Chapter1
LOGENTRY:SOL6
I’mprettymuchscrewed.
That’smyconsideredopinion.
Screwed.
Sixdaysintowhatshouldbeagreatesttwomonthsofmylife,and
it’sturnedintoanightmare.
Idon’tevenknowwho’llreadthis.Iguesssomeonewillfindit
eventually.Maybeahundredyearsfromnow.
Fortherecord…Ididn’tdieonSol6.Certainlytherestofthecrew
thoughtIdid,andIcan’tblamethem.Maybethere’llbeadayofnational
mourningforme,andmyWikipediapagewillsay“MarkWatneyisthe
onlyhumanbeingtohavediedonMars.”
Andit’llberight,probably.CauseI’llsurelydiehere.JustnotonSol
6wheneveryonethinksIdid.
Let’ssee…wheredoIbegin?
TheAresprogram.MankindreachingouttoMarstosendpeopleto
anotherplanetfortheveryfirsttimeandexpandthehorizonsof
humanityblah,blah,blah.TheAres1crewdidtheirthingandcameback
heroes.Theygottheparadesandfameandloveoftheworld.
Ares2didthesamething,inadifferentlocationonMars.Theygota
firmhandshakeandahotcupofcoffeewhentheygothome.
Ares3.Well.Thatwasmymission.Well,notmineperse.
CommanderLewiswasincharge.Iwasjustoneofhercrew.Actually,I
wastheverylowestrankedmemberofthecrew.Iwouldonlybe“in
command”ofthemissionifIweretheonlyremainingperson.
Whatdoyouknow?I’mincommand.
Iwonderifthislogwillberecoveredbeforetherestofthecrewdieof
oldage?IpresumetheygotbacktoEarthallright.Well,guys,ifyou’re
readingthis:Itwasn’tyourfault.Youdidwhatyouhadtodo.Inyour
positionIwouldhavedonethesamething.Idon’tblameyou,andI’m
gladyousurvived.
IguessIshouldexplainhowMarsmissionswork,foranylayman
whomaybereadingthis.Wegottoearthorbitthenormalway,through
anordinaryshiptoHermes.AlltheAresmissionsuseHermestogetto
andfromMars.It’sreallybigandcostalotsoNASAonlybuiltone.
OncewegottoHermes,fouradditionalunmannedmissionsbrought
usfuelandsupplieswhilewepreparedforourtrip.Onceeverythingwas
ago,wesetoutforMars.Butnotveryfast.Gonearethedaysofheavy
chemicalfuelburnsandtrans-Marsinjectionorbits.
Hermesispoweredbyionengines.TheythrowArgonoutthebackof
theshipreallyfasttogetatinyamountofacceleration.Thethingis,it
doesn'ttakemuchreactantmass,soalittleArgon(andanuclearreactor
topowerthings)letusaccelerateconstantlythewholewaythere.You'd
beamazedathowfastyoucangetgoingwithatinyaccelerationovera
longtime.
Icouldregaleyouwithtalesofhowwehadgreatfunonthetrip,butI
won’t.Wedidhavefun,butIdon’tfeellikerelivingitrightnow.Suffice
ittosaywegottoMars124dayslaterwithoutstranglingeachother.
Fromthere,wetooktheMDV(MarsDescentVehicle)tothesurface.
TheMDVisbasicallyabigcanwithsomelightthrustersandparachutes
attached.ItssolepurposeistogetsixhumansfromMarsorbittothe
surfacewithoutkillinganyofthem.
AndnowwecometotherealtrickofMarsexploration:Havingall
ourshitthereinadvance.
Atotalof14unmannedmissionsdepositedeverythingwewouldneed
forsurfaceoperations.Theytriedtheirbesttolandallthesupplyvessels
inthesamegeneralarea,anddidareasonablygoodjob.Suppliesaren’t
nearlysofragileashumansandcanhitthegroundreallyhard.Butthey
tendedtobouncearoundalot.
Naturally,theydidn’tsendustoMarsuntilthey’dconfirmedallthe
supplieshadmadeittothesurfaceandtheircontainersweren’tbreached.
Starttofinish,includingsupplymissions,aMarsmissiontakesabout3
years.Infact,therewereAres3suppliesenroutetoMarswhiletheAres
2crewwereontheirwayhome.
Themostimportantpieceoftheadvancesupplies,ofcourse,wasthe
MAV.The“MarsAscentVehicle.”Thatwashowwewouldgetbackto
Hermesaftersurfaceoperationswerecomplete.TheMAVwassoftlanded(asopposedtotheballoonbounce-festtheothersupplieshad).Of
course,itwasinconstantcommunicationwithHouston,andiftherewere
anyproblemswithit,wewouldpassbyMarsandgobacktoEarth
withouteverlanding.
TheMAVisprettycool.Turnsout,throughaneatsetofchemical
reactionswiththeMartianatmosphere,foreverykilogramofhydrogen
youbringtoMars,youcanmake13kilogramsoffuel.It’saslow
process,though.Ittakes24monthstofillthetank.That’swhytheysent
itlongbeforewegothere.
YoucanimaginehowdisappointedIwaswhenIdiscoveredtheMAV
wasgone.
Itwasaridiculoussequenceofeventsthatledtomealmostdying.
Thenanevenmoreridiculoussequencethatledtomesurviving.
Themissionisdesignedtohandlesandstormgustsupto150km/hr.
SoHoustongotunderstandablynervouswhenwegotwhackedwith175
km/hrwinds.Weallgotinoursuitsandhuddledinthemiddleofthe
Hab,justincaseitlostpressure.ButtheHabwasn’ttheproblem.
TheMAVisaspaceship.Ithasalotofdelicateparts.Itcanputup
withstormstoacertainextentbutitcan’tjustgetsandblastedforever.
Afteranhourandahalfofsustainedwind,NASAgavetheordertoabort.
Nobodywantedtostopamonth-longmissionafteronlysixdaysbutif
theMAVtookanymorepunishmentwe’dallgetstrandeddownhere.
WehadtogooutinthestormtogetfromtheHabtotheMAV.That
wasgoingtoberisky,butwhatchoicedidwehave?
Everyonemadeitbutme.
Ourmaincommunicationsdish,whichrelayedsignalsfromtheHab
toHermes,actedlikeaparachute,gettingtornfromitsfoundationand
carriedwiththetorrent.Alongtheway,itcrashedthroughthereception
antennaarray.Thenoneofthoselongthinantennaeslammedintome
endfirst.IttorethroughmysuitlikeabulletthroughbutterandIfeltthe
worstpainofmylifeasitrippedopenmyside.Ivaguelyremember
suddenlyhavingthewindknockedoutofme(pulledoutofme,really)
andmyearspoppingpainfullyasthepressureofmysuitescaped.
ThelastthingIrememberwasseeingJohanssenhopelesslyreaching
outtowardme.
Iawoketotheoxygenalarminmysuit.Asteady,obnoxiousbeeping
thateventuallyrousedmefromadeepandprofounddesiretojust.... die.
Thestormhadabated;Iwasfacedown,almosttotallyburiedinsand.
AsIgroggilycameto,IwonderedwhyIwasn’tmoredead.
Theantennahadenoughforcetopunchthroughthesuitandmyside,
butthenitgotstoppedbymypelvis.Sotherewasonlyoneholeinthe
suit(andaholeinme,ofcourse).
Ihadbeenknockedbackquiteawaysandrolleddownasteephill.
SomehowIlandedfacedown,whichforcedtheantennatoastrongly
obliqueanglethatputalotoftorqueontheholeinthesuit.Itmadea
weakseal.
Then,thecopiousbloodfrommywoundtrickleddowntowardthe
hole.Asthebloodreachedthesiteofthebreach,thewaterinitquickly
evaporatedfromtheairflowandlowpressure,leavingonlyagunky
residuebehind.Morebloodcameinbehinditandwasalsoreducedto
gunk.Eventually,thebloodsealedthegapsaroundtheholeandreduced
theleaktosomethingthesuitcouldcounteract.
Thesuitdiditsjobadmirably.Seeingthedropinpressure,it
constantlyfloodeditselfwithairfrommynitrogentanktoequalize.Once
theleakbecamemanageable,itonlyhadtotricklenewairinslowlythe
relievetheairlost.
Afterawhile,theCO2(carbondioxide)absorbersinthesuitwere
expended.That’sreallythelimitingfactortolifesupport.Notthe
amountofoxygenyoubringwithyou,buttheamountofCO2youcan
remove.IntheHab,wehadtheOxygenator,alargepieceofequipment
thatcouldbreakCO2apartandgivetheoxygenback.Butthespacesuits
hadtobeportable,sotheyusedasimplechemicalabsorptionprocess
withexpendablefilters.I’dbeenasleeplongenoughthatmyfilterswere
useless.
Thesuitsawthisproblemandmovedintoanemergencymodethe
engineerscall“bloodletting”.HavingnowaytoseparateouttheCO2,the
suitdeliberatelyventedairtotheMartianatmosphere,thenback-filled
withnitrogen.Betweenthebreachandthebloodletting,itquicklyranout
ofnitrogen.Allithadleftwasmyoxygentank.
Soitdidtheonlythingitcouldtokeepmealive.Itstartedbackfillingwithpureoxygen.Inowriskeddyingfromoxygentoxicity,asthe
excessivelyhighamountofoxygenthreatenedtoburnupmynervous
system,lungs,andeyes.Anironicdeathforsomeonewithaleakyspace
suit:toomuchoxygen.
Everystepofthewaywouldhavehadbeepingalarms,alerts,and
warnings.Butitwasthehigh-oxygenwarningthatwokeme.
Thesheervolumeoftrainingforaspacemissionisastounding.I
spentaweekbackonEarthpracticingemergencyspacesuitdrills.Iknew
whattodo.
Carefullyreachingtothesideofmyhelmet,Igotthebreachkit.It’s
nothingmorethanafunnelwithavalveatthesmallend,andan
unbelievablystickyresinonthewideend.Theideaisyouhavethevalve
openandstickthewideendoverahole.Theaircanescapethroughthe
valve,soitdoesn’tinterferewiththeresinmakingagoodseal.Thenyou
closethevalveandyou’vesealedthebreach.
Thetrickypartwasgettingtheantennaoutoftheway.Ipulleditout
asfastasIcould,wincingasthesuddenpressuredropdizziedmeand
madethewoundinmysidescreaminagony.
Igotthebreachkitovertheholeandsealedit.Itheld.Thesuitbackfilledthemissingairwithyetmoreoxygen.Checkingmyarmreadouts,I
sawthesuitwasnowat85%oxygen.Forreference,Earth’satmosphere
isabout21%.I’dbeok,solongasIdidn’tspendtoomuchtimelikethat.
IstumbledupthehillbacktowardtheHab.AsIcrestedtherise,Isaw
somethingthatmademeveryhappyandsomethingthatmademevery
sad:TheHabwasin-tact(yay!)andtheMAVwasgone(boo!).
RightthatmomentIknewIwasscrewed.ButIdidn’twanttojustdie
outonthesurface.IlimpedbacktotheHabandfumbledmywayintoan
airlock.Assoonasitequalized,Ithrewoffmyhelmet.
EnteringtheHab,Idoffedthesuitandgotmyfirstgoodlookatthe
injury.Itwouldneedstitches.Fortunately,allofushadbeentrainedin
basicmedicalprocedures,andtheHabhadexcellentmedicalsupplies.A
quickshotoflocalanesthetic,irrigatethewound,9stitchesandIwas
done.I’dbetakingantibioticsforacoupleofweeks,butotherthanthat
I’dbefine.
Iknewitwashopeless,butItriedfiringupthecommunicationarray.
Nosignal,ofcourse.Theprimarysatellitedishhadbrokenoff,
remember?Andittookthereceptionantennaewithit.TheHabhad
secondaryandtertiarycommunicationsystems,buttheywerebothjust
fortalkingtotheMAV,whichwoulduseitsmuchmorepowerful
systemstorelaytoHermes.Thingis,thatonlyworksiftheMAVisstill
around.
IhadnowaytotalktoHermes.Intime,Icouldlocatethedishouton
thesurface,butitwouldtakeweeksformetorigupanyrepairs,andthat
wouldbetoolate.Inanabort,Hermeswouldleaveorbitwithin24hours.
Theorbitaldynamicsmadethetripsaferandshortertheearlieryouleft,
sowhywaitfornoreasonjusttomakethetriptakelonger?
Checkingoutmysuit,Isawtheantennahadplowedthroughmybiomonitorcomputer.WhenonanEVA,allthecrew’ssuitsarenetworked
sowecanseeeachothersstatus.Therestofthecrewwouldhaveseenthe
pressureinmysuitdroptonearly0,followedimmediatelybymybiosignsgoingflat.AddtothatIwassenttumblingdownahillwithaspear
throughmeinthemiddleofasandstorm…yeah.TheythoughtIwas
dead.Howcouldtheynot?
Theymayhaveevenhadabriefdiscussionaboutrecoveringmybody,
butregulationswereclear.IntheeventacrewmandiedonMars,he
stayedonMars.LeavinghisbodybehindreducedweightfortheMAVon
thetripback.Thatmeantmoredisposablefuelandalargermarginof
errorforthereturnthrust.Nopointingivingthatupforsentimentality.
Sothat’sthesituation.I’mstrandedonMars.Ihavenowayto
communicatewithHermesorEarth.EveryonethinksI’mdead.I’mina
Habdesignedtolast31days.
IftheOxygenatorbreaksdown,I’llsuffocate.IftheWaterReclaimer
breaksdown,I’lldieofthirst.IftheHabbreaches,I’lljustkindof
explode.Ifnoneofthosethingshappen,I’lleventuallyrunoutoffood
andstarvetodeath.
Soyeah.I’m.....
Chapter2
LOGENTRY:SOL7
Ok,I’vehadagoodnight’ssleep,andthingsdon’tseemashopeless
astheydidyesterday.
TodayItookstockofsupplies,anddidaquickEVAtocheckupon
theexternalequipment.Here’smysituation:
Thesurfacemissionwassupposedtobe31days.Forredundancy,the
supplyprobeshadenoughfoodtolastthewholecrew56days.Thatway
ifoneortwoprobeshadproblems,we'dstillhaveenoughfoodto
completethemission.
Weweresixdaysinwhenallhellbrokeloose,sothatleavesenough
foodtofeedsixpeoplefor50days.I’mjustoneguy,soit’lllastme300
days.Andthat’sifIdon’trationit.SoI’vegotafairbitoftime.
TheHabstooduptothestormwithoutanyproblems.Outside,things
aren’tsorosy.Ican’tfindthesatellitedish;itprobablygotblown
kilometersaway.
TheMAVisgone,ofcourse.MycrewmatestookituptoHermes.
Thoughthebottomhalf(thelandingstage)isstillthere.Noreasonto
takethatbackupwhenweightistheenemy.Itincludesthelandinggear,
thefuelplant,andanythingelseNASAfigureditwouldn’tneedforthe
tripbackuptoorbit.
TheMDVisonitssideandthere’sabreachinthehull.Lookslikethe
stormrippedthecowlingoffthereservechute(whichwedidn’thaveto
useonlanding).OncethechutewasexposeditdraggedtheMDVallover
theplace,smashingitagainsteveryrockinthearea.NotthattheMDV
wouldbemuchusetome.Itsthrusterscan’tevenliftitsownweight.But
itmighthavebeenvaluableforparts.Mightstillbe.
Bothroversarehalf-buriedinsand,butthey’reingoodshape
otherwise.Theirpressuresealsarein-tact.Makessense.Operating
procedureifastormhitsistostopmotionandwaitforthestormtopass.
They’remadetostanduptopunishment.I’llbeabletodigthemoutwith
adayorsoofwork.
I’velostcommunicationwiththeweatherstations,placedakilometer
awayfromtheHabin4directions.Theymightbeinperfectworking
orderforallIknow.TheHab’scommunicationsaresoweakrightnowit
probablycan’tevenreachakilometer.
Thesolarcellarraywascovereditinsand,renderingituseless(hint:
solarcellsneedsunlighttomakeelectricity).ButonceIsweptthemoff,
theyreturnedtofullefficiency.WhateverIendupdoing,I’llhaveplenty
ofpowerforit.200squaremetersofsolarcells,withhydrogenfuelcells
tostoreplentyofreserve.AllIneedtodoissweepthemoffeveryfew
days.
Thingsindoorsaregreat,thankstotheHab’ssturdydesign.
IranafulldiagnosticontheOxygenator.Twice.It’sperfect.If
anythinggoeswrongwithit,thereisashort-termspareIcanuse.Butit’s
solelyforemergencyusewhilerepairingthemainone.Thesparedoesn’t
actuallypullCO2apartandrecapturetheoxygen.ItjustabsorbstheCO2
thesamewaythespacesuitsdo.It’sintendedtolast5daysbeforeit
saturatesthefilters,whichmeans30daysforme(justoneperson
breathing,insteadofsix).Sothere’ssomeinsurancethere.
TheWaterReclaimerisworkingfine,too.Thebadnewsisthere’sno
backup.Ifitstopsworking,I’llbedrinkingreservewaterwhileIrigupa
primitivedistillerytoboilpiss.Also,I’lllosehalfaliterofwaterperday
tobreathinguntilthehumidityintheHabreachesitsmaximumandwater
startscondensingoneverysurface.ThenI’llbelickingthewalls.Yay.
Anyway,fornow,noproblemswiththeWaterReclaimer.
Soyeah.Food,water,shelteralltakencareof.I’mgoingtostart
rationingfoodrightnow.Mealsareprettyminimalalready,butIthinkI
caneata3/4portionpermealandstillbeallright.Thatshouldturnmy
300daysoffoodinto400.Foragingaroundthemedicalarea,Ifoundthe
mainbottleofvitamins.There’senoughmultivitaminstheretolastyears.
SoIwon’thaveanynutritionalproblems(thoughI’llstillstarvetodeath
whenI’moutoffood,nomatterhowmanyvitaminsItake).
Themedicalareahasmorphineforemergencies.Andthere’senough
thereforalethaldose.I’mnotgoingtoslowlystarvetodeath,I’lltell
youthat.IfIgettothatpoint,I’lltakeaneasierwayout.
Everyoneonthemissionhadtwospecialties.I’mabotanistand
mechanicalengineer.Basically,Iwasthemission’sfix-itmanwho
playedwithplants.Themechanicalengineeringmightsavemylifeif
somethingbreaks.
I’vebeenthinkingabouthowtosurvivethis.It’snotcompletely
hopeless.There’llbehumansbackonMarsinaboutfouryearswhenAres
4arrives(assumingtheydidn’tcanceltheprograminthewakeofmy
“death”).
Ares4willbelandingattheSchiaparelliCrater,whichisabout
3,200kmawayfrommylocationhereintheAcidaliaPlanitia.Nowayfor
metogetthereonmyown.ButifIcouldcommunicate,Imightbeable
togetarescue.Notsurehowthey’dmanagethatwiththeresourceson
hand,butNASAhasalotofsmartpeople.
Sothat’smymissionnow.FindawaytocommunicatewithEarth.IfI
can’tmanagethat,findawaytocommunicatewithHermeswhenit
returnsin4yearswiththeAres4crew.
Ofcourse,Idon’thaveanyplanforsurviving4yearson1yearof
food.Butonethingatatimehere.Fornow,I’mwellfedandhavea
purpose:“Fixthedamnradio”.
LOGENTRY:SOL10
Well,I’vedonethreeEVAsandhaven’tfoundanyhintofthe
communicationdish.
Idugoutoneoftheroversandhadagooddrivearound,butafterdays
ofwanderingIthinkit’stimetogiveup.Thestormprobablyblewthe
dishfarawayandthenerasedanydrag-marksorscuffsthatmighthave
ledtoatrail.Probablyburiedit,too.
Ispentmostoftodayoutatwhat’sleftofthecommunicationarray.
It’sreallyasorrysight.ImayaswellyelltowardEarthforallthegood
thatdamnedthingwilldome.
IcouldthrowtogetherarudimentarydishoutofmetalIfindaround
thebase,butthisisn’tsomewalkie-talkieI’mworkingwithhere.
CommunicatingfromMarstoEarthisaprettybigdeal,andrequires
extremelyspecializedequipment.Iwon’tbeabletowhipsomethingup
withtinfoilandgum.
IneedtorationmyEVAsaswellasfood.TheCO2filtersarenot
cleanable.Oncethey’resaturated,they’redone.Themissionaccounted
fora4-hourEVApercrewmemberperday.Fortunately,CO2filtersare
lightandsmallsoNASAhadtheluxuryofsendingmorethanweneeded.
Alltold,Ihaveabout1500hoursworthofCO2filters.Afterthat,any
EVAsIdowillhavetobemanagedwithbloodlettingtheair.
1500hoursmaysoundlikealot,butI’mfacedwithspendingatleast
4yearshereifI’mgoingtohaveanyhopeofrescue,withaminimumof
severalhoursperweekdedicatedtosweepingoffthesolararray.
Anyway.NoneedlessEVAs.
Inothernews,I’mstartingtocomeupwithanideaforfood.My
botanybackgroundmaycomeinusefulafterall.
WhybringabotanisttoMars?Afterall,it’sfamousfornothaving
anythinggrowinghere.Well,theideawastofigureouthowwellthings
growinMartiangravity,andseewhat,ifanything,wecandowith
Martiansoil.Theshortansweris:quitealot…almost.Martiansoilhas
thebasicbuildingblocksneededforplantgrowth,butthere’salotof
stuffgoingoninEarthsoilthatMarssoildoesn’thave,evenwhenit’s
placedinanEarth-atmosphereandgivenplentyofwater.Bacterial
activity,certainnutrientsprovidedbyanimallife,etc.Noneofthatis
happeningonMars.Oneofmytasksforthemissionwastoseehow
plantsgrowhere,invariouscombinationsofEarthorMarssoiland
atmosphere.
That’swhyIhaveasmallamountofEarthsoilandabunchofplant
seedswithme.
Ican’tgettooexcited,however.It’sabouttheamountofsoilyou’d
putinawindowplanter-box,andtheonlyseedsIhaveareafewspecies
ofgrassandferns.They’rethemostruggedandeasilygrownplantson
earth,soNASApickedthemasthetestsubjects.
SoIhavetwoproblems:notenoughdirt,andnothingedibletoplant
init.
ButI’mabotanist,damnit.Ishouldbeabletofindawaytomake
thishappen.IfIdon’t,I’llbeareallyhungrybotanistinaboutayear.
LOGENTRY:SOL11
IwonderhowtheCubsaredoing.
LOGENTRY:SOL14
IgotmyundergraddegreeattheUniversityofChicago.Halfthe
peoplewhostudiedbotanywerehippieswhothoughttheycouldreturnto
somenaturalworldsystem.Somehowfeeding7billionpeoplethrough
puregathering.Theyspentmostoftheirtimeworkingoutbetterwaysto
growpot.Ididn’tlikethem.I’vealwaysbeeninitforthescience,notfor
anyNewWorldOrderbullshit.
Whentheymadecompostheapsandtriedtoconserveeverylittle
ounceoflivingmatter,Ilaughedatthem.“Lookatthesillyhippies!”I
wouldscoff.“Lookattheirpatheticattemptstosimulateacomplex
globalecosystemintheirbackyard.”
OfcoursenowI’mdoingexactlythat.I’msavingeveryscrapof
biomatterIcanfind.EverytimeIfinishameal,theleftoversgotothe
compostbucket.Asforotherbiologicalmaterial…
TheHabhassophisticatedtoilets.Shitisusuallyvaccum-dried,then
accumulatedinsealedbagstobediscardedonthesurface.
Notanymore!
Infact,IevendidanEVAtorecoverthepreviousbagsofshitfrom
beforethecrewleft.Beingcompletelydesiccated,thisparticularshit
didn’thavebacteriainitanymore,butitstillhadcomplexproteinsand
wouldserveasusefulmanure.Addingittowaterandactivebacteria
wouldquicklygetitinundated,replacinganypopulationkilledbythe
ToiletOfDoom.
Ifoundabigcontainerandfilleditwithabitofwater,thenaddedthe
driedshit.Sincethen,I’veaddedmyownshittoitaswell.Theworseit
smells,themoresuccessfulthingsaregoing.That’sthebacteriaatwork!
OnceIgetsomeMartiansoilinhere,Icanmixintheshitandspread
itout.ThenIcansprinkletheEarthsoilontop.Youmightnotthinkthat
wouldbeanimportantstep,butitis.Therearedozensofspeciesof
bacterialivinginEarthsoil,andthey'recriticaltoplantgrowth.They'll
spreadoutandbreedlike...well,likeabacterialinfection..
Withinaweek,theMartiansoilwillbereadyforplantstogerminate
in.ButIwon’tplantyet.I’llspreaditoutoveradoubledarea.It’ll
“infect”thenewMartiansoil.Afteranotherweek,I’lldoubleitagain.
Andsoon.Ofcourse,allthewhile,I’llbeaddingallnewmanuretothe
effort.
Myassholeisdoingasmuchtokeepmealiveasmybrain.
Thisisn’tanewconceptIjustcameupwith.Peoplehavespeculated
onhowtomakecropsoiloutofMartiandirtfordecades.I’lljustbe
puttingittothetestforthefirsttime.
Isearchedthroughthefoodsuppliesandfoundallsortsofthingsthat
Icanplant.Peas,forinstance.Plentyofbeans,too.Ialsofoundseveral
potatoes.If*any*ofthemcanstillgerminateaftertheirordeal,that’llbe
great.Withanearlyinfinitesupplyofvitamins,allIneedarecaloriesof
anykindtosurvive.
Thetotalfloor-spaceoftheHabisabout92squaremeters.Iplanto
dedicateallofittothisendeavor.Idon’tmindwalkingondirt.It’llbea
lotofwork,butI’mgoingtoneedtocovertheentirefloortoadepthof
10cm.ThatmeansI’llhavetotransport9.2cubicmetersofMartiansoil
intotheHab.Icangetmaybe1/10thofacubicmeterinthroughthe
airlockatatime,andit’llbebackbreakingworktocollectit.Butinthe
end,ifeverythinggoestoplan,I’llhave92squaremetersofcroppable
soil.
HellyeahI’mabotanist!Fearmybotanypowers!
LOGENTRY:SOL15
Ugh!Thisisbackbreakingwork!
Ispent12hourstodayonEVAstobringdirtintotheHab.Ionly
managedtocoverasmallcornerofthebase,maybe5squaremeters.At
thisrateit’lltakemeweekstogetallthesoilin.Buthey,timeisone
thingI’vegot.
ThefirstfewEVAswereprettyinefficient;mefillingsmall
containersandbringingtheminthroughtheairlock.ThenIgotwiseand
justputonebigcontainerintheairlockitselfandfilledthatwithsmall
containerstillitwasfull.Thatspedthingsupalotbecausetheairlock
takesabout10minutestogetthrough.
Iacheallover.AndtheshovelsIhavearemadefortakingsamples,
notheavydigging.Mybackiskillingme.Iforagedinthemedical
suppliesandfoundsomeVicodin.Itookitabout10minutesago.Should
bekickinginsoon.
Anyway,it’snicetoseeprogress.Timetostartgettingthebacteriato
workontheseminerals.Afterlunch.No3/4rationtoday.I’veearneda
fullmeal.
LOGENTRY:SOL16
OnecomplicationIhadn’tthoughof:Water.
TurnsoutbeingonthesurfaceofMarsforafewmillionyears
eliminatesallthewaterinthesoil.Mymaster’sdegreeinbotanymakes
meprettysureplantsneedwetdirttogrowin.Nottomentionthe
bacteriathathastoliveinitfirst.
Fortunately,Ihavewater.ButnotasmuchasIwant.Tobeviable,
soilneeds40litersofwaterpercubicmeter.Myoverallplancallsfor9.2
cubicmetersofsoil.SoI’lleventuallyneed368litersofwatertofeedit.
TheHabhasanexcellentWaterReclaimer.Besttechnologyavailable
onEarth.SoNASAfigured“whysendalotofwaterupthere?Justsend
enoughforanemergency.”Humansneed3litersofwaterperdaytobe
comfortable.Theygaveus50literseach.Thereare300literstotalinthe
Hab.
LookslikeIwon’tbeabletocoverthewholesurfaceoftheHabwith
fertilesoil.I’mwillingtodedicateallbutanemergency50literstothe
cause.ThatmeansIcanfeed62.5squaremetersatadepthof10cm.
About2/3oftheHab’sfloor.It’llhavetodo.Anyway,I’veonlygota
paltry5squaremeterscoveredatthemoment.
Afterthat,thingsgotdisgusting.Ispentthreehoursspreadingshiton
Martiansand.Ididn’thavetodoitwithmyhands,atleast.
IspreadthesandoutinacorneroftheHab,about10cmthick.I
waddedupafewblanketsanduniformsfrommydepartedcrewmatesto
serveasoneedgeofaplanterbox(withthecurvedwallsoftheHabbeing
therestoftheperimeter).ThenIsacrificed20litersofpreciouswaterto
thedirtgods.
5squaremeterswasaboutrightfortheamountofmanureIhad
handy.Idumpedmybigcontainero’shitontothesoilandnearlypuked
fromthesmell.
Thatsmell’sgoingtostickaroundforawhile,too.It’snotlikeIcan
openawindow.Still,yougetusedtoit.Imixedthissoilandshittogether
withashovel,andspreaditoutevenlyagain.ThenIsprinkledtheEarth
soilontop.Gettowork,bacteria.I’mcountingonyou.
Inothernews,todayisThanksgiving.Myfamilywillbegatheringin
Chicagofortheusualfeastatmyparent'shouse.Myguessisitwon'tbe
muchfun,whatwithmehavingdied11daysago.Hell,theyprobablyjust
gotdonegatheringformyfuneral.
Iwonderifthey'lleverfindoutwhatreallyhappened.
LOGENTRY:SOL22
Wow.Thingsreallycamealong.
Igotallthesandinandreadytogo.2/3ofthebaseisnowdirt.And
todayIexecutedmyfirstdirt-doubling.It'sbeenaweek,andtheformer
Martiansoilwasrichandlovely.TwomoredoublingsandIwillhave
coveredthewholefield.
Allthatworkwasgreatformymorale.Itgavemesomethingtodo.
Butafterthingssettleddownabit,andIhaddinnerwhilelisteningto
Johanssen’sBeatlesmusiccollection,Igotdepressedagain.
Doingthemath,thiswon’tkeepmefromstarving.
Mybestbetformakingcaloriesispotatoes.Theygrowprolifically
andhaveareasonablecaloriccontent(770caloriesperkg).I’mpretty
suretheonesIhavewillgerminate.ProblemisIcan’tgrowenoughof
them.In62squaremeters,Icouldgrowmaybe150kgofpotatoesin400
days(thetimeIhavebeforerunningoutoffood).That’sagrandtotalof
115,500calories,asustainableaverageof288caloriesperday.Withmy
heightandweight,ifI’mwillingtostarvealittle,Ineed1500calories
perday.
Notevenclose.
SoIcan’tjustliveoffthelandforever.ButIcanextendmylife.The
potatoeswilllastme76days.
Potatoesgrowcontinually,sointhose76days,Icangrowanother
22,000caloriesofpotatoes,whichwilltidemeoverforanother15days.
Afterthat,it’skindofpointlesstocontinuethetrend.Alltolditbuysme
about90days.
SonowI’llstartstarvingtodeathonSol490insteadofSol400.It’s
progress,butanyhopeofsurvivalrestsonmesurvivinguntilSol1412,
whenAres4willland.
There’saboutathousanddaysoffoodIdon’thave.AndIdon’thave
aplanforhowtogetit.
Shit.
Chapter3
LOGENTRY:SOL25
RememberthoseoldmathquestionsyouhadinAlgebraclass?Where
waterisenteringacontaineratacertainrateandleavingatadifferent
rateandyouneedtofigureoutwhenit’llbeempty?Well,thatconceptis
criticaltothe“MarkWatneydoesn’tdie”projectI’mworkingon.
Ineedtocreatecalories.AndIneedenoughtolastfouryears.Ifigure
ifIdon’tgetrescuedbyAres4,I’mdeadanyway.Sothat’smytarget:
fouryears.
Ihaveplentyofmultivitamins;overdoublewhatIneed.Andthere’s
fivetimestheminimumproteinineachfoodpack,socarefulrationingof
portionstakescareofmyproteinneedsforatleastfouryears.Mygeneral
nutritionistakencareof.Ijustneedcalories.
Ineed1500calorieseveryday.Ihave400daysoffoodtostartoff
with.SohowmanycaloriesdoIneedtogenerateperdayalongtheentire
timeperiodtostayalivefor1400daystotal(thetimetillAres4arrives)?
I’llspareyouthemath.Theanswerisacool1000.Ineedtocreate
1000caloriesperdaywithmyfarmingeffortstosurviveuntilAres4gets
here.Actually,alittlemorethanthat,becauseit’ssol25rightnowandI
haven’tactuallyplantedanythingyet.
Withmy62squaremetersoffarmland,I’llbeabletocreateabout
288caloriesperday.Ineedtobringthatupto1000.Ineedfourtimesmy
currentplan’sproductiontosurvive.
Ineedmoresurfaceareaforfarming,andIneedwatertohydratethe
soil.Solet’staketheproblemsoneatatime.
HowmuchfarmlandcanIreallymake?
Thereare92squaremetersintheHab.Let’ssayIcouldmakeuseof
allofit.
Also,therearefiveunusedbunks.Let’ssayIputsoilinonthem,too.
They’re2squaremeterseach,givingme10moresquaremeters.So
we’reupto102.
TheHabhasthreelabtables,eachabout2squaremeters.Iwantto
keeponeformyownuse,leavingtwoforthecause.That’sanotherfour
squaremeters,bringingthetotalto106.
IhavetwoMartianrovers.Theyhavepressureseals,allowingthe
occupantstodriveinease,withoutspacesuits,astheyspentlongperiods
traversingthesurface.They’retoocrampedtoplantcropsin,andIwant
tobeabletodrivethemaroundanyway.Butbothrovershavean
emergencypop-tent.
Therearealotofproblemswithusingpop-tentsasfarmland,butthey
have10squaremetersoffloorspaceeach.PresumingIcanovercomethe
problems,theynetmeanother20squaremeters,bringingmyfarmland
upto126.
126squaremetersoffarmableland.That’ssomethingtoworkwith.
Notnearlyenoughwatertomoistenthesoil,butlikeIsaid,onethingata
time.
ThenextthingtoconsiderishowefficientIcanbeingrowing
potatoes.Ibasedmycropyieldestimatesonthepotatoindustrybackon
Earth.Butpotatofarmersaren’tinadesperateraceforsurvivallikeIam.
CanIgetabetteryield?
Forstarters,Icangiveattentiontoeachindividualplant.Icantrim
themandkeepthemhealthyandnotinterferingwitheachother.Also,as
theirfloweringbodiesbreachthesurface,Icanreplantthemdeeper,then
plantyoungerplantsabovethem.Fornormalpotatofarmers,it’snot
worthdoingbecausethey’reworkingwithliterallymillionsofpotato
plants.
Also,thissortoffarmingannihilatesthesoil.Anyfarmerdoingit
wouldturntheirlandintoadustbowlwithin12years.It’snot
sustainable.Butwhogivesashit?Ijustneedtosurvivefouryears.
