Dead on Mars

Chapter 209 - Sol Three Hundred and Twenty-Seven, Only Method
Chapter 209: Sol Three Hundred and Twenty-Seven, Only Method

Tomcat left the crutches with Tang Yue and got him to make slight adjustments for Mai Dong’s height. As for Tomcat, it headed out to check on the landing zone. The Isidis Planitia was flat, so Kunlun Station’s surroundings was a naturally good landing zone. The Mars Landing Project had demarcated five landing zones with Kunlun Station in the center. They were designated L1 to L5. In the past, the lander and cargo spacecraft could directly descend onto the desert.

With the Mars Landing Project having gone on for a few decades, there were a dozen disposable spacecraft in Kunlun Station’s vicinity, causing three of the five landing zones to be abandoned. Tianzhou 37 was to land at L4, neighboring the Eagle, fifty meters in front of Kunlun Station.

“Mr. Cat went out?”

“Yeah. It’s inspecting the cargo spacecraft’s landing zone.” Tang Yue turned to sit on a chair. He placed the two crutches level across his knees and said, “Lass, can you estimate your present altitude?”

“But I just did it the previous orbit.”

“That was the previous orbit,” Tang Yue emphasized. “The altitude of the previous orbit and the present orbit will be different. Every orbit might lead to changes. We need to monitor the United Space Station’s altitude in real-time.”

“Okay… Wait a moment.” The comms fell silent for a few minutes. “Approximately 110 kilometers. It’s still the same. There haven’t been any changes.”

“Remember, 100 kilometers is the safety threshold. 80 kilometers is the danger threshold,” Tang Yue reminded her.

“But Mr. Cat said 60 kilometers is the danger threshold.”

“60 kilometers isn’t the danger threshold. It’s the point of no return!” Tang Yue corrected her. “No matter what, you can’t let it fall to 60 kilometers.”

“But what can we do?”

Tang Yue was stumped.

How are we to ensure that the United Space Station maintains a sufficiently safe altitude?

This was an unsolvable problem. Regardless of 80 kilometers being the danger threshold or not, or whether 60 kilometers was the point of no return, even if they could sense that the space station was about to crash ahead of time, there was nothing they could do to save it.

Tomcat had already told Tang Yue that from the moment the electric rocket expended all its propellant, the space station’s outcome was destined. This was akin to having handed in one’s test script after the end of a test. Before the results were announced, no action could influence the final results. Under such circumstances, the best choice of action was to sleep all day until the results were released. It saved one from suffering prolonged anxiety.

The two fell silent before the girl broke the silence. “Today is the sixth sol.”

“Yes, it’s the sixth sol today,” Tang Yue said.

“It’s already the sixth sol…” The girl sighed softly over the comms. “My watch here is broken. I don’t even know what time it is. In less than an hour, the sun will rise and set… Also, I’m starving…”

“How much food do you have left?”

“The last biscuit.”

“How do you have such an appetite?”

“I… I… There weren’t a lot of biscuits in the space station to begin with. I’ve been rationing it properly, alright?” The girl didn’t give in. “Yesterday was the worst. I was so hungry I couldn’t sleep. When I woke up this morning, I no longer felt anything other than feeling dizzy. Perhaps it’s a result of low blood glucose… Tang Yue, you need to realize you are speaking to a patient with hypoglycemia.”

“So?”

“That’s why you need to be sweeter with your words!”

…

“I say, Tang Yue.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t Mr. Cat say that the remaining lifespan of the United Space Station is seven to eleven sols?”

“Yes.”

“Tomorrow is the seventh sol.”

“Don’t worry. It will be fine,” Tang Yue consoled her. “Based on your present estimated altitude, the United Space Station’s descent is slower than we expected. Not only will it be okay tomorrow, but it will also be fine the sol after tomorrow. It might drop to 80 kilometers on the tenth sol. But by then, Tianzhou 37 will have arrived. We can’t save the space station, but we can save you.”

“Can it still be saved beneath 80 kilometers?”

“Yes! Don’t even say 80 kilometers! Even 60 kilometers will do!” Tang Yue took out a few pieces of paper from the stack in front of him. He unfolded them onto the table. On them were equations and numbers. “I’ve done the math… Tianzhou 37 has the ability to safely enter the atmosphere. As long as we are gutsy enough and we control it precisely enough, we can dock during a high-speed plummet!”

“Is… it possible?” The girl was somewhat alarmed.

“Of course! Of course! Lass, listen to me, listen to me…”

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead.”

“Tianzhou’s body is strong enough. And the Crystal module is the strongest module in the United Space Station. At an altitude between sixty and eighty kilometers—if the atmospheric conditions are idealistic enough… If the atmospheric conditions are idealistic enough because, at this altitude, it hasn’t really reached an entry altitude…”

Tang Yue took out a pen and quickly wrote on the paper. Over the past two nights, apart from playing cards, he had been considering this problem. He had racked his brains, losing copious amounts of hair in the process.

Even though Mai Dong couldn’t see the content on Tang Yue’s paper, he reproduced his calculations to boost his confidence. He had made a rigorous calculation and was not simply relying on empty mantras.

“Without a doubt, the United Space Station’s attitude is completely out of control, but Tianzhou can be controlled. Our only hope is in Tianzhou! We can control the spacecraft to approach the Crystal, and choose a docking orientation with the head facing front… It might sound incredible and fantastic, but my calculations support this outcome. This operation will be extremely difficult, but it’s doable. I definitely can’t, but Tomcat probably can.

“We have all of Tianzhou’s data. During this process, as long as the temperature doesn’t exceed 1000 K, and the heat density doesn’t exceed 300 KW/m², it will have zero effect on the spacecraft. Based on past data, this stage’s highest temperature is actually only 800 K. We can complete the rescue before the space station reaches 60 kilometers. As long as you work with us, the entire process won’t exceed three minutes.”

Tang Yue’s pen moved swiftly as he spoke so quickly that he was almost rambling incoherently. Thankfully, the messed up order didn’t affect the message he was trying to convey.

“The real heat zone is at an altitude below 40 kilometers, but by then, Tianzhou will have already rescued you. Following that, Tianzhou will immediately begin normal landing procedures. At forty kilometers, it will enter the Martian atmosphere. The empty United Space Station will then burn up in the atmosphere while the cargo spacecraft will land you safely! The only problem is that the propellant has been greatly expended, so Tianzhou’s final descent will be rather fast. It might damage the landing gear.

“There’s a problem that doing so might not guarantee that you land near Kunlun Station. However, Tianzhou has sufficient resources. You can stay in there eating and drinking while awaiting rescue.”

Tang Yue regurgitated his entire plan in one go, leaving him somewhat breathless as he waited for Mai Dong’s reply.

The girl held her breath.

“You calculated this by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Does Mr. Cat know?”

“I haven’t had the time to tell it.”

“Tang Yue… You are only a mechanical and electrical engineer.”

“So what?” Tang Yue said. “I’m telling you, a proper aeronautical engineer wouldn’t dare to, but I dare!”

“Because doing so might destroy Tianzhou.” Mai Dong instantly noticed the crux of the issue. “It’s too risky.”

Tang Yue’s idea was indeed out of this world. He wanted Tianzhou 37 to dock with the Crystal under extremely unstable conditions. It was extremely risky. Any mishap would cause them to suffer a double loss.

“But this is the only way of saving you, lass,” Tang Yue said. “What we should care about is not the risk, but hope. As long as there’s a sliver of hope, it’s worth it to put in 100% of the work or more.”