"Welcome home, our heroes!"
Since there is no external reference, staying in this completely enclosed bathroom, after scrubbing the body, the air outlet on the outside of the bulkhead will use strong wind to pump out every drop of water in the cylinder, and wait until the humidity in the device drops to normal. Then the cylinder will slow down and stop.
Such a luxurious bathing method is unimaginable for a BFS spacecraft.
"God... this, is this the Chinese space station?"
And, a piece of art…
If you look at it this way, this thing looks like a large centrifuge.
"Don't think too much," Johnson turned the page of the book in his hand, curled his lips as if he heard a not-so-funny joke, and said casually in a calm tone, "Think too much. It will only make you look for trouble. What’s more, it’s just a possibility, not a certainty.”
"...This is Xiaguang, which is entering the orbit of the space station and requesting navigation support."
The experience is like being in jail.
…
The spaceship gradually approached.
Thousands of square meters of solar panels are like outstretched dragon wings, and the rows of heat sinks are like inverted dragon scales. The cylindrical space capsules extending outward from the center line constitute its strong bones and unbreakable steel body.
From the very beginning, this hasty journey to Mars was an unwise decision...
Especially the Chinese are more playful than NASA when it comes to bathing. The entire bathroom is a cylinder about one person tall and two steps wide. It simulates the gravity environment on the earth through the centrifugal acceleration provided by high-speed rotation around a fixed axis.
Of course, this may not be related to the fact that electricity is a free thing for the Chinese. From the moment they set off until they were finally rescued, energy is something that must be used carefully...
"Next time? I don't want to sit there a second time!"
After a brief communication response, the Xiaguang, which completed active deceleration through reverse injection of the wing engine, slowly merged into the orbit of Yuegong.
He was interrupted from the side, and Liu Biao, wearing a spacesuit in the cabin, came over carrying a lunch box.
At the same time, the captain Xu Zhenghong, who was sitting in the cockpit of the Xiaguang with a somewhat tired face, finally had a smile on his face. He stretched out his right fist and touched Liu Biao sitting next to him. Then he pressed his index finger on the side of the helmet and spoke in a clear voice.
"Maybe a month and a half, maybe two months... or more."
Tevi angrily hammered his fists on the heavy door panel.
It's like a fortress.
Because everything in front of him was far more shocking than what he had seen in the concept drawings.
What was originally a silvery white color the size of a grain of rice finally turned into a soaring giant dragon.
During this time, she has been reflecting on her life, her choices, and the Ares plan itself.
At this moment, Taiwei suddenly recalled what the Chinese astronaut said earlier and realized a terrifying detail.
"Copy that, thanks."
The answering voice came from the communication channel.
In the room on the other side, Jones, who was listening to the conversation between the two, sat on the bed with his knees crossed, looking out the porthole in a daze.
Tevye: "If there are microorganisms or bacteria on Mars that are not found on Earth, wouldn't it mean that we..."
For him, who had been squatting in the experimental area of the New Virginia colony for more than a month, which was closed, narrow and had no private space, everything here was simply paradise.
There was only a bed board two shoulders wide in the small room, and there was no other furniture except a table under the bed. He couldn't even leave his room except for bathing and meal times, and mostly slept to pass the time.
Johnson: "What's wrong..."
Seeing that the captain didn't seem to be very interested in talking to him, Taiwei shrugged. He originally wanted to shut up and lie back, but he couldn't help but ask: "Why don't you think those Chinese people let us go out and walk around? Are they still afraid of us—"
"This is the Xiaguang. We have successfully entered orbit. Please dock!"
For Tevye, after a month of getting along, he has basically adapted to life here.
There are clean bedding, plenty of oxygen, and warm and delicious food.
If there was one thing on the entire spaceship that made Tevye a little dissatisfied, it was probably the lack of freedom.
Liu Biao chuckled and said, "I will report your opinions to the ground crew. If there is a chance, you should be able to see a game console next time."
Thinking about it carefully, it seems that this is indeed the case.
The slightly depressing atmosphere makes it impossible to feel comfortable at all. The circular porthole above the bed is dark. Looking at it for a long time can easily cause a symptom similar to deep sea phobia, so that the porthole window He never opened it.
Can't wait more than two seconds.
The space station in the distance is getting closer.
At first, she still couldn't understand why the final result was still like this even though everyone did their best.
Compared with the luxurious hardware facilities and complete entertainment equipment on the Heart of Gold spacecraft, the cabin of the Xiaguang is like being converted from a cargo cabin.
"...This is the Moon Palace, navigating for you."
"Shet! Those beasts in the White House, what do they think we are? Laboratory rats?"
Without drawings, it would be difficult to describe the entire structure and its principles in detail. But to briefly describe the experience, after activating the device, lying in it is like lying in a bathtub in your own bathroom. The water droplets that should be floating around are also "sticky" to the bulkhead. On the ground, flightless things are everywhere.
As time passed, in the deep and dark sky, a silver-white light gradually rose, and together with the morning glow from the skyline, it was reflected on the cold portholes.
Looking at the approaching Moon Palace in the distance, Johnson, who was sitting on the bed board, closed the book in his hand, and his blue pupils gradually dilated.
With the completion of the last stage of orbit change, Xiaguang, which has little remaining working mass, has turned off its electric propulsion system and continues to move toward the Earth-Moon system according to inertia.
"…This is the Moon Palace."
What do you say
The moment he actually saw it, he couldn't even believe it.
Looking at the Chinese astronaut who was about to leave after delivering the meal, Taiwei stretched his neck and shouted behind him, "Hey, man, can you consider putting a game console in the cabin? Not everyone likes it. Pass the time by reading a book!”
"Because we're not sure whether you carry bacteria or viruses from Mars, we can't give you a comprehensive examination here."
Standing behind the isolation door, Tevye put his hands on the edge of the door, looking at Johnson in the opposite room and asked: "How long until we get to the earth?"
Johnson said expressionlessly: "That's how it is to live under someone else's roof... They took us back anyway, so let's just endure it."
Just as the Lunar Orbit Construction Committee is busy preparing to advance the construction site from lunar orbit to the lunar surface, a month has passed since Xiaguang left the Mars orbit and embarked on its return journey.
The day when I fall into the embrace of the earth comes earlier than expected.
Johnson, who was sitting on the bed and flipping through a book, replied casually without raising his head.
After swallowing, he spoke with a trembling tone.
But now she finally understands that the final outcome of Ares' plan may not be an accident.
About the 50th day after the Xiaguang rover started its return from Mars orbit, a gray planet, with the blue behind it, gradually appeared outside the Xiaguang rover's port window.
"Boss..."
After looking at the tightly locked cabin door and the countdown to unlocking the cabin door, Tevi muttered in a voice that could be heard by everyone: "This feels like being in jail."
Ignoring the shouting behind him, Liu Biao disappeared at the door of the cabin.
Putting the lunch box on the dining table next to the door, he said with a smile, "The conditions are quite difficult, so please be patient. After all, this cabin was originally a converted cargo cabin. It is just sailing within the earth-moon system. We originally I never thought about flying so far.”