Two months later.

65 days later to be precise.

The fourth planet in the solar system, Mars.

The three landing modules are flying slowly in the synchronous orbit of Mars.

"Call Houston, this is Pathfinder 1, we have successfully entered orbit, please answer when you receive it!"

Radio waves were sent out from the front landing module and flew towards the blue earth across 82 million kilometers!

(I couldn’t find the data after searching for a long time. I ignored the relative movement of Mars and the Earth in the past two months...)

…

Earth, Ground Command Center in Houston, USA.

Chris was wearing a white coat and stood on the podium with an anxious expression, his eyes fixed on the big screen in front of him.

"No news from Pathfinder 1 yet?"

Chris asked in a deep voice.

The researcher on the side shook his head and quickly replied: "Not yet!"

"Damn..." The corners of Chris' eyes twitched slightly, and a bad thought flashed through his mind.

Nothing will happen, right?

According to original calculations, Pathfinder 1 should have successfully entered Mars synchronous orbit as early as five minutes ago!

The 82 million-kilometer-long manned space flight is the first of its kind in the entire history of mankind.

Not to mention anything else, the communication delay of several minutes is enough to make people drink a pot!

The distance of 82 million kilometers means that the electromagnetic wave signal takes 546.6 seconds to make a round trip.

In other words, it takes more than 9 minutes for a message to be transmitted from Pathfinder 1 to Earth, and then from Earth to Pathfinder 1, regardless of the response time in between!

What does 9 minutes mean?

To put it simply, if an emergency occurs during the landing process, by the time the ground command center responds, the ashes of the three astronauts will probably be scattered evenly on Mars!

"Professor, will something happen to Pathfinder?"

Moulton's anxious questioning voice came from the side.

The corners of Professor Chris' eyes twitched again, and the anxiety in his heart increased again.

But facing NASA Director, he still suppressed his anxiety and slowly shook his head and said: "Director Moulton, please be patient."

"The distance between the Earth and Mars is too far, so it is normal for some calculation errors to occur."

Moulton sighed deeply and said with a wry smile: "Professor, if the Pathfinder plan fails this time, I guess Mr. Albert will not let me go."

"Who isn't?" Chris shrugged lightly and said helplessly.

What a joke, the United States has spent an unknown amount of money on the Pathfinder project. If it fails... let alone them, Abbott will probably be forced to step down to vent public anger.

Just as the two of them looked at each other and sighed, Andrew's voice came over the radio.

"Call Houston..."

Professor Chris was stunned for a moment, and then a joy burst out in his eyes!

"Nice!"

There was a burst of cheers and applause!

Moulton on the side also breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this scene.

It seems that he can still hold the position of NASA director for two more days.

He stretched out his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, then made a sign of the cross on his chest and closed his hands with a pious expression.

It seems that God is still caring for Millican!

"Ahem! Everyone, calm down." Professor Chris picked up the microphone and said softly with a smile on his lips, "The main event is next, cheer up!"

Chris' words made all the researchers calm down.

You are right, successfully reaching Mars orbit can only be said to have completed 20% of the entire plan.

Next, they will face an even greater danger - landing on Mars!

Chris turned on the radio communication switch and said calmly: "Houston received it!"

"Everything is going according to plan, and the landing procedure will be started after arriving at the predetermined location!"

Because the communication delay is too long, Pathfinder 1 has a very high degree of autonomy. It can be said that, except for some necessary situations, most events can be decided independently.

All of this also tests the astronauts' adaptability.

Therefore, Andrew became the captain of the Pathfinder program based on his excellent performance in training.

…

In a geostationary orbit 17,000km above the surface of Mars, three landing modules fly slowly at a speed of 3.55km/s. (Mars orbiting speed)

Andrew quietly looked out the window at the vast red planet, with a trace of worry deep in his eyes.

"It's been 10 minutes, why hasn't NASA responded yet?"

Bruno's voice suddenly sounded, breaking the original silence in the landing cabin.

The worry in Andrew's eyes became more intense.

After pondering for a moment, he said softly: "Wait a little longer, maybe there is a delay on the Houston side..."

Although he said this, Andrew involuntarily reached out and grabbed the microphone, preparing to call Houston again.

"Tsk...tsk..."

Suddenly there was a noisy sound of electricity on the radio.

"Houston received...sniff...according to plan..."

Because of the distance, Professor Chris's voice seemed particularly blurry.

But this did not prevent the three astronauts from understanding the content inside.

"Okay, everyone, cheer up!" Andrew took the lead in putting on the helmet of the space suit and sat back in his chair.

"There are still 20 minutes until the scheduled location, prepare to release the satellite!"

After fastening his seat belt, he gently turned the button on the console in front of him.

A signal was sent to the Pathfinder 3 landing module, which was following behind.

A few seconds later, a satellite mounted on the periphery of the landing module was released.

This satellite, which combines communication and remote sensing functions, will be the bridge for them to communicate with the earth in the future.

"Satellite released successfully!"

"The propulsion system started successfully!"

"Satellite working signal received!"

Joey's report came from the side.

Looking at the deceleration point getting closer and closer on the screen, Andrew swallowed slightly and his expression became more serious.

"Bruno, how are Pathfinder 2 and 3 doing?"

A few seconds later.

"Good condition, ready to slow down!"

Andrew nodded, looked at the preset deceleration point getting closer, and said in a deep voice: "Get ready to start the landing procedure!"

A trembling feeling came from the soles of the feet, and the three Pathfinder landing modules began to adjust their postures, aiming the propeller nozzles at the bottom in the forward direction.

As a blue tail flame spurted out, the landing module began the deceleration process!

The expressions on the faces of the three astronauts became more and more solemn.

Three hours later, they will face the most dangerous time of landing on Mars.
Chapter completed!