Die on Mars

Maidong took a break after lunch. Extravehicular work is a very physically demanding job, not to mention that Maidong is just a delicate girl.

She had to maintain sufficient strength and energy.

Lao Mao and Tang Yue started planning.

"I just got in touch with the system of the United Space Station, and the space station sent me the self-test report." Old Mao opened the report on the computer, and Tang Yue moved his chair over, "The torsion actuator of the S1 battery panel failed. The exact cause may be a problem with the light sensor."

The main battery panels and heat dissipation panels on the United Space Station are all installed on trusses. They are not fixed, but rotate with the angle of sunlight to obtain the maximum sunlight illumination, which guides the direction of the actuators of the battery panels. The light sensor is a small gadget mounted on the battery panel.

"The source of the fault is that a control line numbered C1002 has an open circuit. It may be that the wire is broken or detached, but it is not a big problem."

The old cat entered the power system of the Mars United Space Station. The computer self-check had already given the fault location. Tang Yue, as an engineer, could see the cause of the problem at a glance. It was indeed an open circuit. It was very simple to solve it. Just replace the wire.

"Was this part designed by the Germans?" Tang Yue asked.

"No, the contractor of the light sensor is a precision instrument company owned by General Electric." The old cat was startled, "Why do you ask this?"

"If it is a German product, then they will definitely dig a hole on the side and bury spare parts for the next eighty years." Tang Yue shrugged.

If we were to troubleshoot this kind of fault on the ground, it would take less than ten minutes. However, once the simple operation reaches the orbit, it will become quite tricky. Extravehicular activities are still a relatively dangerous operation. Usually, An experienced commander is in charge, and multiple people cooperate and collaborate with each other.

Now that Lao Wang and Lao Tang are gone, Mai Dong must shoulder this task alone.

Then Lao Mao and Tang Yue would have to make logistical preparations for her.

"The S1 battery pack is here." The old cat tapped the structural diagram on the computer screen with his paw. "It is the innermost set of solar panels in this row of solar panels. It is only a straight-line distance away from the core cabin of the Crystal. Thirty-five meters, the super-large arm can be used to send Ms. Maidong to the fault location. This is a routine maintenance work."

"Replacing the circuit requires disassembling the sensor casing. The operation is still a bit complicated. Maidong needs to bring the repair kit." Tang Yue leaned on Lao Mao's shoulder and rubbed his chin, "I have done this job before, but it's not S1. The battery pack is an S4 battery pack. Lao Wang and I went out of the cabin together to replace the aging light sensor. He was responsible for repairing it and I was responsible for delivering the tools... I had to use scissors to cut off the outer layer of skin, and then there were four three-dimensional There are five-point screws inside, and you need to remove three screws to open the case. It will definitely be confusing for one person to operate it.”

"And that damn electric screwdriver on the space station is very difficult to use, especially when wearing gloves, it is very easy to slip." Tang Yue recalled, "Lao Wang put the strap of the screwdriver on his wrist at that time, otherwise the screwdriver would definitely He ran away."

"How long did it take you to replace the sensor?"

"Two and a half hours."

"You make a detailed repair procedure list." Old Cat nodded, "We give priority to repairing the battery panels, and the extravehicular activity time should not exceed four hours, otherwise Miss Maidong's physical strength will not be able to withstand it, and the insulation tiles of the Eagle spacecraft The inspection work will be carried out later.”

Tang Yue pulled out a piece of white paper and began to list the detailed maintenance steps from memory.

Maidong is just a botanist and has no experience in repairing space stations outside the cabin. He must get guidance from Tang Yue and Lao Mao.

Human potential is indeed endless. A little girl like Maidong can now work in the hall or in the kitchen, drive the Orion, repair the space station, and can do any heavy work.

"We divide the entire repair work into three stages, with a maximum of four exits." Tang Yue muttered as he wrote, "The task of the first exit is to assess the situation and cut the skin materials. This process takes about half an hour. The time... comes and goes, including leaving and returning to the cabin, increasing and decreasing pressure, how long does this process take?"

The old cat calculated, "Half an hour."

"Then this stage will take an hour." Tang Yue tapped the paper with the tip of his pen. "After this stage of work is completed, the space station will enter the backside of Mars. Maidong will return to the space station to rest and prepare for the second exit."

"Did you take a break while replacing the sensor?"

"No." Tang Yue shook his head, "Lao Wang is a workaholic. We did it with a flashlight, but Maidong can't do it alone. Shortage of manpower can easily lead to problems."

The old cat nodded and touched his ears.

"After the sun rises, the second exit begins. The task is to dismantle the sensor casing and remove wire C1002. This is a dark red wire located relatively deep. There are two wires B3074 and B3075 on its upper layer. If you want to replace C1002, you must first remove these two wires. This operation is very troublesome and will take a lot of time. You cannot rush to replace the wires at this stage. Remove all three wires and bring them back to the space station."

"I have to bring a repair kit for Ophiopogon japonicus this time... There are a lot of things that need to be used. I have to make a tool list." Tang Yue drew a table on a white paper. "Tools must not be lost and forgotten during operation. How many tools should be taken out?" , as much as you have to bring back.”

"You have to remind her then."

"I will remind her." Tang Yue pointed to the back of his hand, "Do you know how we did it before? We used a small piece of paper to write down all the precautions, and then stuck it on the back of the hand. After completing the task, we Compare one item at a time.”

"Before the sun goes down, Ophiopogon japonicus must return to the space station to prepare for the third mission. This time, Ophiopogon japonicus must bring spare parts, bring the spare wires and B3074, B3075 back to the sensor, install all the wires, and put The cover is closed and all the screws are tightened. At this point, the repair work is completed." Tang Yue continued, "In case she cannot complete the work during the third exit, she will have to leave the cabin for the fourth time... …Of course, if everything goes well, she can successfully complete the mission on her third time out of the cabin, which is the best.”

"Is there an emergency plan?"

"If the problem is found to be far more serious than expected during the first outing to assess the situation and cannot be repaired, then we will abandon the S1 battery pack, all action plans will be abandoned, and Maidong will return to the space station immediately." Tang Yue replied, "There is a lack of S1 battery panels , the joint space station can still operate normally."

Apart from strategic abandonment, they had no other contingency plans.

Tang Yue pushed the blank paper full of writing to Lao Mao.

Old Mao carefully read the form from top to bottom, missing every word.

"OK?"

"OK!"