Die on Mars

Tang Yue kept track of the time. As soon as twenty minutes passed, he and Lao Mao fished out the tomato seeds soaked in the beaker.

"After disinfection is completed, the next thing to do is germination. The method of germination is also soaking." Ophiopogon japonicus said, "But this soaking takes a longer time. You need to soak the seeds in water for eight hours, so you can do it tonight Soak the tomato seeds in water and fish them out tomorrow morning.”

Tang Yue unplugged the electric heater and took the beaker off the shelf. This precious cup of fresh water could still be used. Tang Yue didn't want to waste a milliliter.

They soaked the seeds in water again, this time overnight, so that the tomato seeds could absorb enough water.

Sufficient fresh water will wake up dormant seeds and rejuvenate them. This is the result of plants adapting to the environment during millions of years of evolution. Sufficient water often means the arrival of the warm rainy season, which is a suitable season for plant growth and seedlings. Will seize this precious opportunity to break out of the ground and thrive - the wisdom of life is always subtle and infinite.

"How are you going to arrange the planting space?" Old Cat walked around Kunlun Station. "This place is only so big. You can't spread soil on the floor, right?"

Kunlun Station has a yurt-like configuration, a truss structure, a circular bottom plate, and a diameter of only ten meters. Such a large site is already packed with various facilities for living, fitness, medical, scientific research, eating, drinking, sleeping, etc., among which The desk, computer, toilet cubicle and life support system occupy the most space. If you have to spread soil on the floor to grow tomatoes, your life will be really difficult.

"We can't plant it on the ground. That way we can't walk, it's difficult to control water and fertilizer, and it will pollute the indoor environment." Tang Yue shook his head, looked around, and pointed to the shelves placed against the wall, "We can put tomatoes Plant it on a shelf, just like growing flowers.”

There is a circle of cabinets and shelves against the wall in the hall of Kunlun Station. The shelves have four layers with plastic partitions. They are generally used to store food, clothes, samples and various sundries. Now all the shelves are filled with food.

Just as they were told, Lao Mao and Tang Yue began to move the boxes off the shelves and stuff them into the vacant crew cabin, clearing out two columns of empty shelves.

"Old Cat, is there any suitable container? One that doesn't leak water or soil, and is easy to seal."

Old Mao rummaged through the cabinets and pulled out a lot of bottles and cans, "There are also two plexiglass sinks, probably left by Lao Zheng."

Tang Yue took the square sink, squinted his eyes and looked at the light to check it out. It was light and strong, with no cracks. It could be used as a container for growing tomatoes.

He put the sink on the shelf next to the wall, took a step back, and looked up and down, "Plant it here. What do you think, Old Cat Ophiopogon japonicus? The soil, fertilizer and water are all contained in the sink and will not be spread. It’s everywhere.”

"Plant five tomatoes in one tank?" The old cat measured the length and width of the tank, "Is it a bit too crowded?"

"There's nothing we can do about the crowding. We can only give in to Brother Tomato for now. We sleep in dog kennels, and we can't find a big villa for them to live in." Tang Yue clapped his hands, "The landlord's house doesn't even have any food left. ah."

"Is this okay?" Lao Mao asked the camera behind him.

"No problem." Ophiopogon japonicus said, "After all, the conditions are limited. Plant them here first when they are in the seedling stage, and then find a way to free them when they grow up. Tomatoes are not too delicate plants and have very strong vitality."

The conditions in Kunlun Station were limited, and Tang Yue couldn't find anything better to grow tomatoes. There were only two water tanks left. If he wanted to expand the scale of planting in the future, Tang Yue would have to make the containers himself.

Tang Yue had previously thought about planting plants outdoors and setting up a test field. He conceived a rather complicated design - circle a small area of ​​land in front of Kunlun Station, cover it with plastic film, then cover it with soil, and scatter the plant seeds. Go down and use plastic film to prop up a sealed greenhouse... But this idea was aborted before it was exported. Tang Yue himself could see that this design was too difficult to implement and was unfeasible. Not only Materials were lacking, and air pressure and temperature were not guaranteed.

Then Tang Yue came up with a second trick in his mind. He circled a small piece of land next to Kunlun Station, dug a large square pit, spread plastic sheeting and soil on the bottom of the pit, and then scattered the seeds. The surface of the pit was covered and sealed with plastic film to create an underground test field... Of course, this idea also died before it was exported. Tang Yue could not guarantee the stability of air pressure and temperature.

Tang Yue's third idea is to drive out the Martian stray dogs, free up space in the garage, and grow tomatoes in the garage - but this is still not feasible. Although the temperature in the garage is stable, the highest is only around zero degrees. , Tomato is a temperature-loving plant, and it is unlikely that it will survive such a low temperature.

Tang Yue's fourth idea was to dismantle the floor of the Kunlun Station, dig a hole and cover it with soil to grow tomatoes. However, since doing so would probably cause him to lose his temper and kill himself, he had to give up this risk. the design of.

Tang Yue racked his brains and demonstrated any possible ideas, but he finally found that no matter what method he used, there were always two obstacles standing in front of him that could not be solved - the first was the air pressure. The external environment pressure was too low. , tomato seedlings exposed to the atmosphere simply cannot survive. The second is temperature. A temperature of minus 50 degrees can freeze tomatoes to a crisp. In order to solve these two problems, Kunlun Station uses complex thermal insulation materials and OGS system, but Tang Yue couldn't build an OGS system with his bare hands.

After all, he's not Tony Stark.

If Iron Man were here, he would have probably dismantled the Kunlun Station and assembled it into a spaceship, then used some inexplicable element as a power source, and left Mars to settle the score with Thanos.

Obviously, the earth was destroyed by Thanos with a snap of his fingers.

Don't ask me why the Kunlun Stations can be combined into spaceships - it is well known that the Marvel Universe does not obey the conservation of mass.

In the end, Tang Yue could only plant the delicate seeds in the flowerpot honestly.

Tang Yue was frustrated to realize that no matter what he wanted to do, he would be limited to the small space of Kunlun Station. He could not expand his living space even a small step.

On the harsh environment of Mars, behind every small step taken is a huge leap in basic science and engineering.

"That's all for today's work." Maidong said, "Tang Yue, Mr. Cat, have you soaked the tomato seeds? Remember to take them out and dry them after eight hours."

"OK, OK! Miss Agricultural Expert Maidong, thank you for your careful guidance!" Tang Yue turned his head and gestured towards Maidong, "Would you like to take a rest now? If you are not in a hurry to rest, let's play FreeCell online." ah?"

"Hit you uncle! How long has it been since you still have time to play games!" The old cat kicked Tang Yue on the butt, "Go and put away the solar panels!"

Tang Yue put on the Mingguang Armor and went out angrily.

The old cat clapped his hands and raised his head.

"Would you like to take a rest next time, Maidong?"

Maidong: "Uh... I'm not in a hurry to rest."

The old cat's eyes lit up.

"Then let's play FreeCell online?"