IestimateIcanget50%higheryieldbyusingthesetactics.Andwith
the126squaremeterfarmland(justoverdoublethe62squaremetersI
have)itworksouttobeover900caloriesperday.
That’srealprogress.I’dstillbeindangerofstarvation,butitgetsme
intherangeofsurvival.Imightbeabletomakeitbynearlystarvingbut
notquitedying.Icouldreducemycaloricusebyminimizingmanual
labor.IcouldsetthetemperatureoftheHabhigherthannormal,meaning
mybodyexpendslessenergykeepingitstemperature.Icouldcutoffan
armandeatit,gainingmevaluablecaloriesandreducingmyoverall
caloricneed.
No,notreally.
Solet’ssayIcouldclearupthatmuchfarmland.Seemsreasonable.
WheredoIgetthewater?Togofrom62to126squaremetersof
farmlandat10cmdeep,I’llneed6.4morecubicmetersofsoil(more
shoveling,whee!)andthat’llneedover250litersofwater.
The50LIhaveisformetodrinkiftheWaterReclaimerbreaks.So
I’m250Lshortofmy250Lgoal.
Bleh.I’mgoingtobed.
LOGENTRY:SOL26
Itwasaback-breakingyetproductiveday.
Iwassickofthinking,soinsteadoftryingtofigureoutwhereI’llget
250Lofwater,Ididsomemanuallabor.Ineedtogetawholeassload
moresoilintotheHab,evenifitisdryanduselessrightnow.
Igotacubicmeterinbeforegettingexhausted.
Then,aminordust-stormdroppedbyforanhourandcoveredthe
solarcollectorswithcrap.SoIhadtosuitup*again*anddo*another*
EVA.Iwasinapissymoodthewholetime.Sweepingoffahugefieldof
solarcellsisboringandphysicallydemanding.Butoncethejobwas
done,IcamebacktomyLittleHabonthePrairie.
Itwasabouttimeforanotherdirt-doubling,soIfiguredImayaswell
getitoverwith.Ittookanhour.Onemoredoublingandtheusablesoil
willallbegoodtogo.
Also,Ifigureditwastimetostartupaseedcrop.I’ddoubledthesoil
enoughthatIcouldaffordtoleavealittlecornerofitalone.Ihad12
potatoestoworkwith.
Iamoneluckyson-of-a-bitchtheyaren’tfreeze-driedormulched.
WhydidNASAsend12wholepotatoes,refrigeratedbutnotfrozen?And
whysendthemalongwithusasin-pressurecargoratherthaninacrate
withtherestoftheHabsupplies?BecauseThanksgivingwasgoingto
happenwhileweweredoingsurfaceoperations,andNASA’sshrinks
thoughtitwouldbegoodtomakeamealtogether.Notjusttoeatit,but
toactuallyprepareit.There’sprobablysomelogictothat,butwhocares?
Icuteachpotatointo4pieces,makingsureeachpiecehadatleast2
eyes.Theeyesarewheretheysproutfrom.Iletthemsitforafewhours
tohardenabit,thenplantedthem,wellspacedapart,inthecorner.God
speed,littletaters.Mylifedependsonyou.
Normally,ittakes90daystoyieldfullsizedpotatoes.ButIcan’twait
thatlong.I’llneedtocutupallthepotatoesfromthiscroptoseedthe
restofthefield.
BysettingtheHabtemperaturetoabalmy25.5C,theplantswillgrow
quicker.Also,theinternallightswillprovideplentyof“sunlight”andI’ll
makesuretheygetlotsofwater(onceIfigureoutwheretogetwater).
Therewillbenofoulweather,oranyparasitestohasslethem,orany
weedstocompetewithforsoilornutrients.Withallthisgoingforthem,
theyshouldyieldhealthy,sproutabletuberswithin40days.
IfiguredthatwasenoughbeingFarmerMarkforoneday.
Afullmealfordinner.I’dearnedit.Plus,I’dburnedatonofcalories
andIwantedthemback.
IrifledthroughCommanderLewis’sstuffuntilIfoundherpersonal
data-stick.Everyonegottobringwhateverdigitalentertainmentthey
wanted,andIwastiredoflisteningtoJohanssen’sBeatlesAlbumsfor
now.TimetoseewhatLewishad.
CrappyTVshows.That’swhatshehad.CountlessentirerunsofTV
showsfromforeverago.
Well.Beggarscan’tbechoosers.“Three’sCompany”itis.
LOGENTRY:SOL29
Overthelastfewdays,IgotallthedirtinthatI’dneed.Ipreppedthe
tablesandbunksforholdingtheweightofsoil,andevenputthedirtin
place.There’sstillnowatertomakeitviable,butIhavesomeideas.
Reallybadideas,butthey’reideas.
Today’sbigaccomplishmentwassettingupthepop-tents.
Theproblemwiththerovers’pop-tentsistheyweren’tdesignedfor
frequentuse.
Theideawasyou’dthrowoutapop-tent,getin,andwaitforrescue.
Theairlockisnothingmorethanvalvesandtwodoors.Equalizethe
airlockwithyoursideofit,getin.equalizewiththeotherside,getout.
Thismeansyoulosealotofaireachuse.AndI’llneedtogetinthereat
leastonceaday.Thetotalvolumeofeachpoptentisprettylow,soI
can’taffordtoloseairfromit.
Ispent*hours*tryingtofigureouthowtoattachapop-tentairlockto
aHabairlock.IhavethreeairlocksintheHab.I’dbewillingtodedicate
twotopop-tents.Thatwouldhavebeenawesome.
Thefrustratingpartispop-tentairlocks*can*attachtoother
airlocks!Youmighthaveinjuredpeopleinthere,ornotenoughspace
suits.Youneedtobeabletogetpeopleoutwithoutexposingthemtothe
Martianatmosphere.
Butthepop-tentsweredesignedforyourcrewmatestocomerescue
youina*rover*.TheairlocksontheHabaremuchlargerandcompletely
differentthantheairlocksontherovers.Whenyouthinkaboutit,there’s
reallynoreasontoattachapop-tenttotheHab.
Unlessyou’restrandedonMarsandeveryonethinksyou’redeadand
you’reinadesperatefightagainsttimeandtheelementstostayalive.
But,youknow,otherthanthatedgecasethere’snoreason.
SoIfinallydecidedI’djusttakethehit.I’llbelosingsomeairevery
timeIenterorexitapop-tent.Thegoodnewsiseachpop-tenthasanair
feedvalveontheoutside.Remember,theseareemergencyshelters.The
occupantsmightneedair,andyoucanprovideitfromaroverbyhooking
upanairline.It’snothingmorethanatubethatequalizestherover’sair
withthepop-tent’s.
TheHabandtheroversusethesamevalveandtubingstandards,soI
wasabletoattachthepoptentsdirectlytotheHab.That'llautomatically
replenishtheairIlosewithmyentriesandexits(whatweNASAfolkcall
ingressandegress).
NASAwasnot....aroundwiththeseemergencytents.The momentI
pushedthepanicbuttonintherover,therewasanear-popping whooshas
thepop-tentfiredout,attachedtotheroverairlock.Ittook abouttwo
seconds.
Iclosedtheairlockfromtheroversideandendedupwithanice,
isolatedpop-tent.Settinguptheequalizerhosewastrivial(foronceI’m
usingequipmentthewayitwasdesignedtobeused).Then,afterafew
tripsthroughtheairlock(withtheair-lossautomaticallyequalizedbythe
Hab)Igotthedirtin.
Irepeatedtheprocessfortheothertent.Everythingwentreally
easily.
Sigh…water.
Inhighschool,IplayedalotofDungeonsandDragons.(Youmaynot
haveguessedthisBotanist/MechanicalEngineerwasabitofanerdin
highschool,butindeedIwas).InthegameIplayedaCleric.Oneofthe
magicspellsIcouldcastwas“CreateWater”.Ialwaysthoughtitwasa
reallystupidspell,anditnevercameup.BoywhatIwouldn’tgivetobe
abletodothatinrealliferightnow.
Anyway.That’saproblemfortomorrow.
Fortonight,Ihavetogetbackto“Three’sCompany.”Istoppedlast
nightinthemiddleoftheepisodewhereMr.Ropersawsomethingand
tookitoutofcontext.
LOGENTRY:SOL30
IhaveanidioticallydangerousplanforgettingthewaterIneed.And
boydoImean*dangerous*.ButIdon’thavemuchchoice.I’moutof
ideasandI’mdueforanotherdirt-doublinginafewdays.WhenIdothe
finaldoubling,I’llbedoublingontoallthatnewsoilI’vebroughtin.IfI
don’twetitfirst,it’lljustdie.
Thereisn’talotofwaterhereonMars.There’siceatthepoles,but
they’retoofaraway.IfIwantwaterI’llhavetomakeitfromscratch.
Fortunately,Iknowtherecipe:Takehydrogen.Addoxygen.Burn.
Let’stakethemoneatatime.I’llstartwithoxygen.
IhaveafairbitofO2reserves,butnotenoughtomake250litersof
water.Twohigh-pressuretanksatoneendoftheHabaremyentire
supply(plustheairintheHabofcourse).Theyeachcontain25litersof
liquidO2.TheHabwouldonlyusetheminanemergency;ithasthe
Oxygenatortobalancetheatmosphere.ThereasontheO2tanksarehere
istofeedthespacesuitsandrovers.
Anyway,thereserveoxygenwouldonlybeenoughtomake100Lof
water(50LofO2makes100LofmoleculesthatonlyhaveoneOeach).
ThatwouldmeannoEVAsforme,andnoemergencyreserves.Andit
wouldmakelessthanhalfthewaterIneed.Outofthequestion.
Butoxygen’seasiertofindonMarsthanyoumightthink.The
atmosphereis98%CO2.AndIhappentohaveamachinewhosesole
purposeisliberatingoxygenfromCO2.YayOxygenator!
Oneproblem:Theatmosphereisverythin.About1/90ththepressure
onEarth.Soit’shardtocollect.Gettingairfromoutsidetoinsideis
nearlyimpossible.ThewholepurposeoftheHabistokeepthatsortof
thingfromhappening.ThetinyamountofMartianatmospherethatenters
whenIuseanairlockislaughable.
That’swheretheMAVfuelplantcomesin.
MycrewmatestooktheMAVawayweeksago.Butthebottomhalfof
itstayedbehind.NASAisnotinthehabitofputtingunnecessaryshitin
toorbit.Itleftthelandinggear,ingressramp,andfuelplantbehind.
RememberhowtheMAVmadeitsownfuelwithhelpfromtheMartian
atmosphere?SteponeofthatistocollectCO2andstoreitinahigh
pressurevessel.OnceIgetthathookeduptotheHab’spower,it’llgive
mehalfaliterofliquidCO2perhour,indefinitely.After5daysit’llhave
made125LofCO2,whichwillmake125LofO2afterIfeeditthrough
theOxygenator.
That’senoughtomake250Lofwater.SoIhaveaplanforoxygen.
Thehydrogenwillbealittletrickier.
Iconsideredraidingthehydrogenfuel-cells,butIneedthosebatteries
tomaintainpoweratnight.IfIdon’thavethat,It’llgettoocold.Icould
bundleup,butthecoldwouldkillmycrops.Andeachfuelcellonlyhasa
smallamountofH2anyway.It’sjustnotworthsacrificingsomuch
usefulnessforsolittlegain.TheonethingIhavegoingformeisthat
energyisnotaproblem.Idon’twanttogivethatup.
SoI’llhavetogoadifferentroute.
IoftentalkabouttheMAV.ButnowIwanttotalkabouttheMDV.
Duringthemostterrifying23minutesofmylife,fourofmy
crewmatesandItriednottoshitourselveswhileMartinezpilotedthe
MDVdowntothesurface.Itwaskindoflikebeinginatumble-dryer.
First,wedescendedfromHermes,anddeceleratedourorbitalvelocity
sowecouldstartfallingproperly.Everythingwassmoothuntilwehitthe
atmosphere.Ifyouthinkturbulenceisroughinajetlinergoing720kph,
justimaginewhatit’slikeat28,000kph.
Severalstagedsetsofchutesdeployedautomaticallytoslowour
descent,thenMartinezmanuallypilotedustotheground,usingthe
thrusterstoslowdescentandcontrolourlateralmotion.He’dtrainedfor
thisforyears,andhedidhisjobextraordinarilywell.Heexceededall
plausibleexpectationsoflandings,puttingusjustninemetersfromthe
target.Theguyjustplainownedthatlanding.
Thanks,Martinez!Youmayhavesavedmylife!
Notbecauseoftheperfectlanding,butbecauseheleftsomuchfuel
behind.HundredsoflitersofunusedHydrazine.Eachmoleculeof
Hydrazinehasfourhydrogenatomsinit.SoeachliterofHydrazinehas
enoughhydrogenfor*two*litersofwater.
IdidalittleEVAtodaytocheck.TheMDVhas292Lofjuiceleftin
thetanks.Enoughtomakeaalmost600Lofwater!WaymorethanI
need!
There’sjustonecatch:LiberatinghydrogenfromHydrazineis…
well…it'showrocketswork.It’sreally,reallyhot.Anddangerous.IfI
doitinanoxygenatmosphere,theheatandnewlyliberatedhydrogenwill
explode.There’llbealotofH2Oattheend,butI’llbetoodeadto
appreciateit.
Atitsroot,Hydrazineisprettysimple.TheGermansuseditasfar
backasWorldWarIIforrocket-assistedfighterfuel(andoccasionally
blewthemselvesupwithit).
Allyouhavetodoisrunitoveracatalyst(whichIcanextractfrom
theMDVengine)anditwillturnintonitrogenandhydrogen.I’llspare
youthechemistry,buttheendresultisthat5moleculesofHydrazine
becomes5moleculesofharmlessN2and10moleculesoflovelyH2.
Duringthisprocess,itgoesthroughanintermediatestepofbeing
ammonia.Chemistry,beingthesloppybitchitis,ensuresthere’llbe
someammoniathatdoesn’treactwiththeHydrazine,soit’lljuststay
ammonia.Youlikethesmellofammonia?Wellit’llbeprevalentinmy
increasinglyhellishexistence.
Thechemistryisonmyside.ThequestionnowishowdoIactually
makethisreactionhappenslowlyandhowdoIcollectthehydrogen?The
answeris:Idon’tknow.
IsupposeI’llthinkofsomething.Ordie.
Anyway,muchmoreimportant:Isimplycan’tabidethereplacement
ofChrissiewithCindy.“Three’sCompany”mayneverbethesameafter
thisfiasco.Timewilltell.
Chapter4
LOGENTRY:SOL32
SoIranintoabunchofproblemswithmywaterplan.
Myideaistomake600Lofwater(limitedbythehydrogenIcanget
fromtheHydrazine).ThatmeansI’llneed300LofliquidO2.
IcancreatetheO2easilyenough.Ittakes20hoursfortheMAVfuel
planttofillits10LtankwithCO2.TheOxygenatorcanturnitintoO2,
thentheAtmosphericRegulatorwillseetheO2contentintheHabis
high,andpullitoutoftheair,storingitinthemainO2tanks.They’dfill
up,soI’dhavetotransferO2overtotherovers’tanksandevenspace
suittanksasnecessary.
ButIcan’tcreateitveryquickly.At1/2LofCO2perhour,itwill
take25daystomaketheoxygenIneed.That’slongerthanI’dlike.
Also,there’stheproblemofstoringthehydrogen.Theairtanksofthe
Hab,therovers,andallthespacesuitsadduptoexactly374Lofstorage.
Toholdallthematerialsforwater,Iwouldneedawhopping900Lof
storage.
Iconsideredusingoneoftheroversasa“tank”.Itwouldcertainlybe
bigenough,butitjustisn’tdesignedtoholdinthatmuchpressure.It’s
madetohold(youguessedit)oneatmosphere.Ineedvesselsthatcan
hold50timesthatmuch.I’msurearoverwouldburst.
Thebestwaytostoretheingredientsofwateristomakethembe
water.Sowhat’swhatI’llhavetodo.
Theconceptissimple,buttheexecutionwillbeincrediblydangerous.
Every20hours,I’llhave10LofCO2thankstotheMAVfuelplant.
I’llventitintotheHabviathehighlyscientificmethodofdetachingthe
tankfromtheMAVlandingstruts,bringingitintotheHab,thenopening
thevalveuntilit’sempty.
TheOxygenatorwillturnitintooxygeninitsowntime.
Then,I’llreleaseHydrazine,VERYSLOWLY,overtheiridium
catalyst,toturnitintoN2andH2.I’lldirectthehydrogentoasmallarea
andburnit.
Asyoucansee,thisplanprovidesmanyopportunitiesformetodiein
afieryexplosion.
Firstly,Hydrazineissomeseriousdeath.IfImakeanymistakes,
there’llbenothingleftbutthe“MarkWatneyMemorialCrater”where
theHaboncestood.
PresumingIdon’t....upwiththeHydrazine,there’sstillthematter of
burninghydrogen.I’mgoingtobesettingafire.IntheHab.On purpose.
IfyouaskedeveryengineeratNASAwhattheworstscenarioforthe
Habwas,they’dallanswer“fire.”Ifyouaskedthemwhattheresult
wouldbe,they’danswer“deathbyfire.”
ButifIcanpullitoff,I’llbemakingwatercontinuously,withno
needtostorehydrogenoroxygen.It’llbemixedintotheatmosphereas
humidity,buttheWaterReclaimerwillpullitout.
Idon’tevenhavetoperfectlymatchtheHydrazineendofitwiththe
fuelplantCO2part.There’splentyofoxygenintheHab,andplentymore
inreserve.IjustneedtomakesurenottomakesomuchwaterIrun
myselfoutofO2.
IhookeduptheMAVfuelplanttotheHab’spowersupply.
Fortunatelytheybothusethesamevoltage.It’schuggingaway,
collectingCO2forme.
Half-rationfordinner.AllIaccomplishedtodaywasthinkingupa
planthat’llkillme,andthatdoesn’ttakemuchenergy.
I’mgoingtofinishoffthelastof“Three’sCompany”tonight.
Frankly,IlikeMr.FurleymorethantheRopers.
LOGENTRY:SOL33
Thismaybemylastentry.
I’veknownsinceSol6therewasagoodchanceI’ddiehere.ButI
figureditwouldbewhenIranoutoffood.Ididn’tthinkitwouldbethis
early.
I’maboutthefireuptheHydrazine.
Ourmissionwasdesignedknowingthatanythingmightneed
maintenance,soIhaveplentyoftools.Eveninaspace-suit,Iwasableto
prytheaccesspanelsofftheMDVandgetatthesixHydrazinetanks.I
setthemintheshadowofarovertokeepthemfromheatinguptoomuch.
There’smoreshadeandacoolertemperatureneartheHab,but....that. If
they’regoingtoblowup,theycanblowuparover,notmyhouse.
ThenIpriedoutthereactionchamber.IttooksomeworkandI
crackedthedamnthinginhalf,butIgotitout.LuckyformeIdon’tneed
aproperfuelreaction.Infact,Ireally,super-duperdon’twantaproper
fuelreaction.
IbroughtalltheHydrazineandreactionchamberin.Ibriefly
consideredonlyhavingonetankinatatimetoreducerisk.Butsome
back-of-the-napkinmathtoldmeevenonetankwasenoughtoblowthe
wholeHabup,sowhynotbringthemallin?
Thetankshavemanualventvalves.I’mnot100%surewhatthey’re
for.Certainlywewereneverexpectedtousethem.Ithinkthey’rethereto
releasepressureduringthemanyqualitychecksdoneduringconstruction
andbeforefueling.Whateverthereason,Ihavevalvestoworkwith.All
ittakesisawrench.
IliberatedasparewaterhosefromtheWaterReclaimer.Withsome
threadtornoutofauniform(Sorry,Johanssen),Iattachedittothevalve
output.Hydrazineisaliquid,soallIhavetodoisleadittothereaction
chamber(moreofa“reactionbowl”now).
Meanwhile,theMAVfuelplantisstillworking.I’vealreadybrought
inonetankofCO2,ventedit,andreturneditforrefilling.
Sotherearenomoreexcuses.It’stimetostartmakingwater.
IfyoufindthecharredremainsoftheHab,itmeansIdidsomething
wrong.I’mcopyingthislogovertobothroverssoit’smorelikelyit’ll
survive.
Heregoesnothin’
LOGENTRY:SOL33(2)
Well,Ididn’tdie.
FirstthingIdidwasputontheinnerliningofmyEVAsuit.Notthe
bulkysuititself,justtheinnerclothingIwearunderit,includingthe
glovesandbooties.ThenIgotanoxygenmaskfromthemedicalsupplies
andsomelabgogglesfromVogel'schemkit.Almostallofmybodywas
nowprotectedandIwouldbebreathingcannedair.
Why?BecauseHydrazineisverytoxic.IfIbreathetoomuchofitI'll
getmajorlungproblems.IfIgetitonmyskin,I'llhavechemicalburns
fortherestofmylife.Iwasn'ttakinganychances.
IturnedthevalveuntilatrickleofHydrazinecameout.Iletonedrop
fallintotheiridiumbowl.
Itun-dramaticallysizzledanddisappeared.
Buthey,that’swhatIwanted.Ijustfreeduphydrogenandnitrogen.
Yay!
OnethingIhaveinabundancehereisbags.They’renotmuch
differentthankitchentrashbags,thoughI’msuretheycost$50,000
becauseNASA.
Inadditiontobeingourcommander,Lewiswasalsothegeologist.
Shewasgoingtocollectrockandsoilsamplesfromalloverthe
operationalarea(10kmradius).Weightlimitsrestrictedhowmuchshe
couldactuallybringback,soshewasgoingtocollectfirst,thensortout
themostinteresting50kgtotakehome.Thebagsaretostoreandtagthe
samples.SomearesmallerthanaZiploc,whileothersareasbigasa
Heftylawnandleafbag.
Also,Ihaveducttape.Ordinaryducttape,likeyoubuyatahardware
store.TurnsoutevenNASAcan’timproveonducttape.
IcutupafewHeftysizedbagsandtapedthemtogethertomakeasort
oftent.Reallyitwasmoreofasuper-sizedbag.Iwasabletocoverthe
wholetablewheremyHydrazinemadscientistset-upwas.Iputafew
knickknacksonthetabletokeeptheplasticoutoftheiridiumbowl.
Thankfully,thebagsareclear,soIcanstillseewhat’sgoingon.
Next,Isacrificedaspacesuittothecause.Ineededanairhose.Ihave
asurplusofspacesuits,afterall.Atotalofseven;oneforeach
crewmemberandonespare.SoIdon’tmindmurderingoneofthem.
Icutaholeinthetopoftheplasticandducttapedthehoseinplace.
Niceseal,Ithink.
WithsomemorestringfromJohannsen’sclothing,Ihungtheother
endofthehosefromthetopoftheHab'sdomebytwoangledthreads(to
keepthemwellclearofthehoseopening).NowIhadalittlechimney.
Thehosewasabout1cmwide.Hopefullyagoodaperture.
Thehydrogenwillbehotafterthereaction,andit'llwanttogoup.So
I’llletitgoupthechimney,thenburnitasitcomesout.
ThenIhadtoinventfire.
NASAputalotofeffortintomakingsurenothingherecanburn.
Everythingismadeofmetalorflameretardantplasticandtheuniforms
aresynthetic.Ineededsomethingthatcouldholdaflame,somekindof
pilotlight.Idon'thavetheskillstokeepenoughH2flowingtofeeda
flamewithoutkillingmyself.Toonarrowamarginthere.
Afterasearchofeveryone’spersonalitems(hey,iftheywanted
privacy,theyshouldn’thaveabandonedmeonMarswiththeirstuff)I
foundmyanswer.
Martinezisadevoutcatholic.Iknewthat.WhatIdidn’tknowwashe
broughtalongasmallwoodencross.I’msureNASAgavehimshitabout
it,butIalsoknowMartinezisonestubbornson-of-a-bitch.
Ichippedhissacredreligiousitemintolongsplintersusingapairof
pliersandascrewdriver.Ifigureifthere’saGod,Hewon’tmind,
consideringthesituationI’min.
RuiningtheonlyreligiousiconIhaveleavesmevulnerabletoMars
Vampires.I’llhavetoriskit.
Therewereplentyofwiresandbatteriesaroundtomakeaspark.But
youcan’tjustignitewoodwithasmallelectricspark.SoIcollected
ribbonsofbarkfromlocalpalmtrees,thengotacoupleofsticksand
rubbedthemtogethertocreateenoughfrictionto…
Nonotreally.Iventedpureoxygenatthestickandgaveita
spark. ....lituplikeamatch.
Withmymini-torchinhand,IstartedaslowHydrazineflow.It
sizzledontheiridiumanddisappeared.SoonIhadshortburstsofflame
sputteringfromthechimney.
ThemainthingIhadwatchwasthetemperature.Hydrazinebreaking
downisextremelyexothermic.SoI’ddoitabitatatime,constantly
watchingthereadoutofathermocoupleI’dattachedtotheiridium
chamber.
Pointis,theprocessworked!
EachHydrazinetankholdsalittleover50L,whichwouldbeenough
tomake100Lofwater.I’mlimitedbymyoxygenproduction,butI’mall
excitednow,soI'mwillingtousehalfmyreserves.Longstoryshort,I’ll
stopwhenthetankishalf-empty,andI’llhave50Lorwaterattheend!
LOGENTRY:SOL34
Wellthattookareallylongtime.I’vebeenatitallnightwiththe
Hydrazine.ButIgotthejobdone.
Icouldhavefinishedfaster,butIfiguredcaution’sbestwhensetting
firetorocketfuelinanenclosedspace.
Boyisthisplaceatropicaljunglenow,I’lltellya.
It’salmost30Cinhere,andhumidasallhell.Ijustdumpedatonof
heatand50Lofwaterintotheair.
Duringthisprocess,thepoorHabhadtobethemotherofamessy
toddler.It’sbeenreplacingtheoxygenI’veused,andtheWater
Reclaimeristryingtogetthehumiditydowntosanelevels.Nothingtobe
doneabouttheheat.There’sactuallynoair-conditioningintheHab.
Marsiscold.Gettingridofexcessheatisn’tsomethingweexpectedto
dealwith.
I’venowgrownaccustomedtothealarmsthatareblaringatalltimes.
Thefirealarmhasfinallystopped,nowthatthere’snomorefire.Thelow
oxygenalarmshouldstopsoon.Thehighhumidityalarmwilltakealittle
longer.TheWaterReclaimerhasitsworkcutoutforittoday.
Foramoment,thereyetanotheralarm.TheWaterReclaimer’smain
tankwasfull.Booyah!That’sthekindofproblemIwanttohave!
RememberthespacesuitIvandalizedyesterday?Ihungitonitsrack
andcarriedbucketsofwatertoitfromthereclaimer.Itcanholdan
atmosphereofairin.Itshouldbeabletohandleafewbucketsofwater.
ManI’mtired.Beenupallnightandit’stimetosleep.ButI’lldrift
offtodreamlandinthebestmoodI’vebeeninsinceSol6.
Thingsarefinallygoingmyway.Infact,they’regoinggreat!Ihavea
chancetoliveafterall!
LOGENTRY:SOL37
Iam....andI’mgonnadie!
Ok,calmdown.I’msureIcangetaroundthis.
I’mwritingthislogtoyou,dearfutureMarsarcheologist,fromRover
2. YoumaywonderwhyI’mnotintheHabrightnow.BecauseIfledin
terror,that’swhy!AndI’mnotsurewhatthehelltodonext.
IguessIshouldexplainwhathappened.Ifthisismylastentry,you’ll
atleastknowwhy.
Overthepastfewdays,I'vebeenhappilymakingwater.It’sbeen
goingswimmingly.(SeewhatIdidthere?“swimmingly”)
IevenbeefeduptheMAVfuelplantcompressor.Itwasvery
technical(Iincreasedthevoltagetothepump).SoI’mmakingwater
evenfasternow.
Aftermyinitialburstof50L,Idecidedtosettledownandjustmakeit
attherateIgetO2.I’mnotwillingtogobelowa25Lreserve.SowhenI
diptoolow,IstopdickingwithHydrazineuntilIgettheO2backupto
wellabove25L.
Importantnote:WhenIsayImade50Lofwater,thatwasan
assumption.Ididn’t*reclaim*50Lofwater.TheadditionalsoilI’dfilled
theHabwithwasextremelydryandgreedilysuckedupalotofthe
humidity.That’swhereIwantthewatertogoanyway,soI’mnot
worried,andIwasn’tsurprisedwhenthereclaimerdidn’tgetanywhere
near50L.
Iget10LofCO2every15hoursnowthatIsoupedupthepump.I’ve
donethisprocessfourtimes.Mymathtellsmethat,includingmyinitial
50Lburst,Ishouldhave130Lofwateraddedtothesystem.
Wellmymathisadamnliar!
I’vegained70Linthewaterregulatorandthespacesuit-nowwatertank.There’splentyofcondensationonthewallsanddomedroof,
andthesoiliscertainlyabsorbingitsfairshare.Butthatdoesn’taccount
for60Lofmissingwater.Somethingwaswrong.
That’swhenInoticedtheotherO2tank.
TheHabhastworeserveO2tanks.Oneoneachsideofthestructure,
forsafetyreasons.TheHabcandecidewhichonetousewheneverit
wants.Turnsoutit’sbeentoppingofftheatmospherefromTank1.But
whenIaddO2tothesystem(viatheOxygenator),theHabevenly
distributesthegainamongthetwotanks.Tank2hasbeenslowlygaining
oxygen.
That’snotaproblem,it’sjustdoingitsjob.ButitdoesmeanI’ve
beengainingO2overtime.WhichmeansI’mnotconsumingitasfastas
Ithought.
Atfirst,Ithought“Yay!Moreoxygen!NowIcanmakewaterfaster!”
Butthenamoredisturbingthoughtoccurredtome.
Followmylogic:I’mgainingO2.ButtheamountI’mbringingin
fromoutsideisconstant.Sotheonlywayto“gain”itistobeusingless
thanIthought.ButI’vebeendoingtheHydrazinereactionwiththe
assumptionthatIwasusingallofit.
TheonlypossibleexplanationisIhaven’tbeenburningallthe
releasedhydrogen.
It’sobviousnow,inretrospect.Butitneveroccurredtomethatsome
ofthehydrogenjustwouldn’tburn.Itgotpasttheflame,andwentonits
merryway.Dammit,Jim,I’mabotanist,notachemist!
Chemistryismessy,sothere'sunburnedHydrogenintheair.All
aroundme.Mixedinwiththeoxygen.Just...hangingout.Waitingfora
sparksoitcanblowthe....Habup!
OnceIfiguredthisout,andcomposedmyself,IgotaZiploc-sized
samplebagandwaveditaroundabit,thensealedit.
Then,aquickEVAtoarover,wherewekeeptheatmospheric
analyzers.Nitrogen:22%.Oxygen:9%.Hydrogen:64%.
I’vebeenhidinghereintherovereversince.
It’sHydrogenvilleintheHab.
I’mveryluckyithasn’tblown.Evenasmallstaticdischargewould
haveledto“Ohthehumanity!”
So,I’mhereinRover2.Icanstayforadayortwo,tops,beforethe
CO2filtersfromtheroverandmyspacesuitfillup.Ihavethatlongto
figureouthowtodealwiththis.
TheHabisnowabomb.
Chapter5
LOGENTRY:SOL38
I’mstillcoweringintherover,butI’vehadtimetothink.AndIknow
howtodealwiththehydrogen.
IthoughtabouttheAtmosphericRegulator.Itpaysattentiontowhat’s
intheairandbalancesit.That’showtheexcessO2I'vebeenimporting
endsupinthetanks.Problemis,it’sjustnotbuilttopullhydrogenoutof
theair.
Theregulatorusesfreeze-separationtosortoutthegasses.Whenit
decidesthere’stoomuchoxygen,itstartscollectingairinatankand
coolingitto90kelvin.Thatmakestheoxygenturntoliquid,butleaves
thenitrogen(condensationpoint:77K)stillgaseous.Thenitstoresthe
O2.
ButIcan’tgetittodothatforhydrogen,becausehydrogenneedsto
bebelow21Ktoturnliquid.Andtheregulatorjustcan’tgettemperatures
thatlow.Deadend.
Here’sthesolution:
Hydrogenisdangerousbecauseitcanblowup.Butitcanonlyblow
upifthere’soxygenaround.Hydrogenwithoutoxygenisharmless.And
theregulatorisallaboutpullingoxygenoutoftheair.
Therearefourdifferentsafetyinterlocksthatpreventtheregulator
fromlettingtheHab’soxygencontentgettoolow.Butthey’redesigned
toworkagainsttechnicalfaults,notdeliberatesabotage(bwahaha!).
Longstoryshort,Icantricktheregulatorintopullingalltheoxygen
outoftheHab.ThenIcanwearaspacesuit(soIcanbreathe)anddo
whateverIwantwithoutfearofblowingup.Yay!
I’lluseanO2tanktosprayshortburstsofoxygenatthehydrogen,
andmakeasparkwithacoupleofwiresandabattery.It’llsetthe
hydrogenonfire,butonlyuntilthesmallbitofoxygenisusedup.
I’lljustdothatoverandover,incontrolledbursts,untilI’veburned
offallthehydrogen.
Onetinyflawwiththatplan:It’llkillmydirt.
Thedirtisonlyviablesoilbecauseofthebacteriagrowinginit.IfI
getridofalltheoxygen,thebacteriawilldie.Idon’thave100billion
littlespacesuitshandy.
It’shalfasolutionanyway.
Timetotakeabreakfromthinking.
CommanderLewiswasthelastonetousethisrover.Shewas
scheduledtouseitagainonSol7,butshewenthomeinstead.Her
personaltravelkit’sstillintheback.Riflingthroughit,Ifoundaprotein
barandapersonalUSB,probablyfullofmusictolistentoonthedrive.
TimetochowdownandseewhatthegoodCommanderbroughtalong
formusic.
LOGENTRYSOL38(2)
Disco.Goddamnit,Lewis.
LOGENTRY:SOL39
WellIthinkI’vegotit.
Soilbacteriaareusedtowinters.Theygetlessactive,andrequireless
oxygentosurvive.IcanlowertheHabtemperatureto1C,andthey’ll
nearlyhibernate.ThissortofthinghappensonEarthallthetime.They
cansurviveacoupleofdaysthisway.Ifyou’rewonderinghowbacteria
survivelongperiodsofcoldonEarth,theansweristheydon’t.Bacteria
furtherundergroundwhereitwaswarmerbreedupwardtoreplacethe
deadones.
They’llstillneedsomeoxygen,butnotmuch.Ithinka1%content
willdothetrick.Thatleavesalittleintheairforthebacteriatobreathe,
butnotenoughtomaintainafire.Sothehydrogenwon’tblowup.
Butthatleadstoyetanotherproblem.Thepotatoplantswon’tlikethe
plan.
Theydon’tmindthelackofoxygenbutthecoldwillkillthem.SoI’ll
havetopotthem(bagthem,actually)andmovethemtoarover.They
haven’tevensproutedyet,soit’snotliketheyneedlight.
Itwassurprisinglyannoyingtofindawaytomaketheheatstayon
whentherover’sunoccupied.ButIfigureditout.Afterall,I’vegot
nothingbuttimeinhere.
