Dead on Mars

Chapter 210 - Sol Three Hundred and Twenty-Seven, Plaques of the Three Chiefs
Chapter 210: Sol Three Hundred and Twenty-Seven, Plaques of the Three Chiefs

Tang Yue had been very excited when he finished the calculations, believing that he had grasped fate by its handle. Tomcat had once said that the United Space Station’s outcome was already determined, just that they were unable to see it. But now, Tang Yue could see it. He had done an extremely crude calculation, and this calculation contained hope.

As long as there was hope, he could turn hard work into reality.

“Tang Yue, you and Mr. Cat are getting crazier,” Mai Dong said. “It was already a bold idea to use Orion II as a lander; now, you are steering the cargo spacecraft as a fighter jet.

In between the lines, it meant that their shenanigans were way over the top.

Orion II and the United Space Station had been destroyed because of such shenanigans.

“If it loses control, we will be consigning ourselves to perdition…” Mai Dong voiced out her worries.

“We are already in perdition. Every day we live is a day earned.” Tang Yue shrugged. True to his heart, he was more concerned about Mai Dong’s life than the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft. If the latter couldn’t safely land, he didn’t care if the spacecraft exploded. It was not like he liked lobster.

According to Mai Dong’s repeated measurements of her altitude, the United Space Station was constantly in a descent. Furthermore, its descent speed was accelerating. The results of the workstation’s model were that it would descend to a region 100–110 kilometers on the seventh sol. On the eighth sol, it would fall below the 100-kilometer mark, and on the ninth sol, it would maintain an altitude of above 90 kilometers. It would fall below 80 kilometers on the tenth sol.

This speed of descent was slower than Tomcat’s predictions. This was because the northern hemisphere had ushered in spring; thus, changing Mars’s orbit. The atmospheric activity at lower altitudes gradually intensified, dropping the temperatures at higher altitudes and sinking it. Hence, the atmosphere’s periphery had become sparser, creating less resistance on the space station.

However, atmospheric activity was completely random. No one could precisely predict it.

Tianzhou 37 would arrive on the tenth sol. Then, it could dock with the space station at an altitude of 80 kilometers.

Unfortunately, the method to determine distance by eye wasn’t accurate. In an extremely difficult maneuver of docking, a mismatch of a few centimeters was enough to throw everything into disarray. The numbers Tang Yue had on hand might have errors on the order of several kilometers; therefore, the calculation needed to be made more precise.

“Hmm, this is the best I can do. Any further calculations will require even more complicated mathematical models… They exceed my capabilities…” Tang Yue held the pen in hand, staring at the equations on the piece of paper and scratching his head. When he truly encountered a tough problem, his traits of being quite a bad student were exposed.

He repeatedly checked his calculations to ensure that there weren’t any mistakes.

“I can attempt to make it a little more precise. That should still be possible. I scored 138/150 on Math and 96/150 for Physics at the National College Entrance Examination. I still have quite a solid foundation.” Tang Yue picked up his pen again and frowned. “Next should be… Next…”

“Next should be handed to Tomcat.”

…

Tomcat returned after its inspection of the landing zone.

Tang Yue handed over the rough paper in his hands.

Tomcat took it, pricked up its brows and scanned it with narrow eyes. “These are the results of your work from the past two sols? You didn’t even eat to do this… The United Space Station’s predicted orbit trajectory…”

Tomcat suddenly chortled.

“Tang Yue, you are only a mechanical and electrical engineer.”

“So what?” Tang Yue wasn’t pleased with Tomcat’s tone. “So what if I’m just a mechanical and electrical engineer?”

“Fine, fine, fine. There’s nothing stopping you from doing so. Not only can you calculate this, but you can also calculate the lifespan of the massive black hole in the middle of the Milky Way… Let me take a look. Let me take a look.” Tomcat put in its earpiece and pulled over a chair. It crossed its hind leg and stared intently as it scrutinized Tang Yue’s calculations. “Let me see…”

Tang Yue felt a little nervous. It felt as though he had just handed over his homework and his teacher was grading it.

He believed that he hadn’t made any mistakes in his calculation, but only with Tomcat’s acknowledgment could he be certain of his results, turning it into effective proof.

“How is it?”

Tomcat remained silent for a long while. It flipped the papers in its paws again and again before casting its gaze up to graze past Tang Yue. At that moment, it even looked like a teacher who was grading homework.

“Based on your calculations, the United Space Station will fall to an altitude of 80 kilometers on the tenth sol,” Tomcat said with a questioning tone. “Do you know what it means to get Tianzhou to approach it in such a scenario?

“Yes.”

“You know sh*t.” Tomcat rolled its eyes. “Think about it. You want to open the cockpit of a fighter jet that’s flying at supersonic speeds while getting the pilot to crawl into another plane. Do you think you are filming Mission Impossible? Do you think the one trapped in the space station is the veteran action star, Tom Cruise?

“Tianzhou is just a huge chunk of metal without any pneumatic steering. How are you to precisely control it to dock with the space station in the atmosphere?

“The United Space Station is moving irregularly, so how are you going to control its attitude? What if it’s orientation is too odd?

“If the two spacecraft collide, do you know what that implies?”

Tomcat’s questions were pointed as it posed them one after another. It ruthlessly left Tang Yue speechless.

“Your idea is against humanity and society. There’s a 99% chance of failure.” Tomcat eventually smacked the piece of paper.

The calculation was one thing, but actually doing it was another.

“If… If mine doesn’t work, why don’t you come up with a plan?” Tang Yue became anxious. “What use is it to pick a bone with it?”

“This is my plan.” Tomcat returned the stack of papers to its owner.

Tang Yue was taken aback.

“My plan is actually identical to yours. I had planned on informing you of the detailed steps tomorrow. But since you’ve calculated it yourself, there’s no need to wait until tomorrow.” Tomcat’s stern face suddenly relaxed. “It’s just that your calculation is overly crude. This result cannot be used to guide the implementation of the operation. We need even more accurate data to perfect it.”

“So you mean it will work?” Tang Yue asked. “Didn’t you say that failure is at 99%…”

“This isn’t about the viability.” Tomcat shrugged. “If the conditions permit, we’ll do it. Without conditions, we’ll create the conditions and do it. Since the plan permits it, we should do our best to squeeze Tianzhou of everything it’s got… Although it wasn’t blessed by the Patriarch, the chiefs will bless us from heaven.”

“We can set up three plaques for the chiefs. The chief engineer will bless that the spacecraft’s program operates smoothly and completes the commands. The chief designer will bless that the spacecraft can have perfect pneumatic maneuvering without errors. The chief technologist will bless that the spacecraft is big enough without any slip-up,” Tomcat continued. “That’s your forte, Tang Yue.”

“Can you do the maneuvering?”

“No.” Tomcat was extremely direct.