Die on Mars

Sitting in the command module, Maidong could hear the deafening roar of the engine of the Orion 2 spacecraft. The vibrations and sounds came along the metal frame, and the entire command module shook violently. A huge force shook Maidong. Winter pressure pressed into the seat, and Orion 2 began to accelerate in reverse.

It was Tang Yue's idea to use the Orion 2 spacecraft as a power to push the Joint Space Station to change its orbit. However, this attempt was too bold and crude. They wanted to lower the orbit of the Joint Space Station by a full hour in just twenty-eight minutes. One hundred and twenty-eight kilometers, this is not so much a derailment as a fall.

But they must firmly control the fall of the space station and allow it to accurately rendezvous with the Eagle spacecraft.

The old cat stared at the computer screen.

It is monitoring the status of the Eagle spacecraft and the joint space station at the same time. Although the lander's computer is convulsing and its attitude is out of control, its communication system is still working normally, sending back a signal every two seconds.

The Joint Space Station is decelerating sharply, Orion 2's powerful engines are kicking in, and the tug is pushing the pontoons to a predetermined area, where they will rendezvous with small boats transporting supplies.

It is lowering its altitude according to the predetermined trajectory. Old cats dare not be careless. The only rigid connection between the Orion 2 spacecraft and the space station is the docking port. The huge thrust generated by the engine acts on the space station through the docking mechanism. This is the only connection between them, just like the chain between the tug and the floating platform.

The old cat is now extremely grateful to the design engineers on the earth. They did not hesitate to sacrifice weight and designed the docking interface to be as strong as a ship anchor.

Now this sturdy interface may save Ophiopogon japonicus' life.

In the past ten years, the Joint Space Station has not experienced such a violent orbit change. Under normal circumstances, the adjustment of the orbit of the space station is only about a hundred meters, and the engine is used to float up and down one or two hundred meters. It takes a long time, is slow, and is stressful. Small.

It is unique to lose 120 kilometers of altitude in half an hour.

Neither the space station nor the Orion spacecraft are load-bearing structures. Their main bodies are trusses and solar panels, which are put together like Lego blocks. If this structure is placed on the ground, it will probably be crushed by its own weight. Sudden deceleration and lowering of altitude will bring heavy overload, which is a severe test and challenge for the joint space station. Lao Mao does not know whether the space station and the Orion spacecraft can sustain it.

Maidong grabbed the armrest of the seat tightly. She was accelerated and pressed into the chair, unable to move at all.

The entire spacecraft was shaking violently, as if it would fall apart at any time.

"WARNING: HEIGHT REDUCTION!"

"WARING: SPEED REDUCTION!"

"WARING: LOSS OF POSTURE!"

The console has been blaring an alarm from the beginning, a mechanical female voice echoed repeatedly in the command module, pop-up windows popping up crazily, and red lights flashing.

The computer reported that the speed and altitude were dropping crazily, and the overload on the cabin interface and truss increased sharply. If this continued, the space station was in danger of disintegrating.

Maidong gritted her teeth. Her face was pale and she could hardly think normally. The violent vibrations made her stomach churn. If the seat belt hadn't been tightly tied, Maidong would have crashed into the control panel the moment the engine started. Taili.

She couldn't control the Orion spacecraft and could only trust Tang Yue and Lao Mao at Kunlun Station.

"Hold on! Hold on! Hold on... Just hold on!"

The old cat clenched his fists. He could also see the alarm on the space station.

The intensity of the vibrations generated by the space station and the Orion 2 spacecraft is somewhat beyond expectations. This may be due to the resonance between the joint space station and the engine. Time was too tight before, and the old cat had no time to consider these details, but now it is worried that the resonance may destroy the space station. Killed Ophiopogon japonicus.

"Miss Maidong...can you hold on?"

"Can...can..."

The girl gritted her teeth and squeezed out a few words.

She couldn't speak or she would bite her tongue off.

The engine of the Orion spacecraft spit out scorching flames more than ten meters long. Looking from a very far distance, the brightness of the small celestial body of the United Space Station suddenly increased, like the third satellite of Mars, and then the height of the satellite quickly decreased.

It is like a stone thrown by someone. After reaching the highest point, it falls along a parabola.

The old cat couldn't take his eyes off.

The cursor on the screen is descending along an arc, and it is accurate every second. Facts have proved that if the computer does not convulse, the trajectory change path designed by Laomao is still quite reliable. On the other hand, the Eagle spacecraft has already circled Mars for one week and is heading towards the scheduled rendezvous point.

The old cat stared at the height and speed of the United Space Station.

Both numbers are changing rapidly.

Height 366.7 kilometers.

The Eagle spacecraft is still 4,119 kilometers away from the capture point.

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Tang Yue stood on the sand of Mars. He felt that the wind speed seemed to have slowed down slightly because the wind noise in his ears had weakened... Of course, this could also be due to his confusion and hearing loss.

Numbness climbed up from his legs and feet to his torso. Now Tang Yue felt that he had lost consciousness from the chest down, as if he was a high-level paraplegic. He wanted to move his left hand, but it was as stiff as wood, and every joint was rusty. , needs to be well oiled.

"Height 325.8 kilometers! The attitude control rocket is activated! The attitude of the space station is stable...stable!" Lao Mao's reporting voice echoed in the headphones, "The Eagle spacecraft is still 3,611 kilometers away from the capture point!"

"Height 318.9 kilometers!"

"The Eagle spacecraft is still 3207 kilometers away from the capture point!"

The old cat's voice was like the turning gears of a clock.

"Height 310.4 kilometers!"

"The Eagle spacecraft is still 2,989 kilometers away from the capture point!"

Tang Yue raised his head and looked into the darkness above his head.

He knew that in the deep space more than 300 kilometers above his head, the two small aircraft were struggling to meet each other, getting closer bit by bit. The universe is so big, hundreds of billions of light-years long, but they have to draw two curves that happen to meet each other in the vast void. The slightest difference is failure. This is the fate of the United Space Station, the Eagle spacecraft, and the fate of Mai. Winter's fate.

Tang Yue pondered for a while, took a deep breath, and then shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Comrade RD-0172! We can't take a step back! Although our country is huge, Moscow is behind us!"

"Comrade United Space Station! For freedom! For equality! For all mankind!"

"Comrade Maidong! For the party and the country! For socialism with Chinese characteristics! Come on!"

Tang Yue shouted so hard that his face turned red, he tried his best and his voice was hoarse.

Although no one can hear his cry in this dark world, what can an ant-like man roaring alone in the universe change?

In this life-and-death mission, Tang Yue was the only spectator and cheerer, but he was unable to reverse the situation or change the outcome. His voice could not even be heard five meters away.

There is no more stupid act in the world than this, this man standing alone in the stormy wasteland, shouting ridiculously.

But he shouted unyieldingly, like iron.

"Comrade RD-0172! Comrade United Space Station! Comrade Maidong! Come on -!"