Sothat’stheplan.First,bagthepotatoplantsandbringthemtothe
rover(makesureitkeepsthedamnheateron).ThendroptheHab
temperatureto1C.ThenreducetoO2contentto1%.Thenburnoffthe
hydrogenwithabattery,somewires,andatankofO2.
Yeah.Thisallsoundslikeagreatideawithnochanceofcatastrophic
failure.
Thatwassarcasm,bytheway.
Well,offIgo.
LOGENTRY:SOL40
Thingsweren’t100%successful.
Theysaynoplansurvivesfirstcontactwithimplementation.I’dhave
toagree.Here’swhathappened:
IsummonedupthecouragetoreturntotheHab.OnceIgotthere,I
feltalittlemoreconfident.EverythingwashowI’dleftit(whatdidI
expect?Martianslootingmystuff?)
ItwouldtakeawhiletolettheHabcool,soIstartedthatrightaway
byturningthetemperaturedownto1C.
Ibaggedthepotatoplants,andgotachancetocheckuponthem
whileIwasatit.They’rerootingnicelyandabouttosprout.OnethingI
hadn’taccountedforwashowtobringthemfromtheHabtotherovers.
Theanswerwasprettyeasy.IputalloftheminMartinez’sspacesuit.
ThenIdraggeditoutwithmetotheroverI’dsetupasatemporary
nursery.
Makingsuretojimmytheheatertostayon,IheadedbacktotheHab.
BuythetimeIgotback,itwasalreadychilly.Downto5Calready.
Shiveringandseeingmybreathcondenseinfrontofme,Ithrewonextra
layersofclothes.FortunatelyI’mnotaverybigman.Martinez’sclothes
fitovermine,andVogel’sfitoverMartinez’s.Theseshittyclotheswere
designedtobeworninatemperature-controlledenvironment.Evenwith
threelayers,Iwasstillcold.Iclimbedintomybunkandunderthe
coversformorewarmth.
Oncethetemperaturegotto1C,Iwaitedanotherhour,justtomake
surethebacteriainthedirtgotthememothatitwastimetotakeitslow.
ThenextproblemIranintowastheregulator.Despitemy
swaggeringconfidence,Iwasn’tabletooutwitit.Itreallydoesnotwant
topulltoomuchO2outoftheair.ThelowestIcouldgetittowas15%.
Afterthat,itflatlyrefusedtogolower,andnothingIdidmattered.Ihad
alltheseplansaboutgettinginandreprogrammingit.Butthesafety
protocolsturnedouttobeinROMs.
Ican’tblameit.Itswholepurposeistopreventtheatmospherefrom
becominglethal.NobodyatNASAthought“Hey,let’sallowafatallack
ofoxygenthatwillmakeeveryonedropdead!”
SoIhadtousemoreamoreprimitiveplan.
Theregulatorusesadifferentsetofventsforairsamplingthanit
doesformainairseparation.Theairthatgetsfreeze-separatedcomesin
throughasinglelargeventonthemainunit.Butitsamplestheairfrom
ninesmallventsthatpipebacktothemainunit.Thatwayitgetsagood
averageoftheHab,andpreventsonelocalizedimbalancefromthrowing
itoff.
Itapedupeightoftheintakes,leavingonlyoneofthemactive.ThenI
tapedthemouthofaHefty-sizedbagovertheneck-holeofaspacesuit
(Johanssen’sthistime).Inthebackofthebag,Ipokedasmallholeand
tapeditovertheremainingintake.
ThenIinflatedthebagwithpureO2fromthesuit’stanks.“Holy
shit!”theregulatorthought,“IbetterpullO2outrightaway!”
Workedgreat!
IdecidedInottowearaspacesuitafterall.Theatmosphericpressure
wasgoingtobefine.AllIneededwasoxygen.SoIgrabbedanO2
canisterfromthemedicalbay.Thatway,Ihadahellofalotmore
freedomofmotion.Itevenhadarubberbandtokeepitonmyface!
ThoughIdidneedaspacesuittomonitortheactualHaboxygenlevel
(TheHab’smaincomputerwasconvinceditwas100%O2).Each
spacesuitknewhowtomonitoritsowninternalair,ofcourse.
Let’ssee…Martinez’sspacesuitwasintherover.Johanssen’swas
outwittingtheregulator.Lewis’swasservingasawater-tank.Ididn’t
wanttomesswithmine(hey,it’scustomfitted!).Thatleftmethree
spacesuitstoworkwith.
IgrabbedVogel’ssuitandactivatedtheinternalairsensorswhile
leavingthehelmetoff.Oncetheoxygendroppedto12%Iputthe
breathermaskon.Iwatcheditfallfurtherandfurther.Whenitreached
1%Icutpowertotheregulator.
Imaynotbeabletoreprogramtheregulator,butIcanturnthe
bastardoffcompletely.
TheHabhasemergencyflashlightsinmanylocationsincaseof
criticalpowerfailure.ItoretheL.E.D.bulbsoutofoneandleftthetwo
frayedpowerwiresveryclosetogether.NowwhenIturneditonIgota
smallspark.
TakingacanisterofO2fromVogel’ssuit,Iattachedastraptoboth
endsandslungitovermyshoulder.ThenIattachedanairlinetothetank
andcrimpeditwithmythumb.IturnedonaveryslowtrickleofO2;a
smallenoughthatitcouldn’toverpowerthecrimp.
Standingonthetablewithasparkerinonehandandmyoxygenline
intheother,Ireachedupandgaveitatry.
Andholyhellitworked!BlowingtheO2overthesparker,Iflicked
theswitchontheflashlightandawonderfuljetofflamefiredoutofthe
tube.Thefirealarmwentoff,ofcourse.ButI’dhearditsomuchlatelyI
barelynoticeditanymore.
ThenIdiditagain.Andagain.Shortbursts.Nothingflashy.Iwas
happytotakemytime.
Iwaselated!Thiswasthebestplanever!NotonlywasIclearingout
thehydrogen,Iwasmakingmorewater!
Everythingwentgreatrightuptotheexplosion.
OneminuteIwashappilyburninghydrogen;thenextIwasonthe
othersideoftheHabandalotofstuffwasknockedover.Istumbledto
myfeetandsawtheHabindisarray.
Myfirstthoughtwas“Myearshurtlikehell!”
ThenIthought“I’mdizzy,”andfelltomyknees.ThenIfellprone.I
wasthatdizzy.Igropedmyheadwithbothhands,lookingforaheadwoundIdesperatelyhopedwouldnotbethere.Nothingseemedtobe
amiss.
Butfeelingallovermyheadandfacerevealedthetrueproblem.My
oxygenmaskhadbeenrippedoffintheblast.Iwasbreathingnearlypure
nitrogen.
ThefloorwascoveredinjunkfromallovertheHab.Nohopeof
findingthemedicalO2tank.Nohopeoffindinganythinginthismess
beforeIpassedout.
ThenIsawLewis’ssuithangingrightwhereitbelonged.Ithadn’t
movedintheblast.Itwasheavytostartwithandhad70Lofwaterinit.
Rushingover,IquicklycrankedontheO2andstuckmyheadintothe
neck-hole(I’dremovedthehelmetlongago,foreasyaccesstothe
water).Ibreathedabituntilthedizzinessfaded,thentookadeepbreath
andheldit.
Stillholdingmybreath,IglancedovertothespacesuitandHeftybag
I’dusedtooutsmarttheregulator.ThebadnewsisI’dneverremoved
them.Thegoodnewsistheexplosionremovedthem.Eightofthenine
intakesfortheregulatorwerestillbagged,butthisonewouldatleasttell
thetruth.
Stumblingovertotheregulator,Iturneditbackon.
Afteratwosecondbootprocess(itwasmadetostartupfastfor
obviousreasons)itimmediatelyidentifiedtheproblem.
Theshrilllow-oxygenalarmblaredthroughouttheHabasthe
regulatordumpedpureoxygenintotheatmosphereasfastasitsafely
could.Separatingoxygenfromtheatmosphereisdifficultandtime
consuming,butaddingitisassimpleasopeningavalve.
IclamberedoverdebrisbacktoLewis’sspacesuitandputmyhead
backinformoregoodair.Withinthreeminutes,theregulatorhad
broughttheHaboxygenbackuptopar.
Inoticedforthefirsttimehowburnedmyclothingwas.Itwasagood
timetobewearingthreelayersofclothes.Mostlythedamagewasonmy
sleves.Theouterlayerwasgone.Themiddlelayerwassingedandburned
cleanthroughinplaces.Theinnerlayer,myownuniform,wasin
reasonablygoodshape.LookslikeIluckedoutagain.
Also,glancingattheHab’smaincomputer,Iseethetemperaturerose
to15C.Somethingveryhotandveryexplodeyhappened,andIwasn’t
surewhat.Orhow.
Andthat’swhereIamnow.Wonderingwhatthehellhappened.
Afterallthatworkandgettingblownup,I’mexhausted.Tomorrow
I’llhavetodoamillionequipmentchecksandtrytofigureoutwhatblew
up,butfornowIjustwanttosleep.
I’mintheroveragaintonight.Evenwiththehydrogengone,I’m
reluctanttohangoutinaHabthathasahistoryofexplodingforno
reason.Plus,Ican’tbesurethereisn’taleak.
Thistime,Ibroughtapropermeal,andsomethingtolistentothat
isn’tdisco.
LOGENTRY:SOL41
IspentthedayrunningfulldiagnosticsoneverysystemintheHab.It
wasincrediblyboring,butmysurvivaldependsonthesemachines,soit
hadtobedone.Ican’tjustassumeanexplosiondidnolong-term
damage.
Ididthemostcriticaltestsfirst.Numberonewastheintegrityofthe
Habcanvas.Ifeltprettyconfidentitwasingoodshape,causeI’dspenta
fewhoursasleepintheroverbeforereturningtotheHab,andthe
pressurewasstillgood.Thecomputerreportednochangepressureover
thattime,otherthanaminorfluctuationbasedontemperature.
ThenIcheckedtheOxygenator.IfthatstopsworkingandIcan’tfix
it,I’madeadman.Noproblems.
ThentheAtmosphericRegulator.Again,noproblem.
Heatingunit,primarybatteryarray,O2andN2storagetanks,Water
Reclaimer,allthreeairlocks,lightingsystems,maincomputer…onand
onIwent,feelingbetterandbetteraseachsystemprovedtobeinperfect
workingorder.
GottohandittoNASA.Theydon’t....aroundwhenmakingthis
stuff.
Thencamethecriticalpart…checkingthedirt.Takingafewsamples
fromallovertheHab(remember,it’salldirtflooringnow),Imadesome
slides.
Itookthemovertothemicroscopeandcheckeduponmybeloved
bacteria.IbreathedasighofreliefwhenIsawhealthy,activebacteria
doingtheirthing.
ThenIsetaboutcleaningupthemess.AndIhadalotoftimetothink
aboutwhathadhappened.
Sowhathappened?Well,Ihaveatheory.
Accordingtothemaincomputer,duringtheblast,theinternal
pressurespikedto1.4atmospheres,andthetemperatureroseto15Cin
underasecond.Butthepressurequicklysubsidedbackto1atm.This
wouldmakesenseiftheAtmosphericRegulatorwereon,butI’dcut
powertoit.
Thetemperatureremained15Cforsometimeafterward,soanyheat
expansionshouldstillhavebeenpresent.Butthepressuredroppeddown
again,sowheredidthatextrapressurego?Raisingthetemperatureand
keepingthesamenumberofatomsinsideshouldpermanentlyraisethe
pressure.Butitdidn’t.
Iquicklyrealizedtheanswer.Thehydrogen(theonlyavailablething
toburn)combinedwithoxygen(hencecombustion)andbecamewater.
Waterisathousandtimesasdenseasagas.Sotheheataddedtothe
pressure,andthetransformationofhydrogenandoxygenintowater
broughtitbackdownagain.
Themilliondollarquestionis:Wherethehelldidtheoxygencome
from?Thewholeplanwastolimitoxygenandkeepanexplosionfrom
happening.Anditwasworkingforquiteawhilebeforeblowingup.
IthinkIhavemyanswer.Anditcomesdowntomebrain-farting.
RememberwhenIdecidednottowearaspacesuit?Thatdecisionalmost
killedme.
ThemedicalO2tankmixespureoxygenwithsurroundingair,then
feedsittoyouthroughamask.Themaskstaysonyourfacewithalittle
rubberbandthatgoesaroundthebackofyourneck.Notanair-tightseal.
Iknowwhatyou’rethinking.Themaskleakedoxygen.Butno.Iwas
breathingtheoxygen.WhenIwasinhaling,Imadeanearlyairtightseal
withthemaskbysuckingittomyface.
Theproblemwastheexhale.Doyouknowhowmuchoxygenyou
absorboutoftheairwhenyoutakeanormalbreath?Idon’tknoweither,
butit’snot100%.Witheverybreath,Iwastakinginoxygen,mylungs
grabbedsomeofit,thenIwasbreathingitoutintotheHab.EverytimeI
exhaled,Iaddedmoreoxygentothesystem.
Itjustdidn’toccurtome.Butitshouldhave.Ifyourlungsgrabbedup
alltheoxygen,mouth-to-mouthresuscitationwouldn’twork.I’msucha
dumb-assfornotthinkingofit!Andmydumbasseryalmostgotme
killed!
I’mreallygoingtohavetobemorecareful.
It’sagoodthingIburnedoffmostofthehydrogenbeforethe
explosion.Otherwisethatwouldhavebeentheend.Asitis,theexplosion
wasn’tstrongenoughtopoptheHab.Thoughitwasstrongenoughto
almostblastmyeardrumsin.
TheWaterReclaimerdiditsjoblastnightandpulledanother50Lof
wateroutoftheair.Longagobeforehydrogenbecamethefocusofmy
life,myproblemwasthe60Lshortfallinwaterproduction.50Lofitis
nowinLewis’sspacesuit,whichI’llcall“TheCistern”fromnowon
becauseitsoundscooler.Theother10Lofwaterwasabsorbedbythedry
soil.
Lotsofphysicallabortoday.I’veearnedafullmeal.Andtocelebrate
myfirstnightbackintheHab,I’llkickbackandwatchsomeshitty20th
centuryTVcourtesyofCommanderLewis.
“TheDukesofHazzard,”eh?Let’sgiveitawhirl.
LOGENTRY:SOL42
Isleptinlatetoday.Ideservedit.Afterfournightsofawfulsleepin
therover,mybunkfeltlikethesoftest,mostprofoundlybeautiful
featherbedevermade.
Anyway,Idraggedmyassoutofbedandfinishedsomepostexplosioncleanup.
Imovedthepotatoplantsbackintoday.Andjustintime,too.
They’resprouting.Theylookhealthyandhappy.Thisisn’tchemistry,
medicine,bacteriology,nutritionanalysis,explosiondynamics,orany
othershitI’vebeendoinglately,thisisbotany.I’msureIcanatleast
growsomeplantswithout....up.
Right?
Youknowwhatreallysucks?I’veonlymade130Lofwater.Ihave
another470Ltogo.You’dthinkafteralmostkillingmyselftwice,I’d
stopscrewingaroundwithhydrazine.Butnope.I’llbereducing
hydrazineandburninghydrogenintheHab,every10hours,foranother
10days.Let’shopeIdoabetterjobofitfromnowon.
I’llhavealotofdeadtime.10hoursforeachtankofC02tofinish
filling.Itonlytakes20minutestoreducethehydrazineandburnthe
hydrogen.I’llspendtherestofthetimewatchingTV.
Andseriously…It’scleartheGeneralLeecanoutrunapolicecruiser.
Whydoesn’tRoscoejustgototheDukefarmandarrestthemwhen
they’renotinthecar?
Chapter6
Venkatreturnedtohisoffice,droppedhisbriefcaseonthefloor,and
collapsedintohisleatherchair.Hetookamomenttolookoutthe
windowsathisscenicviewoftheJohnsonSpaceCenter.
Glancingathiscomputerscreen,henoted47unreademailsurgently
demandinghisattention.Theycouldwait.Todayhadbeenasadday.
TodaywasthememorialserviceforMarkWatney.
ThePresidenthadgivenaspeech,praisingWatney’sbraveryand
sacrifice,andthequickactionsofCommanderLewisingettingeveryone
elsetosafety.CommanderLewisandthesurvivingcrew,vialongrange
communicationfromHermes,gaveeulogiestotheirdepartedcomrade
fromdeepspace.Theyhadanothertenmonthsoftravelyettoendure.
TheDirectorhadgivenaspeechaswell,remindingeveryonethat
spaceflightisincrediblydangerous,andhowwewillnotbackdownin
thefaceofadversity.
Duringpreparationfortheservice,they’daskedVenkatifhewas
willingtomakeaspeech.He’ddeclined.Whatwasthepoint?Watney
wasdead.NicewordsformtheDirectorofMarsMissionswouldn’tbring
himback.
“Youok,Venk?”cameavoicefromthedoorway.
Venkatswiveledaround.“Guessso,”hesaid.
“Youcouldhavegivenaspeech.”
“Ididn’twantto.Youknowthat.”
“Yeah,Iknow.Ididn’twantto,either.ButI’mthedirectorofNASA.
It’skindofexpected.Yousureyou’reok?”
“Yeah,I’llbefine.”
“Good,”Teddysaid,walkingin.“Let’sgetbacktowork,then.”
“Sure,”Venkatshrugged.“Let’sstartwithyouauthorizingmy
satellitetime.”
Teddyleanedagainstthewallwithasigh.“Thisagain.”
“Yes,”Venkatsaid.“Thisagain.Whatistheproblem?”
“Ok,runmethroughit.What,exactly,areyouafter?”
Venkatleanedforward.“Ares3wasafailure,butwecansalvage
somethingfromit.We’refundedforfiveAresmissions.Ithinkwecan
getCongresstofundasixth.”
“Idon’tknow,Venk…”
“It’ssimple,Teddy,”Venkatpressedon.“Theyevac’daftersixsols.
There’salmostanentiremissionworthofsuppliesupthere.Itwould
onlycostafractionofanormalmission.Itnormallytakes14presupply
probestoprepasite.Wemightbeabletosendwhat’smissinginthree.
Maybetwo.”
“Venk,thesitegothitbya175km/hsandstorm.It’llbeinreallybad
shape.”
“That’swhyIwantimagery,”Venkatexplained.“Ijustneedacouple
ofshotsofthesite.Wecouldlearnalot.”
“Likewhat?Youthinkwe’dsendpeopletoMarswithoutbeingsure
everythingwasinperfectworkingorder?”
“Everythingdoesn’thavetobeperfect,”Venkatsaidquickly.
“Whatever’sbroken,we’dsendreplacementsfor.Theonlythingthat
needstoworkistheMAV.Andwe’dhavetosendafreshoneanyway.”
“Howwillweknowfromimagerywhat’sbroken?”
“It’sjustafirststep.Theyevac’dbecausethewindwasathreattothe
MAV,buttheHabcanwithstandalotmorepunishment.Itmightstillbe
inonepiece.
“Andit’llbereallyobvious.Ifitpopped,it’dcompletelyblowout
andcollapse.Ifit’sstillstanding,theneverythinginsidewillbefine.And
theroversaresolid.TheycantakeanysandstormMarshastooffer.Just
letmetakealook,Teddy,that’sallIwant.”
Teddylookeddown,“You’renottheonlyguywhowantssatellite
time,youknow.WehaveAres4supplymissionscomingup.Weneedto
concentrateonSchiaparelliCrater.”
“Idon'tgetit,Teddy.What'stheproblemhere?”Venkatasked.“I’m
talkingaboutsecuringusanothermission.Wehave12satellitesinorbit
aroundMars,I’msureyoucanspareoneortwoforacoupleofhours.I
cangiveyouthewindowsforeachonewhenthey’llbeattherightangle
forAres3shots-“
“It’snotaboutsatellitetime,Venk,”Teddyinterrupted.
Venkatfroze.“Then…but…what…”
Teddylookeddown.“We’reapublicdomainorganization.There’sno
suchthingassecretorsecureinformationhere.”
“So?”
“Anyimagerywetakegoesdirectlytothepublic.”
“Again:so?”
“MarkWatney’sbodywillbewithinatwentymetersoftheHab.
Maybepartiallyburiedinsand,butstillveryvisible,andwithacomm
antennastickingoutofhischest.Anyimageswetakewillshowthat.”
Venkatstared.Thenglared.“Thisiswhyyoudeniedmyimagery
requestsfortwomonths?”
“Venk,comeon-“
“Really,Teddy?”hesaid.“You’reafraidofaPRproblem?”
“Themedia’sobsessionwithWatney’sdeathisfinallystartingto
taperoff,”Teddysaidevenly.“It’sbeenbadpressafterbadpressfortwo
months.Today’smemorialgivespeopleclosure,andthemediacanmove
ontosomeotherstory.Thelastthingwewanttodoisdredgeeverything
backup.”
“Sowhatdowedo,then?He’snotgoingtodecompose.He’llbethere
forever.”
“Notforever,”Teddysaid.“Withinayear,he’llbecoveredinsand
fromnormalweatheractivity.”
“Ayear?”Venkatsaid,risingtohisfeet.“That’sludicrous.Wecan’t
waitayearforthis.”
“Whynot?Ares5won’tevenlaunchforanotherfiveyears.Plentyof
time.”
Venkattookadeepbreathandthoughtforamoment.
“Ok,considerthis,”hesaid.“SympathyforWatney’sfamilyisreally
high.Ares6couldbringthebodyback.Wedon’tsaythat’sthepurpose
ofthemission,butwemakeitclearthatwouldbepartofit.Ifweframed
itthatway,we’dgetmoresupportinCongress.Butnotifwewaitayear.
Inayear,peoplewon’tcareanymore.”
Teddyrubbedhischin.“Hmm…”
Mindystaredattheceiling.Shehadlittleelsetodo.The3amshift
wasprettydull.Onlyaconstantstreamofcoffeekeptherawake.
MonitoringthestatusofsatellitesaroundMarssoundedlikean
excitingpropositionwhenshetookthetransfer.Butthesatellitestended
totakecareofthemselves.Herjobturnedouttobesendingemailsas
imagerybecameavailable.
“Master’sDegreeinMechanicalEngineering,”shegrumbledto
herself.“AndI’mworkinginanall-nightphotobooth.”
Shesippedhercoffee.
Aflickeronherscreenannouncedanothersetofimageswereready
fordispatch.Shecheckedthenameontheworkorder.VenkatKapoor.
Postingthedatadirectlytointernalservers,shecomposedanemailto
Dr.Kapoor.Assheenteredthelatitudeandlongitudeoftheimage,she
recognizedthenumbers.
“31.2°N,28.5°W…AcidaliaPlanitia…Ares3?”
Outofcuriosity,shebroughtupthefirstofthe17images.
Asshesuspected,itwastheAres3site.She’dheardtheyweregoing
toimageit.Slightlyashamedofherself,shescouredtheimageforany
signonMarkWatney’sdeadbody.Afteraminuteoffruitlesssearching,
shewassimultaneouslyrelievedanddisappointed.
Shemovedontoperusingtherestoftheimage.TheHabwasintact;
Dr.Kapoorwouldbehappytoseethat.
Shebroughtthecoffeemugtoherlips,thenfroze.
“Um…”shemumbledtoherself.“Uhhh…”
QuicklybringinguptheNASAintranet,shenavigatedthroughthe
sitetothespecificsoftheAresmissions.Aftersomequickresearch,she
pickedupherphone.
“Hey,thisisMindyParkatSatCon.IneedthemissionlogsforAres
3,wherecanIget‘em?...Uhhuh…uh-huh….Ok…Thanks.”
Aftersomemoretimeontheintranet,sheleanedbackinherseat.She
nolongerneededthecoffeetokeepawake.
Pickingupthephoneagain,“Hello,Security?ThisisMindyParkin
SatCon.IneedtheemergencycontactnumberforDr.VenkatKapoor…
Yes,theDirectorofMarsMissions…Yesit’sandemergency.”
MindyfidgetedinherseatasVenkattrudgedin.
“YouMindyPark?”Heasked,lookingmildlyannoyed.
“Yeah,”shequavered.“Sorrytodragyouin.”
“I’massumingyouhadagoodreason.So?”
“Um,”shesaid,lookingdown.“Um,it’s.Well.Theimageryyou
ordered.Um.Comehereandlook.”
Hepulledanotherchairtoherstationandseatedhimself.“Isthis
aboutWatney’sbody?Isthatwhyyou’reshookup?”
“Um,no,”shesaid.“Um.Well…uh.”Shepointedtothescreen.
Venkatinspectedtheimage.“LooksliketheHab’sinonepiece.
That’sgoodnews.Solararraylooksgood.Theroversareok,too.Main
dishisn’taround.Nosurprisethere.What’sthebigemergency?”
“Um,”shesaid,touchingherfingertothescreen.“That.”
Venkatleanedinandlookedcloser.JustbelowtheHab,besidethe
rovers,twowhitecirclessatinthesand.“Hmm.LookslikeHabcanvas.
MaybetheHabdidn’tdowellafterall?Iguesspiecesgottornoffand-“
“Um,”sheinterrupted.“Theylooklikeroverpop-tents.”
Venkatlookedagain.“Hmm.Probablyright.”
“How’dtheygetsetup?”Mindyasked.
Venkatshrugged.“CommanderLewisprobablyorderedthem
deployedduringtheevac.Notabadidea.Havetheemergencyshelters
readyincasetheMAVdidn’tworkandtheHabbreached.”
“Yeah,um,”Mindysaid,openingadocumentonhercomputer.“This
istheentiremissionlogforSols1through6.FromMDVtouchdownto
MAVemergencyliftoff.”
“Ok,and?”
“Ireadthroughit.Severaltimes.Theyneverthrewoutthepoptents.”
Hervoicecrackedatthelastword.
“Well,uh…”Venkatsaid,puzzled.“Theyobviouslydid,butitdidn’t
makeitintothelog.”
“Theyactivatedtwoemergencypoptentsandnevertoldanyone?”
“Hmm.Thatdoesn’tmakealotofsense,no.Maybethestormmessed
withtheroversandthetentsautodeployed.”
“Um,”Mindystammered,“Soafterautodeploying,theydetached
themselvesfromtheroversandlinedupnexttoeachother20meters
away?”
Venkatlookedbacktotheimage.“Wellobviouslytheyactivated
somehow.”
“Whyarethesolarcellsclean?”Mindysaid,tearsforming.“There
wasahugesandstorm.Whyisn’ttheresandalloverthem?”
“Agoodwindcouldhavedoneit?”Venkatsaid,unsure.
“DidImentionIneverfoundWatney’sbody?”Shesaid,sniffling.
Venkat’seyeswidenedashestaredatthepicture.“Oh…”hesaid
quietly.“Ohgod…”
Mindyputherhandsoverherfaceandsobbedquietly.
“....!”DirectorofMediaRelationsAnnieMontrosesaid.“Youhave
gottobe....kiddingme!”
Teddyrubbedhisforehead.“Howsureareweofthis?”
“Nearly100%,”Venkatsaid.
“....!”Anniesaid.
“Nothelping,Annie,”Teddysaid.
“Doyouhaveanyideathemagnitudeofshitstormthisisgonna’be?”
Sheretorted.
“Onethingatatime,”Teddysaid.“Venk,whatmakesyousurehe’s
alive?”
“Forstarters,nobody.”Venkatexplained.“Also,thepop-tentsareset
up.Andthesolarcellsareclean.YoucanthankMindyParkinSatConfor
noticingallthat,bytheway.
“But,”Venkatcontinued,“hisbodycouldhavebeenburiedintheSol
6storm.Thepoptentsmighthaveautodeployedandwindcouldhave
blownthemaround.A30km/hwindstormsometimelaterwouldbe
strongenoughtocleanthesolarcellsbutnotstrongenoughtocarrysand.
It’snotlikely,butit’spossible.
“SoIspentthelastfewhourscheckingeverythingIcould.
CommanderLewishadtwooutingsinRover2.ThesecondwasonSol5.
Accordingtothelogs,afterreturning,shepluggeditintotheHabfor
recharging.Itwasn’tusedagain,and13hourslatertheyevac’d.”
HeslidapictureacrossthetabletoTeddy.
“That’soneoftheimagesfromlastnight.Asyoucansee,Rover2is
facingawayfromtheHab.Thechargingportisinthenose,andthecable
isn’tlongenoughtoreach.”
Teddyfrowned.“ShemusthaveparkeditfacingtheHaborshe
wouldn’thavebeenabletoplugitin,”hesaid.“It’sbeenmovedsince
Sol5.”
“Yeah,”Venkatsaid,slidinganotherpicturetoTeddy.“Buthere’sthe
realevidence.InthelowerrightoftheimageyoucanseetheMDV.It’s
beentakenapart.I’mprettysuretheywouldn’thavedonethatwithout
tellingus.
“Andtheclincherisontherightoftheimage,”Venkatpointed.“The
landingstrutsoftheMAV.Lookslikethefuelplanthasbeencompletely
removed,withconsiderabledamagetothestrutsintheprocess.There’s
justnowaythatcouldhavehappenedbeforeliftoff.Itwouldendangerthe
MAVwaytoomuchforLewistoallowit.”
“Hey,”Annieinterrupted.“WhynottalktoLewis?Let’sgoto
CAPCOMandaskherthisshitdirectly.”
VenkatlookedtoTeddyknowingly.Afterafewmoments,Teddy
sighed.
“Because,”hesaid.“IfWatneyreallyisalive,wedon’twanttheAres
3crewtoknow.”
“What!?”Anniesaid.“Howcanyounottellthem?”
“Theyhaveanothertenmonthsontheirtriphome,”Teddyexplained.
“Spacetravelisdangerous.Theyneedtobealertandundistracted.
They’resadthattheylostacrewmate,butthey’dbedevastatedifthey
foundoutthey’dabandonedhimalive.”
AnnielookedtoVenkat.“You’reonboardwiththis?”
“It’sano-brainer,”Venkatsaid.“Let‘emdealwiththatemotional
traumawhenthey’renotflyingaspaceshiparound.”
“This’llbethemosttalked-abouteventsinceApollo11,”Anniesaid.
“Howwillyoukeepitfromthem?”
Teddyshrugged.“Easy.Wecontrolallcommunicationwiththem.”
“....,”Anniesaid,openingherlaptop.“Whendoyouwanttogo
public?”
“What’syourtake,”heasked.
“Mmm,”Anniesaid,“Wecanholdthepicsfor24hoursbeforewe’re
requiredtomakethempublic.We’llneedtoreleaseastatementalong
withthem.Wedon’twantpeopleworkingitoutontheirown.We’dlook
likeassholes.”
“Ok,”Teddyagreed,“puttogetherastatement.”
“Thisisso....up,”shesaid.
“Wheredowegofromhere?”TeddyaskedVenkat.
“Steponeiscommunication,”Venkatsaid.“Fromthepics,it’sclear
thecommarrayisruined.Weneedanotherwaytotalk.Oncewecantalk,
wecanassessandmakeplans.”
“Allright,”Teddysaid.“Getonit.Takeanyoneyouwantforany
department.Useasmuchovertimeasyouwant.Findawaytotalkto
him.That’syouronlyjobrightnow.”
“Gotit.”
“Annie,makesurenobodygetswindofthistillweannounce.”
“Right,”Anniesaid.“Whoelseknows?”
“JustthethreeofusandMindyParkinSatCon,”Venkatsaid.
“I’llhaveawordwithher,”Anniesaid.
Teddystoodandopenedhiscellphone.“I’mgoingtoChicago.I’llbe
backlatertoday.”
“Why?”Annieasked.
“That’swhereWatney’sparentslive,”Teddysaid.“Iowethema
personalexplanationbeforeitbreaksonthenews.”
“They’llbehappytoheartheirson’salive,”Anniesaid.
“Yeah,he’salive,”Teddysaid.“Butifmymathisright,he’sdoomed
tostarvetodeathbeforewecanpossiblyhelphim.I’mnotlooking
forwardtotheconversation.”
“....,”Anniesaid,thoughtfully.
“Nothing?Nothingatall?”Venkatgroaned.“Areyoukiddingme?
Youhad20expertsworkingfor12hoursonthis.Wehaveamulti-billion
dollarcommunicationnetwork.Youcan’tfigureoutanywaytotalkto
him?”
ThetwomeninVenkat’sofficefidgetedintheirchairs.
“He’sgotnoradio,”saidChuck.
“Actually,”saidMorris,“He’sgotaradio,buthedoesn’thavea
dish.”
“Thingis,”Chuckcontinued,“withoutthedish,asignalwouldhave
tobereallystrong-“
“Like,melting-the-pigeonsstrong-“Morrissupplied.
“-forhimtogetit.”Chuckfinished.
“WeconsideredMartiansatellites,”Morrissaid.“They’rewaycloser.
Butthemathdoesn’tworkout.EvenSuperSurveyor3,whichhasthe
strongesttransmitter,wouldneedtobe14timesmorepowerful-“
“17times,”Chucksaid.
“14times,”Morrisasserted.
“Noit’s17.Youforgottheamperageminimumfortheheatersto
keepthe-“
“Guys,”Venkatinterrupted.“Igettheidea.”
“Sorry.”
“Sorry.”
“SorryifI’mgrumpy,”Venkatsaid.“Igotlike2hourssleeplast
night.”
“Noproblem,”Morrissaid.
“Totallyunderstandable,”Chucksaid.
“Ok,”Venkatsaid.“Explaintomehowasinglewindstormremoved
ourabilitytotalktoAres3.”
“Failureofimagination,”Chucksaid.
“Totallydidn’tseeitcoming,”Morrisagreed.
“Howmanyback-upcommunicationsystemsdoesanAresmission
have?”Venkatasked.
“Four,”Chucksaid.
“Three,”Morrissaid.
“No,it’sfour,”Chuckcorrected.
“Hesaidback-upsystems,”Morrisinsisted.“Thatmeansnot
includingtheprimarysystem.”
“Ohright.Three.”
“Sofoursystemstotal,then,”Venkatsaid.“Explainhowwelostall
four.”
“Well,”Chucksaid,“Theprimaryranthroughthebigsatellitedish.It
blewawayinthestorm.TherestofthebackupsweretheMAV.”
“Yup,”Morrisagreed.“TheMAVis,like,acommunicatingmachine.
ItcantalktoEarth,Hermes,evensatellitesaroundMarsifithasto.And
ithasthreeindependentsystemstomakesurenothingshortofameteor
strikecanstopcommunication.”
“Problemis,”Chucksaid.“CommanderLewisandtherestofthem
tooktheMAVwhentheyleft.”
“Sofourindependentcommunicationsystemsbecameone.Andthat
onebroke,”Morrisfinished.
Venkatpinchedthebridgeofhisnose.“Howcouldweoverlookthis?”
Chuckshrugged.“Neveroccurredtous.Weneverthoughtsomeone
wouldbeonMarswithoutanMAV.”
“Imean,comeon!”Morrissaid.“Whataretheodds?”
Chuckturnedtohim.“Oneinthree,basedonempiricaldata.That’s
prettybadifyouthinkaboutit.”
“Thankyouallforcomingonsuchshortnotice,”Anniesaid.“We
haveanimportantannouncementtomake.Ifyoucouldalltakeyour
seats,”
“Whatthisabout,Annie?”Areporterasked.“Somethinghappenwith
Hermes?”
