Die on Mars

"The landing site of the Chelome probe is 95 kilometers southwest of Kunlun Station. Fortunately, it remembers the longitude and latitude of its landing site. The probe consists of two parts, a lander and a rover. I have already contacted The lander has made contact, but the rover is currently out of contact... Chelome is currently in a semi-dormant state, its battery is very low, and it sends me a signal every five minutes."

"OK, thank you for your assistance, Miss Maidong." Old Cat opened the garage door, "Please continue to track and pay attention to the Chelome."

Tang Yue and Lao Mao stood in the garage. In front of them was the tall front of the Mars Stray Dog. The polygonal cab protruded forward and was inlaid with dark glass.

The distance between the Chelome probe and the Kunlun Station is nearly a hundred kilometers away. There is no doubt that it is impossible to walk such a long distance. They can only drive a Mars rover to find the probe.

"The average Martian stray dog ​​can run up to thirty kilometers a day. It charges during the day and drives at night. So it should take three to four days to run 95 kilometers, and it will take six to eight days to go back and forth." Tang Yue leaned against the garage wall. , looking up and down the body of the rover, while calculating the time, "In six to eight days, Mingguang Kai's life support system alone will definitely not be able to carry it, so we have to move the OGS system up. In this case, we will have to transform it." Mars rover…”

Tang Yue thought about it in his mind. It was quite complicated to move the OGS cabinet into the car. After all, it was not an air conditioner. It was not as simple as just moving it to another place... The experimental cabin of the Mars Stray Dogs itself was airtight. It saves a lot of trouble, otherwise how to seal the cabin would be a big problem. He can't wrap the entire car tightly with tape.

"In six to eight days, we have to carry at least ten days' worth of food and fresh water. This weight also needs to be considered. The space in the experimental cabin is limited and it will definitely not fit. We have to pack them and put them on the roof of the car."

"There is also the issue of power supply. We must bring solar panels, and we must bring enough solar panels to meet the needs of stray dogs." Tang Yue leaned on the car door and turned to look at the battery farm in the distance. Neatly arranged panels reflect sunlight.

Normally, when the Mars stray dog ​​is parked in the garage, the battery farm will provide it with energy. The battery is usually fully charged, but if you want to drive this electric car a hundred kilometers away, you need to bring the battery panel with you - - On Mars, solar panels are not an efficient power source. They are capable of supporting scientific research instruments, but they are difficult to use to drive cars, so the charging process is as slow as a tortoise.

There are two battery panels on the roof of the Mars Stray Dog, but those two batteries are not used to power the engine, but to power the experimental cabin.

"The maximum power of the Mars Stray Dog is 30 kilowatts. If all the power-consuming instruments in the experimental cabin are removed and an OGS cabinet is installed, and the heat source can be an RTG, which consumes no power, then the power of a solar panel is 200 kilowatts. Watts, we have to carry a total of..." Tang Yue began to calculate how many batteries he needed to bring.

"No need." Old Mao shook his head and interrupted Tang Yue.

Tang Yue was startled.

"We don't need an OGS system, an RTG, or a modified Mars stray dog." The old cat knocked on the wheels of the Mars rover. These huge wheels are not filled with air, but with a fine metal mesh.

"Without OGS?" Tang Yue turned around, "What about oxygen?"

The old cat looked at him with burning eyes and said word by word: "No need for oxygen."

Tang Yue was shocked. He suddenly realized what the old cat meant... Yes, they don't need to modify the Martian stray dog, they don't need to install an OGS cabinet, and they don't need to carry RTG and supplies, all life support The system doesn't need it, because Tang Yue doesn't need to participate in this operation at all.

The old cat never thought about asking Tang Yue to go with him from the beginning. It would be fine as a cat. It does not need oxygen, heat, or a life support system. It only needs a car and a bunch of batteries. .

