way I would have even typed the first word if it wasn’t for her confidence and belief I could do it. I still scratch my head wondering how she knew I could write a book. She was always there to pick me up whenever I hit a roadblock. No matter the obstacle, her comment was always “just write.” Thank you, I love you with all my heart.

  1

  TO THE MOON

  The sweat began to pool on Commander Tang Liwei’s face, causing his space helmet to fog up slightly. Tang sneaked a second to turn his head and rub his nose on a piece of sandpaper placed on the inside of his helmet for such a reason. As he rubbed the sweat off his nose, he couldn’t help but think of the pressure placed on him to get this maneuver right. He and Wen Jungho were going to attempt China’s first moon landing ever in a spacecraft never tested or flown into space. They would be landing on the back side of the moon, never tried before because of the lack of radio contact with Earth. Essentially Tang and Wen would be on their own when landing their spacecraft, making all the decisions themselves if any problems occurred. Tang felt the mission had, at best, a 60 percent chance of success.

  They were given only two options by their commanding officer: land on the moon or destroy their spacecraft. Under no circumstance were they to come around from the back side. Those monitoring the flight on Earth with radar would observe the separation between their Lunar Lander and the Lunar Orbiter Module as the two spacecrafts came around the moon, concluding China was in fact trying to land. Tang would have to land the Lunar Lander, nicknamed Jian, in less than a quarter of an orbit on the back side, allowing only a quarter to reconnect with their Lunar Orbital Module, nicknamed Yi, after completing their assignment on the lunar surface. Both maneuvers hosed a ton of fuel.

  A destruction button was installed and to be used during their landing attempt if they could not land in the designated time frame set by CNSA, the China National Space Administration, littering the surface with unidentified pieces of the destroyed Lander. As commander, Tang would have no choice but to push the button if that did happen, leaving their fellow taikonaut, Nei Zango, to return to Earth alone in Yi. Of course the world would be told all three taikonauts returned safely. Tang accepted this responsibility and had no problem pushing the destruction button if it ever came down to this. He was a hard-line military man and orders took precedence over anything else.

  As the two taikonauts began to go behind the moon, a lonely silence now filled Tang’s helmet. He no longer heard the chatter from Beijing’s Command and Control Center. Instead, the calm and quiet was broken up by only his breathing, rapidly increasing and getting louder. Hearing his own breathing seemed to have a calming effect on him. Hearing only his breathing and nothing else reminded him of the importance of staying alive to complete the mission he had spent years training for. He and his fellow taikonaut, Wen, stood in the zero gravity of the Jian. Both taikonauts were anchored to the floor by spring loaded straps as the Lander sped around the back side of the moon. Nei had just finished taking pictures and video of Jian as it floated away from his spacecraft per his orders from CNSA.

  China told the world the purpose of this mission was to go to the moon, not land. The world believed they were still two to three years away from having the capability to land. China had come a long way in the world of space exploration since the development of the Shenzhou spacecraft and the Long March rocket, similar to Russia’s old design of the early ’70s. China had already successfully sent unmanned satellites to the moon, but according to Chinese news reports, CNSA was having troubles completing their Lunar Lander.

  China was now ready to send their first manned Shenzhou spacecraft to the moon. Rather than waiting for the completion of the Lunar Lander, China told the world they decided to do their first manned lunar orbit, a good test run before attempting to land. The flight would also allow them to take better 3D images of the lunar surface to determine the best landing site for a future mission. Putting men in lunar orbit would be a huge technological achievement in itself. Only one country had ever sent a man to the moon, and that was the United States. Even Russia had never sent a man beyond Earth’s orbit.

  Tang was on a mission of a lifetime, set to be only the thirteenth man to walk on the moon. Only most of the world would never know it, not even his family. His moon walk was to be done in total secrecy. Only a handful of officials and CNSA personnel would ever know of this great feat. On Tang’s return to Earth he would be honored as being part of the first Chinese crew to orbit the moon and would be given a hero’s welcome, but there would be no public recognition of him or Wen ever walking on the lunar surface.

  Tang was handpicked for this particular mission by the top brass because he was one of their best taikonauts; he was also chosen for his loyalty to the military and his country. They knew he would put his country before himself, or even his family.

  The Jian zipped along at over 1400 meters per second. Tang took one last look at his checklist before stealing a look out the window at his destination below. The deserted moon seemed to be beckoning him to come down and play, like the dirt piles he played in as a kid. He was ready to play.

  Tang gave Wen a slight nod before he reached for the hand hold above his head, signaling he would soon be firing the #4 engine. Wen, understanding what was to come, gripped his hand hold. The spacesuits both men wore made moving around difficult, especially with the large, bulky gloves. Tang hovered his gloved finger over the switch that would fire the descent stage engine, sending them down to the moon. Out of radio contact with CNSA, he now relied on the computer to give him the signal when to proceed.