“Pleasetakeyourseats,”Annierepeated.
Thereportersmingledabit,arguedoverseatsforashorttime,then
finallysettleddown.
“Thisisashort,butveryimportantannouncement,”Anniesaid.“I
won’tbetakinganyquestionsatthistime,butwewillhaveafullpress
conferencewithQ&Ainaboutanhour.Wehaverecentlyreviewed
satelliteimageryfromMars,andhaveconfirmedthatastronautMark
Watneyis,currently,stillalive.”
Afteronefullsecondofuttersilence,theroomexplodedwithnoise.
“I’mgettingsickofdailypressconferences,”Venkatsaid.
“I’mgettingsickofhourlypressconferences,”Anniecountered.
“SorryI’mlate,”Teddysaid,enteringthecrowdedpressroom.
Managersfromeverydepartmentstoodshouldertoshoulderintheback,
whilereporterscrammedthepit.
Teddypulledsomeflashcardsfromhispocket,thenclearedhis
throat.
“IntheninedayssinceannouncingMarkWatney’ssurvival,we’re
receivedamassiveshowofsupportfromallsectors.We’reusingthis
shamelesslyeverywaywecan.”
Asmallchucklecascadedthroughtheroom.
“Yesterday,atourrequest,theentireSETInetworkfocusedonMars.
JustincaseWatneywassendingaweakradiosignal.Turnsouthe
wasn’t,butitshowsthelevelofcommitmenteveryonehastoward
helpingus.
“Thepublicisengaged,andwewilldoourbesttokeepeveryone
informed.I’verecentlylearnedCNNwillbededicatingahalf-hour
segmenteveryweekdaytoreportingonjustthisissue.Wewillassign
severalmembersofourMediaRelationsteamtothatprogram,sothe
publiccangetthelatestinformationasfastaspossible.
“Wehaveadjustedtheorbitsofthreesatellitestogetmoreviewtime
ontheAres3site,andhopetocatchanimageofhimoutsidesoon.Ifwe
canseehimoutside,wewillbeabletodrawconclusionsonhisphysical
healthbasedonstanceandactivities.
“Thequestionsaremany:Howlongcanhelast?Howmuchfooddoes
hehave?CanAres4rescuehim?Howwillwetalktohim?Theanswers
tothesequestionsarenotwhatwewanttohear.
“Ican’tpromisewe’llsucceedinrescuinghim,butIcanpromise
this:TheentirefocusofNASAwillbetobringMarkWatneyhome.This
willbeouroverridingandsingularobsessionuntilheiseitherbackon
Earth,orconfirmeddeadonMars.”
“Nicespeech,”VenkatsaidasheenteredTeddy’soffice.
“Meanteverywordofit,”Teddysaid.
“Oh,Iknow.”
“WhatcanIdoforyou,Venk?”
“I’vegotanidea.Well,JPLhasanidea.I’mthemessenger.”
“Ilikeideas,”Teddysaid,gesturingtoaseat.
Venkatsatdown.
“WecanrescuehimwithAres4.It’sveryrisky.Werantheideaby
theAres4crew.Notonlyaretheywillingtodoit,butnowthey’rereally
pushinghardforit.”
“Naturally,”Teddysaid.“Astronautsareinherentlyinsane.Andreally
noble.What’stheidea?”
“Well,”Venkatbegan,“It’sintheroughstages,butJPLthinksthe
MDVcanbemisusedtosavehim.”
“Ares4hasn’tevenlaunchedyet.WhymisuseanMDV.Whynot
makesomethingbetter?”
“Wedon’thavetimetomakeacustomcraft.Actually,hecan’teven
survivetillAres4getsthere,butthat’sadifferentproblem.”
“SotellmeabouttheMDV.”
“JPLstripsitdown,losessomeweight,andaddssomefueltanks.
Ares4’screwlandsattheAres3site,veryefficiently.Then,withafull
burn,andImeanafullburn,theycanliftoffagain.Itcan’tgetbackto
orbit,butitcangototheAres4siteonalateraltrajectorythat’s,well,
reallyscary.ThentheyhaveanMAV.Thiswouldrequireamassive
designandconstructioneffort,butJPLsaystheycanmakeithappen.”
“Howaretheylosingweight?”Teddyasked.“Don’ttheyalreadyhave
itaslightasitcanbe?”
“Byremovingsafetyandemergencyequipment.”
“Wonderful,”Teddysaid,“Sowe’dberiskingthelivesofsixmore
peopleinaverydangerouslanding,re-liftoff,re-landingprocess.”
“Yup,”Venkatsaid.“ItwouldbesafertoleavetheAres4crewin
Hermes,andonlysendthepilotdownwiththeMDV.Butthatwould
meangivingupthemissionandthey’dratherriskdeath.”
“They’reastronauts,”Teddysaid.
“They’reastronauts,”Venkatconfirmed.
“Well.That’saludicrousideaandI’llneverokit.”
“We’llworkonitsomemore,”Venkatsaid.“Trytomakeitsafer.”
“Dothat.Anyideahowtokeephimaliveforfouryears?”
“Nope.”
“Workonthat,too.”
“Willdo,”Venkatsaid.
Teddyswiveledhischairandlookedoutthewindowtothesky
beyond.Nightwasedgingin.“Whatmustitbelike?”Hepondered.“He’s
stuckoutthere.Hethinkshe’stotallyaloneandthatweallgaveupon
him.Whatkindofeffectdoesthathaveonaman’spsychology?”
HeturnedbacktoVenkat.“Iwonderwhathe’sthinkingrightnow.”
LOGENTRY:SOL61
HowcomeAquamancancontrolwhales?They’remammals!Makes
nosense.
Chapter7
LOGENTRY:SOL63
Ifinishedmakingwatersometimeago.I’mnolongerindangerof
blowingmyselfup.Thepotatoesaregrowingnicely.Nothinghas
conspiredtokillmeinweeks.And‘70’sTVkeepsmedisturbinglymore
entertainedthanitshould.ThingsarestablehereonMars.
It’stimetostartthinkinglongterm.
EvenifIfindawaytotellNASAI’malive,there’snoguarantee
they’llbeabletosaveme.Ineedtobeproactive.Ineedtofigureouthow
togettoAres4.
Won’tbeeasy.
Ares4willbelandingattheSchiaparelliCrater,3,200kmaway.In
fact,theirMAVisalreadythere.IknowbecauseIwatchedMartinezland
it.
Ittakes18monthsfortheMAVtomakeitsfuel,soit’sthefirstthing
NASAsendsalong.Sendingit48monthsearlygivesitplentyofextra
timeincasefuelreactionsgoslowerthanexpected.Butmuchmore
importantly,itmeansaprecisionsoft-landingcanbedoneremotelybya
pilotinorbit.DirectremoteoperationfromHoustonisn’tanoption;
they’reanywherefrom4to20light-minutesaway.
Ares4’sMAVspent11monthsgettingtoMars.Usinglessfueland
takingalongerroute,itgottherearoundthesametimeasus.As
expected,Martinezlandeditbeautifully.Itwasoneofthelastthingswe
didbeforepilingintoourMDVandheadingtothesurface.Ahh,the
goodolddays,whenIhadacrewwithme.
I’mlucky.3,200kmisn’tthatbad.Itcouldhavebeenupto10,000km
away.AndbecauseI’montheflattestpartofMars,thefirst650kmis
nice,smoothterrain(YayAcidaliaPlanitia!)buttherestofitisnasty,
rugged,crater-pockedhell.
Obviously,I’llhavetousearover.Andguesswhat?Theyweren’t
designedformassiveoverlandjourneys.
Thisisgoingtobearesearcheffort,withabunchofexperimentation.
I’llhavetobecomemyownlittleNASA,figuringouthowtoexplorefar
fromtheHab.ThegoodnewsisIhavelotsoftimetofigureitout.
Almost4years.
Somestuffisobvious.I’llneedtousearover.It’lltakealongtime,
soI’llneedtobringsupplies.I’llneedtorechargeen-route,androvers
don’thavesolarcells.I’llneedtostealsomefromtheHab’ssolarfarm.
DuringthetripI’llneedtobreathe,eat,anddrink.
Luckyforme,thetechspecsforeverythingarerighthereinthe
computer.
I’llneedtotrickoutarover.Basicallyit’llhavetobeamobileHab.
I’llpickRover2asmytarget.Wehaveacertainbond,afterIspenttwo
daysinitduringthe“GreatHydrogenScareofSol37.”
There’stoomuchshittothinkaboutallatonce.Sofornow,I’lljust
thinkaboutpower.
Ourmissionhada10kmoperationalradius.Knowingwewouldn’t
takestraight-linepaths,NASAdesignedtheroverstogo35kmonafull
charge.Thatpresumesflat,reasonableterrain.Eachroverhasa9000Wh
battery.
SteponeistolootRover1’sbatteryandinstallitinRover2.Ta-daa!
Ijustdoubledmyfull-chargerange.
There’sjustonecomplication.Heating.
Partofthebatterypowergoestoheatingtherover.Marsisreally
cold.Normally,wewereexpectedtodoallEVAsinunder5hours.But
I’llbelivinginit24½hoursaday.Accordingtothespecs,theheating
equipmentsoaksup400W.Keepingitonwouldeatup9800Whperday.
Overhalfmypowersupply,everyday!
ButIdohaveafreesourceofheat:Me.Acouplemillionyearsof
evolutiongaveme“warmblooded”technology.Icanwearlayers.The
roverhasgoodinsulation,too.It’llhavetobeenough;Ineedeverybitof
power.
AndbecauseIneedtobundleupanyway,Icandeactivatetheheater
outrightanduseallthepowerformotion(minusanegligibleamountfor
computer,lifesupport,etc.)
Accordingtomyboringmath,movingtherovereats200Whofjuice
togo1km,sousingthefull18,000Whgetsme90kmoftravel.Now
we’retalkin’.
I’llneveractuallyget90kmonasinglecharge.I’llhavehillstodeal
with,androughterrain,sand,etc.Butit’sagoodballpark.Ittellsmethat
itwouldtakeatleast35daysoftraveltogettoAres4.It’llprobablybe
morelike50.Butthat’splausible,atleast.
Attherover’sblazing25kphtopspeed,it’lltakeme3½hoursbefore
Irunthebatterydown.I’dliketochargethebatteryupduringtherestof
theday.Icandriveintwilight,andsavethesunnypartofthedayfor
charging.ThistimeofyearIgetabout13hoursoflight.Howmanysolar
cellswillIhavetopilferfromtheHab’sfarm?
ThankstothefinetaxpayersofAmerica,Ihaveover100ofsquare
metersofthemostexpensivesolarpanelingevermade.Ithasan
astounding10.2%efficiency,whichisgoodbecauseMarsdoesn’tgetas
muchsunlightasEarth.Only500to700wattspersquaremeter
(Comparedtothe1400thosespoiledEarthlingsget).
Longstoryshort:Ineedtobring28squaremetersofsolarcell.That’s
14panels.
Icanputtwostacksof7ontheroof.They’llstickoutovertheedges,
butaslongasthey’resecureI’mhappy.Everyday,afterdriving,I’ll
spreadthemoutthen…waitallday.Manit’llbedull.
Wellit’sastart.Tomorrow’smission:transferRover1’sbatteryto
Rover2.
LOGENTRY:SOL64
Sometimesthingsareeasy,andsometimesthey’renot.Gettingthe
batteryoutofRover1waseasy.Iremovedtwoclampsonthe
undercarriageanditdroppedrightout.Thecablingiseasytodetach,too.
It’sjustacoupleofcomplicatedplugs.
AttachingittoRover2,however,isanotherstory.There’snowhereto
putit!
Thethingsishuge.Iwasbarelyabletodragit.Andthat’sinMars
gravity.
It’sjusttoobig.There’snoroomintheundercarriageforasecond
one.There’snoroomontheroof,either.That’swherethesolarcellswill
go.There’snoroominsidethecabin,anditwouldn’tfitthroughthe
airlockanyway.
Butfearnot,Ifoundasolution.
Foremergenciescompletelyunrelatedtothisone,NASAprovided6
squaremetersofHabcanvas,andsomereallyimpressiveresin.Thesame
kindofresin,infact,thatsavedmylifeonSol6(thepatchkitIusedon
theholeinmysuit).
IntheeventofaHabbreach,everyonewouldruntotheairlocks.
Procedurewastoletitpopratherthandietryingtopreventit.Then,we’d
suitupandassessthedamage.Oncewefoundthebreach,we’dsealit
withthespareHabcanvasandresin.Thenre-inflateandwe’regoodas
new.
The6squaremetersofsparecanvaswasaconvenient1x6meters.I
cut10cmwidestrips,thenusedthemtomakeasortofharness.
Iusedtheresinandstrapstomaketwo10mcircumferenceloops.
ThenIputabigpatchofcanvasoneachend.Inowhadpoor-man’s
saddlebagsformyrover.
Thisisgettingmoreandmore“WagonTrain”everyday.
Theresinsetsalmostinstantly.Butitgetsstrongerifyouwaitan
hour.SoIdid.ThenIsuitedupandheadedouttotherover.
Idraggedthebatterytothesideoftheroverandloopedoneendofthe
harnessaroundit.ThenIthrewtheotherendovertheroof.Ontheother
side,Ifilleditwithrocks.Whenthetwoweightswereroughlyequal,I
wasabletopulltherocksdownandbringthebatteryup.
Yay!
UnpluggingRover2’sbattery,IpluggedinRover1’s.ThenIwent
throughtheairlocktotheroverandcheckedallsystems.Everythingwas
a-ok.
Idrovetheroveraroundabittomakesuretheharnesswassecure.I
foundafewlarge-ishrockstodriveover,justtoshakethingsup.The
harnessheld.Hellyeah.
Forashorttime,Iwonderedhowtosplicethesecondbattery’sleads
intothemainpowersupply.Myconclusionwas“....it.”
There’snoneedtohaveacontinuouspowersupply.WhenBattery1
runsout,Icangetout,unplugBattery1andpluginBattery2.Whynot?
It’sa10minuteEVA,onceperday.I’dhavetoswapbatteriesagain
whencharging,butagain:sowhat?
Ispenttherestofthedaysweepingoffthesolarcellfarm.Soon,I
shallbelootingit.
LOGENTRY:SOL65
Thesolarcellswerealoteasiertomanagethanthebattery.
They’rethin,light,andjustlayingaroundontheground.AndIhad
oneadditionalbonus:IwastheonewhosetthemupInthefirstplace.
Well,ok.Itwasn’tjustme.VogelandIworkedtogetheronit.And
boydidwedrillonit.Wespentalmostanentireweekdrillingonthe
solararrayalone.Thenwedrilledmorewhenevertheyfiguredwehad
sparetime.Ithadbeendeemedmissioncritical.Ifwe....itupand
brokethecellsorrenderedthemuseless,theHabwouldn’tbeableto
makepower,andthemissionwouldend.
Youmightwonderwhattherestofthecrewweredoing.Theywere
settinguptheHab.Remember,everythinginmygloriouskingdomcame
hereinboxes.WehadtosetituponSols1and2.
Eachsolarcellisonalightweightlatticethatholdsitata14degree
angle.I’lladmitIdon’tknowwhyit’sa14degreeangle.Something
aboutmaximizingsolarenergy.Anyway,removingthecellswassimple.
Thenitwastimetostackthemontherover.
Iconsideredremovingtherocksamplecontainer.It’snothingmore
thanalargecanvasbagattachedtotheroof.Waytoosmalltoholdthe
solarcells.ButaftersomethoughtIleftitthere,figuringIt’llprovidea
goodcushion.
Thecellsstackedwell(theyweremadeto,fortransporttoMars),and
thetwostackssatnicelyontheroof.Theyhungovertheleftandright
edges,butIwon’tbegoingthroughanytunnelssoIdon’tcare.
WithsomemoreabuseoftheemergencyHabmaterial,Imadestraps
andtiedthecellsdown.Theroverhasexternalhandlesnearthefrontand
back.They’retheretohelpusloadrocksontheroof.Theymadeperfect
anchorpointsforthestraps.
Istoodbackandadmiredmywork.Hey,Iearnedit.Itwasn’teven
noonandIwasdone.
IcamebacktotheHab,hadsomelunch,andworkedonmycropsfor
therestofthesol.It'sbeen39solssinceIplantedthepotatoes(whichis
about40Earthdays),anditwastimetoreapandre-sow.
TheygrewevenbetterthanIhadexpected.Marshasnoinsects,
parasites,orblightstodealwith,andtheHabmaintainsperfectgrowing
temperatureandmoistureatalltimes.
Theyweresmallcomparedtothetatersyou'dusuallyeat,butthat's
fine.AllIwantedwasenoughtosupportgrowingnewplants.
Idugthemup,beingcarefultoleavetheirplantsalive.ThenIcut
themupintosmallpieceswithoneeyeeach,andre-seededintonew
dirt.Iftheykeepgrowingthiswell,I'llbeabletolastagoodlongtime
here.
Afterallthatphysicallabor,Ideservedabreak.Irifledthrough
Johanssen’scomputertoday,andfoundanendlesssupplyofdigital
books.Lookslikeshe’sabigfanofAgathaChristie.Beatles,Christie…I
guessJohanssen’sananglophileorsomething.
IrememberlikingHerculePoirotTVspecialsbackwhenIwasakid.
I’llstartwithTheMysteriousAffairatStyles.Lookslikethat’sthefirst
one.
LOGENTRY:SOL66
Thetimehascome(ominousmusicalcrescendo)forsomemissions!
NASAgetstonametheirmissionsaftergodsandstuff,sowhycan’t
I?Henceforth,roverexperimentalmissionswillbe“Sirius”missions.Get
it?Dogs?Wellifyoudon’t,....you.
Sirius1willbetomorrow.
Themission:Startingwithfullychargedbatteries,andhavingthe
solarcellsontheroof,driveuntilIrunoutofpower,andseehowfarI
get.
Iwon’tbeanidiot.I’mnotdrivingdirectlyawayfromtheHab.I’ll
driveahalf-kilometerstretch,backandforth.I’llbewithinashortwalk
ofhomealltimes.
Tonight,I’llchargeupbothbatteriessoIcanbereadyforalittletest
drivetomorrow.Iestimate3½hoursofdriving,soI’llneedtobringfresh
CO2filters.And,withtheheateroff,I’llwearthreelayersofclothes.
LOGENTRY:SOL67
Sirius1iscomplete!
Moreaccurately,Sirius1wasabortedafter1hour.Iguessyoucould
callita“failure”butIprefertheterm“learningexperience.”
Thingsstartedoutfine.Idrovetoaniceflatspotakilometerfromthe
Hab,thenstartedgoingbackandforthovera500mstretch.
Iquicklyrealizedthiswouldbeacrappytest.Afterafewlaps,Ihad
compressedthesoilenoughtohaveasolidpath.Nice,hardground,
whichmakesforabnormallyhighenergyefficiency.Thisisnothinglike
itwouldbeonalongtrip.
SoIshookitupabit.Idrovearoundrandomly,makingsuretostay
withinakilometeroftheHab.Amuchmorerealistictest.
Afteranhour,thingsstartedtogetcold.AndImeanreallycold.
Therover’salwayscoldwhenyoufirstgetinit.Whenyouhaven’t
disabledtheheateritwarmsuprightaway.Iexpectedittobecold,but
JesusChrist!
Iwasfineforawhile.Myownbodyheatplusthreelayersofclothing
keptmewarmandtherover’sinsulationistop-notch.Theheatthat
escapedmybodyjustwarmeduptheinterior.Butthere’snosuchthingas
perfectinsulation,andeventuallytheheatlefttothegreatoutdoorswhile
Igotcolderandcolder.
Withinanhour,Iwaschatteringandnumb.Enoughwasenough.
There’snowayIcoulddoalongtriplikethis.Thetestwasover.
Turningtheheateron,IdrovestraightbacktotheHab.
OnceIgothome,Isulkedforawhile.Allmybrilliantplansfoiledby
thermodynamics.Damnyou,Entropy!
I’minabind.Thedamnheaterwilleathalfmybatterypowerevery
day.Icouldturnitdown,Iguess.Bealittlecoldbutnotfreezingto
death.EventhenI’dstillloseatleastaquarter.
Thiswillrequiresomethought.Ihavetoaskmyself…whatwould
HerculePoirotdo?I’llhavetoputmy“littlegraycells”toworkonthe
problem.
LOGENTRY:SOL68
Wellshit.
Icameupwithasolution,but…rememberwhenIburnedrocketfuel
intheHab?This’llbemoredangerous.
I’mgoingtousetheRTG.
TheRTG(RadioisotopeThermoelectricGenerator)isabigboxof
Plutonium.Butnotthekindusedinnuclearbombs.No,no.This
Plutoniumiswaymoredangerous!
Plutonium-238isanincrediblyunstableisotope.It’ssoradioactive
thatitwillgetredhotallbyitself.Asyoucanimagine,amaterialthat
canliterallyfryaneggwithradiationiskindofdangerous.
TheRTGhousesthePlutonium,catchestheradiationintheformof
heat,andturnsitintoelectricity.It’snotareactor.Theradiationcan’tbe
increasedordecreased.It’sapurelynaturalprocesshappeningatthe
atomiclevel.
Aslongagoasthe1960’s,NASA’sbeenusingRTGstopower
unmannedprobes.Ithaslotsofadvantagesoversolarpower.It’snot
affectedbystorms;itworksdayornight;it’sentirelyinternal,soyou
don’tneeddelicatesolarcellsalloveryourprobe.
ButtheyneverusedlargeRTGsonmannedmissionsuntilTheAres
Program.
Whynot?Itshouldbepretty....obviouswhynot!Theydidn’t want
toputastronautsnexttoaglowinghotballofradioactivedeath!
I'mexaggeratingalittle.ThePlutoniumisinsideabunchofpellets,
eachonesealedandinsulatedtopreventradiationleakageevenifthe
outercontainerisbreached.SofortheAresProgram,theytooktherisk.
AnAresmissionisallabouttheMAV.It’sthesinglemostimportant
component.It’soneofthefewsystemsthatcan’tbereplacedorworked
around.It’stheonlycomponentthatcausesacompletemissionscrubif
it’snotworking.
Solarcellsaregreatintheshort-term,andthey’regoodforthelongtermifyouhavehumansaroundtocleanthem.ButtheMAVsitsalone
foryearsquietlymakingfuel,thenjustkindofhangsoutuntilitscrew
arrives.Evendoingnothing,itneedspower,soNASAcanmonitorit
remotelyandrunselfchecks.
Theprospectofscrubbingamissionbecauseasolarcellgotdirtywas
unacceptable.Theyneededamorereliablesourceofpower.SotheMAV
comesequippedwithanRTG.Ithas2.6kgofPlutonium-238,which
makesalmost1500Wattsofheat.Itcanturnthatinto100Wattsof
electricity.TheMAVrunsonthatuntilthecrewarrive.
100Wattsisn’tenoughtokeeptheheatergoing,butIdon’tcare
abouttheelectricaloutput.Iwanttheheat.A1500Wattheaterisso
warmI’llhavetotearinsulationoutoftherovertokeepitfromgetting
toohot.
Assoonastheroverswereun-stowedandactivated,Commander
LewishadthejoyofdisposingoftheRTG.Shedetacheditfromthe
MAV,drove4kmaway,andburiedit.Howeversafeitmaybe,it'sstilla
radioactivecoreandNASAdidn'twantittooclosetotheirastronauts.
Themissionparametersdon’tgiveaspecificlocationtodumpthe
RTG.Just“Atleast4kmaway”.SoI’llhavetofindit.
Ihavetwothingsworkingforme.First,Iwasassemblingsolarpanels
withVogelwhenCommanderLewisdroveoff,andIsawsheheadeddue
south.Also,sheplanteda3meterpolewithabrightgreenflagonit
wheresheburiedit.GreenshowsupextremelywellagainsttheMartian
terrain.It’smadetowardusoff,incasewegetlostonaroverEVAlater
on.
Somyplanis:Headsouth4km,thensearcharoundtillIseethegreen
flag.
HavingrenderedRover1unusable,I’llhavetousemyMutantRover
forthetrip.Icanmakeausefultestmissionofit.I’llseehowwellthe
batteryharnessholdsuptoarealjourney,andhowwellthesolarcellsdo
strappedtotheroof.
I’llcallitSirius2.
LOGENTRY:SOL69
FoundtheRTG.
Itwasn’thardtofind.Idrove4kmsouthandsawtheflagrightaway.
CommanderLewishadburieditatopasmallhill.Sheprobably
wantedtomakesureeveryonecouldseetheflag,anditworkedgreat!
Exceptinsteadofavoidingit,Ibee-linedtoitanddugitup.Notexactly
whatshewasgoingfor.
It’salargecylinderwithheat-sinksallaroundit.Icouldfeelthe
warmthitgaveoffeventhroughmysuit’sgloves.That’sreally
disconcerting.Especiallywhenyouknowtherootcauseoftheheatis
radiation.
Nopointinputtingitontheroof;myplanwastohaveitinthecabin
anyway.SoIbroughtitinwithme,turnedofftheheater,thendroveback
totheHab.
Inthe10minutesittooktogethome,evenwiththeheateroff,the
interioroftheroverbecameanuncomfortablyhot37C.TheRTGwould
definitelybeabletokeepmewarm.
Thetripalsoprovedmyriggingworked.Thesolarcellsandextra
batterystayedbeautifullyinplacewhiletraversing8kmofrandom
terrain.
IdeclareSirius2tobeasuccessfulmission!
Ispenttherestofthedayvandalizingtheinterioroftherover.The
pressurecompartmentismadeofmetal.Justinsidethatisinsulation,
whichiscoveredbyhardplastic.Iusedasophisticatedmethodtoremove
sectionsofplastic(hammer),thencarefullyremovedthesolidfoam
insulation(hammeragain).
Aftertearingoutsomeinsulation,IsuitedupandtooktheRTG
outside.Soon,therovercooleddownagain,andIbroughtitbackin.I
watchedasthetemperatureroseslowly.Nowherenearasfastasithadon
mytripbackfromtheburialsite.
Icautiouslyremovedmoreinsulation(hammer)andcheckedagain.
Afterafewmorecyclesofthis,Ihadenoughinsulationtornoutthatthe
RTGcouldbarelykeepupwithit.Infact,itwasalosingbattle.Over
time,heatwouldslowlyleechout.That’sfine.Icanturnontheheaterfor
shortburstswhennecessary.
IbroughttheinsulationpieceswithmebackintotheHab.Using
advancedconstructiontechniques(ducttape)Ireassembledsomeofit
intoasquare.Ifigureifthingsgotreallycold,Icouldtapethattoabare
patchintherover,andtheRTGwouldbewinningthe“heatfight.”
Tomorrow,Sirius3(WhichisjustSirius1again,butwithout
freezing)
LOGENTRY:SOL70
Today,Iwritetoyoufromtherover.I’mhalfway-throughSirius3
andthingsaregoingwell.
IsetoutatfirstlightanddrovelapsaroundtheHab,tryingtostayon
untouchedground.Thefirstbatterylastedjustundertwohours.Aftera
quickEVAtoswitchthecables,Igotbacktodriving.Whenallwassaid
anddone,Ihaddriven81kmin3hoursand27minutes.
That’sverygood!Mindyou,thelandaroundtheHabisreallyflat,as
isallofAcidaliaPlanitia.Ihavenoideawhatmyefficiencywouldbeon
thenastierlandenroutetoAres4.
Icouldhavegonefurther,butIneedlifesupportwhilerecharging.
TheCO2getsabsorbedthroughachemicalprocess,butifthefanthat
pushesitisn’tworking,I’llchoke.Theoxygenpumpisalsokindof
important.
Isetupthesolarcells.Itwashardwork;lasttimeIhadVogel’shelp.
Theyaren’theavy,butthey’reawkward.Aftersettinguphalfofthem,I
figuredoutIcoulddragthemratherthancarrythemandthatspedthings
up.
NowI’mjustwaitingforthebatteriestorecharge.I’mbored,soI’m
updatingthelog.IhaveallthePoirotbooksinmycomputer.That’llhelp.
It’sgoingtotake12hourstorecharge,afterall.
What’sthat,yousay?12hoursiswrong?Isaid13hoursearlier?
Well,myfriend,letmesetyoustraight.
TheRTGisagenerator.It’sapaltryamountofpower,comparedto
whattheroverconsumes,butit’snotnothing.It’s100Watts.It’llcutan
houroffmytotalrechargetime.Whynotuseit?
IwonderwhatNASAwouldthinkaboutme....withtheRTG like
this.They’dprobablyhideundertheirdesksandcuddletheirslide-rules
forcomfort.
LOGENTRY:SOL71
Aspredicted,ittook12hourstochargethebatteriestofull.Icame
straighthome.
TimetomakeplansforSirius4.AndIthinkit’llbeamulti-dayfield
trip.
Lookslikepowerandbatteryrechargingissolved.Food’snota
problem;there’splentyofspacetostorethings.Water’seveneasierthan
food.Ineed2Lperdaytobecomfortable.
Inthelongterm,I’llneedtobringtheOxygenator.Butit’sbigandI
don’twanttoscrewwithitrightnow.SoI’llrelyonO2andCO2filters
forSirius4.
CO2isn’taproblem.Istartedthisgrandadventurewith1500hoursof
CO2filters,plusanother720foremergencyuse.Allsystemsuse
standardfilters(Apollo13taughtusimportantlessons).Sincethen,I’ve
used131hoursoffilteronvariousEVAs.Ihave2089left.87daysworth.
Plenty.
Theroverwasdesignedtosupport3peoplefor2days,plussome
reserveforsafety.SoitsO2tankscanholdenoughtolastme7days.Not
enough.
Marshas1/90thEarth’satmosphericpressure.Theinsideoftherover
has1atmosphere.Sotheoxygentanksareontheinside(lesspressure
differentialtodealwith).Whydoesthatmatter?ItmeansIcanbring
alongotheroxygentanks,andequalizethemwiththerover’stanks
withouthavingtodoanEVA.
Sotoday,IdetachedoneoftheHab’stwo25Loxygentanksand
broughtitintotherover.AccordingtoNASA,ahumanneeds588Lof
oxygenperdaytolive.CompressedliquidO2isabout1000timesas
denseasgaseousO2inacomfortableatmosphere.Longstoryshort:with
theHabtank,IhaveenoughO2tolast42days.That’llbeplenty.
Sirius4willbea20daytrip.
Thatmayseemabitlong,butIhaveaspecificgoalinmind.Besides,
mytriptoAres4willbeatleast40days.Thisisagoodscalemodel.
WhileI’maway,theHabcantakecareofitself,butthepotatoesare
anissue.I’llsaturatethegroundwithmostofthewaterIhave.Then,I’ll
deactivatetheAtmosphericRegulator,soitdoesn’tpullwateroutofthe
air.It’llbehumidashell,andwaterwillcondenseoneverysurface.
That’llkeepthepotatoeswellwateredwhileI’maway.
AbiggerproblemisCO2.Thepotatoesneedtobreathe.Iknowwhat
you’rethinking.“Mark,oldchap!YOUproducecarbondioxide!It’sall
partofthemajesticcircleofnature!”
Theproblemis:WherewillIputit?Sure,IexhaleCO2withevery
breath,butIdon’thaveanywaytostoreit.Icouldturnoffthe
OxygenatorandAtmosphericRegulatorandjustfilltheHabwithmy
breathovertime.ButCO2isdeadlytome.Ineedtoreleaseabunchat
onceandrunaway.
RemembertheMAVfuelplant?ItcollectsCO2fromtheMartian
atmosphere.Mysmallcropsaren’tnearlyasneedyasme,soa10Ltank
ofcompressedliquidCO2,ventedintotheHab,willbeenoughCO2to
dothetrick.That’lltakelessthanadaytocreate.
Sothat’severything.OnceIventtheCO2intotheHab,I’llturnoff
theAtmosphericRegulatorandOxygenator,dumpatonofwateronthe
crops,andheadout.
Sirius4.Ahugestepforwardinmyroverresearch.AndIcanstart
tomorrow.
Chapter8
“Hello,andthankyouforjoiningus,”Cathysaidtothecamera.
“TodayonCNN’sMarkWatneyReport:SeveralEVAsoverthepastfew
days…whatdotheymean?WhatprogresshasNASAmadeonarescue
option?AndhowwillthisaffecttheAres4preparations?
“JoiningustodayisDr.VenkatKapoor,DirectorofMarsMissions
forNASA.Dr.Kapoor,thankyouforcoming.”
“Apleasuretobehere,Cathy,”Venkatsaid.
“Dr.Kapoor,”Cathybegan,“MarkWatneyisthemost-watchedman
inthesolarsystem,wouldn’tyousay?”
Venkatnodded.“CertainlythemostwatchedbyNASA.Wehaveall
12ofourMartiansatellitestakingpictureswheneverhissite’sinview.
TheEuropeanSpaceAgencyhasbothoftheirsdoingthesame.”
“Alltold,howoftendoyougettheseimages?”
“Everyfewminutes.Sometimesthere’sagap,basedonthesatellite
orbits.Butit’senoughthatwecantrackallhisEVAactivities.”
“TellusabouttheselatestEVAs.”
“Well,”Venkatbegan,“Itlookslikehe’spreparingRover2foralong
trip.OnSol65,hetookthebatteryfromtheotherroverandattachedit
withahomemadesling.Thenextday,hedetached14solarcellsand
stackedthemontherover’sroof.”
“Andthenhetookalittledrive,didn’the?”Cathyprompted.
“Yeshedid.Sortofaimlesslyforanhour,thenbacktotheHab.He
wasprobablytestingit.Nexttimewesawhimwastwodayslater,when
hedrove4kmaway,thenback.Anotherincrementaltest,wethink.Then,
overthepastcoupleofdays,he’sbeenstockingitupwithsupplies.”
“Hmm,”Cathysaid,“MostanalyststhinkMark’sonlyhopeofrescue
istogettotheAres4site.Doyouthinkhe’scometothesame
conclusion?”
“Probably,”Venkatsaid.“Hedoesn’tknowwe’rewatching.Fromhis
pointofview,Ares4ishisonlyhope.”
“Doyouthinkhe’splanningtogosoon?Heseemstobegettingready
foratrip.”
“Ihopenot,”Venkatsaid.“There’snothingatthesiteotherthanthe
MAV.Noneoftheotherpresupplies.Itwouldbeaverylong,very
dangeroustrip,andhe’dbeleavingthesafetyoftheHabbehind.”
“Whywouldheriskit?”
“Communication,”Venkatsaid.“OncehereachestheMAV,hecould
contactus.”
“Sothatwouldbeagoodthing,wouldn’tit?”
“Communicationwouldbeagreatthing.Buttraversing3,200kmto
Ares4isincrediblydangerous.We’dratherhestayedput.Ifwecould
talktohim,we’dcertainlytellhimthat.”
“Hecan’tstayputforever,right?”sheasked.“Eventuallyhe’llneed
togettotheMAV.”
“Notnecessarily,”Venkatsaid.“JPLisexperimentingwith
modificationstotheMDVsoitcanmakeabriefoverlandflightafter
landing.”
“I’dheardthatideawasrejectedasbeingtoodangerous,”Cathysaid.
“Theirfirstproposalwas,yes.Sincethen,they’vebeenworkingon
saferwaystodoit.”
