When Tang Yue came up with the results of his calculations, he was very excited, thinking that he had grasped the handle of fate. Old Cat had once said that the Joint Space Station's fate was already decided, but they could not see it. But now, Tang Yue could see it. He had calculated a very rough result, and this result contained hope.
As long as there was hope, he could work hard to turn it into reality.
"Tang Yue, you and Mr. Cat are each crazier than the other."
Mai Dong said, "Previously, using Orion as a lander was already very daring. Now, you want to pilot the cargo spaceship as a fighter jet."
What she meant was that the two of them were too reckless.
Orion and the Joint Space Station were gone just like that.
"If we lose control, it will be a situation of no return …" Mai Dong voiced her concern.
"We are already doomed. Now, it's time to live and earn."
Tang Yue waved his hand. To be honest, compared to the Tianzhou cargo spaceship, he cared more about Mai Dong's life. If the latter couldn't land safely, then so be it if Tianzhou exploded. After all, he didn't like lobsters.
According to Mai Dong's estimation of the orbital height, the Joint Space Station's altitude was continuing to fall, and the rate of fall was getting faster and faster. The simulation result of the workstation was that it would fall to the range of 100 to 110 kilometers on the seventh day, below 100 kilometers on the eighth day, above 90 kilometers on the ninth day, and below 80 kilometers on the tenth day.
This rate of fall was slower than Old Cat's prediction. This was because the northern hemisphere had already entered spring, and the position of Mars in its orbit had changed. The atmospheric activity in the lower layers was gradually increasing, and the temperature in the upper layers was dropping. The edges of the atmosphere were thinner than before, causing less resistance to the space station.
However, atmospheric activity was almost completely random, and no one could accurately predict it.
On the tenth day, Tianzhou 37 cargo spaceship would arrive, and then dock with the space station at an altitude of about 80 kilometers.
Unfortunately, the distance estimated by the eye skipping method was not very accurate. In such a difficult operation like docking, the slightest error would cause the entire plate to break. But now, the data in Tang Yue's hands might have a huge error of several kilometers, so the calculation needed to be more accurate.
"Hmm — This is my limit. Any further will require more complicated mathematical models … That's beyond my capabilities …" Tang Yue held a pen in his hand as he stared at the calculations on the paper for a long while. Then, he scratched his head. When he encountered a truly tough nut to crack, his true nature as an academic slacker was exposed.
He repeatedly checked his calculations to make sure that there were no mistakes.
"I can try to be a little more precise. I should be able to do it by one decimal point. Back then, I scored 138 in mathematics and 96 in physics in the college entrance examination. My foundation was quite solid." Tang Yue raised his pen again and frowned. "The next part should be … the next part …"
"I'll leave the rest to Old Cat."
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Old Cat returned after checking the landing site.
Tang Yue handed the draft paper in his hand to it.
Old Cat took the draft paper, raised his eyebrows, and narrowed his eyes. "This is the result of you working on the table for the past two days?
So busy that you didn't even eat properly … The predicted orbit of the Joint Space Station … "
Old Cat suddenly sneered.
"Tang Yue, you're just an electrical engineer."
"So what if I'm an electrical engineer?" Tang Yue was very dissatisfied with Old Cat's tone. "Can't an electrical engineer calculate this?"
"Yes, yes, yes, of course you can. There are no restrictions. Not only can you calculate this, you can also calculate the lifespan of the black hole in the center of the Milky Way … Let me see, let me see."
Old Cat put on his headphones, pulled over a chair, sat down, crossed his legs, and began to examine Tang Yue's calculations. "Let me see …"
Tang Yue was a little nervous. It was as if he had just handed in his homework and the teacher was marking it.
He believed that his calculations were not wrong, but Old Cat's acknowledgment would really make his results final and become an effective basis.
"How is it?"
Old Cat was silent for a long time. It flipped the draft paper in its hand over and over again. Finally, it rolled its eyes and looked at Tang Yue. At this moment, it really looked like an old teacher marking homework.
"According to your calculations, by the tenth day, the Joint Space Station has fallen to an altitude of eighty kilometers."
Old Cat said in a questioning tone, "You let Tianzhou approach at this time, do you know what this means?"
"I know."
"You know sh * t."
Old Cat rolled its eyes. "Think about it. You let a fighter jet flying at supersonic speed open its cockpit during flight and let the pilot climb into another plane just a few feet away. Do you think this is Mission Impossible?
The person trapped in the space station is the action veteran Brother Tang Yue?
"Tianzhou is a big steamed bun without any aerodynamic control surfaces. How are you going to accurately control it to dock with the space station in the atmosphere?
"The Joint Space Station is such an irregular thing. How are you going to control its attitude?
What if its posture is too strange?
"If these two things collide, do you know what the consequences will be?"
Old Cat's questions were very sharp. It threw them out one after another, leaving Tang Yue speechless. It was very merciless.
"Your idea is too anti-human and anti-social. The probability of failure is 99%." Old Cat finally slapped the paper and commented.
Calculating was one thing, but actually implementing it was another.
"My … Mine won't work. You have to come up with a feasible plan." Tang Yue was anxious. "What problem can be solved by nitpicking?"
"This is my plan." Old Cat returned the draft paper to its owner.
Tang Yue was stunned.
"Your plan is actually the same as mine. I originally planned to tell you the detailed steps tomorrow, but since you have already calculated it yourself, then I don't need to wait until tomorrow."
Old Cat's serious face suddenly relaxed. "It's just that your calculation results are too rough. This result can't be used as a guide for the action plan. We still need more and more accurate data to perfect it."
"So this is feasible?" Tang Yue asked. "You just said that the probability of failure is 99% …"
"This isn't a question of feasibility or not."
Old Cat shrugged. "If there are conditions, we will do it. If there aren't, we will create the conditions to do it. Since the design allows it, then we will squeeze the limits of Tianzhou's performance … Although it doesn't have the blessing of the Grand Patriarch, the spirits of the chief engineers in heaven will bless us."
"We can set up the positions of three engineers. The chief engineer will bless the normal operation of the spaceship and complete the instructions. The chief designer will bless the perfect aerodynamic control of the spaceship without any mistakes. The chief engineer will bless the spaceship's body to be strong enough and flawless," Old Cat continued. "This is your strength, Tang Yue."
"Can you do the docking operation?"
"I can't." Old Cat was very straightforward.