The upper level of the Eagle lander was covered with a layer of heat-insulating material — this was actually a part of the lander's complete heat-insulating tiles.
The complete Eagle lander was a round and plump lifting body structure. It was divided into upper and lower levels, and its wing and body were integrated.
It entered the atmosphere with its belly facing down, and at its highest temperature, some parts could soar to 2,000 degrees Celsius. Ordinary materials undoubtedly couldn't withstand such high temperatures.
The heat-insulating tiles on the lander's belly weren't all made of the same material. The engineers used carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide to resist the high temperatures at the nose cone and flanges, while the belly was covered with phenolic impregnated carbon ablative heat-insulating tiles. When the Eagle entered the atmosphere, the heat-insulating tiles rapidly sublimated in the high temperatures, taking away the heat.
"We've capsized."
"We've capsized again."
"We've capsized again."
"Capsize, capsize, capsize, my ass —!"
The moment Tang Yue entered, he heard Old Cat howling angrily like a wild dog.
"What's wrong?" Tang Yue removed the life support system and hung it on the wall to charge.
"The forty-second capsize."
Old Cat gritted the words through its teeth. The computer monitor in front of it was scrolling with numbers and functions. Tang Yue crawled out of the Bright Light Armour and approached to take a look. He felt dizzy.
"Capsize?" Tang Yue didn't understand what it meant. "What do you mean by capsize?"
"The Eagle lander."
Old Cat sat up straight. "I got the workstation to simulate the Eagle's atmospheric entry forty-two times, and it capsized every time."
"Why?"
"Because it can't be stabilized at all. Don't forget that we only have half of the Eagle."
Old Cat explained, "It's not complete. Its weight, center of gravity, and aerodynamic characteristics are completely different from the complete Eagle. I tried to throw it down from a height of three hundred kilometers. Guess what happened?"
"What happened?"
"In the first 60 seconds, it landed with its belly facing down. At the 61st second, it began to deviate from its course. At the 65th second, it began to roll, and at the 70th second, it began to roll."
Old Cat held a pen in its paw as it demonstrated to Tang Yue. "Next, the Eagle will begin performing space gymnastics. It's a continuous super circle … It's estimated that its fragments will scatter across a rectangular area of 800 square kilometers."
"This is still the best result," the Old Cat added, "There were a few times when he started somersaulting in the thirtieth second."
"Is there any way to control it?"
Tang Yue knew that the attitude during atmospheric re-entry was key. The Eagle lander wasn't a ball. Its entire body was covered in ablative materials. Other than the nose and belly that directly faced the airflow, its back and tail weren't resistant to high temperatures. Once it lost control during atmospheric re-entry and fell into a roll, the spacecraft would be burned to ashes by the high temperatures.
"I haven't found any solution for the time being. The complete Eagle relies on the engine and wing surfaces to stabilize its attitude. The first ninety percent of the process is done by the engine to adjust its attitude. After the altitude drops below ten thousand meters, the dynamic pressure on the wings is high enough, and the aerodynamic wing surfaces take over," Old Cat said. "There's nothing in the half shell we have."
Tang Yue poured a cup of water and began licking it bit by bit like a bootlicker.
"Can the computer on the Eagle be of any help?"
"I'm modifying the program."
Old Cat said, "After all, Earth has never thought that anyone would use a scrapped lander to re-enter the atmosphere, so Brother Three's programmers didn't design such a process … But only the computer is useless. To control the attitude, we need real 'force,' either aerodynamic or rocket thrust. Old Man Neumann and Lord Niu have to work together to achieve this goal."
"Then can we use the existing materials to build a pair of wings ourselves?"
"You're Iron Man?" Old Cat said. "The Marvel Universe isn't under Lord Niu's control, so you're not under Lord Niu's control?"
"I'm just saying." Tang Yue lowered his head and continued to lick the water.
The complete version of the Eagle had perfect deceleration measures when re-entering the atmosphere. It had an inflatable aerodynamic decelerator and a huge canopy. It also had a Raptor rocket that could decelerate a high speed of more than five kilometers per second to zero.
But these things would all be abandoned after the first landing.
Tang Yue and Old Cat had nothing but a half-brick shell in their hands. There was no decelerator, no parachute, and no engine.
It was obviously unrealistic to build it themselves. People like Tony Stark only existed in movies.
Piecing together an armor that could be worn, flown, and spit fire from a pile of scrap metal in the desert, it was more like magic than technology.
"Can the Orion's engine come in handy?"
"The engine on Orion?" Old Cat frowned. "How do you use that thing?"
"Think of a way. Install the engine on Orion on the lander and use it to decelerate."
"Iron Man again?" Old Cat rolled his eyes. "Do you think building a spaceship is like building blocks?
You're asking Mai Dong to dismantle the engine with a wrench in her hand?
The nozzle is thicker than her. You're an engineer after all. Can't you be more professional? "
"I'm just an electrical engineer, not an aerospace engineer."
Tang Yue was also forced into a corner. He dared to come up with even the most nonsensical idea. He held onto a reed as if it was a life-saving straw. Other people would pin their hopes on God when they were at their wits' end. It was not strange that he pinned his hopes on Orion's engine.
"The problem is that we don't have any other power systems other than the engine on Orion. Even if there's a tiny bit of hope, it's worth a try. If you push a dog into a corner, what's so impossible about dismantling the engine with a wrench?"
"The engine is probably welded shut. How are you going to dismantle it with a wrench?"
Old Cat shook his head and sighed. "If you want to use it, you'll have to use acetylene … What a sin. What kind of world is this? She was a botanist, but she was forced to become a fitter, electrician, loader, plumber, meter, and repairman. Now you want her to dismantle a spaceship. Do you know the difficulty and workload?
Do you know that you're asking her to dismantle a frigate with her bare hands?
Doesn't your conscience hurt when you're squeezing her labor like this? "
Old Cat rambled on as he pulled up the structural diagram of Orion's spaceship.
Nagging aside, Tang Yue's words were not without reason. If they were not in a desperate situation, he would not have come up with such a nonsensical idea. They were surrounded by cliffs, and Orion's engine was the only way out. It could be a way out, but it could also be a dead end. Although they could not see what was ahead, it was worth a try.
If you walked up, you might have a one in ten thousand chance of success.
If you did not walk up, you would definitely fail.
The monitor on the other side finished its calculations. Old Cat glanced at the screen. "Well, the forty-third time also failed. This time, the lander performed well. It lasted for fifty-nine seconds."
"Mr Cat, Tang Yue."
Mai Dong appeared on the communication system fully armed. She pushed up her visor. "I'm ready. I can leave the cabin at any time."
“OK！”
Old Cat turned around. "Miss Mai Dong, take in some oxygen first. I'm activating the arm … Remember, there's no need to complete the inspection in one go. The total area of the Eagle's heat-resistant tiles is quite large. You have one and a half hours of EVA time."
"Understood."
"Be careful, lass." Tang Yue gave her a thumbs up.
Mai Dong was stunned. She pursed her lips into a smile and gave him a thumbs up as well.