“WithonlythreeandahalfyearsbeforeAres4’sscheduledlaunch,is
thereenoughtimetomakeandtestmodificationstotheMDV?”
“Ican’tanswerthatforsure.Butremember,wemadealunarlander
fromscratchinsevenyears.”
“Excellentpoint,”Cathysmiled.“Sowhatarehisoddsrightnow?”
“Noidea,”Venkatsaid.“Butwe’regoingtodoeverythingwecanto
bringhimhomealive.”
“How’dIdotoday?”Venkatasked.
“Eeeh,”Anniesaid.“Youshouldn’tsaythingslike‘Bringhimhome
alive.’Itremindspeoplehemightdie.”
“Thinkthey’regoingtoforgetthat?”
“Youaskedmyopinion.Don’tlikeit?Go....yourself.”
“You’resuchadelicateflower,Annie.How’dyouendupNASA’s
CommunicationsDirector?”
“Beatsthe....outofme,”Anniesaid.
“Guys,”saidBruceNg,DirectorofJPL.“Ineedtocatchaflightback
toLAinthreehours.IsTeddycomingorwhat?”
“Quitbitching,Bruce,”Anniesaid.“Noneofuswanttobehere.”
“So,”saidHermesFlightDirectorMitchHenderson“Whoareyou,
again?”
“Um,”Mindysaid,“I’mMindyPark.IworkinSatCon.”
“Youadirectororsomething?”
“No,IjustworkinSatCon.I’manobody.”
VenkatlookedtoMitch“IputherinchargeoftrackingWatney.She
getsustheimagery.”
“Huh,”saidMitch.“NottheDirectorofSatCon?”
“Bob’sgotmoretodealwiththanjustMars.Mindy’shandlingallthe
Martiansatellites,andkeepsthempointedatMark.”
“WhyMindy?”Mitchasked.
“Shenoticedhewasaliveinthefirstplace.”
“Shegetsapromotioncauseshewasinthehotseatwhentheimagery
camethrough?”
“No,”Venkatfrowned,“Shegetsapromotioncauseshefiguredout
hewasalive.Stopbeinga,Mitch.You’remakingherfeelbad.”
MitchlookedovertoMindy.“Sorry.”
Mindylookedatthetableandmanagedtosay“’k.”
Teddyenteredtheroom.“SorryI’mlate.Let’sgetstarted,”Hetook
hisseat.“Venkat,what’sWatney’sstatus?”
“Aliveandwell,”Venkatsaid.“Nochangefrommyemailearlier
today.”
“WhatabouttheRTG.Doesthepublicknowaboutthatyet?”Teddy
asked.
Annieleanedforward.“Sofar,sogood,”shesaid.“Theimagesare
public,butwehavenoobligationtotellthemouranalysis.Nobodyhas
figureditoutyet.”
“Whydidhedigitup?”
“Heat,Ithink,”Venkatsaid.“Hewantstomaketheroverdolong
trips.Itusesalotofenergykeepingwarm.TheRTGcanheatupthe
interiorwithoutsoakingbatterypower.It’sagoodidea,really.”
“Howdangerousisit?”Teddyasked.
“Aslongasthecontainer’sintact,nodangeratall.Evenifitcracks
openhe'llbeokifthepelletsinsidedon'tbreak.Butifthepelletsbreak
too,he’sadeadman.”
“Let’shopethatdoesn’thappen,”Teddysaid.“JPL,howaretheMDV
planscomingalong?”
“Wecameupwithaplanalongtimeago,”Brucesaid.“Yourejected
it.”
“Bruce,”Teddycautioned.
Brucesighed.“TheMDVwasn’tmadeforliftoffandlateralflight.
Packingmorefuelindoesn’thelp.We’dneedabiggerengineanddon’t
havetimetoinventone.SoweneedtolightentheMDV.
“Wehaveanidea.TheMDVcanbeitsnormalweightonprimary
descent.Ifwemadetheheatshieldandouterhulldetachable,theycould
ditchalotofweightafterlandingatAres3,andhavealightershipfor
thetraversetoAres4.We’rerunningthenumbersnow.”
“Keepmeposted,”Teddysaid.HeturnedtoMindy.“MissPark.
Welcometothebigleagues.”
“Sir,”Mindysaid.
“What’sthebiggestgapincoveragewehaveonWatneyrightnow?”
“Um,”Mindysaid.“Onceevery41hours,we’llhavea17minutegap.
Theorbitsworkoutthatway.”
“Youhadanimmediateanswer,”Teddysaid.“Good.”
“Thankyou,sir.”
“Iwantthatgapdowntofourminutes,”Teddysaid.“I’mgivingyou
totalauthorityoversatellitetrajectoriesandorbitaladjustments.Makeit
happen.”
“Yes,sir,”Mindysaid,withnoideahowtodoit.
TeddylookedtoMitch.“Mitch,youremailsaidyouhadsomething
urgent?”
“Yeah,”Mitchsaid.“Howlongarewegonna’keepthisfromtheAres
3crew?TheyallthinkWatney’sdead.It’sahugedrainonmorale.”
TeddylookedtoVenkat.
“Mitch,”Venkatsaid.“Wediscussedthis-“
“No,youdiscussedit,”Mitchinterrupted.“Theythinktheylosta
crewmate.They’redevastated.”
“Andwhentheyfindouttheyabandonedacrewmate?”Venkatasked,
“Willtheyfeelbetterthen?”
Mitchpokedthetablewithhisfinger“Theydeservetoknow.You
don’tthinkCommanderLewiscan’thandlethetruth?”
“It’samatterofmorale,”Venkatsaid.“Theycanconcentrateon
gettinghome-“
“Imakethatcall,”Mitchsaid.“I’mtheonewhodecideswhat’sbest
forthecrew.AndIsaywebringthemuptospeed.”
Afterafewmomentsofsilence,alleyesturnedtoTeddy.
Hethoughtforamoment.“Sorry,Mitch,I’mwithVenkatonthis
one,”hesaid.“Butassoonaswecomeupwithaplanforrescue,wecan
tellHermes.Thereneedstobesomehopeorthere’snopointintelling
them.”
“Bullshit,”Mitchgrumbled,crossinghisarms.“Totalbullshit,”
“Iknowyou’reupset,”Teddysaidcalmly,“We’llmakeitright.Just
assoonaswehavesomeideahowtosaveWatney.”
Teddyletafewsecondsofcalmpassbeforemovingon.
“Ok,JPL’sontherescueoption,”hesaidwithanodtowardBruce.
“ButitwouldbepartofAres4.Howdoeshestayalivetillthen?
Venkat?”
Venkatopenedafolderandglancedatthepaperworkinside.“Ihad
everyteamcheckanddouble-checkthelongevityoftheirsystems.We’re
prettysuretheHabcankeepworkingfor4years.Especiallywitha
humanoccupantfixingproblemsastheyarise.Butthere’snowayaround
thefoodissue.He’llstartstarvinginayear.Wehavetosendhim
supplies.Simpleasthat.”
“WhataboutanAres4presupply?”SaidTeddy.“LanditatAres3
instead.”
“That’swhatwe’rethinking,yeah,”Venkatconfirmed.“Problemis,
theoriginalplanwastolaunchpresuppliesayearfromnow.They’renot
readyyet.
“Ittakes8monthstogetaprobetoMarsinthebestoftimes.The
positionsofEarthandMarsrightnow…it’snotthebestoftimes.We
figurewecangettherein9months.Presuminghe’srationinghisfood,
he’sgotenoughtolast350moredays.Thatmeansweneedtobuilda
presupplyinthreemonths.JPLhasn’tevenstartedyet.”
“That’llbetight,”Brucesaid.“Makingapresupplyisa6month
process.We’resetuptopipelineabunchofthematonce,nottomake
oneinahurry.”
“Sorry,Bruce,”Teddysaid.“Iknowwe’reaskingalot,butyouhave
tofindaway.”
“We’llfindaway,”Brucesaid.“ButtheOTalonewillbea
nightmare.”
“Getstarted.I’llfindyouthemoney.”
“There’salsothebooster,”Venkatsaid.“Theonlywaytogetaprobe
toMarswiththeplanetsintheircurrentpositionsistospendabutt-load
offuel.Weonlyhaveoneboostercapableofdoingthat.TheDeltaIX
that’sonthepadrightnowfortheEagleEye3Saturnprobe.We’llhave
tostealthat.ItalkedtoULA,andtheyjustcan’tmakeanotherboosterin
time.”
“TheEagleEye3teamwillbepissed,butok,”saidTeddy.“Wecan
delaytheirmissionifJPLgetsthepayloaddoneintime.”
Brucerubbedhiseyes.“We’lldoourbest.”
“He’llstarvetodeathifyoudon’t,”Teddysaid.
Venkatsippedhiscoffeeandfrownedathiscomputer.Amonthagoit
wouldhavebeenunthinkabletodrinkcoffeeat9pm.Nowitwas
necessaryfuel.Shiftschedules,fundallocations,projectjuggling,outand
outlootingofotherprojects…he’dneverpulledsomanystuntsinhis
life.
“NASA’salargeorganization,”hetyped.“Itdoesn’tdealwithsudden
changewell.Theonlyreasonwe’regettingawaywithitisthedesperate
circumstances.Everyone’spullingtogethertosaveMarkWatney,withno
interdepartmentalsquabbling.Ican’ttellyouhowrarethatis.Eventhen,
thisisgoingtocosttensofmillions,maybehundredsofmillionsof
dollars.TheMDVmodificationsaloneareanentireprojectthat’sbeing
staffedup.Hopefully,thepublicinterestwillmakeyourjobeasier.We
appreciateyourcontinuedsupport,Congressman,andhopeyoucansway
theCommitteetowardgrantingustheemergencyfundingweneed.”
Hewasinterruptedbyaknockathisdoor.Lookingup,hesawMindy.
“Sorrytobotheryou,”Mindysaid.
“Nobother,”Venkatsaid.“Icoulduseabreak.What’sup?”
“He’sonthemove,”shesaid.
Venkatslouchedinhischair.“Anychanceit’satestdrive?”
Sheshookherhead.“HedrovestraightawayfromtheHabforalmost
twohours,didashortEVA,thendroveforanothertwo.Wethinkthe
EVAwastochangebatteries.”
Venkatsighedheavily.“Maybeit’sjustalongertest?Anovernight
trip,kindofthing?”
“He’s76kmfromtheHab,”Mindysaid.“Foranovernighttest,
wouldn’thestaywithinwalkingdistance?”
“Yeshewould,”Venkatsaid.“Damnit.We’vehadteamsrunevery
conceivablescenario.There’sjustnowayhecanmakeittoAres4with
thatset-up.WeneversawhimloaduptheOxygenatororWater
Reclaimer.Hecan’tpossiblyhaveenoughbasicstolivelongenough.”
“Idon’tthinkhe’sgoingtoAres4,”Mindysaid.“Ifheis,he’staking
aweirdpath.”
“Oh?”saidVenkat.
“Hewentsouth-southwest.SchiaparelliCraterissoutheast.”
“Ok,maybethere’shope,”Venkatsaid.“What’shedoingrightnow?”
“Recharging.He’sgotallthesolarcellssetup,”Mindysaid.“Last
timehedidthat,ittook12hours.Iwasgoingtosneakhomeforsome
sleepifthat’sok.”
“Sure,soundsgood.We’llseewhathedoestomorrow.Maybehe’ll
gobacktotheHab.”
“Maybe,”Mindysaid,unconvinced.
“Welcomeback,”Cathysaidtothecamera.“We’rechattingwith
MarcusWashington,fromtheUSPostalService.So,Mr.Washington,I
understandtheAres3missioncausedaPostalServicefirst.Canyou
explaintoourviewers?”
“Uhyeah,”saidMarcus.“Everyonethoughthewasdeadforovertwo
months.Inthattime,thePostalServiceissuedarunofcommemorative
stampshonoringhismemory.20,000wereprinted,andsenttopost
officesaroundthecountry.”
“Andthenitturnedouthewasalive,”Cathysaid.
“Yeah,”saidMarcus.“Westoppedtherunimmediatelyandrecalled
thestamps,butthousandswerealreadysold.Thethingis,wedon’tprint
stampsoflivingpeople.”
“Hasthiseverhappenedbefore?”Cathyasked.
“No.NotonceinthehistoryofthePostalService.”
“Ibetthey’reworthaprettypennynow.”
Marcuschuckled.“Maybe.Butnottoomuch.LikeIsaid,thousands
weresold.They’llberare,butnotsuperrare.”
Cathychuckledthenaddressedthecamera.“We’vebeenspeaking
withMarcusWashingtonoftheUnitedStatesPostalService.Ifyou’ve
gotaMarkWatneycommemorativestamp,youmightwanttoholdonto
it.Thanksfordroppingby,Mr.Washington.”
“Thanksforhavingme,”Marcussaid.
“OurnextguestisDr.IreneShields,FlightPsychologistfortheAres
missions.Dr.Shields,welcometotheprogram.”
“Thankyou,”Irenesaid,adjustinghermicrophoneclip.
“DoyouknowMarkWatneypersonally?”
“Ofcourse,”Irenesaid.“Ididmonthlypsychevaluationsoneach
memberofthecrew.”
“Whatcanyoutellusabouthim?Hispersonality,hismindset?”
“Well,”Irenesaid,“He’sveryintelligent.Allofthemare,ofcourse.
Buthe’sparticularlyresourcefulandagoodproblem-solver.”
“Thatmaysavehislife,”Cathyinterjected.
“Itmayindeed,”Ireneagreed.“Also,he’sagood-naturedman.
Usuallycheerful,withagreatsenseofhumor.He’squickwithajoke.In
themonthsleadinguptolaunch,thecrewwasputthroughagrueling
trainingschedule.Theyallshowedsignsofstressandmoodiness.Mark
wasnoexception,butthewayheshoweditwastocrackmorejokesand
geteveryonelaughing.”
“Hesoundslikeagreatguy,”Cathysaid.
“Hereallyis,”Irenesaid.“Hewaschosenforthemissioninpart
becauseofhispersonality.AnArescrewhastospend13months
together.Socialcompatibilityiskey.Marknotonlyfitswellinanysocial
group,he’sacatalysttomakethegroupworkbetter.Itwasaterrible
blowtothecrewwhenhe‘died.’”
“Andtheystillthinkhe’sdead,right?TheAres3crew?”
“Yestheydo,unfortunately,”Ireneconfirmed.“Thehigher-ups
decidedtokeepitfromthem,atleastfornow.I’msureitwasn’taneasy
decision.”
Cathypausedforamoment,thensaid.“Allright.YouknowIhaveto
ask:What’sgoingthroughhisheadrightnow?Howdoesamanlike
MarkWatneyrespondtoasituationlikethis?Stranded,alone,noidea
we’retryingtohelp?”
“There’snowaytobesure,”Irenesaid.“Thebiggestthreatisgiving
uphope.Ifhedecidesthere’snochancetosurvive,he’llstoptrying.”
“Thenwe’reokfornow,right?”Cathysaid.“Heseemstobeworking
hard.He’spreppingtheroverforalongtripandtestingit.Heplanstobe
therewhenAres4lands.”
“That’soneinterpretation,yes,”Irenesaid.
“Isthereanother?”
Irenecarefullyformedheranswerbeforespeaking.“Whenfacing
death,peoplewanttobeheard.Theydon’twanttodiealone.Hemight
justwanttheMAVradiosohecantalktoanothersoulbeforehedies.
“Ifhe’slosthope,hewon’tcareaboutsurvival.Hisonlyconcernwill
bemakingittotheradio.Afterthat,he’llprobablytakeaneasierwayout
thanstarvation.ThemedicalsuppliesofanAresmissionhaveenough
morphinetobelethal.”
Afterseveralsecondsofcompletesilenceinthestudio,Cathyturned
tothecamera.“We’llberightback.”
“Heya,Venk,”cameBruce’svoicefromthespeakerphone.
“Bruce,Hi,”saidVenkat.“Thanksforclearingupsometime.I
wantedtotalkaboutthepresupply.”
“Surething.What’sonyourmind?”
“Let’ssaywesoft-landitperfectly.HowwillMarkknowit
happened?Andhowwillheknowwheretolook?”
“We’vebeenthinkingaboutthat,”saidBruce.“We’vegotsome
ideas.”
“I’mallears,”Venkatsaid.
“We’llbesendinghimacommsystemanyway,right?Wecouldhave
itturnonafterlading.It’llbroadcastontheroverandEVAsuit
frequencies.It’llhavetobeastrongsignal,too.
“TheroverswereonlydesignedtocommunicatewiththeHaband
eachother;thesignaloriginwaspresumedtobewithin20km.The
receiversjustaren’tverysensitive.TheEVAsuitsareevenworse.Butas
longaswehaveastrongsignalweshouldbegood.
“Oncewelandthepresupply,we’llgetitsexactlocationfrom
satellites,thenbroadcastthattoMarksohecangogetit.”
“Buthe’sprobablynotlistening,”saidVenkat.“Whywouldhebe?”
“Wehaveaplanforthat.We’regoingtomakeabunchofbright
greenribbons.Lightenoughtoflutteraroundwhendropped,evenin
Mars’satmosphere.Eachribbonwillhave‘MARK:TURNONYOUR
COMM’printedonit.We’reworkingonareleasemechanismnow.
Duringthelandingsequence,ofcourse.Ideally,about1000metersabove
thesurface.”
“Ilikeit,”Venkatsaid.“Allheneedstodoisnoticeone.Andhe’s
suretocheckoutabrightgreenribbonifheseesoneoutside.”
“That’swhatwe’rethinking,”saidBruce.
“Allright,goodwork.Keepmeposted,”Venkatsaid.
“Venk,”saidBruce.“Ifhetakesthe‘Watneymobile’toAres4,this’ll
allbefornothing.Imean,wecanlanditatAres4ifthathappens,but…”
“Buthe’llbewithoutaHab.Yeah,”Venkatsaid.“Onethingatatime.
Letmeknowwhenyoucomeupwithareleasemechanismforthose
ribbons.”
“Willdo.”
Afterterminatingthecall,hesawanemailfromMindyParkarrive.
“Watney’sonthemoveagain.”
“Stillgoinginastraightline,”Mindysaid,pointingtohermonitor.
“Isee,”Venkatsaid.“He’ssureashellnotgoingtoAres4.Unless
he’sgoingaroundsomenaturalobstacle.”
“There’snothingforhimtogoaround,”Mindysaid.“It’sAcidalia
Planitia.”
“Arethosethesolarcells?”Venkatasked,pointingtothescreen.
“Yeah,”Mindysaid.“Hedidtheusual2hourdrive,EVA,2hour
drive.He’s156kmfromtheHabnow.”
Theybothpeeredatthescreen.
“Wait…”Venkatsaid.“Wait,noway…”
“What?”Mindyasked.
VenkatgrabbedapadofPost-Itsandapen.“Givemehislocation,
andthelocationoftheHab.”
Mindycheckedherscreen.“He’scurrentlyat…28.9°N,29.6°W.”
Withafewkeystrokes,shebroughtupanotherfile.“TheHab’sat31.2°N,
28.5°W.Whatdoyousee?”
Venkatfinishedtakingdownthenumbers.“Comewithme,”hesaid,
quicklywalkingout.
“Um,”Mindystammered,followingafter.“Wherearewegoing?”
Sheaskedwhenshecaughtup.
“SatConbreakroom,”Venkatsaid.“Youguysstillhavethatmapof
Marsonthewall?”
“Sure,”Mindysaid.“Butit’sjustaposterfromthegiftshop.I’vegot
highqualitydigitalmapsonmycomputer-“
“Nope.Ican’tdrawonthose,”hesaid.Then,roundingthecornerto
thebreakroom,hepointedtotheMarsmaponthewall.“Icandrawon
that.”
Thebreakroomwasemptysaveacomputertechniciansippingacup
ofcoffee.TheurgencyofVenkatandMindy’sentrancecaughthis
attention.
“Good,ithaslatitudeandlongitudelines,”Venkatsaid.Lookingat
hisPost-It,thenslidinghisfingeralongthemap,hedrewanX.“That’s
theHab,”hesaid.
“Hey,”thetechniciansaid.“Areyoudrawingonourposter?”
“I’llbuyyouanewone,”Venkatsaidwithoutlookingback.Then,he
drewanotherX.“That’shiscurrentlocation.Getmearuler.”
Mindylookedleftandright.Seeingnoruler,shegrabbedthe
techniciansnotebook.
“Hey!”Thetechnicianprotested.
Usingthenotebookasastraight-edge,Venkatdrewalinefromthe
HabtoMark’slocationandbeyond.Thentookastepback.
“Yup!That’swherehe’sgoing!”Venkatsaidexcitedly.
“Oh!”Mindysaid.
Thelinepassedthroughtheexactcenterofabrightyellowdotprinted
onthemap.
“Pathfinder!”Mindysaid.“He’sgoingtoPathfinder!”
“Yup!”Venkatsaid.“Nowwe’regettingsomewhere.It’slike800km
fromhim.Hecangetthereandbackwithsupplieson-hand.”
“AndbringPathfinderandSojournerRoverbackwithhim,”Mindy
added.
Venkatquicklypulledouthiscellphone.“Welostcontactwithitin
1997.Ifhecangetitonlineagain,wecancommunicate.Itmightjust
needthesolarcellscleaned.Evenifit’sgotabiggerproblem,he’san
engineer!”Dialing,headded“Fixingshitishisjob!”
Smilingforthefirsttimeinweeks,heheldthephonetohisearand
awaitedaresponse.“Bruce?It’sVenkat.Everythingjustchanged.
Watney’sheadedforPathfinder.Yeah!Iknow,right!?Digupeveryone
whowasonthatprojectandgetthemtoJPLnow.I’llcatchthenext
flight.”
Hangingup,hegrinnedatthemap.“Mark,yousneaky,clever,sonof
abitch!”
Chapter9
LOGENTRY:SOL79
It’stheeveningofmy8thdayontheroad.“Sirius4”hasbeena
successsofar.
I’vefallenintoaroutine.EverymorningIwakeupatdawn.First
thingIdoischeckoxygenandCO2levels.ThenIeatabreakfastpack
anddrinkacupofwater.Afterthat,Ibrushmyteeth,usingaslittlewater
aspossible,andshavewithanelectricrazor.
Theroverhasnotoilet.Wewereexpectedtouseoursuits’
reclamationsystemsforthat.Buttheyaren’tdesignedtoholdtwenty
daysworthofoutput.
Mymorningpissgoesinaresealableplasticbox.WhenIopenit,the
roverreekslikeatruck-stopmen’sroom.Icouldtakeitoutsideandletit
boiloff.ButIworkedhardtomakethatwater,andthelastthingI’m
goingtodoiswasteit.I’llfeedittotheWaterReclaimerwhenIget
back.
Evenmorepreciousismymanure.It’scriticaltothepotatofarmand
I’mtheonlysourceonMars.Fortunately,whenyouspendalotoftimein
space,youlearnhowtoshitinabag.Andifyouthinkthingsarebadafter
openingthepissbox,imaginethesmellafterIdropanchor.
ThenIgooutsideandcollectthesolarcells.Whydidn’tIdoitthe
previousnight?Becausetryingtodismantleandstacksolarcellsin
total ....darknessisn’tfun.Ilearnedthatthehardway.
Aftersecuringthecells,Icomebackin,turnonsomeshitty‘70’s
music,andstartdriving.Iputteralongat25kph,therover’stopspeed.
It’scomfortableinside.Iwearhastilymadecut-offsandathinshirtwhile
theRTGbakestheinterior.WhenitgetstoohotIdetachtheinsulation
duct-tapedtothehull.Whenitgetstoocold,Itapeitbackup.
Icangoalmost2hoursbeforethebatteryrunsout.IdoaquickEVA
toswapcables,thenI’mbackatthewheelforthesecondhalfoftheday’s
drive.
Theterrainisveryflat.Theundercarriageoftheroveristallerthan
anyoftherocksaroundhere,andthehillsaregently-slopingaffairs,
smoothedbyeonsofsandstorms.
Whentheotherbatteryrunsout,it’stimeforanotherEVA.Ipullthe
solarcellsofftheroofandlaythemontheground.Forthefirstfewsols,
Ilinedthemupinarow.NowIplopthemwherever,tryingtokeepthem
closetotheroveroutofsheerlaziness.
Thencomestheincrediblydullpartofmyday.Isitaroundfor12
hourswithnothingtodo.AndI’mgettingsickofthisrover.Theinside’s
thesizeofavan.Thatmayseemlikeplentyofroom,buttrybeing
trappedinavanfor8days.Ilookforwardtotendingmypotatofarmin
thewideopenspaceoftheHab.
I’mnostalgicfortheHab.How....upisthat?
Ihaveshitty‘70’sTVtowatch,andabunchofPoirotnovels.But
mostlyIspendmytimethinkingaboutgettingtoAres4.I’llhavetodoit
someday.HowthehellamIgoingtosurvivea3,200kmtripinthisthing?
It’llprobablytake50days.I’llneedtheWaterReclaimerandthe
Oxygenator,maybesomeoftheHab’smainbatteries,thenabunchmore
solarcellstochargeeverything…wherewillIputitall?Thesethoughts
pestermethroughoutthelongboringdays.
Eventually,itgetsdarkandIgettired.Ilayamongthefoodpacks,
watertanks,extraO2tank,pilesofCO2filters,boxofpee,bagsofshit,
andpersonalitems.Ihaveabunchofcrewjumpsuitstoserveasbedding,
alongwithmyblanketandpillow.Basically,Isleepinapileofjunk
everynight.
Speakingofsleep…G’night.
LOGENTRY:SOL80
Bymyreckoning,I’mabout100kmfromPathfinder.Technicallyit’s
“CarlSaganMemorialStation.”ButwithallduerespecttoCarl,Ican
callitwhateverthehellIwant.I’mtheKingofMars.
AsImentioned,it’sbeenalong,boringdrive.AndI’mstillonthe
outwardleg.Buthey,I’manastronaut.Long-asstripsaremybusiness.
Navigationistricky.
TheHab’snavbeacononlyreaches40km,thenit’stoofaint.Iknew
that’dbeanissuewhenIwasplanningthislittleroadtrip,soIcameup
withabrilliantplanthatdidn’twork.
Thecomputerhasdetailedmaps,soIfiguredIcouldnavigateby
landmarks.Iwaswrong.Turnsoutyoucan’tnavigatebylandmarksif
youcan’tfindanygoddamnedlandmarks.
Ourlandingsiteisatthedeltaofalong-goneriver.Ifthereareany
microscopicfossilstobehad,it’sagoodplacetolook.Also,thewater
wouldhavedraggedrockandsoilsamplesfromthousandsofkilometers
away.Withsomedigging,wecouldgetabroadgeologicalhistory.
That’sgreatforscience,butitmeanstheHab’sinafeatureless
wasteland.
Iconsideredmakingacompass.Theroverhasplentyofelectricity
andthemedkithasaneedle.Onlyoneproblem:Marsdoesn’thavea
magneticfield.
SoInavigatebyPhobos.ItwhipsaroundMarssofastitactuallyrises
andsetstwiceaday,runningwesttoeast.It’sisn’tthemostaccurate
system,butitworks.
ThingsgoteasieronSol75.Ireachedavalleywitharisetothewest.
Ithadflatgroundforeasydriving,andIjustneededtofollowtheedgeof
thehills.Inamedit“LewisValley”afterourfearlessleader.She’dloveit
there,geologynerdthatsheis.
Threesolslater,LewisValleyopenedintoawideplain.So,again,I
wasleftwithoutreferencesandreliedonPhobostoguideme.There’s
probablysymbolismthere.Phobosisthegodoffear,andI’mlettingitbe
myguide.Notagoodsign.
Buttoday,myluckfinallychanged.Aftertwosolswanderingthe
desert,Ifoundsomethingtonavigateby.Itwasa5kmcrater,sosmallit
didn’tevenhavealistedname.Buttome,itwastheLighthouseof
Alexandria.OnceIhaditinsight,IknewexactlywhereIwas.
I’mcampednearitnow,asamatteroffact.
I’mfinallythroughtheblankareasofthemap.Tomorrow,I’llhave
theLighthousetonavigateby,andHamelincraterlateron.I’mingood
shape.
Now,ontomynexttask:Sittingaroundwithnothingtodofor12
hours.
Ibettergetstarted!
LOGENTRY:SOL81
AlmostmadeittoPathfindertoday,butIranoutofjuice.Justanother
22kmtogo!
Anunremarkabledrive.Navigationwasn’taproblem.AsLighthouse
recededintothedistance,therimofHamelinCratercameintoview.
IleftAcidaliaPlanitiabehindalongtimeago.I’mwellintoAres
Vallisnow.Thedesertplainsaregivingwaytobumpierterrain,strewn
withejectathatnevergotburiedbysand.Itmakesdrivingachore;Ihave
topaymoreattention.
Uptillnow,I’vebeendrivingrightovertherock-strewnlandscape.
ButasItravelfurthersouth,therocksaregettingbiggerandmore
plentiful.Ihavetogoaroundsomeofthemorriskdamagetomy
suspension.ThegoodnewsisIdon’thavetodoitforlong.OnceIgetto
Pathfinder,Icanturnaroundandgotheotherway.
Theweather’sbeenverygood.Nodiscerniblewind,nostorms.Ithink
Igotluckythere.There’sagoodchancemyrovertracksfromthepast
fewsolsareintact.IshouldbeabletogetbacktoLewisValleyjustby
followingthem.
Aftersettingupthesolarpanels,Iwentforalittlewalk.Ineverleft
sightoftherover;thelastthingIwanttodoisgetlostonfoot.ButI
couldn’tstomachcrawlingbackintothatcramped,smellyrat’snest.Not
rightaway.
It’sastrangefeeling.EverywhereIgo,I’mthefirst.Stepoutsidethe
rover?Firstguyevertobethere!Climbahill?Firstguytoclimbthat
hill!Kickarock?Thatrockhadn’tmovedinamillionyears!
I’mthefirstguytodrivelong-distanceonMars.Thefirstguyto
spendmorethan31solsonMars.ThefirstguytogrowcropsonMars.
First,first,first!
Iwasn’texpectingtobefirstatanything.Iwasthe5thcrewmanoutof
theMDVwhenwelanded,makingmethe17thpersontosetfootonMars.
Theegressorderhadbeendeterminedyearsearlier.Amonthbefore
launch,weallgottattoosofour“MarsNumbers.”Johanssenalmost
refusedtogether“15”becauseshewasafraiditwouldhurt.Here’sa
womanwhohadsurvivedthecentrifuge,thevomitcomet,hardlanding
drillsand10kruns.AwomanwhofixedasimulatedMDVcomputer
failurewhilebeingspunaroundupside-down.Butshewasafraidofa
tattooneedle.
Man,Imissthoseguys.
I’mthefirstpersontobealoneonanentireplanet.
Ok,enoughmoping.Tomorrow,I’llbethefirstpersontorecovera
Marsprobe.
LOGENTRY:SOL82
Victory!Ifoundit!
IknewIwasintherightareawhenIspottedTwinPeaksinthe
distance.Thetwosmallhillsareunderakilometerfromthelandingsite.
Evenbetter,theywereonthefarsideofthesite.AllIhadtodowasaim
forthemuntilIfoundtheLander.
Andthereitwas!Rightwhereitwassupposedtobe!
Pathfinder’sfinalstageofdescentwasaballoon-coveredtetrahedron.
Theballoonsabsorbedtheimpactoflanding.Onceitcametorest,they
deflatedandthetetrahedronunfoldedtorevealtheprobe.
It’sactuallytwoseparatecomponents.TheLanderitself,andthe
Sojournerrover.TheLanderwasimmobile,whileSojournerwandered
aroundandgotagoodlookatthelocalrocks.I’mtakingbothbackwith
me,buttheimportantpartistheLander.That’sthepartthatcan
communicatewithEarth.
Iexcitedlystumbledoutandrushedtothesite.
Ican’texplainhowhappyIwas.Itwasalotofworktogethere,and
I’dsucceeded.
TheLanderwashalfburied.Withsomequickandcarefuldigging,I
exposedthebulkofit,thoughthelargetetrahedronandthedeflated
balloonsstilllurkedbelowthesurface.
Afteraquicksearch,IfoundSojourner.Thelittlefellawasonlytwo
metersfromtheLander.Ivaguelyrememberitwasfurtherawaywhen
theylastsawit.Itprobablyenteredacontingencymodeandstarted
circlingtheLander,tryingtocommunicate.
IquicklydepositedSojournerinmyrover.It’ssmall,light,andeasily
fitintheairlock.TheLanderwasadifferentstory.
IhadnohopeofgettingthewholethingbacktotheHab.Itwasjust
toobig.Itwastimeformetoputonmymechanicalengineerhat.
Theprobewasattachedtothecentralpaneloftheunfolded
tetrahedron.Theotherthreesideswereeachattachedwithametalhinge.
AsanyoneatJPLwilltellyou,probesaredelicatethings.Weightisa
seriousconcern,sothey’renotmadetostanduptomuchpunishment.
WhenItookacrowbartothehinges,theypoppedrightoff!
Thenthingsgotdifficult.WhenItriedtoliftthecentralpanel
assembly,itdidn’tbudge.
Justliketheotherthreepanels,thecentralpanelhaddeflatedballoons
underneathit.
Overthedecades,theballoonshadrippedandfilledwithsand.
Icouldcutofftheballoons,butI’dhavetodigtogettothem.It
wouldn’tbehard,it’sjustsand.Buttheotherthreepanelswereinthe
damnway.
IquicklyrealizedIdidn’tgiveacrapabouttheconditionoftheother
panels.Iwentbacktomyrover,cutsomestripsofHabmaterial,then
braidedthemintoaprimitivebutstrongrope.Ican’ttakecreditforit
beingstrong.ThankNASAforthat.Ijustmadeitrope-shaped.
Itiedoneendtoapanel,andtheothertotherover.Theroverwas
madefortraversingextremelyruggedterrain,oftenatsteepangles.It
maynotbefast,butithasgreattorque.Itowedthepanelawaylikea
redneckremovingatreestump.
NowIhadaplacetodig.AsIexposedeachballoon,Icutitoff.The
wholetasktookanhour.
ThenIhoistedthecentralpanelassemblyupandcarriedit
confidentlytotherover!
Atleast,that’swhatIwantedtodo.Thedamnthingisstillheavyas
hell.I’mguessingit’s200kg.EveninMar'sgravitythat'sabitmuch.I
couldcarryitaroundtheHabeasilyenough,butliftingitwhilewearing
anawkwardEVAsuit?Outofthequestion.
SoIdraggedittotherover.
Nowformynextfeat:Gettingitontheroof.
Theroofwasemptyatthemoment.Evenwithmostly-fullbatteries,I
hadsetupthesolarcellswhenIstopped.Whynot?Freeenergy.
I’dworkeditoutinadvance.Onthewayhere,twostacksofsolar
panelsoccupiedthewholeroof.Onthewayback,theywouldbeasingle
stack.It’salittlemoredangerous;theymightfallover.Themainthingit
they’llbeapainintheasstostackthathigh.
Ican’tjustthrowaropeovertheroverandhoistPathfinderupthe
side.Idon’twanttobreakit.Imean,it’salreadybroken,theylost
contactin1997.ButIdon’twanttobreakitmore.
Icameupwithasolution,butI’ddoneenoughphysicallaborforone
day,andIwasalmostoutofdaylight.
