Tech Dominator Starts with Raising Kids-Chapter 237: One Small Step, Crisis

"Safe travels."

After separation, the two astronauts remaining on the manned spaceship could only offer their blessings. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The tasks ahead could only be accomplished independently by Zhang Kai.

Through the small porthole of the manned spaceship, Qian Zhubin and Li Haiyan could still see Mars below, fiery red like a blazing flame.

Visibly, the Mars lander was getting smaller, resembling a match burning with fire.

Without communication, Qian Zhubin and Li Haiyan could only pray silently in their hearts.

On the other side, everyone in the central command center held their breath as if breathing there could affect the Mars lander millions of kilometers away.

A dozen seconds later, the Mars lander broke through the black barrier and reestablished a signal with the spaceship.

Judging from the returned data of the lander, the interior remained relatively stable.

Thanks to the fully redesigned gyroscopic design and support from Candy’s balance algorithm, the shaking Zhang Kai felt inside was similar to a car traveling on a cement road.

Unlike the manned spaceship, the lander was not designed with a porthole.

To observe the scene outside, one could only rely on a mere ten-inch screen.

When the lander was still ten kilometers from the ground, the main engine began to work.

Under the strong power,

the descent speed of the Mars lander began to decrease while multiple small engines, regulating the balancing of the Mars vibrator attitude, intermittently spurted flames to keep the lander stable.

A minute later, the Mars lander descended into a massive crater.

According to the data, the vertical height of the crater was an astonishing 600 meters.

As the main engine shut down, half a meter above the ground, the lander deployed its landing gear and settled on the Martian surface under the influence of gravity.

"Firefly, this is the Mars lander, I have successfully landed."

First came a burst of static, then a voice followed after a while.

"This is the Firefly manned spaceship. Monitoring instruments detect good weather in your surrounding area, very suitable for egress. After completing the checks, proceed with the egress and soil sampling tasks."

"Mars lander received."

Zhang Kai, wearing a heavy spacesuit, sat in the piloting seat and checked the Mars lander using the control panel as per the manual.

This was not only about completing the mission but also determined whether he could return to space after all tasks were completed.

Five minutes later, Blue Star received video footage sent back from the Firefly manned spaceship, once again marveling at the power of the balance algorithm.

Over half an hour later, it was already noon on Blue Star.

But at this time, no one was in the mood to eat.

In the crater, Zhang Kai slowly opened the hatch door.

No one knew that dozens of kilometers away from the crater, a gentle breeze swept past, forming a weak, unstable little vortex.

Holding onto the ladder, Zhang Kai cautiously descended step by step.

At the last step, Zhang Kai suddenly paused.

A memory flashed through his mind.

Zhang Kai heard his own breathing as he firmly planted his foot on the red surface.

Then Zhang Kai spoke into the panoramic camera on his arm:

"I have egressed and feel great!"

The camera shifted to focus on the ground.

"That’s one small step for a man, yet one giant leap for mankind."

At this moment, Zhang Kai felt an unprecedented sense of pride.

What follows is something to be written in textbooks and remembered in history.

The first human landing on Mars.

This planet once regarded by ancients as the ominous Firefly Star.

However, because of the soil texture, Zhang Kai’s footprint was not very deep.

Coupled with the Martian storm, this footprint wouldn’t last long.

After completing these tasks, Zhang Kai picked up a specially-made national flag and plunged it forcefully into the soil.

At that moment, a static-filled sound and the intermittent voices of Qian Zhubin and Li Haiyan came through the earbuds of the spacesuit.

"...leave...there’s...wind..."

"Magnetic field...interference..."

"..."

After several repetitions, Zhang Kai finally grasped the gist of the fragmented messages.

Instantly, Zhang Kai’s hair stood on end, and his face turned pale.

A storm!

A massive Martian storm was rapidly forming, and what’s even worse, the eye of the storm wasn’t far from the crater.

Should we evacuate now?

Wouldn’t all these years of efforts and the country’s tremendous sacrifices be in vain?

Clenching his teeth, Zhang Kai swiftly returned to the Mars lander to retrieve the soil sampling equipment.

In the far Martian orbit, Qian Zhubin and Li Haiyan kept urging Zhang Kai to abandon the final task and return immediately.

Uncertain about what was special about the soil in this area, the dust whipped up by the storm had somehow created a subtle magnetic field centered around the eye, disrupting electromagnetic signal transmission.

Watching the computer-generated storm trajectory predictions, Qian Zhubin and Li Haiyan clenched their fists.

They couldn’t imagine how the Mars lander could return in such a fierce storm.

On Mars, Zhang Kai was busy sampling.

Meanwhile, back on Blue Star, a team of scientists at the central control command center debated fiercely about how to safely return the Mars probe and successfully dock with the Firefly manned spaceship.

"What if we initiate the return when the storm’s eye moves over the crater?"

"In the eye of the storm, there’s no impact from the storm at all."

"No, absolutely not."

"Computer-predicted storm paths often have significant errors due to numerous influencing factors."

"Besides, who can ensure that the Mars lander can withstand a storm?"

"Once the Mars probe flips over, our astronauts can never return."

"Without enough food, water, and oxygen, astronauts wouldn’t survive until rescue arrives."

"The risk is too great."

Sitting in the last row, Mo Jingchun hugged Candy, watching as his teacher argued passionately.

As the chief designer, no one understood the Mars lander better than his teacher.

Just then, Chen Xihe approached Mo Jingchun with a serious expression and asked:

"Mo Jingchun, if the Mars lander were to launch at the edge of the storm, could your algorithm maintain the balance of the Mars lander?"

Mo Jingchun paused, then quickly nodded in response:

"Theoretically, there are no issues, but..."

"Now is not the time for hesitations, speak completely at once."

Mo Jingchun didn’t dare to be careless and voiced his concern.

"Teacher, you know that the more complex the environment, the more frequently the algorithm needs to fire the attitude balance engines, and the longer it takes."

"If there’s not enough fuel, even if the Mars lander rises into the atmosphere, it will eventually fall back down under gravity."

"Okay, I understand."

In the next moment, Chen Xihe made the decision, ordering the Mars lander to ignite and launch in seven minutes.

The Mars lander was designed with possible emergencies in mind, with 20% fuel reserve built-in.