This is the simplest way. It is too much work to modify the Mars Stray Dog. Moving the OGS cabinet is too troublesome. The food and fresh water are too heavy and take up space. Moreover, it is hundreds of kilometers away and there is no village or store behind. An accident happened on the road with disastrous consequences.

"Are you going alone?"

The old cat nodded, "I will go alone. I will only drive the Mars Stray Dog, unload all unnecessary things, take away half of the battery, and don't need anything else. This is the fastest, easiest, safest and most secure. You Stay at Kunlun Station and I will try my best to come back within seven days."

"Mr. Cat, go by yourself?" Maidong asked, "Will there be any problems?"

"If even I can have problems, then it will be a dead end for Tang Yue to follow me." Old Mao shook his head.

"But one more person will take care of you." Maidong said.

Old Mao glanced at Tang Yue, "What kind of care is he? He's just a burden."

Lao Mao and Tang Yue started to work, unhooking the hinges, unloading the geological experiment cabin, and replacing the trolley. The trolley is just a bed board with two wheels, no power and no suspension. This is the simplest and lightest Mars stray dog. state - tractor form.

What Old Cat has to do is to tow the Chelome back, so it only needs a tractor.

A stray dog ​​in tractor form can reach top speeds, surpassing a Feige bicycle.

During this period, Tang Yue returned to Kunlun Station to have something to eat. Lao Mao drove the stray dog ​​out of the garage, and then the two began to pack up the solar panels.

"On an average Martian day, the effective charging time is eight to nine hours, no more than ten hours..." Old Mao folded up the solar panel and placed it on Tang Yue's trolley, "I can only charge during the day. , from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and then march at night.”

"How many battery panels do you need to bring?" Tang Yue asked.

"First ensure the normal operation of Kunlun Station, and I will take away all the rest." Old Mao put the battery panels on the cart and folded them. "How much electricity do you use at Kunlun Station?"

"I can turn off most of the functions in the Kunlun Station and only keep the life support system and communication system. The temperature can still be maintained in a short period of time with the RTG." Tang Yue calculated in his heart, "Thirty battery panels are enough ”

"Okay, I'll take the remaining ten solar panels with me." Old Cat nodded, "Ten panels, each with 200 watts, which is 20 kilowatt-hours in ten hours, should be able to run 30 kilometers in one day. Then it will take three days to set off from Kunlun Station and arrive at the landing site of the Chelome...if everything goes well."

Tang Yue and Lao Mao piled ten battery panels onto the cart and tied them tightly with cables.

"You won't fall off in the bumps, right?"

Tang Yue pushed the stacked battery panels hard, and they seemed to be tied tightly.

"Won't."

The old cat found a large piece of plastic sheet and covered the battery panel to prevent wind and sand. He carefully tucked in all the corners. After all, the battery panel is the lifeblood of Kunlun Station.

By the time everything was sorted out, the sun had already set.

Tang Yue walked around the Martian stray dog ​​a few times, checking and thinking at the same time. He was like a traveler before leaving. Even though he had packed his luggage, he couldn't stop checking it again and again for fear of leaving something behind.

"Can you come back within seven days?"

"I'll try my best." Old Mao patted Tang Yue on the shoulder and asked him to squat down, "Don't be a monster when you stay in Kunlun Station. Don't eat or drink randomly. Don't mess with electrical appliances. Don't dismantle OGS and RTG. , don’t cultivate to achieve righteousness, be sure to pay attention to safety.”

Tang Yue nodded.

"Wait until I come back." The old cat touched Tang Yue's mask with his forehead, "Good Luck."

The old cat turned around and climbed into the cab of the Martian Stray Dog and started the car. The Stray Dog started slowly with vibrations, the front of the car twisted, dragging the cart and battery panels towards the boundless desert.

Tang Yue stood in front of the garage door and watched the old cat go away. The tractor bounced and bumped on the Gobi Desert until its back became smaller and smaller, and finally disappeared into the red sunset.