Today was the fifth day that Tang Yue had been trapped on Mars.
He didn't have the time to care if Earth appeared or not. According to the plan, the Eagle would be launched in the next twelve hours. Tomcat got him to get some rest. After all, Tang Yue had been working for more than ten hours. However, the fellow came out after half an hour in the accommodation module.
Old Cat was adjusting the computer in Kunlun Station. There was a long charging cable behind him. "Aren't you going back to rest?"
"I've rested enough."
"Aren't you afraid of dying suddenly?"
"I'll die suddenly after the Eagle's successful launch." Tang Yue was wearing a pair of pants and a thermal blanket. "Then I'll die a worthy death."
It was now 4: 55 in the morning, August 16, 2052 on the Earth calendar.
The wind speed outside was 39 meters per second.
Tang Yue stood by the porthole, opened the cover, narrowed his eyes, and glanced outside. He frowned. The sandstorm was raging, and the night was dark and windy.
After a night, the wind speed increased from 35 meters per second to 39 meters per second. As expected, the weather was unpredictable and could change at any time.
The sandstorm was the first hurdle the Eagle had to overcome. If the wind speed didn't drop, then the lander couldn't safely launch. The orbiting, rendezvous, and docking would be even more impossible.
"If you don't want to sleep, then come over and help me." Old Cat left his seat and pointed at the chair in front of the workbench. "Sit here."
Tang Yue was standing by the side with a cup of water in hand. He was munching on bread when he was taken aback.
"How can I help?"
Tang Yue walked over and placed the glass of water on the table. With bread in his mouth, he sat down on the chair.
"The system computer is doing a self-check and testing. Help me keep an eye on it. If there are any problems, inform me immediately. Then, keep an eye on the wind speed …" Old Cat turned around and took the IVA suit from the wall. He pulled the zipper and got in.
Old Cat suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.
"Tang Yue, can you help me take a look? Why can't I zip up my spacesuit?"
Tang Yue turned his head to take a look.
"Because you didn't unplug your charging cable."
Old Cat: "…"
It was so engrossed in charging.
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Tang Yue bent over to help Old Cat unplug the charging cable, zipped it up, and put on the helmet. "Are you going out?
What for? "
"Go to the Eagle. Do the last routine check before the launch."
Old Cat buckled his helmet and confirmed that there was no problem with the airtightness. He then fastened the safety rope to his spacesuit. "I need to turn on all the systems of the lander so that it can be launched at any time."
Tang Yue nodded. "When will you be back?"
"An hour and a half at most."
"If you don't come back in an hour and a half, then I'll retract the safety rope," Tang Yue said. "Be careful."
Old Cat nodded and dragged the safety rope to open the hatch of the airlock. Tang Yue returned to the workbench. The computer screen flashed with green numbers and graphics. Several sine waves of different colors moved slowly on a graph, and the densely packed parameters changed with it. Tang Yue didn't know what software was running or what it was doing. In any case, he couldn't understand it. To protect his eyes, he chose to turn his head to look at the wind speed indicator.
The number on the LCD screen was 38.89m/s.
38.89m/s.
Old Cat drew a launch safety line of 30 meters.
9 meters.
As long as the wind speed dropped another 9 meters, they would be able to launch the Eagle.
A decrease in the wind speed was the prerequisite for all operations. This was a condition that human strength couldn't affect. It could only depend on whether the heavens would do him the favor … Tang Yue sat in his chair and stared at the results of the wind speed indicator for a long time. Time passed by, and the numbers on the wind speed indicator would occasionally jump. Tang Yue's heart would also race.
He was feeling uneasy and nervous. Every tiny change in the number was enough to tug at Tang Yue's nerves. Even a change of two decimal places or a decrease in the wind speed of 0.01 m/s was enough to give Tang Yue a pleasant surprise.
Come down!
Come down!
Tang Yue clenched his fists and prayed in his heart. Please come down quickly!
If you come down, I'll erect a monument for you!
I'll worship you!
He knew that his prayers couldn't affect the climate on Mars, but when people were at their wits' end, they would always place their hopes on metaphysics.
38.24m/s.
Come down again!
Come on, come down a little more!
Tang Yue roared silently in his heart. His mouth was dry, and he held a cup of water in his hand, but he forgot to drink it.
38.17m/s.
Just a little more!
Just a little more!
Come down a little more and you'll be able to break through the 38m mark!
Tang Yue clenched his fists fiercely with a ferocious look on his face. It was unknown if he was encouraging the wind speed or the wind speed.
38.02m/s.
Come down!
Come down!
Come down, come down, come down!
Tang Yue almost shouted out loud. He saw hope. The Eagle could be launched!
Mai Dong could still be saved!
The wind speed was gradually decreasing!
Even if the decrease was very small, it was still decreasing. As long as the wind speed was decreasing, there was still hope. According to this trend, the wind speed would definitely drop below 30 meters per second!
He could no longer sit still. He got up and held onto the table as he stared at the scarlet numbers on the wind speed display.
You can do it!
You can do it!
Come down a little more!
Tang Yue clenched his fists and roared. You can do it!
He felt like he was watching a snail race. Even if the snail was slow, as long as it kept running, it would definitely reach the finish line.
38.01m/s.
38.00m/s.
Done!
Done!
Tang Yue was excited. The wind speed was about to break through the 38m mark!
The numbers jumped again.
41.25m/s.
Come down … Tang Yue was stunned. He could no longer shout as all the energy in his body was instantly sapped. Tang Yue slumped into his chair weakly, his heart empty. The wind speed instantly rose back up again. From the looks of it, the slight decrease from before wasn't a sign of the wind speed decreasing, but a normal fluctuation of the wind speed. It went from 39m/s to 38m/s and then rose to 41m/s. It was only moving up and down within this speed range, with no signs of slowing down.
Following that, something even more terrifying happened. The wind speed display began to change continuously.
42.33m/s.
42.74m/s.
42.89m/s.
43.12m/s.
43.58m/s.
The wind speed continued to rise at an extremely fast speed. It was unstoppable. It was so fast that Tang Yue couldn't even react. A series of heavy blows shattered the last bit of hope in Tang Yue's heart. Tang Yue's brain was in a daze. He even wanted to crawl into the wind speed display and use all his strength to climb up this damned number. He wanted to use all his strength to suppress the rising speed.
The wind speed finally stopped at a despairing 44.28m/s.
44.28。
It's over.
Tang Yue sat in his chair. He wanted to say something, but his throat was so dry that he couldn't make any sound.