NowI’mintherover,lookingatSojourner.Itseemsallright.No
physicaldamageontheoutside.Doesn’tlooklikeanythinggottoobaked
bythesunlight.ThedenselayerofMarscrapalloveritprotecteditfrom
long-termsolardamage.
YoumaythinkSojournerisn’tmuchusetome.Itcan’tcommunicate
withEarth.WhydoIcareaboutit?
Becauseithasalotofmovingparts.
IfIestablishalinkwithNASA,Icantalktothembyholdingapage
oftextuptotheLander’scamera.Buthowwouldtheytalktome?The
onlymovingpartsontheLanderarethehighgainantenna(whichwould
havetostaypointedatEarth)andthecameraboom.We’dhavetocome
upwithasystemwhereNASAcouldtalkbyrotatingthecamerahead.It
wouldbepainfullyslow.
ButSojournerhassixindependentwheelsthatrotatereasonablyfast.
It’llbemucheasiertocommunicatewiththose.Ifnothingelse,Icould
drawlettersonthewheels,andholdamirroruptoitscamera.NASA’d
figureitoutandstartspellingthingsatme.
ThatallassumesIcangettheLander’sradioworkingatall.
Timetoturnin.I’vegotalotofbackbreakingphysicallabortodo
tomorrow.I’llneedmyrest.
LOGENTRY:SOL83
OhgodI’msore.
Butit’stheonlywayIcouldthinkoftogettheLandersafelyonto
theroof.
Ibuiltarampoutofrocksandsand.JustliketheancientEgyptians
did.
Andifthere’sonethingAresVallishas,it’srocks!
First,Iexperimentedtofindouthowsteepthegradecouldbe.Piling
upsomerocksneartheLander,Idraggeditupthepile,thendownagain.
ThenImadeitsteeper,etc.IfiguredoutIcouldpullitupa30degree
grade.Anythingmorewastoorisky.Imightlosemygripandsendthe
Landertumblingdowntheramp.
Theroofoftheroverisover2metersfromtheground.SoI’dneeda
rampalmost4meterslong.Igottowork.
Thefirstfewrockswereeasy.Thentheystartedfeelingheavierand
heavier.Hardphysicallaborinaspacesuitismurder.Everything’smore
effortbecauseyou’relugging20kgofsuitaroundwithyou,andyour
movementislimited.Iwaspantingwithin20minutes.
SoIcheated.IuppedmyO2mixture.Itreallyhelpedalot.Probably
shouldn’tmakethatahabit.Also,Ididn’tgethot.Thesuitleaksheat
fasterthanmybodycouldevergenerateit.Theheatingsystemiswhat
keepsthetemperaturebearable.Myphysicallaborjustmeantthesuit
didn’thavetoheatitselfasmuch.
Afterhoursofgruelinglabor,Ifinallygottherampmade.Nothing
morethanapileofrocksagainsttherover,butitreachedtheroof.
Istompedupanddowntherampfirst,tomakesureitwasstable,then
IdraggedtheLanderup.Itworkedlikeacharm!
IwasallsmilesasIlashedtheLanderinplace.Imadesureitwas
firmlysecured,andevenstackedthesolarcellsinabigsinglestack(why
wastetheramp?).
Butthenithitme.TherampwouldcollapseasIdroveaway,andthe
rocksmightdamagethewheelsorundercarriage.I’dhavetotakethe
rampaparttokeepthatfromhappening.
Ugh.
Tearingtherampdownwaseasierthanputtingitup.Ididn’tneedto
carefullyputeachrockinastableplace.Ijustdroppedthemwherever.It
onlytookmeanhour.
AndnowI’mdone!
I’llstartheadinghometomorrow,withmynew100kgbrokenradio.
Chapter10
LOGENTRY:SOL90
SevendayssincePathfinder,andsevendaysclosertohome.
AsI’dhoped,myinboundtracksgavemeapathbacktoLewis
Valley.Thenitwasfoursolsofeasydriving.Thehillstomyleftmadeit
impossibletogetlost,andtheterrainwassmooth.
Butallgoodthingscometoanend.I’mbackinAcidaliaPlanitia
now.Myoutgoingtracksarelonggone.It’sbeen16dayssinceIwaslast
here.Eventimidweatherwouldclearthemoutinthattime.
Onmywayout,IshouldhavemadeapileofrockseverytimeI
camped.Thelandissoflatthey’dbevisibleforkilometers.
Onsecondthought,thinkingbacktomakingthatdamnramp…ugh.
SoonceagainIamthedesertwanderer,usingPhobostonavigate,and
hopingIdon’tstraytoofar.AllIneedtodoisgetwithin40kmofthe
HabandI’llpickupthebeacon.
I’mfeelingoptimistic.Forthefirsttime,IthinkImightgetoffthis
planetalive.Withthatinmind,I’mtakingsoilandrocksamplesevery
timeIdoanEVA.
Atfirst,Ifigureditwasmyduty.IfIsurvive,geologistswillloveme
forit.Butthenitstartedtogetfun.Now,asIdrive,Ilookforwardtothat
simpleactofbaggingrocks.
Itjustfeelsnicetobeanastronautagain.That’sallitis.Nota
reluctantfarmer,notanelectricalengineer,notalonghaultrucker.An
astronaut.I’mdoingwhatastronautsdo.Imissedit.
LOGENTRY:SOL92
Igot2secondsofsignalfromtheHabbeacontoday,thenlostit.But
it’sagoodsign.I’vebeentravelingvaguelynorth-northwestfortwo
days.Imustbeagood100kmfromtheHab;it’samiracleIgotany
signalatall.Musthavebeenamomentofperfectweatherconditions.
Duringtheboring-assdays,I’mworkingmywaythrough“TheSix
MillionDollarMan”fromCommanderLewis’sinexhaustiblecollection
of‘70stripe.
IjustwatchedanepisodewhereSteveAustinfightsaRussianVenus
probethatlandedonEarthbymistake.Asanexpertininterplanetary
travel,Icantellyoutherearenoscientificinaccuraciesinthestory.It’s
quitecommonforprobestolandonthewrongplanet.Also,theprobe’s
large,flat-panelhullisidealforthehigh-pressureVenusianatmosphere.
And,asweallknow,probesoftenrefusetoobeydirectives,choosing
insteadtoattackhumansonsight.
Sofar,Pathfinderhasn’ttriedkillme.ButI’mkeepinganeyeonit.
LOGENTRY:SOL93
IfoundtheHabsignaltoday.Ihaveasolidbearinganddirectionto
go.Nomorechancetogetlost.Accordingtothecomputer,I’m24718
metersaway.
I’llbehometomorrow.Eveniftheroverhasacatastrophicfailure,
I’llbefine.IcanwalktotheHabfromhere.
Idon’tknowifI’vementionedthisbefore,butIamreally.... sick
ofbeinginthisrover.I’vespentsomuchtimeseatedorlaying down,
mybackisallscrewedup.Ofallmycrewmates,theoneImiss most
rightnowisBeck.He’dfixmyachingback.
Thoughhe’dprobablygivemeabunchofshitaboutit.“Whydidn’t
youdostretchingexercises?Yourbodyisimportant!Eatmorefiber,”or
whatever.
AtthispointI’dwelcomeahealthlecture.
Duringtraining,wehadtopracticethedreaded“MissedOrbit”
scenario.Intheeventofasecond-stagefailureduringMAVascent,we’d
beinorbit,buttoolowtoreachHermes.We’dbeskimmingtheupper
atmosphere,soourorbitwouldrapidlydecay.NASAwouldremotely
operateHermesandbringitinforrendezvous.Thenwe’dgetthehellout
oftherebeforeHermescaughttoomuchdrag.
Todrillthis,theymadeusstayintheMAVsimulatorfor3miserable
days.Sixpeopleinanascentvehicleoriginallydesignedfora23minute
flight.Itgotalittlecramped.Andby“alittlecramped”Imean“We
wantedtokilleachother”.
Oncewegotout,CommanderLewisdeclared“whathappenedin
MissedOrbitstaysinMissedOrbit.”Itmayseemtrite,butitworked.We
putitbehindusandgotbacktonormal.
I’dgiveanythingforjustfiveminutesofMissedOrbittraining.I’m
reallyfeelingalonelately.Uptillthisroadtrip,I’vebeentoobusyto
mope.Butthelong,dulldayswithnothingtodoreallydrivesithome.
I’mfurtherawayfromotherhumansthananyonehaseverbeen.
Man,IhopeIgetPathfinderworkingagain.
LOGENTRY:SOL94
Homesweethome!
TodayIwritefrommygigantic,cavernousHab!
ThefirstthingIdidwhenIgotinwaswavemyarmswildlywhile
runningincircles.Feltgreat!Iwasinthatdamnroverfor22sols,and
couldn’tevenwalkwithoutsuitingup.
I’llneedtoenduretwicethattogettoAres4,butthat’saproblemfor
later.
AfterafewcelebratorylapsaroundtheHab,itwastimetogetto
work.
First,IfireduptheOxygenatorandAtmosphericRegulator.Checking
theairlevels,everythinglookedgood.TherewasstillCO2,sotheplants
hadn’tsuffocatedwithoutmeexhalingforthem.
NaturallyIdidanexhaustivecheckonmycrops,andthey’reall
healthy.
Iaddedmybagsofshittothemanurepile.Lovelysmell,Icantell
you.ButonceImixedsomesoilin,itdieddowntotolerablelevels.I
dumpedmyboxo’peeintotheWaterReclaimer.
I’dbeengoneoverthreeweeks,andhadlefttheHabveryhumidfor
thesakeofthecrops.Thatmuchwaterintheaircancauseanyamountof
electricalproblems,soIspentthenextfewhoursdoingfullsystems
checksoneverything.
ThenIkindofloungedaroundforawhile.Iwantedtospendtherest
ofthedayrelaxing,butIhadmoretodo.
Suitingup,Iwentouttotheroveranddraggedthesolarcellsoffthe
roof.Overthenextfewhours,Iputthembackwheretheybelonged,
wiringthemintotheHab’spowergrid.
GettingtheLanderofftheroofwasahellofaloteasierthangettingit
upthere.IdetachedastrutfromtheMAVplatformanddraggeditoverto
therover.Leaningitagainstthehullanddiggingtheotherendintothe
groundforstability,Ihadaramp.
IshouldhavebroughtthatstrutwithmetothePathfindersite.Live
andlearn.
There’snowaytogettheLanderintheairlock.It’sjusttoobig.I
couldprobablydismantleitandbringitinapieceatatime,butthere’sa
prettycompellingreasonnotto.
Withnomagneticfield,Marshasnodefenseagainstharshsolar
radiation.IfIwereexposedtoit,I’dgetsomuchcancer,thecancer
wouldhavecancer.SotheHabcanvasshieldsfromelectromagnetic
waves.ThismeanstheHabitselfitwouldblockanytransmissionsifthe
Landerwereinside.
Speakingofcancer,itwastimetogetridoftheRTG.
Itpainedmetoclimbbackintotherover,butithadtobedone.Ifthe
RTGeverbrokeopen,itwouldkillmetodeath.
NASAdecided4kmwasthesafedistance,andIwasn’taboutto
second-guessthem.DrivingbacktowhereCommanderLewishad
originallydumpedit,Iditcheditinthesameholeanddrovebacktothe
Hab.
I’llstartworkontheLandertomorrow.
Now,toenjoyagood,longsleepinanactualcot.Withthecomforting
knowledgethatwhenIwake,mymorningpisswillgointoatoilet.
LOGENTRY:SOL95
Todaywasallaboutrepairs!
ThePathfindermissionendedbecausetheLanderhadanunknown
criticalfailure.OncetheylostcontactwiththeLander,theyhadnoidea
whatbecameofSojourner.Itmightbeinbettershape.Maybeitjust
needspower.Poweritcouldn’tgetwiththesolarpanelshopelesslycaked
withdust.
Settingitonmyworkbench,Ipriedopenapaneltopeekinside.The
batterywasalithiumthionylchloridenon-rechargeable.Ifiguredthatout
fromsomesubtleclues:theshapeoftheconnectionpoints,thethickness
oftheinsulation,andthefactthatithad“LiSOCl2NON-RCHRG”
writtenonit.
Icleanedthesolarpanelsthoroughly,thenaimedasmall,flexible
lampdirectlyatthem.Thebattery’slongdead.Butthepanelsmightbe
ok,andSojournercanoperatedirectlyoffthem.We’llseeifanything
happens.
ThenitwastimetotakealookatSojourner’sdaddy.Isuitedupand
headedout.
Onmostlanders,theweakpointisthebattery.It’sthemostdelicate
component,andwhenitdies,there’snowaytorecover.
Landerscan’tjustshutdownandwaitwhentheyhavelowbatteries.
Theirelectronicswon’tworkunlessthey’reataminimumtemperature.
Sotheyhaveheaterstokeeptheelectronicswarm.It’saproblemthat
rarelycomesuponEarth,buthey.Mars.
Overtime,thesolarpanelsgetcoveredwithdust.Thenwinterbrings
coldertemperaturesandlessdaylight.Thisallcombinesintoabig“....
you”fromMarstoyourlander.Eventuallyit’susingmorepowertokeep
warmthanit’sgettingfromthemeagerdaylightthatmakesitthroughthe
dust.
Oncethebatteryrunsdown,theelectronicsgettoocoldtooperate,
andthewholesystemdies.Thesolarpanelswillrechargethebattery
somewhat,butthere’snothingtotellthesystemtoreboot.Anythingthat
couldmakethatdecisionwouldbeelectronics,whichwouldnotbe
working.Eventually,thenowunusedbatterywillloseitsabilitytoretain
charge.
That’stheusualcauseofdeath.AndIsurehopeit’swhatkilled
Pathfinder.
IpiledsomeleftoverpartsoftheMDVintoamakeshifttableand
ramp.ThenIdraggedtheLanderuptomynewoutdoorworkbench.
WorkinginanEVAsuitisannoyingenough.Bendingoverthewhole
timewouldhavebeentorture.
Igotmytoolkitandstartedpokingaround.Openingtheouterpanel
wasn’ttoohardandIidentifiedthebatteryeasilyenough.JPLlabels
everything.It’sa40Amp-hourAg-Zrbatterywithanoptimalvoltageof
1.5V.Wow.Theyreallymadethosethingsrunonnothin’backthen.
Idetachedthebatteryandheadedbackinside.Icheckeditwithmy
electronicskit,andsureenoughit’sdead,dead,dead.Icouldshuffle
acrossacarpetandholdmorecharge.
SoIknewwhatitneeded.1.5volts.
ComparedtothemakeshiftcrapI’vebeengluingtogethersinceSol6,
thiswasabreeze.Ihavevoltagecontrollersinmykit!Itonlytookme15
minutestoputacontrolleronareservepowerline,thenanotherhourto
gooutsideandrunthelinetowherethebatteryusedtobe.
Thenthere’stheissueofheat.It’sagoodideatokeepelectronics
above-40C.Thetemperaturetodayisabrisk-63C.
Thebatterywasbigandeasytoidentify,butIhadnocluewherethe
heaterswere.EvenifIknew,it’dbetooriskytohookthemdirectlyto
power.Icouldeasilyfrythewholesystem.
Soinstead,Iwenttogoodold“SpareParts”Rover1,andstoleit’s
environmentheater.I’veguttedthatpoorroversomuch,itlookslikeI
parkeditinabadpartoftown.
Bringingtheheatertomy“workbench,”IhookedittoHabpower.
ThenIresteditintheLanderwherethebatteryusedtobe.
NowIwait.Andhope.
LOGENTRY:SOL96
IwasreallyhopingI’dwakeuptoafunctionalLander,butnosuch
luck.Itshigh-gainantennaisrightwhereIlastsawit.Whydoesthat
matter?Well,I’lltellya…
IftheLandercomesbacktolife(andthat’sabigif)it’lltryto
establishcontactwithEarth.Problemis,nobody’slistening.It’snotlike
thePathfinderteamishangingaroundJPLjustincasetheirlongdead
probeisrepairedbyawaywardastronaut.
TheDeepSpaceNetworkandSETIaremybestbetsforpickingup
thesignal.IfeitherofthemcaughtablipfromPathfinder,they’dtell
JPL.
JPLwouldquicklyfigureoutwhatwasgoingon,especiallywhen
theytriangulatedthesignaltomylandingsite.
They’dtelltheLanderwhereEarthis,anditwouldanglethehighgainantennaappropriately.Thatthere,theanglingoftheantenna,ishow
I’llknowifitlinkedup.
Sofar,noaction.
There’sstillhope.Anynumberofreasonscouldbedelayingthings.
Theroverheaterisdesignedtoheatairat1atmosphere.ThethinMartian
airseverelyhampersitsabilitytowork.Sotheelectronicsmightneed
moretimetowarmup.
Also,Earthisonlyvisibleduringtheday.I(hopefully)fixedthe
Landeryesterdayevening.It’smorningnow,somostoftheintervening
timehasbeennight.NoEarth.
Sojourner’salsoshowingnosignsoflife.It’sbeeninthenice,warm
environmentoftheHaballnight,withplentyoflightonitssparkling
cleansolarcells.Maybeit’srunninganextendedself-check,orstaying
stilluntilithearsfromtheLanderorsomething.
I’lljusthavetoputitoutofmymindfornow.
PATHFINDERLOG:SOL0
BOOTSEQUENCEINITIATED
TIME00:00:00
LOSSOFPOWERDETECTED,TIME/DATEUNRELIABLE
LOADINGOS...
VXWAREOPERATINGSYSTEM(C)WINDRIVERSYSTEMS
PERFORMINGHARDWARECHECK:
INT.TEMPERATURE:-34C
EXT.TEMPERATURE:NONFUNCTIONAL
BATTERY:FULL
HIGAIN:OK
LOGAIN:OK
WINDSENSOR:NONFUNCTIONAL
METEOROLOGY:NONFUNCTIONAL
ASI:NONFUNCTIONAL
IMAGER:OK
ROVERRAMP:NONFUNCTIONAL
SOLARA:NONFUNCTIONAL
SOLARB:NONFUNCTIONAL
SOLARC:NONFUNCTIONAL
HARDWARECHECKCOMPLETE
BROADCASTINGSTATUS
LISTENINGFORTELEMETRYSIGNAL...
LISTENINGFORTELEMETRYSIGNAL...
LISTENINGFORTELEMETRYSIGNAL...
SIGNALACQUIRED
Chapter11
“Something’scomingin…yes…yes!It’sPathfinder!”
Theroomburstintoapplauseandcheers.Venkatslappedanunknown
technicianheartilyonthebackwhileBrucepumpedhisfistintheair.
Thead-hoccontrolcenterwasanaccomplishmentinitself.JPLhad
just20daystopiecetogetherantiquatedcomputers,repairbroken
components,networkeverything,andinstallhastilymadesoftwareto
interactwiththemodernDeepSpaceNetwork.Ateamofengineershad
workedaroundtheclock,finishingonlytwodaysearlier.
Theroomitselfwasformerlyaconferenceroom;JPLhadnospace
readyforthesuddenneed.Crammedwithcomputersandequipment,
littlespacewasleftoverforthemanyspectatorssqueezingin.
OneAssociatedPresscamerateamwaspermitted.Therestofthe
mediawouldhavetosatisfythemselveswiththeliveAPfeed,andawait
apressconference.
VenkatturnedtoBruce.“Goddamn,Bruce.Youreallypulledarabbit
outofyourhatthistime!Goodwork!”
“I’mjustthedirector,”Brucesaidmodestly.“Thanktheguyswho
gotallthisshitworking.”
“OhIwill!”Venkatbeamed.“ButfirstIhavetotalktomynewbest
friend!”
Turningtotheheadsettedmanatthecommunicationsconsole,Venkat
asked“What’syou’rename,newbestfriend?”
“Tim,”hesaid,nottakinghiseyesoffthescreen.
“Whatnow?”Venkatasked.
“Wesentthereturntelemetryautomatically.It’llgetthereinjust
over11minutes.Onceitdoes,Pathfinderwillstarthigh-gain
transmissions.Soit’llbe22minutestillwehearfromitagain.”
“Venkat’sgotadoctorateinphysics,Tim,”Brucesaid,“Youdon’t
needtoexplaintransmissiontimetohim.”
Timshrugged.“Youcannevertellwithmanagers.”
“Whatwasinthetransmissionwegot?”Venkatasked.
“Justthebarebones.Ahardwareselfcheck.It’sgotalotof
“nonfunctional”systems,causetheywereonthepanelsWatney
removed.”
“Whataboutthecamera?”
“Itsaystheimager’sworking.We’llhaveittakeapanoramaassoon
aswecan.”
LOGENTRY:SOL97
Itworked!
Holy....shititworked!
IjustcheckedtheLander.Thehighgainantennaisangleddirectlyat
Earth!Pathfinderhasnowayofknowingwhereitis,soithasnowayof
knowingwhereEarthis.Theonlywayforittofindoutisgettingasignal.
TheyknowI’malive!
Happydance,happydance,I’mdoin’thehappydance!
Allright.Enoughhappydance.Timetomakewiththe
communicatin’!
“Wereceivedthehigh-gainresponsejustoverhalfanhourago,”
Venkatsaidtotheassembledpress.“WeimmediatelydirectedPathfinder
totakeapanoramicimage.Hopefully,Watneyhassomekindofmessage
forus.Questions?”
Theseaofreportersraisedtheirhands.
“Cathy,let’sstartwithyou,”Venkatsaid,pointingherout.
“Thanks,”shesaid.“HaveyouhadanycontactwiththeSojourner
rover?”
“Unfortunately,no,”hereplied.“TheLanderhasn’tbeenableto
connecttoSojourner,andwehavenowaytocontactitdirectly.”
“WhatmightbewrongwithSojourner?”
“Ican’tevenspeculate,”Venkatsaid.“Afterspendingthatlongon
Mars,anythingcouldbewrongwithit.”
“Bestguess?”
“OurbestguessishetookitintotheHab.TheLander’ssignal
wouldn’tbeabletoreachSojournerthroughHabcanvas.”Pointingto
anotherreporter,hesaid“You,there.”
“MartyWest,NBCNews,”Martysaid.“Howwillyoucommunicate
withWatneyonceeverything’supandrunning?”
“That’llbeuptoWatney,”saidVenkat.“Allwehavetoworkwithis
thecamera.Hecanwritenotesandholdthemup.Buthowwetalkbackis
trickier.”
“Howso?”Martyasked.
“Becauseallwehaveisthecameraplatform.That’stheonlymoving
part.Thereareplentyofwaystogetinformationacrosswithjustthe
platform’srotation,butnowaytotellWatneyaboutthem.He’llhaveto
comeupwithsomethingandtellus.We’llfollowhislead.”
Pointingtothenextreporter,hesaid,“Goahead.”
“JillHolbrook,BBC.Witha32minuteroundtrip,andnothingbuta
singlerotatingplatformtotalkwith,it’llbeadreadfullyslow
conversation,won’tit?”
“Yesitwill,”Venkatconfirmed.“It’searlymorninginAcidalia
Planitiarightnow,andjustpast3amhereinPasadena.We’llbehereall
night,andthat’sjustforastart.Nomorequestionsfornow,thepanorama
isduebackinafewminutes.We’llkeepyouposted.”
Quicklyleavingthepressroom,Venkathurrieddownthehalltothe
makeshiftPathfindercontrolcenter.Hepressedthroughthethrongtothe
communicationsconsole.
“Anything,Tim?”
“Totally,”hereplied.“Butwe’restaringatthisblackscreenbecause
it’swaymoreinterestingthanpicturesfromMars.”
“You’reasmart-ass,Tim,”Venkatsaid.
“Noted.”
Brucepushedhiswayforward.“Stillanotherfewsecondsonthe
clock,”hesaid.
Thetimepassedinsilence.
“Gettingsomething,”Timsaid.“Yup.It’sthepanoramic.”
Agenerallooseningoftensioncoruscatedthroughtheroomasthe
imageslowlycamethrough,oneverticalstripeatatime.
“Martiansurface…”Venkatsaidasthelinesdisplayed.“More
surface…”
“EdgeoftheHab!”Brucesaid,pointingtothescreen.
“Hab,”Venkatsmiled.“MoreHabnow…moreHab…isthata
message?That’samessage!”
Theverticalstripesrevealedahandwrittennote,suspendedatthe
camera’sheightbyathinmetalrod.
“WegotanotefromMark!”Venkatannouncedtotheroom.
Applausefilledtheroom,thenquicklydieddown.“What’sitsay?”
someoneasked.
Venkatleanedclosertothescreen.“Itsays…‘I’llwritequestions
here–Areyoureceiving?’”
“Ok…?”saidBruce.
“That’swhatitsays,”Venkatshrugged.
“Anothernote,”saidTim,pointingtothescreenastheslowmarchof
datarevealeditself.
Venkatleanedinagain.“Thisonesays‘Pointhereforyes’.”
“Allright,Iseewhathe’sgoingfor,”saidBruce.
“There’sthethirdnote,”saidTim.
“‘Pointhereforno,’”Venkatread.“‘Willcheckoftenforanswer’”
Venkatfoldedhisarms.“Allright.Wehavecommunicationwith
Mark.Tim,pointthecameraat‘Yes’.Then,starttakingpicturesat10
minuteintervalsuntilheputsanotherquestionup.”
LOGENTRY:SOL97(2)
“Yes!”Theysaid“Yes!”
Ihaven’tbeenthisexcitedabouta“yes”sincepromnight!
Ok,calmdown.
Ihavelimitedpapertoworkwith.Thesecardswereintendedtolabel
batchesofsamples.Ihaveabout50cards.Icanusebothsides,andifit
comesdowntoit,Icanre-usethembyscratchingouttheoldquestion.
TheSharpieI’musingwilllastmuchlongerthanthecards,soink
isn’taproblem.ButIhavetodoallmywritingintheHab.Idon’tknow
whatkindofhallucinogeniccrapthatinkismadeof,butI’mprettysure
itwouldboiloffin1/90thofanatmosphere.
I’musingoldpartsoftheantennaarraytoholdthecardsup.There’s
acertainironyinthat.
We’llneedtotalkfasterthanyes/noquestionseveryhalf-hour.The
cameracanrotate360degrees,andIhaveplentyofantennaparts.Time
tomakeanalphabet.ButIcan’tjustusethelettersAthroughZ.Withmy
QuestionCard,thatwouldbe27cardsaroundthelander.Eachonewould
onlyget13degreesofarc.EvenifJPLpointsthecameraperfectly,
there’sagoodchanceIwon’tknowwhichlettertheymeant.
SoI’llhavetouseASCII.That’showcomputersmanagecharacters.
Eachcharacterhasanumericalcodebetween0and255.Valuesbetween
0and255canbeexpressedas2hexadecimaldigits.Bygivingmepairs
ofhexdigits,theycansendanycharactertheylike,includingnumbers,
punctuation,etc.
HowdoIknowwhichvaluesgowithwhichcharacters?Because
Johanssen’slaptopisawealthofinformation.Iknewshe’dhavean
ASCIItableintheresomewhere.Allcomputergeeksdo.
SoI’llmakecardsfor0through9,andAthroughF.Thatmakes16
cardstoplacearoundthecamera,plustheQuestionCard.17cardsmeans
over21degreeseach.Mucheasiertodealwith.
Timetogettowork!
SpellwithASCII.Numbers0-Fat21degreeincrements.Willwatch
camerastarting11:00mytime.Whenmessagedone,returntothis
position.Wait20minutesaftercompletiontotakepicture(SoIcanwrite
andpostreply).Repeatprocessattopofeveryhour.
S…T…A…T…U…S
Nophysicalproblems.AllHabcomponentsfunctional.Eating3/4
rations.SuccessfullygrowingcropsinHabwithcultivatedsoil.Note:
SituationnotAres3crew’sfault.Badluck.
H…O…W…A…L…I…V…E
Impaledbyantennafragment.Knockedoutbydecompression.Landed
facedown,bloodsealedhole.Wokeupaftercrewleft.Bio-monitor
computerdestroyedbypuncture.Crewhadreasontothinkmedead.Not
theirfault.
C…R…O…P…S…?
Longstory.ExtremeBotany.Have126m2farmlandgrowingpotatoes.
Willextendfoodsupply,butnotenoughtolastuntilAres4landing.
Modifiedroverforlongdistancetravel,plantodrivetoAres4.
W…E…S…A…W…-…S…A…T…L…I…T…E
Governmentwatchingmewithsatellites?Needtinfoilhat!Alsoneed
fasterwaytocommunicate.Speak&Spelltakingalldamnday.Anyideas?
B…R…I…N…G…S…J…R…N…R…O…U…T
Sojournerroverbroughtout,placed1meterduenorthofLander.If
youcancontactit,Icandrawhexnumbersonthewheelsandyoucan
sendmesixbytesatatime.
S…J…R…N…R…N…O…T…R…S…P…N…D
Damn.Anyotherideas?Needfastercommunication.
W…O…R…K…I…N…G…O…N…I…T
Earthisabouttoset.Resume08:00mytimetomorrowmorning.Tell
familyI’mfine.Givecrewmybest.TellCommanderLewisdiscosucks.
“Iwasupallnight,”saidVenkat.“ForgivemeifI’malittlepunchy.
Whoareyouagain?”
“JackTrevor,”saidthethin,palemanbeforeVenkat.“Iworkin
softwareengineering.”
“WhatcanIdoforyou?”
“Wehaveanideaforcommunication.”
“I’mallears.”
“We’vebeenlookingthroughtheoldPathfindersoftware.Wegot
duplicatecomputersupandrunningfortesting.Samecomputersthey
usedtofindaproblemthatalmostkilledtheoriginalmission.Real
interestingstory,actually,turnsouttherewasapriorityinversionin
Sojourner’sthreadmanagementand-”
“Focus,Jack,”interruptedVenkat.
“Right.Well,thethingis,PathfinderhasanOSupdateprocess.Sowe
canchangethesoftwaretoanythingwewant.”
“Ok,howdoesthishelpus?”
“Pathfinderhastwocommunicationsystems.Onetotalktous,the
othertotalktoSojourner.Wecanchangethesecondsystemtobroadcast
ontheAres-3roverfrequency.Andwecanhaveitpretendtobethe
beaconsignalfromtheHab.”
“YoucangetPathfindertalkingtoMark’srover?”
“It’stheonlyoption.TheHab’sradioisdead.Thingis,alltherover
doesistriangulatethesignaltofixitslocation.Itdoesn’tsenddataback
totheHab.Itjusthasavoicechannelfortheastronautstotalktoeach
other.”
“So,”Venkatsaid,“YoucangetPathfindertalkingtotherover,but
youcan’tgettherovertalkingback.”
“Right.Whatwewantisforourtexttoshowupontheroverscreen,
andwhateverWatneytypestobesentbacktous.Thatrequiresachange
totherover’ssoftware.”
“Andwecan’tdothat,”Venkatconcluded.“Becausewecan’ttalkto
therover.”
“Notdirectly,”Jacksaid.“ButwecansenddatatoWatney,andhave
himenteritintotherover.”
“Howmuchdataarewetalkingabout?”
“Ihaveguysworkingontheroversoftwarerightnow.Thepatchfile
willbe20Meg,minimum.WecansendonebytetoWatneyevery4
secondsorsowiththe‘Speak&Spell.’It’dtakethreeyearsofconstant
broadcastingtogetthatpatchacross.Sothat’snogood.”
“Butyou’retalkingtome,soyouhaveasolution,right?”Venkat
probed.
“Ofcourse!”Jackbeamed.“Softwareengineersaresneakybastards
whenitcomestodatamanagement.”
“Enlightenme,”saidVenkat,patiently.
“Here’sthecleverpart,”Jacksaid,conspiratorially.“Therover
currentlyparsesthesignalintobytes,thenidentifiesthespecific
sequencetheHabsends.Thatway,naturalradiowaveswon’tthrowoff
thehoming.Ifthebytesaren’tright,theroverignoresthem.”
“Ok,sowhat?”
“Itmeansthere’saspotinthecodebasewhereit’sgottheparsed
bytes.Wecaninsertatinybitofcode,just20instructions,towritethe
parsedbytestoalogfilebeforecheckingtheirvalidity.”
“Thissoundspromising…”Venkatsaid.
“Itis!”Jacksaidexcitedly.“First,weupdatePathfinderwithour
replacementOS.Then,wetellWatneyexactlyhowtohacktherover
softwaretoaddthose20instructions.Thenwebroadcasttherover’s
patchtoPathfinder,whichre-broadcastsittotherover.Theroverlogsthe
bytestoafile.Finally,Watneylaunchesthefileasanexecutableandit
patchestheroversoftware!”
Venkatfurrowedhisbrow,takinginfarmoreinformationthanhis
sleep-deprivedmindwantedtoaccept.
“Um,”Jacksaid.“You’renotcheeringordancing.”
“SowejustneedtosendWatneythose20instructions?”Venkat
asked.
“That,andhowtoeditthefiles.Andwheretoinserttheinstructions
inthefiles.”
“Justlikethat?”
“Justlikethat!”
Venkatwassilentforamoment.“Jack.I’mgoingtobuyyourwhole
teamautographedStarTrekmemorabilia.”
“IpreferStarWars.”
“Hello?”
“IneedapictureofWatney.”
“Hi,Annie.Nicetohearfromyou,too.Howarethingsbackin
Houston?”
“Cuttheshit,Venkat.Ineedapicture.”
“It’snotthatsimple,”Venkatexplained.
“You’retalkingtohimwitha....camera.Howhardcanitbe?”
“Wespelloutourmessage,wait20minutesandthentakeapicture.
Watney’sbackintheHabbythen.”
“Sotellhimtobearoundwhenyoutakethenextpicture,”Annie
demanded.
“Wecanonlysendonemessageperhour,andonlywhenAcidalia
PlanitiaisfacingEarth,”Venkatsaid.“We’renotgoingtowastea
messagejusttotellhimtoposeforaphoto.Besides,he’llbeinhisEVA
suit.Youwon’tevenbeabletoseehisface.”
“Ineedsomething,Venkat,”Anniesaid.“You’vebeenincontactfor
24hoursandthemediaisgoingapeshit.Theywantanimageforthe
story.It’llbeoneverynewssiteintheworld.”
“Youhavethepicturesofhisnotes.Makedowiththat.”
“Notenough,”Anniesaid.“Thepressiscrawlingdownmythroatfor
this.Andupmyass.Bothdirections,Venkat!They’regonnameetinthe
middle!”
“It’llhavetowaitafewdays.We’regoingtotryandlinkPathfinder
totherovercomputer-“
“Afewdays!?”Anniegasped.“Thisisallanyonecaresaboutright
now.Intheworld.YouseewhatI’mgettingat?Thisisthebiggeststory
sinceApollo13.Givemea....picture!”
Venkatsighed.“I’lltrytogetittomorrow.”
“Great!”Shesaid.“Lookingforwardtoit.”
LOGENTRY:SOL98
Ihavetobewatchingthecamerawhenitspellsshitout.It’shalfa
byteatatime.SoIwatchapairofnumbers,thenlookthemuponan
ASCIIcheat-sheetImade.That’soneletter.
Idon’twanttoforgetanyletters,soIscrapethemintothedirtwitha
rod.Theprocessoflookingupaletterandscrapingitinthedirttakesa
coupleofseconds.SometimeswhenIlookbackatthecamera,I’ve
missedanumber.Icanusuallyguessitfromcontext,butothertimesI
justmissout.
