Then I yanked the driver’s seat and control panel out of the trailer. The linkup with the rover is physical. The trailer doesn’t do anything but get dragged along and fed air. It doesn’t need controls or brains. However, I did salvage its computer. It’s small and light, so I’ll bring it with me. If something goes wrong with the rover’s computer en route, I’ll have a spare.
The trailer had tons more space now. It was time for experimentation.
The Hab has twelve 9-kilowatt-hour batteries. They’re bulky and awkward. Over two meters tall, a half meter wide, and three-quarters of a meter thick. Making them bigger makes them take less mass per kilowatt hour of storage. Yeah, it’s counterintuitive. But once NASA figured out they could increase volume to decrease mass, they were all over it. Mass is the expensive part about sending things to Mars.
I detached two of them. As long as I return them before the end of the day, things should be fine. The Hab mostly uses the batteries at night.
With both of the trailer’s airlock doors open I was able to get the first battery in. After playing real-life Tetris for a while I found a way to get the first battery out of the way enough to let the second battery in. Together, they eat up the whole front half of the trailer. If I hadn’t cleared the useless shit out earlier today, I’d never have gotten them both in.
The trailer’s battery is in the undercarriage, but the main power line runs through the pressure vessel, so I was able to wire the Hab batteries directly in (no small feat in the damn EVA suit).
A system check from the rover showed I had done the wiring correctly.
This may all seem minor, but it’s awesome. It means I can have twenty-nine solar cells and 36 kilowatt-hours of storage. I’ll be able to do my 100 kilometers per day after all.
Four days out of five, anyway.
According to my calendar, the Hermes resupply probe is being launched from China in two days (if there were no delays). If that screws up, the whole crew will be in deep shit. I’m more nervous about that than anything else.
I’ve been in mortal danger for months; I’m kind of used to it now. But I’m nervous again. Dying would suck, but my crewmates dying would be way worse. And I won’t find out how the launch went till I get to Schiaparelli.
Good luck, guys.
CHAPTER 19
“HEY, MELISSA…,” said Robert. “Am I getting through? Can you see me?”
“Loud and clear, babe,” said Commander Lewis. “The video link is solid.”
“They say I have five minutes,” Robert said.
“Better than nothing,” Lewis said. Floating in her quarters, she gently touched the bulkhead to stop drifting. “It’s nice to see you in real-time for a change.”
“Yeah.” Robert smiled. “I can hardly notice the delay. I gotta say, I wish you were coming home.”
Lewis sighed. “Me, too, babe.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Robert quickly added. “I understand why you’re doing all this. Still, from a selfish point of view, I miss my wife. Hey, are you floating?”
“Huh?” Lewis said. “Oh, yeah. The ship isn’t spinning right now. No centripetal gravity.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re docking with the Taiyang Shen in a few days. We can’t spin while we dock with things.”
“I see,” said Robert. “So how are things up on the ship? Anyone giving you shit?”
“No.” Lewis shook her head. “They’re a good crew; I’m lucky to have them.”
“Oh hey!” Robert said. “I found a great addition to our collection!”
“Oh? What’d you get?”
“An original-production eight-track of Abba’s Greatest Hits. Still in the original packaging.”
Lewis widened her eyes. “Seriously? A 1976 or one of the reprints?”
“1976 all the way.”
“Wow! Good find!”
“I know, right!?”
WITH A final shudder, the jetliner came to a stop at the gate.
“Oh gods,” said Venkat, massaging his neck. “That was the longest flight I’ve ever been on.”
“Mm,” said Teddy, rubbing his eyes.
“At least we don’t have to go to Jiuquan till tomorrow,” Venkat moaned. “Fourteen and a half hours of flying is enough for one day.”
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Teddy said. “We still have to go through customs, and we’ll probably have to fill out a bunch of forms because we’re U.S. government officials…. It’s gonna be hours before we sleep.”
“Craaaap.”
Gathering their carry-on luggage, they trudged off the plane with the rest of the weary travelers.
Beijing Capital International Airport’s Terminal 3 echoed with the cacophony common to huge air terminals. Venkat and Teddy moved toward the long immigration line as the Chinese citizens from their flight split off to go to a simpler point-of-entry process.
As Venkat took his place in line, Teddy filed in behind him and scanned the terminal for a convenience store. Any form of caffeine would be welcome.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” came a voice from beside them.
They turned to see a young Chinese man wearing jeans and a polo shirt. “My name is Su Bin Bao,” he said in perfect English. “I am an employee of the China National Space Administration. I will be your guide and translator during your stay in the People’s Republic of China.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Su,” Teddy said. “I’m Teddy Sanders, and this is Dr. Venkat Kapoor.”
“We need sleep,” Venkat said immediately. “Just as soon as we get through customs, please get us to our hotel.”
“I can do better than that, Dr. Kapoor.” Su smiled. “You are official guests of the People’s Republic of China. You have been preauthorized to bypass customs. I can take you to your hotel immediately.”
“I love you,” Venkat said.
“Tell the People’s Republic of China we said thanks,” Teddy added.
“I’ll pass that along.” Su Bin smiled.
“HELENA, MY LOVE,” Vogel said to his wife. “I trust you are well?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m fine. But I do miss you.”
“Sorry.”
“Can’t be helped.” She shrugged.
“How are our monkeys?”
“The children are fine.” She smiled. “Eliza has a crush on a new boy in her class, and Victor has been named goalkeeper for his high school’s team.”
“Excellent!” Vogel said. “I hear you are at Mission Control. Was NASA unable to pipe the signal to Bremen?”
“They could have,” she said. “But it was easier for them to bring me to Houston. A free vacation to the United States. Who am I to turn that down?”
“Well played. And how is my mother?”
“As well as can be expected,” Helena said. “She has her good days and bad days. She did not recognize me on my last visit. In a way, it’s a blessing. She doesn’t have to worry about you like I do.”
“She hasn’t worsened?” he asked.
“No, she’s about the same as when you left. The doctors are sure she’ll still be here when you return.”
“Good,” he said. “I was worried I’d seen her for the last time.”
“Alex,” Helena said, “will you be safe?”
“As safe as we can be,” he said. “The ship is in perfect condition, and after receiving the Taiyang Shen, we will have all the supplies we need for the remainder of the journey.”