  Tang waited patiently, eyeing the indi
cator light in anticipation of what was to come. He was ready to do this, to land on the desolate surface outside his window. The round plastic light cover he stared at finally illuminated with a bright green color, sending a charge throughout his body. This was the signal he was waiting for, the sign it was now okay to go play. He instantly pressed the switch. A sudden loud noise rocked the spacecraft as the #4 block engine fired, sounding much louder than Tang had experienced in the simulators. Tang’s grip tightened as he struggled to hold on. Since the engine’s outlet faced in the direction in which they were going, when the engine fired it acted like a brake in space, pushing against the ship’s momentum and slowing them down. As the spacecraft reduced its velocity, it began to fall toward the moon. Tang kept a watchful eye on the monitor, making sure the computer shut off the engine once they reached the required delta V. Tang’s eyes never wavered, ready to cut the engine if the computer failed. After a long sixty-eight seconds the engine stopped and a surprising silence and stillness took over. They were now falling toward the moon. The lunar horizon began to appear flat outside Tang’s window, indicating they were getting close to the surface. Everything was going according to plan.

  In the simulators, Tang had solved hundreds of problems that could have gone wrong by this point. He was confident they would soon be landing safely. As planned, the computer signaled for the separation of the #4 engine stage. The engine had done its job, and was now just a lead weight in their way. He clicked the switch to separate the Lander from the engine, hearing a muffled sequence of quick soft blasts as the explosive bolts blew. The separation from the spacecraft started a five-minute timer set to fire thrusters, propelling the engine toward the moon and insuring it did not come around from the back side. An altitude sensor would set off a set of explosives designed to destroy the engine before impact, making determination of the debris content difficult. He took a few moments to watch the engine solemnly float away.

  Tang was enjoying this calm and serene moment when unexpectedly the spacecraft lurched forward and, to his shock, the steady horizon disappeared.

  Wen yelled, “TA-MA-DE.”

  A screeching alarm started blasting in the cabin as Tang tried to focus on the control panel. The sound was from the master alarm and his heart began to race as the spacecraft began tumbling in space. Both he and Wen struggled to grab the hand holds as they were being jostled about, like a couple of cats in a washing machine. The cabin began flickering with all kinds of colored lights, momentarily blinding the commander as he tried to figure out what was happening. Fighting to hold on, he noticed the altitude rate lights were lit, indicating Jian was falling at a dangerous speed toward the surface.

  What once was a smooth flight now turned into a carnival ride gone bad. The computers were confused and fighting each other. Tang struggled to read the console as the spacecraft violently cart wheeled along. He was surprised to see the control gauges completely out of sync. Unfortunately, he did not have the luxury of getting advice or direction from Beijing, but instead had to figure this problem out on his own and he needed to do it fast. Letting go of one of the hand holds, Tang frantically used his free hand to try to override the computer to get the gyroscopes synced up. Tang battled to push the right buttons while the craft tried to manhandle him. Come on Tang, get control, you can do this! He struggled with the computer and was having no luck; the spacecraft was winning the battle. Tang figured it was only a matter of seconds before their spin would be unmanageable, forcing him to destroy the craft before crashing into the moon. He had no choice but to switch to manual control, firing the #5 block landing engine and giving him command of the spacecraft much earlier than scheduled. He fought to steady himself as he flipped the switch. As the engine ignited, both men were suddenly thrust downward due to its powerful force, their legs acting as shock absorbers, preventing them from hitting the instrument panel. Tang held on and took charge of the craft as it flew like an out of control bottle rocket.

  Tang had many years of experience as a fighter pilot and had been put in quite a few extreme situations, but this was the most intense he had ever been in. He was sweating heavily as he now had both gloved hands on the stick, working it delicately, moving slightly one way, then another. Each movement seemed to give him a little more influence, first stopping the forward pitch, and then working to stop the sideways yaw, while he continued to monitor the instruments.

  Wen’s bobbing head finally slowed enough to allow him to read the gauges. He nervously yelled out over the alarms that they were approaching the 500 meter mark. Tang was so immersed in the situation, he didn’t consciously hear Wen. He was focused on gaining control of the ship and ignored the sweat pooling in every crevice, including around his eyes. As his vision began to blur, he fiercely shook his head, dislodging the sweat. He could feel he was getting the ship under control as their rotation started to slow, and to both men’s delight, eventually stopped. A small sigh of relief came over Tang as he had Jian back on line and under control, now flying her manually. He signaled for Wen to switch off the alarms.