TodayIgotuphoursearlierthanIneededto.ItwaslikeChristmas
morning!Icouldhardlywaitfor08:00torollaround.Ihadbreakfast,did
someunnecessarychecksonHabequipment,andreadsomePoirot.
Finallythetimecame!
“CNHAKRVR2TLK2PTHFDRPRP4LONGMSG”
Yeah.Tookmeaminute.“CanhackrovertotalktoPathfinder.
Prepareforlongmessage.”
Thattooksomementalgymnasticstoworkout.Butitwasgreat
news!Ifwecouldgetthatsetup,we’donlybelimitedbytransmission
time!Isetupanotethatsaid“Roger.”
Notsurewhattheymeantby“longmessage”butIfiguredIbetterbe
ready.Iwentout15minutesbeforethetopofthehourandsmoothedout
abigareaofdirt.IfoundthelongestantennarodIhad,soIcouldreach
intothesmoothareawithouthavingtosteponit.
ThenIstoodby.Waiting.
Atexactlythetopofthehour,themessagecame.
“LNCHhexiditONRVRCMP,OPENFILE-/usr/lib/habcomm.soSCROLLTILIDXON
LFTIS:2AAE5,OVRWRT141BYTSWTHDATAWE’LLSNDNXTMSG,STA
W4NXTPIC20MINFTERTHSDONE”
Jesus.Ok…
Theywantmetolaunch‘hexedit’ontherover’scomputer,thenopen
thefile/usr/lib/habcomm.so,scrolluntiltheindexreadingontheleftof
thescreenis2AAE5,thenreplacethebytestherewitha141byte
sequenceNASAwillsendinthenextmessage.Fairenough.
Also,forsomereason,theywantmetohangaroundforthenextpic.
Notsurewhy.Youcan’tseeanypartofmewhenI’minthesuit.Eventhe
faceplatewouldreflecttoomuchlight.Still,it’swhattheywant.
Iwentbackinandcopieddownthemessageforfuturereference.
ThenIwroteashortnoteandcamebackout.UsuallyI’dpinupthenote
andgobackin.ButthistimeIhadtohangaroundforaphotoop.
Igavethecameraathumb’s-uptogoalongwithmynote,whichsaid
“Ayyyyyy!”
Blamethe‘70’sTV.
“IaskforapictureandIgetTheFonz?”Annieadmonished.
“Yougotyourpicture,quitbitching,”Venkatsaid,cradlingthephone
onhisshoulder.Hepaidmoreattentiontotheschematicsinfrontofhim
thantheconversation.
“Ayyyyyy!”Anniemocked.“Whywouldhedothat?”
“HaveyoumetMarkWatney?”
“Fine,fine,”Anniesaid.“ButIwantapicofhisfaceASAP.”
“Can’tdothat.”
“Whynot?”
“Becauseifhetakesoffhishelmet,he’lldie.Annie,Ihavetogo,one
oftheJPLprogrammersishereandit’surgent.Bye!”
“But-“Anniesaidashehungup.
Jack,inthedoorway,said“It’snoturgent.”
“Yeah,Iknow,”Venkatsaid.“WhatcanIdoforyou?”
“Wewerethinking,”Jackbegan,“Thisroverhackmightgetkindof
detailed.Wemayhavetodoabunchofback-and-forthcommunication
withWatney.”
“That’sfine,”Venkatsaid.“Takeyourtime,doitright.”
“Wecouldgetthingsdonefasterwithashortertransmissiontime,”
Jacksaid.
Venkatgavehimapuzzledlook.“Doyouhaveaplanformoving
EarthandMarsclosertogether?”
“Earthdoesn’thavetobeinvolved,”Jacksaid.“Hermesis73million
kmfromMarsrightnow.Only4light-minutesaway.BethJohanssenisa
greatprogrammer.ShecouldtalkMarkthroughit.”
“Outofthequestion,”Venkatsaid.
“She’sthemissionSysop,”Jackpressedon,“Thisisherexactareaof
expertise.”
“Can’tdoit,Jack.Thecrewstilldoesn’tknow.”
“Whatiswithyou?Whywon’tyoujusttellthem?”
“Watney’snotmyonlyresponsibility,”Venkatsaid.“I’vegotfive
otherastronautsindeepspace,whohavetoconcentrateontheirreturn
trip.Nobodythinksaboutit,butstatisticallythey’reinmoredangerthan
Watneyrightnow.He’sonaplanet.They’reinspace.”
Jackraisedhisarms.“Fine,we’lldoittheslowway.”
LOGENTRY:SOL98(2)
Evertranscribed141randombytes,onehalfofabyteatatime?
It’sboring.Andit’strickywhenyoudon’thaveapen.
Earlier,Ihadjustwrittenlettersinthesand.Butthistime,Ineededa
waytogetthenumbersontosomethingportable.Myfirstplanwas:Use
alaptop!
Eachcrewmanhadtheirownlaptop.SoIhavesixatmydisposal.
Rather,I“had”six.Inowhavefive.Ithoughtalaptopwouldbefine
outside.It’sjustelectronics,right?It’llkeepwarmenoughtooperatein
theshortterm,anditdoesn’tneedairforanything.
Itdiedinstantly.ThescreenwentblackbeforeIwasoutofthe
airlock.Turnsoutthe“L”in“LCD”standsfor“Liquid.”Iguessiteither
frozeorboiledoff.MaybeI’llpostaconsumerreview.“Broughtproduct
tosurfaceofMars.Itstoppedworking.0/10.”
SoIusedacamera.I’vegotlotsofthem,speciallymadeforworking
onMars.Iwrotethebytesinthesandastheycamein,tookapicture,
thentranscribedthemintheHab.
It’snightnow,sonomoremessages.Tomorrow,I’llenterthisinto
theroverandthegeeksatJPLcantakeitfromthere.
“Comeonuphere,Jack,”saidVenkat.“Yougettobethemost
Timwardtoday.”
“Thanks,”saidJack,takingVenkat’splacenexttoTim.“Heya,Tim!”
“Jack,”saidTim.
“Howlongwillthepatchtake?”Venkatasked.
“Shouldbeprettymuchinstant,”Jackanswered.“Watneyenteredthe
hackearliertoday,andweconfirmeditworked.WeupdatedPathfinder’s
OSwithoutanyproblems.Wesenttheroverpatch,whichPathfinder
rebroadcast.OnceWatneyexecutesthepatchandrebootstherover,we
shouldgetaconnection.”
“Jesuswhatacomplicatedprocess,”Venkatsaid.
“TryupdatingaLinuxserversometime,”Jacksaid.
Afteramomentofsilence,Timsaid“Youknowhewastellingajoke,
right?Thatwassupposedtobefunny.”
“Oh,”saidVenkat.“I’maphysicsguy,notacomputerguy.”
“He’snotfunnytocomputerguyseither.”
“You’reaveryunpleasantman,Tim,”Jacksaid.
“System’sonline,”saidTim.
“What?”
“It’sonline.FYI.”
“Holycrap!”Jacksaid.
“Itworked!”Venkatannouncedtotheroom.
[11:18]JPL:Mark,thisisVenkatKapoor.We’ve
beenwatchingyousinceSol49.Thewholeworld’s
beenrootingforyou.Amazingjob,getting
Pathfinder.We’reworkingonrescueplans.JPLis
adjustingAres4’sMDVtodoashortoverland
flight.They’llpickyouup,thentakeyouwith
themtoSchiaparelli.We’reputtingtogethera
supplymissiontokeepyoufedtillAres4
arrives.
[11:29]WATNEY:Gladtohearit.Reallylooking
forwardtonotdying.Iwanttomakeitclearit
wasn’tthecrew’sfault.Sidequestion:Whatdid
theysaywhentheyfoundoutIwasalive?Also,
“Hi,mom!”
[11:41]JPL:Tellusaboutyour“crops”.We
estimatedyourfoodpackswouldlastuntilSol400
at3/4rationpermeal.Willyourcropsaffect
thatnumber?Astoyourquestion:Wehaven’ttold
thecrewyou’realiveyet.Wewantedthemto
concentrateontheirownmission.
[11:52]WATNEY:Thecropsarepotatoes,grown
fromtheonesweweresupposedtoprepareon
Thanksgiving.They’redoinggreat,butthe
availablefarmlandisn’tenoughfor
sustainability.I’llrunoutfoodaroundSol900.
Also:TellthecrewI’malive!Whatthe....is
wrongwithyou?
[12:04]JPL:We’llgetbotanistsintoask
detailedquestionsanddouble-checkyourwork.
Yourlifeisatstake,sowewanttobesure.Sol
900isgreatnews.It’llgiveusalotmoretime
togetthesupplymissiontogether.Also,please
watchyourlanguage.Everythingyoutypeisbeing
broadcastliveallovertheworld.
[12:15]WATNEY:Look!Apairofboobs!->(.Y.)
“Thankyou,Mr.President,”Teddysaidintothephone.“Iappreciate
thecall,andI’llpassyourcongratulationsontothewholeorganization.”
Hangingup,hesawMitchHendersoninthedoorway.
“Thisagoodtime?”Mitchasked.
“Comein,Mitch,”Teddysaid.“Haveaseat.”
“Thanks,”Mitchsaid,sittinginafineleathercouch.“Goodday
today!”
“Yes,itwas,”Teddyagreed.“AnotherstepclosertogettingWatney
backalive.”
“Yeah,aboutthat,”saidMitch.“YouprobablyknowwhyI’mhere.”
“Icantakeaguess,”saidTeddy.“YouwanttotellthecrewWatney’s
alive.”
“Yes,”Mitchsaid.
“Andyou’rebringingthisupwithmewhileVenkatisinPasadena,so
hecan’targuetheotherside.”
“Ishouldn’thavetoclearthiswithyouorVenkatoranyoneelse.I’m
theflightdirector.Itshouldhavebeenmycallfromthebeginning,but
youtwosteppedinandoverrodeme.Ignoringallthat,weagreedwe’d
tellthemwhentherewashope.Andnowthere’shope.We’vegot
communication,wehaveaplanforrescueintheworks,andhisfarm
buysusenoughtimetogethimsupplies.”
“Ok,tellthem.”Teddysaid.
Mitchpaused.“Justlikethat?”
“Iknewyou’dbeheresoonerorlater,soIalreadythoughtitthrough
anddecided.Goaheadandtellthem.”
Mitchstoodup.“Allright.Thanks,”hesaidashelefttheoffice.
Teddyswiveledinhischairandlookedouthiswindowstothenight
sky.Heponderedthefaint,reddotamongstthestars.“Hanginthere
Watney,”hesaidtonoone.“We’recoming.”
Chapter12
Watneysleptpeacefullyinhisbunk.Heshiftedslightlyassome
pleasantdreamputasmileonhisface.Thepreviousdayhadbeen
particularlylabor-intensive,sohesleptdeeperandbetterthanhehadina
longtime.
“Goodmorningcrew!”Lewiscalledout.“It’sabrandnewday!Up
andat‘em!”
Watneyaddedhisvoicetoachorusofgroans.
“Comeon,”Lewisprodded,“nobitching.Yougot40minutesmore
sleepthanyouwould’veonEarth.”
Martinezwasfirstoutofhisbunk.AnAir-Forceman,hecouldmatch
Lewis’sNavyschedulewithease.“Morning,Commander,”hesaid
crisply.
Johanssensatup,butmadenofurthermovetowardtheharshworld
outsideherblankets.Acareersoftware-engineer,morningswerenever
herforte.
Vogelslowlylumberedfromhisbunk,checkinghiswatch.He
wordlesslypulledonhisjumpsuit,smoothingoutwhatwrinkleshecould.
Hesighedinwardlyatthegrimyfeelingofanotherdaywithoutashower.
Watneyturnedawayfromthenoise,huggingapillowtohishead.
“Noisypeoplegoaway,”hemumbled.
“Beck!”Martinezcalledout,shakingthemission’sdoctor.“Riseand
shine,bud!”
“Yeah,ok,”Becksaidblearily.
Johanssenfelloutofherbunk,thenremainedonthefloor.
PullingthepillowfromWatney’shands,Lewissaid“Let’smove,
Watney!UncleSampaid$100,000foreverysecondwe’llbehere.”
“Badwomantakepillow,”Watneygroaned,unwillingtoopenhis
eyes.
“BackonEarth,I’vetipped200-poundmenoutoftheirbunks.Want
toseewhatIcandoin0.4g?”
“No,notreally,”Watneysaid,sittingup.
Havingroustedthetroops,Lewissatatthecommstationtocheck
overnightmessagesfromHouston.
Watneyshuffledtotherationcupboardandgrabbedabreakfastat
random.
“Handmean‘eggs’,willya,”Martinezsaid.
“Youcantellthedifference?”Watneysaid,passingMartinezapack.
“Notreally,”Martinezsaid.
“Beck,what’llyouhave?”Watneycontinued.
“Don’tcare,”Becksaid.“Givemewhatever.”
Watneytossedapacktohim.
“Vogel,yourusualsausages?”
“Ja,please,”Vogelresponded.
“Youknowyou’reastereotype,right?”
“Iamcomfortablewiththat,”Vogelreplied,takingtheproffered
breakfast.
“HeySunshine,”WatneycalledtoJohanssen.“Eatingbreakfast
today?”
“Mnrrn,”Johanssengrunted.
“Prettysurethat’sano,”Watneyguessed.
Thecrewateinsilence.Johansseneventuallytrudgedtotheration
cupboardandgotacoffeepacket.Clumsilyaddinghotwater,shesipped
ituntilwakefulnesscreptin.
“MissionupdatesfromHouston,”Lewissaid.“Satellitesshowa
stormcoming,butwecandosurfaceopsbeforeitgetshere.Vogel,
Martinez,you’llbewithmeoutside.Johanssen,you’restucktracking
weatherreports.Watney,yoursoilexperimentsarebumpeduptotoday.
Beck,runthesamplesfromyesterday’sEVAthroughthespectrometer.”
“Shouldyoureallygooutwithastormontheway?”Beckasked.
“Houstonauthorizedit,”Lewissaid.
“Seemsneedlesslydangerous.”
“ComingtoMarswasneedlesslydangerous,”Lewissaid.“What’s
yourpoint?”
Beckshrugged.“Justbecareful.”
Threefigureslookedeastward.TheirbulkyEVAsuitsrenderedthem
nearlyidentical.OnlytheEuropeanUnionflagonVogel’sshoulder
distinguishedhimfromLewisandMartinez,whodonnedtheStarsand
Stripes.
Thedarknesstotheeastundulatedandflickeredintheraysofthe
risingsun.
“Thestorm.”VogelsaidinhisaccentedEnglish.“Itiscloserthan
Houstonreported.”
“We’vegottime,”Lewissaid.“Focusonthetaskathand.ThisEVA’s
allaboutchemicalanalysis.Vogel,you’rethechemist,soyou’rein
chargeofwhatwedigup.”
“Ja,”Vogelsaid.“Pleasedig30centimetersandgetsoilsamples.At
least100gramseach.Veryimportantis30centimetersdown.”
“Willdo.”Lewissaid.“Staywithin100metersoftheHab,”she
added.
“Mm,”Vogelsaid.
“Yes,Ma’am,”saidMartinez.
Theysplitup.GreatlyimprovedsincethedaysofApollo,AresEVA
suitsallowedmuchmorefreedomofmotion.Digging,bendingover,and
baggingsamplesweretrivialtasks.
Afteratime,Lewisasked“Howmanysamplesdoyouneed?”
“Seveneach,perhaps?”
“That’sfine,”Lewisconfirmed.“I’vegotfoursofar.”
“Fivehere,”Martinezsaid.“Ofcourse,wecan’texpecttheNavyto
keepupwiththeAirForce,nowcanwe?”
“Sothat’showyouwanttoplayit?”Lewissaid.
“Justcall‘emasIsee‘emCommander.”
“Johanssenhere,”camethesysop’svoiceovertheradio.“Houston’s
upgradedthestormto‘severe’.It’sgoingtobeherein15minutes.”
“Backtobase,”Lewissaid.
TheHabshookintheroaringwindastheastronautshuddledinthe
center.AllsixofdonnedtheirEVAsuitsincaseofabreach.Johanssen
watchedherlaptopwhiletherestwatchedher.
“Sustainedwindsover100kphnow,”shesaid.“Gustingto125.”
“Jesus,we’regonnaendupinOz,”Watneysaid.“What’stheabort
windspeed?”
“Technically150kph,”Martinezsaid.“Anymorethanthatandthe
MAV’sindangeroftipping.”
“Anypredictionsonthestormtrack?”Lewisasked.
“Thisistheedgeofit,”Johanssensaid,staringatherscreen.“It’s
gonnagetworsebeforeitgetsbetter.”
TheHabcanvasrippledunderthebrutalassaultastheinternal
supportsbentandshiveredwitheachgust.Thecacophonygrewlouderby
theminute.
“Allright,”Lewissaid.“Prepforabort.We’llgototheMAVand
hopeforthebest.Ifthewindgetstoohigh,we’lllaunch.”
LeavingtheHabinpairs,theygroupedupoutsideairlock1.The
drivingwindandsandbatteredthem,buttheywereabletostayontheir
feet.
“Visibilityisalmostzero,”Lewissaid.“Ifyougetlost,homeinon
mysuit’stelemetry.Thewind’sgonnaberougherawayfromtheHab,so
beready.”
Pressingthroughthegale,theystumbledtowardtheMAV.
“Hey,”Watneypanted,“MaybewecouldshoreuptheMAV.Make
tippinglesslikely.”
“How?”Lewishuffed.
“Wecouldusecablesfromthesolarfarmasguylines.”Hewheezed
forafewmoments,thencontinued.“Theroverscouldbeanchors.The
trickwouldbegettingthelinearoundthe-“
FlyingwreckageslammedWatney,carryinghimoffintothewind.
“Watney!”Johanssenexclaimed.
“Whathappened?”Lewissaid.
“Somethinghithim!”Johanssenreported.
“Watney,report,”Lewissaid.
Noreply.
“Watney,report,”Lewisrepeated.
Again,shewasmetwithsilence.
“He’soffline,”Johanssenreported.“Idon’tknowwhereheis!”
“Commander,”Becksaid,“Beforewelosttelemetry,his
decompressionalarmwentoff!”
“Shit!”Lewisexclaimed.“Johanssenwheredidyoulastseehim?”
“Hewasrightinfrontofmeandthenhewasgone,”shesaid.“He
flewoffduewest.”
“Ok,”Lewissaid.“Martinez,gettotheMAVandprepforlaunch.
Everyoneelse,homeinonJohanssen.”
“DoctorBeck,”Vogelsaidashestumbledthroughthestorm,“How
longcanapersonsurvivedecompression?”
“Lessthanaminute,”Becksaid,emotionchokinghisvoice.
“Ican’tseeanything,”Johanssensaidasthecrewcrowdedaround
her.
“Lineupandwalkwest,”Lewiscommanded.“Smallsteps.He’s
probablyprone;wedon’twanttostepoverhim.”
Stayinginsightofoneanother,theytrudgedthroughthechaos.
MartinezfellintotheMAVairlockandforceditclosedagainstthe
wind.Onceitpressurizedhequicklydoffedhissuit.Climbingtheladder
tothecrewcompartment,heslidintothepilot’scouchandbootedthe
system.
Grabbingtheemergency-launchchecklistwithonehand,heflicked
switchesrapidlywiththeother.Onebyone,thesystemsreportedflightreadystatus.Astheycameonline,henotedoneinparticular.
“Commander,”heradioed,“TheMAV’sgota7degreetilt.It’lltipat
12.3.”
“Copythat,”Lewissaid.
“Johanssen,”Becksaid,lookingathisarmcomputer,“Watney’sbiomonitorsentsomethingbeforegoingoffline.Mycomputerjustsays‘Bad
Packet.’”
“Ihaveit,too,”Johanssensaid.“Itdidn’tfinishtransmitting.Some
data’smissingandthere’snochecksum.Gimmeasec.”
“Commander,”Martinezsaid.“MessagefromHouston.We’re
officiallyscrubbed.Thestorm’sdefinitelygonnabetoorough.”
“Copy,”Lewissaid.
“Theysentthatfourandahalfminutesago,”Martinezcontinued,
“whilelookingatsatellitedatafromnineminutesago.”
“Understood,”Lewissaid.“Continuepreppingforlaunch.”
“Copy,”Martinezsaid.
“Beck,”Johanssensaid.“Ihavetherawpacket.It’splaintext:BP0,
PR0,TP36.2.That’sasfarasitgot.”
“Copy,”Becksaidmorosely.“Bloodpressure0,pulserate0,
temperaturenormal.”
Thechannelfellsilentforsometime.Theycontinuedpressing
forward,shufflingthroughthesandstorm,hopingforamiracle.
“Temperaturenormal?”Lewissaid,ahintofhopeinhervoice.
“Ittakesawhileforthe-“Beckstammered.“Ittakesawhiletocool.”
“Commander,”Martinezsaid.“Tiltingat10.5degreesnow,with
gustspushingitto11.”
“Copy,”Lewissaid.“Areyouatpilot-release?”
“Affirmative,”Martinezreplied.“Icanlaunchanytime.”
“Ifittips,canyoulaunchbeforeitfallscompletelyover?”
“Uh,”Martinezsaid,notexpectingthequestion.“YesMa’am.I’d
takemanualcontrolandgofullthrottle.ThenI’dnoseupandreturnto
pre-programmedascent.”
“Copythat,”Lewissaid.“EveryonehomeinonMartinez’ssuit.
That’llgetyoutotheMAVairlock.Getinandprepforlaunch.”
“Whataboutyou,Commander?”Beckasked.
“I’msearchingalittlemore.Getmoving.AndMartinez,ifyoustart
totip,launch.”
“YoureallythinkI’llleaveyoubehind?”Martinezsaid.
“Ijustorderedyouto,”Lewisreplied.“Youthree,gettotheship.”
TheyreluctantlyobeyedLewis’sorder,andmadetheirwaytoward
theMAV.Thepunishingwindfoughtthemeverystepoftheway.
Unabletoseetheground,Lewisshuffledforward.Remembering
something,shereachedtoherbackandgotapairofrock-drillbits.She
hadaddedthe1-meterbitstoherequipmentthatmorning,anticipating
geologicalsamplinglaterintheday.Holdingoneineachhand,she
draggedthemalongthegroundasshewalked.
After20meters,sheturnedaroundandwalkedtheoppositedirection.
Walkingastraightlineprovedtobeimpossible.Notonlydidshelack
visualreferences,theendlesswindpushedheroffcourse.Thesheer
volumeofattackingsandburiedherfeetwitheachstep.Grunting,she
pressedon.
Beck,Johanssen,andVogelsqueezedintotheMAVairlock.
Designedfortwo,itcouldbeusedbythreeinemergencies.Asit
equalized,Lewis’svoicecameovertheradio.
“Johanssen,”shesaid.“WouldtheroverIRcameradoanygood?”
“Negative,”Johanssenreplied.“IRcan’tgetthroughsandanybetter
thanvisiblelight.”
“What’sshethinking?”Beckaskedafterremovinghishelmet.“She’s
ageologist.SheknowsIRcan’tgetthroughasandstorm.”
“Sheisgrasping,”Vogelsaid,openingtheinnerdoor.“Wemustget
tothecouches.Pleasehurry.”
“Idon’tfeelgoodaboutthis,”Becksaid.
“NeitherdoI,Doctor,”saidVogel,climbingtheladder.“Butthe
Commanderhasgivenusorders.Insubordinationwillnothelp.”
“Commander,”Martinezradioed,“We’retilting11.6degrees.One
goodgustandwe’retipping.”
“Whatabouttheproximityradar?”Lewissaid,“Coulditdetect
Watney’ssuit?”
“Noway,”Martinezsaid.“It’smadetoseeHermesinorbit,notthe
metalinasinglespacesuit.”
“Giveitatry,”Lewissaid.
“Commander,”saidBeck,puttingonaheadsetasheslidintohis
accelerationcouch.“Iknowyoudon’twanttohearthis,butWatn-…
Mark’sdead.”
“Copy,”Lewissaid.“Martinez,trytheradar.”
“Roger,”Martinezradioed.
Bringingtheradaronline,hewaitedforittocompleteaselfcheck.
GlaringatBeck,hesaid“What’sthematterwithyou?”
“Myfriendjustdied,”Beckanswered.“AndIdon’twantmy
Commandertodietoo.”
Martinezgavehimasternlook.Turninghisattentionbacktothe
radar,heradioed“Negativecontactonproximityradar.”
“Nothing?”Lewisasked.
“ItcanbarelyseetheHab,”hereplied.“Thesandstorm’s....
thingsup.Evenifitwasn’t,there’snotenoughmetalin-Shit!”
“Strapin!”heyelledtothecrew.“We’retipping!”
TheMAVbegantocreakingasittiltedfasterandfaster.
“13degrees,”Johanssencalledoutfromhercouch.
Bucklinghisrestraints,Vogelsaid“Wearefarpastbalance.Wewill
notrockback.”
“Wecan’tleaveher!”Beckyelled.“Letittip,we’llfixit!”
“32metrictonsincludingfuel,”Martinezsaid,hishandsflyingover
thecontrols.“Ifithitstheground,it’lldostructuraldamagetothetanks,
frame,andprobablythesecondstageengine.We’dneverbeabletofix
it.”
“Youcan’tabandonher!”Becksaid.“Youcan’t.”
“I’vegotonetrick.Ifthatdoesn’twork,I’mfollowingherorders.”
BringingtheOrbitalManeuveringSystemonline,hefiredasustained
burnfromthenoseconearray.Thesmallthrustersfoughtagainstthe
lumberingmassoftheslowlytiltingspacecraft.
“YouarefiringtheOMS?”Vogelasked.
“Idon’tknowifit’llwork.We’renottippingveryfast,”Martinez
said.“Ithinkit’sslowingdown…”
“Theaerodynamiccapswillhaveautomaticallyejected.”Vogelsaid.
“Itwillbeabumpyascentwiththreeholesinthesideoftheship.”
“Thanksforthetip,”Martinezsaid,maintainingtheburnand
watchingthetiltreadout.“C’mon…”
“Still13degrees,”Johanssenreported.
“What’sgoingonupthere?”Lewisradioed.“Youwentquiet.
Respond.”
“Standby,”Martinezreplied.
“12.9degrees,”Johanssensaid.
“Itisworking,”Vogelsaid.
“Fornow,”Martinezsaid.“Idon’tknowifmaneuveringfuelwill
last.”
“12.8now.”Johanssensupplied.
“OMSfuelat60percent,”Becksaid.“Howmuchdoyouneedtodock
withHermes?”
“10percentifIdon’t....anythingup,”Martinezsaid,adjustingthe
thrustangle.
“12.6,”Johanssensaid.“We’retippingback.”
“Orthewinddieddownalittle,”Beckpostulated.“Fuelat45
percent.”
“Thereisdangerofdamagetothevents,”Vogelcautioned.“The
OMSwasnotmadeforprolongedthrusts,”
“Iknow,”Martinezsaid.“IcandockwithoutnoseventsifIhaveto.”
“Almostthere…”Johanssensaid.“Okwe’reunder12.3.”
“OMScutoff,”Martinezannounced,terminatingtheburn.
“Stilltippingback,”Johanssensaid.“11.6…11.5…holdingat11.5”
“OMSFuelat22percent,”Becksaid.
“Yeah,Iseethat,”Martinezreplied.“It’llbeenough.”
“Commander,”Beckradioed.“Youneedtogettotheshipnow.”
“Agreed,”Martinezradioed.“He’sgone,Ma’am.Watney’sgone.”
Thefourcrewmatesawaitedtheircommander’sresponse.
“Copy,”shefinallyreplied.“Onmyway.”
Theylayinsilence,strappedtotheircouchesandreadyforlaunch.
BecklookedatWatney’semptycouchandsawVogeldoingthesame.
Martinezranaself-checkonthenoseconeOMSthrusters.Theywereno
longersafeforuse.Henotedthemalfunctioninhislog.
Theairlockcycled.Afterremovinghersuit,Lewismadeherwayto
theflightcabin.Shewordlesslystrappedintohercouch,herfacea
frozenmask.OnlyMartinezdaredspeak.
“Stillatpilotrelease,”hesaidquietly.“Readyforlaunch.”
Lewisclosedhereyesandnodded.
“I’msorry,Commander,”Martinezsaid.“Youneedtoverbally-”
“Launch,”shesaid.
“Yes,Ma’am,”hereplied,activatingthesequence.
Theretainingclampsejectedfromthelaunchgantry,fallingtothe
ground.Secondslater,preignitionpyrosfired,ignitingthemainengines,
andtheMAVlurchedupward.
Theshipslowlygainedspeed.Asitdid,wind-sheerblewitlaterally
offcourse.Sensingtheproblem,theascentsoftwareangledtheshipinto
thewindtocounteractit.
Asfuelwasconsumed,theshipgotlighter,andtheaccelerationmore
pronounced.Risingatthisexponentialrate,thecraftquicklyreached
maximumacceleration.Alimitdefinednotbytheship’spower,butby
thedelicatehumanbodiesinside.
Astheshipsoared,theopenOMSportstooktheirtoll.Thecrew
rockedintheircouchesasthecraftshookviolently.Martinezandthe
ascentsoftwarekeptittrim,thoughitwasaconstantbattle.The
turbulencetaperedoffandeventuallyfelltonothingastheatmosphere
becamethinnerandthinner.
Suddenly,allforcestopped.Thefirststagehadcompleted.Thecrew
experiencedweightlessnessforseveralseconds,thenwerepressedback
intotheircouchesasthenextstagebegan.Outside,thenow-emptyfirst
stagefellaway,eventuallytocrashonsomeunknownareaoftheplanet
below.
Thesecondstagepushedtheshipeverhigher,andintoloworbit.
Lastinglesstimethanthemassivefirststage,andrunningmuch
smoother,itseemedalmostlikeanafterthought.
Abruptly,theenginestopped,andanoppressivecalmreplacedthe
previouscacophony.
“Mainengineshutdown,”Martinezsaid.“Ascenttime:8minutes,14
seconds.OncourseforHermesintercept.”
Normally,anincident-freelaunchwouldbecauseforcelebration.
ThisoneearnedonlysilencebrokenbyJohanssen’sgentlesobbing.
Fourmonthslater…
NASAwasloathetowasteresearchtime.TripstoandfromMars
wereasbusyassurfaceoperations.Thecrewhadalmostcaughtupwith
thebacklogofwork.Theschedulehadbeenmadeforsix,notfive.
Becktriednottothinkaboutthepainfulreasonhewasdoingzero-g
plantgrowthexperiments.Henotedthesizeandshapeofthefernleaves,
tookphotos,andmadenotes.
Havingcompletedhisscienceschedulefortheday,hecheckedhis
watch.Perfecttiming.Thedatadumpwouldbecompletingsoon.He
floatedpastthereactortotheSemicone-Aladder.
Travelingfeet-firstalongtheladder,hesoonhadtogripitinearnest
asthecentripetalforceoftherotatingshiptookhold.Bythetimehe
reachedSemicone-Ahewasat0.4g.
Nomereluxury,theartificialgravitykeptthemfit.Withoutit,they
wouldhavespenttheirfirstweekonMarsbarelyabletowalk.Exercise
regimenscouldkeeptheheartandboneshealthy,butnonehadbeen
devisedthatwouldgivethemfullfunctionfromSol1.
Becausetheshipwasalreadydesignedforit,theyusedthesystemon
thereturntripaswell.
Johanssensatatherstation.Lewissatintheadjacentseatwhile
VogelandMartinezhoverednearby.Thedatadumpcarriedemailsand
videosfromhome.Itwasthehighpointoftheday.
“Isithereyet?”Backaskedasheenteredthebridge.
“Almost,”Johanssensaid.“98%.”
“You’relookingcheerful,Martinez,”Becksaid.
“Mysonturnedthreeyesterday,”Hebeamed.“Shouldbesomepics
oftheparty.Howaboutyou?”
“Nothingspecial,”Becksaid.“Peer-reviewsofapaperIwroteafew
yearsback.”
“Complete,”Johanssensaid.“Allthepersonalemailsaredispatched
toyourlaptops.Alsothere’satelemetryupdateforVogelandasystem
updateforme.Huh…there’savoicemessageaddressedtothewhole
crew.”
ShelookedoverhershouldertoLewis.
Lewisshrugged.“Playit.”
Johanssenopenedthemessage,thensatback.
“Hermes,thisisMitchHenderson,”themessagebegan.
“Henderson?”Martinezsaid,puzzled.“Talkingdirectlytouswithout
CAPCOM?”
Lewisheldherhanduptosignalforsilence.
“Ihavesomenews,”Mitch’svoicecontinued,“There’snosubtleway
toputthis:MarkWatney’sstillalive.”
Johanssengasped.
“Wha-“Beckstammered.
Vogelstoodagapeasashockedexpressionsweptacrosshisface.
MartinezlookedtoLewis.Sheleanedforwardandpinchedherchin.
“Iknowthat’sasurprise,”Mitchcontinued.“AndIknowyou’llhave
alotofquestions.We’regoingtoanswerthosequestions.Butfornow
I’lljustgiveyouthebasics.
“He’saliveandhealthy.Wefoundouttwomonthsagoanddecided
nottotellyou;weevencensoredpersonalmessages.Iwasstrongly
againstallthat.We’retellingyounowbecausewefinallyhave
communicationwithhimandaviablerescueplan.ItboilsdowntoAres4
pickinghimupwithamodifiedMDV.
“We’llgetyouafullwrite-upofwhathappened,butit’sdefinitely
notyourfault.Markstressesthateverytimeitcomesup.Itwasjustbad
luck.
“Takesometimetoabsorbthis.Yourscienceschedulesarecleared
fortomorrow.Sendallthequestionsyouwantandwe’llanswerthem.
Hendersonout.”
Themessage’sendbroughtstunnedsilencetothebridge.
“He…He’salive?”Martinezsaid,thensmiled.
Vogelnoddedexcitedly.“Helives.”
Johanssenstaredatherscreeninwide-eyeddisbelief.
“Holyshit,”Becklaughed.“Holyshit!Commander!He’salive!”
“Ilefthimbehind,”Lewissaidquietly.
Thecelebrationsceasedimmediatelyasthecrewsawtheir
commander’sinconsolableexpression.
“But,”Beckbegan,“Wealllefttogeth-“
“Youfollowedorders,”Lewisinterrupted.“Ilefthimbehind.Ina
barren,unreachable,godforsakenwasteland.”
BecklookedtoMartinezpleadingly.Martinezopenedhismouth,but
couldfindnowordstosay.
Lewistrudgedoffthebridge.
Chapter13
TheemployeesofDeyoPlasticsworkeddoubleshifts.Therewastalk
oftripleshiftsifNASAincreasedtheorderagain.Nooneminded.The
overtimepaywasspectacularandthefundingwaslimitless.
Wovencarbonthreadranslowlythroughthepress,whichsandwiched
itbetweenpolymersheets.Thecompletedmaterialwasfoldedfourtimes
andgluedtogether.Theresultingthicksheetwasthencoatedwithsoft
resin,andtakentothehot-roomtoset.
LOGENTRY:SOL114
NowthatNASAcantalktome,theywon’tshutthehellup.