  With his ears still ringing, Tang knew he could not relax. They were now too close to the moon to put the ship back into computer mode. He had no choice but to land her manually. Though he had practiced this scenario many times in the simulator, he was still concerned. He heard the voice of his commanding officer seeping from the back of his mind. “Land on the moon in the allotted time or destroy the spacecraft—NO EXCEPTIONS!” He knew he could not crash land the craft; doing so would leave evidence on the moon, indicating China had in fact attempted to land. He had a major challenge in front of him.

  Wen tensely counted down the altitude at 100 meters with sixty-five seconds remaining. Tang had sixty-five seconds to land or destroy the spacecraft. He looked out the window at the grayish-colored moon rushing quickly by. Regrettably, with the urgency of the moment and his full concentration on landing, he could not take in the incredible view unfolding in front of him, not even for a second. Instead, he focused on finding landmarks that were to be at their intended landing site. Frustrated by not being able to spot any, he concluded their ship must have gone off course due to the problem they encountered separating from engine #4. He moved his head closer to the window to get a better look, surveying the landscape below in hopes of finding a safe spot. He was having no luck. In every direction were large craters and jagged rocks. He needed to find a safe place to touch down, and quickly.

  As Tang moved the spacecraft closer to the surface, he was shocked to see some of the rocks were actually boulders, the size of two story houses much larger than any obstacle he had practice flying around in the simulator. In the distance were hills, but they were too steep to land on. He continued to sweat nervously as he navigated the Jian up and over the obstacles, aggressively scanning for a safe area. Wen nervously said fifty meters with thirty seconds remaining. Tang’s grip tightened on the hand controller. His arms shook. C’mon Tang, relax, relax. They didn’t have the option of flying back up to rendezvous with the Lunar Module since Yi was now way ahead of them in its orbit. By the time the Jian could catch up with Yi, the two ships would be on the front side of the moon, discovered by the world when they came around separately. Tang had no choice. He needed to land now, or blow up Jian, killing both taikonauts.

  Tang felt like he was in a crowded parking lot looking for an empty parking space. He was becoming alarmed with the little time left and was beginning to feel he wasn’t going to be able to land in time. He dejectedly dropped his left hand down to lift open the cover that guarded the destruction button, in place to prevent either man from accidentally pushing it. From the corner of his eye, Wen watched Tang flip open the cover. Both men looked at each other for a split second with disappointment in their eyes, knowing what was about to happen and accepting their fate. Tang returned to his search out the window, his finger hovering over the button. Only a small amount of pressure was needed to push it, so he kept his finger off until he was sure it was time. Disco
uraged he wasn’t finding a landing site, he acknowledged their doom and slowly started to lower his finger onto the button.

  Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, he spotted a small clearing over a large boulder on his left, as if miraculously put there. The leveled area was the most beautiful patch of land he had ever seen. He happily slammed shut the cover and gripped the control stick with a firm hand. Wen, seeing Tang raise his hand, exhaled a big sigh of relief. Now with excitement in his voice, Wen continued to read off the altitude, no longer required to gage the time since Tang had found a place to land. It was going to be a tight fit, but no matter what, Tang was going to make it work.

  Tang quickly maneuvered the spacecraft over the boulder and leveled off above the site. He lowered the craft slowly as Wen continued to read off the altitude. Tang put his head as close to the window as he could, scanning the area below to make sure the spacecraft was centered and clear of any rocks as he lowered. Be careful Tang…you can do this…slow…slow. Finally at the three meter point the landing light came on, indicating the probes below the craft had touched the lunar surface. Tang dropped another meter before cutting the engine. The Jian plummeted the final two meters and hit with a soft thud.

  An eerie silence overtook the spacecraft as both men sat for a moment, taking in what they had just done. Then Wen turned to Tang and bowed, obviously relieved his commander refrained from pushing the destruction button. Tang, with a big smile on his face, turned and bowed at Wen. Though the Lander was slightly tilted, it was safely on the moon. Tang was proud to have met the biggest challenge of their mission.

  Tang and Wen were exhausted, but they were allowed only six hours on the moon and had an unbelievable workload that needed to be completed in that time frame. They took a few moments to gather themselves, and then helped each other put on their backpacks which were their life support systems. One hour after landing, Tang opened the small hatch, climbed out, and went down the ladder. Before stepping off the footpad, he paused for a moment eyeing the surface up close. His first steps on the surface were going to be an historical leap forward for China. Though only Wen would hear his words, he felt he needed to express this out loud. As he stepped off he proudly said, “Li shi xing de Yi bu!” That was all the celebration he allowed himself. He and Wen were there to do a job, and it was now time to focus and do it. Wen came down a short time later. Their mission was to collect up to 300 lbs of various types of rocks, take as many pictures and videos of each other as they could, then most importantly, deploy the laser weapon.