TheywantconstantupdatesoneveryHabsystem,andthey’vegota
roomfullofpeopletryingtomicromanagemycrops.It’sawesometo
haveabunchofdipshitsonEarthtellingme,abotanist,howtogrow
plants.
Imostlyignorethem.Idon’twanttocomeoffasarroganthere,but
I’mthebestbotanistontheplanet.
Onebigbonus:Email!JustlikethedaysbackonHermes,Igetdata
dumps.Ofcoursetheyrelayemailfromfriendsandfamily,butNASA
alsosendsalongchoicemessagesfromthepublic.I’vegottenemailfrom
rockstars,athletes,actorsandactresses,andeventhePresident.
Thecoolestoneisfrommyalma-mater,theUniversityofChicago.
Theysayonceyougrowcropssomewhere,youhaveofficially
“colonized”it.Sotechnically,IcolonizedMars.
Inyourface,NeilArmstrong!
Igototheroverfivetimesadaytocheckmail.Theycangeta
messagefromEarthtoMars,buttheycan’tgetitanother10meterstothe
Hab.Buthey,Ican’tbitch.Myoddsoflivingthroughthisarewayhigher
now.
LastIheard,theysolvedtheweightproblemonAres4’sMDV.Once
itlandshere,they’llditchtheheatshield,allthelifesupportstuff,anda
bunchofemptyfueltanks.Thentheycantakethesevenofus(Ares4’s
crewplusme)allthewaytoSchiaparelli.They’realreadyworkingonmy
dutiesforthesurfaceops.Howcoolisthat?
Inothernews,I’mlearningMorseCode.Why?Becauseit’sourbackupcommunicationsystem.NASAfiguredadecades-oldprobeisn’tideal
asasolemeansofcommunication.
IfPathfindercrapsout,I’llspellmessageswithrocks,whichNASA
willseewithsatellites.Theycan’treply,butatleastwe’dhaveone-way
communication.WhyMorseCode?Becausemakingdotsanddasheswith
rocksisaloteasierthanmakingletters.
It’sashittywaytocommunicate.Hopefullyitwon’tcomeup.
Allchemicalreactionscomplete,thesheetwassterilizedandmoved
toacleanroom.There,aworkercutastripofftheedge.Dividingthe
stripintosquares,heputeachthroughaseriesofrigoroustests.
Havingpassedinspection,thesheetwasthencuttoshape.Theedges
werefoldedover,sewn,andresealedwithresin.Amanwithaclipboard
madefinalinspections,independentlyverifyingthemeasurements,then
approveditforuse.
LOGENTRY:SOL115
ThemeddlingbotanistshavegrudginglyadmittedIdidagoodjob.
TheyagreeI’llhaveenoughfoodtolasttillSol900.Bearingthatin
mind,NASAhasfleshedoutthemissiondetailsofthesupplyprobe.
Atfirst,theywereworkingonadesperateplantogetaprobehere
beforeSol400.ButIboughtanother500solsoflifewithmypotatofarm
sotheyhavemoretimetoworkonit.
They’lllaunchnextyearduringtheHohmannTransferWindow,and
it’lltakealmost9monthstogethere.ItshouldarrivearoundSol856.
It’llhaveplentyoffood,aspareOxygenator,WaterReclaimer,and
commsystem.Threecommsystems,actually.Iguesstheyaren’ttaking
anychances,whatwithmyhabitofbeingnearbywhenradiosbreak.
GotmyfirstemailfromHermestoday.NASA’sbeenlimitingdirect
contact.Iguessthey’reafraidI’llsaysomethinglike“Youabandonedme
onMarsyoufuckwits!”Iknowthecrewissurprisedtohearfromthe
GhostofMarsMissionsPast,butc’mon.IwishNASAwaslessofa
nannysometimes.Anyway,theyfinallyletoneemailthroughfrom
Martinez:
DearWatney:Sorryweleftyoubehind,butwe
don'tlikeyou.You'resortofasmart-ass.And
it'salotroomieronHermeswithoutyou.Wehave
totaketurnsdoingyourtasks,butit'sonly
botany(notrealscience)soit'seasy.How's
Mars?
-Martinez
Myreply:
DearMartinez:Marsisfine.WhenIgetlonely
IthinkofthatsteamynightIspentwithyour
mom.HowarethingsonHermes?Crampedand
claustrophobic?YesterdayIwentoutsideand
lookedatthevasthorizons.Itellya,Martinez,
theygoonforever!
-Watney
Theemployeescarefullyfoldedthesheet,andplaceditinanargonfilledairtightshippingcontainer.Printingoutasticker,themanwiththe
clipboardplaceditonthepackage.“ProjectAres-3;HabCanvas;Sheet
AL102.”
ThepackagewasplacedonacharterplaneandflowntoEdwardsAir
ForceBaseinCalifornia.Itflewabnormallyhigh,atgreatcostoffuel,to
ensureasmootherflight.
Uponarrival,thepackagewascarefullytransportedbyspecial
convoytoPasadena.Oncethere,itwasmovedtotheJPLWhiteRoomfor
probeassembly.Overthenext5weeks,engineersinwhitebodysuits
assembledPresupply309.ItcontainedAL102aswellas12otherHab
Canvaspackages.
LOGENTRY:SOL116
It’salmosttimeforthesecondharvest.
Ayup.
IwishIhadastrawhatandsomesuspenders.
Myre-seedofthepotatoeswentwell.I'mbeginningtoseethatcrops
onMarsareextremelyprolific,thankstothebillionsofdollarsworthof
lifesupportequipmentaroundme.Inowhave400healthypotatoplants,
eachonemakinglotsofcalorie-filledtatersformydiningenjoyment.In
justtendaysthey’llberipe!
Andthistime,I’mnotreplantingthemasseed.Thisismyfood
supply.Allnatural,organic,Martian-grownpotatoes.Don’thearthat
everyday,doyou?
YoumaybewonderinghowI’llstorethem.Ican’tjustpilethemup;
mostofthemwouldgobadbeforeIgotaroundtoeatingthem.So
instead,I’lldosomethingthatwouldn’tworkatallonEarth:Throwthem
outside.
Mostofthewaterwillbesuckedoutbythenear-vacuum;what’sleft
willfreezesolid.Anybacteriaplanningtorotmytaterswilldie
screaming.
Inothernews,IgotemailfromVenkatKapoor:
Mark,someanswerstoyourearlierquestions:
No,wewillnottellourBotanyTeamto“Go ....
themselves.”Iunderstandyou’vebeenonyour own
foralongtime,butwe’reintheloopnow,
andit’sbestifyoulistentowhatwehaveto
say.
TheCubsfinishedtheseasonatthebottomof
theNLCentral.
Thedatatransferratejustisn’tgoodenough
forthesizeofmusicfiles,evenincompressed
formats.Soyourrequestfor“Anything,ohgod
ANYTHINGbutDisco”isdenied.Enjoyyourboogie
fever.
Also,anuncomfortablesidenote...NASAis
puttingtogetheracommittee.Theywanttoseeif
therewereanyavoidablemistakesthatledyouto
beingstranded.Justaheads-up.Theymayhave
questionsforyoulateron.
Keepuspostedonyouractivities.
-Kapoor
Myreply:
Venkat,telltheinvestigationcommittee
they’llhavetodotheirwitch-huntwithoutme.
AndwhentheyinevitablyblameCommanderLewis,be
advisedI’llpubliclyrefuteit.
Alsopleasetellthemthateachandeveryone
oftheirmothersareprostitutes.
-Watney
PS:Theirsisters,too.
ThepresupplyprobesforAres-3launchedon14consecutivedays
duringtheHohmannTransferwindow.Presupply309waslaunchedthird.
The251daytriptoMarswasuneventful,needingonlytwominorcourse
adjustments.
Afterseveralaerobrakingmaneuverstoslowdown,itmadeitsfinal
descenttowardAcidaliaPlanitia.First,itenduredreentryviaaheat
shield.Later,itreleasedaparachuteanddetachedthenowexpended
shield.
Onceitsonboardradardetecteditwas30metersfromtheground,it
cutloosetheparachuteandinflatedballoonsallarounditshull.Itfell
unceremoniouslytothesurface,bouncingandrolling,untilitfinally
cametorest.
Deflatingitsballoons,theonboardcomputerreportedthesuccessful
landingbacktoEarth.
Thenitwaited23months.
LOGENTRY:SOL117
TheWaterReclaimerisactingup.
Sixpeoplewillgothrough18litersofwaterperday.Soit’smadeto
process20.Butlately,ithasn’tbeenkeepingup.It’sdoing10,tops.
DoIgenerate10litersofwaterperday?No,I’mnottheurinating
championofalltime.It’sthecrops.ThehumidityinsidetheHabisalot
higherthanitwasdesignedfor,sotheWaterReclaimerisconstantly
filteringitoutoftheair.
I’mnotworriedaboutit.Wateriswater.Theplantsuseit,Iuseit.If
needbe,Icanpissontheplantsdirectly.It’llevaporateandcondenseon
thewalls.Icouldmakesomethingtocollectit,I’msure.Thingis,the
watercan’tgoanywhere.It’saclosedsystem.Plus,Imadelike600liters
fromMDVfuel(rememberthe“explosiveHab”incident?).Icouldtake
bathsandstillhaveplentyleftover.
NASA,however,isabsolutelyshittingitself.TheyseetheWater
Reclaimerasacriticalsurvivalelement.There’snobackup,andthey
thinkI’lldieinstantlywithoutit.Tothem,equipmentfailureis
terrifying.Tome,it’s“Tuesday.”
Soinsteadofpreparingformyharvest,Ihavetomakeextratripsto
andfromtherovertoanswertheirquestions.Eachnewmessageinstructs
metotrysomenewsolutionandreporttheresultsback.
Sofarwe’veworkedoutit’snottheelectronics,refrigerationsystem,
instrumentation,ortemperature.I’msureit’llturnouttobealittlehole
somewhere,thenNASAwillhave4hoursofmeetingsbeforetellingme
tocoveritwithducttape.
LewisandBeckopenedPresupply309.Workingasbesttheycouldin
theirbulkyEVAsuits,theyremovedthevariousportionsofHabcanvas
andlaythemontheground.Threeentirepresupplyprobeswere
dedicatedtotheHab.
Followingaproceduretheyhadpracticedhundredsoftimes,they
efficientlyassembledthepieces.Specialseal-stripsbetweenthepatches
ensuredair-tightmating.
AftererectingthemainstructureoftheHab,theyassembledthethree
airlocks.SheetAL102hadaholeperfectlysizedforAirlock1.Beck
stretchedthesheettighttotheseal-stripsontheairlock’sexterior.
Onceallairlockswereinplace,LewisfloodedtheHabwithairand
AL102feltpressureforthefirsttime.Theywaitedanhour.Nopressure
waslost;thesetuphadbeenperfect.
LOGENTRY:SOL118
MyconversationwithNASAabouttheWaterReclaimerwasboring
andriddledwithtechnicaldetails.SoI’llparaphraseitforyou:
Me:“Thisisobviouslyaclog.HowaboutItaketheitapartandcheck
theinternaltubing?”
NASA:(After5hoursofdeliberation)“No.You’ll....itupand
die.”
SoItookitapart.
Yeah,Iknow.NASAhasalotofultra-smartpeopleandIshould
reallydowhattheysay.AndI’mbeingtooadversarial,consideringthey
spendalldayworkingonhowtosavemylife.
Ijustgetsickofbeingtoldhowtowipemyass.Independencewas
oneofthethingstheylookedforwhenchoosingAresastronauts.It’sa
13-monthmission,mostofitspentmanylight-minutesawayfromEarth.
Theywantedpeoplewhowouldactontheirowninitiative,butatthe
sametime,obeytheirCommander.
IfCommanderLewiswerehere,I’ddowhatevershesaid,no
problem.ButacommitteeoffacelessbureaucratsbackonEarth?Sorry,
I’mjusthavingatoughtimewithit.
Iwasreallycareful.IlabeledeverypieceasIdismantledit,andlaid
everythingoutonatable.Ihavetheschematicsinthecomputer,so
nothingwasasurprise.
AndjustasI’dsuspected,therewasacloggedtube.TheWater
Reclaimerwasdesignedtopurifyurineandstrainhumidityoutoftheair
(youexhalealmostasmuchwaterasyoupiss).I’vemixedmywaterwith
soil,makingitmineralwater.ThemineralsbuiltupintheWater
Reclaimer.
Icleanedoutthetubingandputitallbacktogether.Itcompletely
solvedtheproblem.I’llhavetodoitagainsomeday,butnotfor100sols
orso.Nobigdeal.
ItoldNASAwhatIdid.Our(paraphrased)conversationwas:
Me:“Itookitapart,foundtheproblem,andfixedit.” NASA:
“.....”
AL102shudderedinthebrutalstorm.Withstandingforcesand
pressurefargreaterthanitsdesign,itrippledviolentlyagainstthe
airlockseal-strip.Othersectionsofcanvasundulatedalongtheirsealstripstogether,actingasasinglesheet,butAL102hadnosuchluxury.
Theairlockbarelymoved,leavingAL102totakethefullforceofthe
tempest.
Thelayersofplastic,constantlybending,heatedtheresinfrompure
friction.Thenew,moreyieldingenvironmentallowedthecarbonfibersto
separate.
AL102stretched.
Notmuch.Only4millimeters.Butthecarbonfibers,usually500
micronsapart,nowhadagapeighttimesthatwidthintheirmidst.
Afterthestormabated,theloneremainingastronautperformedafull
inspectionoftheHab.Buthedidn’tnoticeanythingamiss.Theweakpart
ofcanvaswasconcealedbyaseal-strip.
Designedforamissionof31sols,AL102continuedwellpastits
plannedexpiration.Solaftersolwentby,withtheloneastronaut
travelinginandoutoftheHabalmostdaily.Airlock1wasclosesttothe
roverchargingstation,sotheastronautpreferredittotheothertwo.
Whenpressurized,theairlockexpandedslightly;whendepressurized,
itshrunk.Everytimetheastronautusedtheairlock,thestrainonAL102
relaxed,thentightenedanew.
Pulling,stressing,weakening,stretching...
LOGENTRY:SOL119
IwokeuplastnighttotheHabshaking.
Themedium-gradesandstormendedassuddenlyasitbegan.Itwas
onlyacategory3stormwith50kphwinds.Nothingtoworryabout.Still,
it’sbitdisconcertingtohearhowlingwindswhenyou’reusedtoutter
silence.
I’mworriedaboutPathfinder.Ifthesandstormdamagedit,I’llhave
lostmyconnectiontoNASA.Logically,Ishouldn’tworry.Thething’s
beenonthesurfacefordecades.Alittlegalewon’tdoanyharm.
WhenIheadoutside,I’llconfirmPathfinder’sstillfunctionalbefore
movingontothesweaty,annoyingworkoftheday.
Yes,witheachsandstormcomestheinevitableCleaningoftheSolar
Cells.AtimehonoredtraditionbyheartyMartianssuchasmyself.It
remindsmeofgrowingupinChicagoandhavingtoshovelsnow.I’ll
givemydadcredit;heneverclaimeditwastobuildcharacterorteach
methevalueofhardwork.
“Snow-blowersareexpensive,”heusedtosay.“You’refree.”
Once,Itriedtoappealtomymom.“Don’tbesuchawuss,”She
suggested.
Inothernews,It’ssevensolstilltheharvest,andIstillhaven’t
prepared.Forstarters,Ineedtomakeahoe.Also,Ineedtomakean
outdoorshedforthepotatoes.Ican’tjustpilethemupoutside.Thenext
majorstormwouldcauseTheGreatMartianPotatoMigration.
Anyway,allthatwillhavetowait.I’vegotafulldaytoday.After
cleaningthesolarcells,Ihavetocheckthewholesolararraymakesure
thestormdidn’thurtit.ThenI’llneedtodothesamefortherover.
Ibettergetstarted.
Airlock1slowlydepressurizedto1/90thofanatmosphere.Watney,
donninganEVAsuit,waitedforittocomplete.Hehaddoneitliterally
hundredsoftimes.AnyapprehensionhemayhavehadonSol1waslong
gone.Nowitwasmerelyaboringchorebeforeexitingtothesurface.
Asthedepressurizationcontinued,theHab’satmospherecompressed
theairlockandAL102stretchedforthelasttime.
OnSol119,theHabbreached.
Theinitialtearwaslessthan1millimeter.Theperpendicularcarbon
fibersshouldhavepreventedtheripfromgrowing.Butcountlessabuses
hadstretchedtheverticalfibersapartandweakenedthehorizontalones
beyonduse.
ThefullforceoftheHab’satmosphererushedthroughthebreach.
Withinatenthofasecond,theripwasameterlong,runningparallelto
theseal-strip.Itpropagatedallthewayarounduntilitmetitsstarting
point.TheairlockwasnolongerattachedtotheHab.
Theunopposedpressureviolentlylaunchedtheairlocklikea
cannonballastheHabexploded.Inside,thesurprisedWatneyslammed
againsttheairlock’sbackdoorwiththeforceoftheexpulsion.
Theairlockflew40metersbeforehittingtheground.Watney,barely
recoveredfromtheearliershock,nowenduredanotherashehitthefront
door,facefirst.
Hisfaceplatetookthebruntoftheblow,thesafetyglassshattering
intohundredsofsmallcubes.Hisheadslammedagainsttheinsideofthe
helmet,knockinghimsenseless.
Theairlocktumbledacrossthesurfaceforafurther15meters.The
heavypaddingofWatney’ssuitsavedhimfrommanybrokenbones.He
triedtomakesenseofthesituation,butwasbarelyconscious.
Finallydonetumbling,theairlockrestedonitssideamidacloudof
dust.
Watney,onhisback,staredblanklyupwardthroughtheholeinhis
shatteredfaceplate.Agashinhisforeheadtrickledblooddownhisface.
Regainingsomeofhiswits,hegothisbearings.Turninghisheadto
theside,helookedthroughthebackdoor’swindow.ThecollapsedHab
rippledinthedistance,ajunkyardofdebrisstrewnacrossthelandscape
infrontofit.
Then,ahissingsoundreachedhisears.Listeningcarefully,he
realizeditwasnotcomingfromhissuit.Somewhereinthephone-booth
sizedairlock,asmallbreachwaslettingairescape.
Helistenedintentlytothehiss.Thenhetouchedhisbrokenfaceplate.
Thenhelookedoutthewindowagain.
“You....kiddingme?”Hesaid.
Chapter14
AUDIOLOG:SOL119
RECORDING:
I’vebeenlayinghereforalittlewhile,tryingtofigureoutwhat
happened.Ishouldbemoreupset,butItookaprettygoodwhacktothe
head.Ithadacalmingeffect.
So…
Well,ok.
I’mintheairlock.IcanseetheHaboutthewindow;it’sagood50
metersaway.Normally,theairlockisattachedtotheHab.Sothat’sa
problem.
Theairlock’sonitsside,andIcanhearasteadyhiss.Soeitherit’s
leakingortherearesnakesinhere.Eitherway,I’mintrouble.
Also,duringthe…whateverthe....happened…Igotbounced
aroundlikeapinballandsmashedmyfaceplate.Airisnotoriously
uncooperativewhenitcomestogiant,gapingholesinyourEVAsuit.
LooksliketheHabiscompletelydeflatedandcollapsed.SoevenifI
hadafunctionalEVAsuittoleavetheairlockwith,Iwouldn’thave
anywheretogo.Sothatsucks.
Igotta’thinkforaminute.AndIhavetogetoutofthisEVAsuit.It’s
bulky,andtheairlockiscramped.Besides,it’snotlikeit’sdoingmeany
good.
AUDIOLOG:SOL119
RECORDING:
Thingsaren’tasbadastheyseem.
I’mstill....,mindyou.Justnotasdeeply.
NotsurewhathappenedtotheHab,buttherover’sprobablyfine.It’s
notideal,butatleastit’snotleakyphonebooth.
I’mwearingBeck’sEVAsuit.Ihaven’twornmyownsinceSol6
whenIgotshish-kabobed.Beck’ssuitwasabouttherightsizeanddidn’t
haveaholeinit.Whydoesthatmatterrightnow?Because,unlikemy
originalsuit,thisonestillhasanunusedpatchkit.
Don’tgetexcited.Itwon’tdothesuitanygood.Thepatchkitisa
cone-shapedvalvewithsuperstickyresinonthewideend.It’sjusttoo
smalltodealwithaholelargerthan8cm.Andreally,ifyouhavea9cm
hole,you’regoingtobedeadwaybeforeyoucouldwhipoutthekit.
Still,it’sanasset,andmaybeIcanuseittostoptheairlockleak.And
that’smytoppriorityrightnow.
It’sasmallleak.Withthefaceplategone,theEVAsuitiseffectively
managingthewholeairlock.It’sbeenaddingairtomakeupforthe
missingpressure.Butit’llrunouteventually.
Ineedtofindtheleak.Ithinkit’snearmyfeet,judgingbythesound.
NowthatI’moutofthesuit,Icanturnaroundandgetalook…
Idon’tseeanything…Icanhearit,but…it’sdownheresomewhere,
butIdon’tknowwhere.
Icanonlythinkofonewaytofindit:Startafire!
Yeah,Iknow.Alotofmyideasinvolvesettingsomethingonfire.
Andyes,deliberatelystartingafireinatiny,enclosedspaceisusuallya
terribleidea.ButIneedthesmoke.Justalittlewispofit.
Asusual,I’mworkingwithstuffthatwasdeliberatelydesignednotto
burn.ButnoamountofcarefuldesignbyNASAcangetarounda
determinedarsonistwithatankofpureoxygen.
TheEVAsuitismadeentirelyofnon-flammablematerials.Soisthe
airlock.Myclothesarefireproofaswell,eventhethread.
Iwasoriginallyplanningtocheckthesolararray,doingrepairsas
neededafterlastnight’sstorm.SoIhavemytoolboxwithme.But
lookingthroughit,it’sallmetalornon-flammableplastic.
IjustrealizedIdohavesomethingflammable:Myownhair.It’ll
havetodo.There’sasharpknifeinthetool-kit.I’llshavesomearmhairs
offintoalittlepile.
Nextstep:oxygen.BackwhenIturnedthehydrazineintowater,Ihad
tubing,garbagebags,andallsortsofotherluxuries.Iwon’thave
anythingsorefinedisapureoxygenflow.AllIcandoismuckwiththe
EVAsuitcontrolstoincreaseoxygenpercentageinthewholeairlock.I
figurebumpingitto40%willdo.
AllIneednowisaspark.
TheEVAsuithaselectronics,butitrunsonverylowvoltage.Idon’t
thinkIcouldgetanarcwithit.Besides,Idon’twanttotearupmysuit’s
electronics.Ineeditworkingtogetfromtheairlocktotherover.
Theairlockitselfhaselectronics,butitranonHabpower.Iguess
NASAneverconsideredwhatwouldhappenifitwaslaunched50meters.
Lazybums.
Plasticmightnotburn,butanyonewhoseplayedwithaballoon
knowsit’sgreatatbuildingupstaticcharge.OnceIdothat,Ishouldbe
abletomakeasparkjustbytouchingametaltool.
Funfact:ThisisexactlyhowtheApollo1crewdied.Wishmeluck!
AUDIOLOG:SOL119
RECORDING:
I’minaboxfullofburninghairsmell.It’snotagoodsmell.
Onmyfirsttry,thefirelit,butthesmokejustdriftedrandomly
around.Myownbreathingwasscrewingitup.SoIheldmybreathand
triedagain.
Mysecondtry,theEVAsuitthreweverythingoff.There’sagentle
flowofaircomingoutofthefaceplateasthesuitconstantlyreplacesthe
missingair.SoIshutthesuitdown,heldmybreath,andtriedagain.Ihad
tobequick;thepressurewasdropping.
Mythirdtry,thequickarmmovementsIusedtosetthefiremessed
everythingup.Justmovingaroundmakesenoughturbulencetosendthe
smokeeverywhere.
ThefourthtimeIkeptthesuitturnedoff,heldmybreath,andwhen
thetimecametolightthefire,Ididitveryslowly.ThenIwatchedasthe
littlewispofsmokedriftedtowardtheflooroftheairlock,disappearing
throughahairlinefracture.
Ihaveyounow,littleleak!
IgaspedforairandturnedtheEVAsuitbackon.Thepressurehad
droppedto0.9atmospheresduringmylittleexperiment.Buttherewas
plentyofoxygenintheairformeanymyhair-firetobreathe.Thesuit
quicklygotthingsbacktonormal.
Lookingatthefracture,it’sprettytiny.Itwouldbeacinchtosealit
withthesuit’spatchkit,butnowthatIthinkaboutit,that’sabadidea.
I’llneedtodosomekindofrepairtothefaceplate.Idon’tknowhow
justyet,butthepatchkitanditspressure-resistantresinisprobably
reallyimportant.AndIcan’tdoitbitbybit,either.OnceIbreaktheseal
onthepatchkit,thebinarycomponentsoftheresinmixandIhave60
secondsbeforeithardens.Ican’tjusttakealittletofixthecrack.
Giventime,Imightbeabletocomeupwithaplanforthefaceplate.
Then,Icouldtakeafewsecondsduringthatplantoscraperesinoverthe
airlockfracture.ButIdon’thavetime.
I’mdownto40%ofmyN2tank.Ineedtosealthatfracturenow,and
Ineedtodoitwithoutusingthepatchkit.
Firstidea:LittleDutchBoy.I’mlickingmypalmandplacingitover
thecrack.
Ok…Ican’tquitemakeaperfectseal,sothere’sairflow…getting
coldernow…gettingprettyuncomfortable…ok....this.
Ontoideanumbertwo.Tape!
Ihaveducttapeinmytoolbox.Let’sslapsomeonandseeifitslows
theflow.Iwonderhowlongitwilllastbeforethepressureripsit.Putting
itonnow.
Therewego…stillholding…
Lemmecheckthesuit…Readoutssaythepressureisstable.Looks
liketheducttapemadeagoodseal.
Let’sseeifitholds…
AUDIOLOG:SOL119
RECORDING:
It’sbeen15minutes,andthetapeisstillholding.Lookslikethat
problemissolved.
Sortofanticlimactic,really.Iwasalreadyworkingouthowtocover
thebreachwithice.Ihave2litersofwaterintheEVAsuit’s“hamsterfeeder”.Icouldhaveshutoffthesuit’sheatingsystemsandletthe
airlockcooltofreezing.ThenI’d…wellwhatever.
Coulda’doneitwithice.I’mjustsayin’.
Allright.Ontomynextproblem:HowdoIfixtheEVAsuit?Duct
tapemightsealahairlinecrack,butitcan’tholdanatmosphereof
pressureagainstthesizeofmybrokenfaceplate.
Thepatchkitistoosmall,butstilluseful.Icanspreadtheresin
aroundtheedgeofwherethefaceplatewas,thensticksomethingonto
coverthehole.Problemis,whatdoIusetocoverthehole?Something
thatcanstanduptoalotofpressure.
Lookingaround,theonlythingIseethatcanholdanatmosphereis
theEVAsuititself.There’splentyofmaterialtoworkwith,andIcan
evencutit.RememberwhenIwascuttingHabcanvasintostrips?Those
samesheersarerighthereinmytoolkit.
CuttingachunkoutofmyEVAsuitleavesitwithanotherhole.Buta
holeIcancontroltheshapeandlocationof.
Yeah…IthinkIseeasolutionhere.I’mgoingtocutoffmyarm!
Well,no.Notmyarm.TheEVAsuit’sarm.I’llcutrightbelowthe
leftelbow.ThenIcancutalongitslength,turningitintoarectangle.It’ll
bebigenoughtosealthefaceplate,andit’llbeheldinplacebytheresin.
Materialdesignedtowithstandatmosphericpressure?Check.
Resindesignedtosealabreachagainstthatpressure?Check.
Andwhataboutthegapingholeonthestumpyarm?Unlikemy
faceplate,thesuit’smaterialisflexible.I’llpressittogetherandsealit
withresin.I’llhavetopressmyleftarmagainstmysidewhileI’minthe
suit,butthere’llberoom.
I’llbespreadingtheresinprettythin,butit’sliterallythestrongest
adhesiveknowntoman.Anditdoesn’thavetobeaperfectseal.Itjust
hastolastlongenoughformetogettosafety.
Andwherewillthat“safety”be?Notadamnclue.
Anyway,oneproblematatime.RightnowI’mfixingtheEVAsuit.
AUDIOLOG:SOL119
RECORDING:
Cuttingthearmoffthesuitwaseasy;sowascuttingalongitslength
tomakearectangle.Thosesheersarestrongashell.
CleaningtheglassoffthefaceplatetooklongerthanI’dexpected.It’s
unlikelyitwouldpunctureEVAsuitmaterial,butI’mnottakingany
chances.Besides,Idon’twantglassinmyfacewhenI’mwearingit.
Thencamethetrickypart.OnceIbrokethesealonthepatchkit,I
had60secondsbeforetheresinset.Iscoopeditoffthepatchkitwithmy
fingersandquicklyspreaditaroundtherimofthefaceplate.Then,Itook
whatwasleftandsealedthearmhole.
Ipressedtherectangleofsuitmaterialontothehelmet.Iheldit
firmlywithbothhandswhileusingmykneetokeeppressureonthe
arm’sseam.
IheldonuntilI’dcounted120seconds.Justtobesure.
Itseemedtoworkwell.Theseallookedstrongandtheresinwas
rock-hard.Idid,however,gluemyhandtothehelmet.
Stoplaughing.
Inretrospect,usingmyfingerstospreadtheresinwasn’tthebest
plan.Fortunately,mylefthandwasstillfree.Aftersomegruntinganda
lotofprofanities,Iwasabletoreachthetoolbox.OnceIgota
screwdriverIchiseledmyselffree(feelingreallystupidthewholetime.)
Usingthearmcomputer,Ihadthesuitoverpressurizeto1.2
atmospheres.Thefaceplatepatchbowedoutward,butotherwiseheld
firm.Thearmfilledin,threateningtotearthenewseam,butstayedin
onepiece.
ThenIwatchedthereadoutstoseehowairtightthingswere.
Answer:Notvery.
Thesuitisdesignedfor8hoursofuse.Thatworksoutto250mlof
liquidoxygen.Justtobesafe,thesuithasafullliterofO2capacity.But
that’sonlyhalfthestory.
Therestoftheairisnitrogen.It’sjusttheretoaddpressure.Whenthe
suitleaks,that’swhatitbackfillswith.Thesuithas2litersofliquidN2
storage.
Itabsolutelypissedtheairout.In60secondsitleakedsomuchit
pressurizedthewholeairlockto1.2atmospheres.
Let’scallthevolumeoftheairlock2cubicmeters.TheinflatedEVA
suitprobablytakesuphalfofit.Soittook5minutestoadd0.2
atmospheresto1cubicmeter.That’s285gofair(trustmeonthemath).
Theairinthetanksisaround1grampercubiccentimeter,meaningIjust
lost285ml.
Thethreetankscombinedhad3000mltostartwith.Alotofthatwas
usedtomaintainpressurewhiletheairlockwasleaking.Also,my
breathingturnedsomeoxygenintocarbondioxide,whichwascaptured
bythesuit’sCO2filters.
Checkingthereadouts,Ihave410mlofoxygen,738mlofnitrogen.
Together,theymakealmost1150mltoworkwith.That,dividedby285ml
lostperminute…
OnceI’moutoftheairlock,thisEVAsuitwillonlylast4
minutes. .....
AUDIOLOG:SOL119
RECORDING:
Ok,I’vebeenthinkingsomemore.
Whatgoodisgoingtotherover?I’djustbetrappedthereinstead.The
extraroomwouldbenice,butI’dstilldieeventually.NoWater
Reclaimer,noOxygenator,nofood.Takeyourpick;allofthoseproblems
arefatal.
IneedtofixtheHab.Iknowwhattodo;wepracticeditintraining.
Butit’lltakealongtime.I’llhavetoscroungearoundinthenowcollapsedcanvastogetthesparematerialforpatching.ThenIhaveto
findthebreachandseal-stripapatchinplace.
Butit’lltakehourstorepairandmyEVAsuitisshit.
I’llneedanothersuit.Martinez’susedtobeintherover.Ihauledit
allthewaytothePathfindersiteandback,justincaseIneededaspare.
ButwhenIreturned,IputitbackintheHab.
Damnit!
Allright,soI’llneedtogetanothersuitbeforegoingtotherover.
Whichone?Johanssen’sistoosmallforme(tinylittlegal,our
Johanssen).Lewis’sisfullofwater.Actually,bynowit’sfullofslowly
sublimatingice.Themangled,gluedtogethersuitIhavewithmeis
Beck’s;myoriginalsuithasaholeinit.ThatjustleavesMartinezand
Vogel.
IleftMartinez’snearmybunk,incaseIneededasuitinahurry.Of
course,afterthatsuddendecompression,itcouldbeanywhere.Still,it’sa
placetostart.
Nextproblem:I’mlike50metersfromtheHab.Runningin0.4g
whilewearingabulkyEVAsuitisn’teasy.Atbest,Icantrundle2meters
persecond.That’saprecious25seconds;almostaneighthofmy4
minutes.I’vegottobringthatdown.
Buthow?
AUDIOLOG:SOL119
RECORDING:
I’llrollthedamnairlock.
It’sbasicallyaphoneboothonitsside.Ididsomeexperiments.
IfiguredifIwantittoroll,I’llneedtohitthewallashardas
possible.AndIhavetobeintheairatthetime.Ican’tpressagainstsome
otherpartoftheairlock.Theforceswouldcancelanditwouldn’tmoveat
all.
FirstItriedlaunchingmyselfoffonewallandslammingintothe
other.Theairlockslidalittle,butthat’sit.
Next,Itrieddoingasuper-pushuptogetairborne(0.4gyay!)then
kickingthewallwithbothfeet.Again,itjustslid.
Thethirdtime,Igotitright.Thetrickistoplantbothmyfeetonthe
ground,nearthewall.ThenIlaunchmyselftothetopoftheopposite
wallandhitwithmyback.WhenItriedthatjustnow,itwasenough
forceandleveragetotiptheairlockandrollitonefacetowardtheHab.
Theairlockisameterwide,so…sigh…Ihavetodoitlike50more
times.
I’mgonnahaveahellofabackacheafterthis.
AUDIOLOG:SOL120
RECORDING:
Ihaveahellofabackache.
Thesubtleandrefined“hurlmybodyatthewall”techniquehadsome
flaws.Itonlyworkedoneoutofevery10tries,andithurtalot.Ihadto
takebreaks,stretchout,andgenerallyconvincemyselftobody-slamthe
wallagainandagain.
Ittookalldamnnight,butImadeit.
I’m10metersfromtheHabnow.Ican’tgetanycloser,causethe
debrisfromthedecompressionisallovertheplace.Thisisn’tan“allterrain”airlock.Ican’trolloverthatshit.
ItwasmorningwhentheHabpopped.Nowit’smorningagain.I’ve
beeninthisdamnboxforanentireday.ButI’mleavingsoon.
I’mintheEVAsuitnow,andreadytoroll.
Allright…ok….Oncemorethroughtheplan:Usethemanualvalves
toequalizetheairlock.GetoutandhurrytotheHab.Wanderaround
underthecollapsedcanvas.FindMartinez’ssuit(orVogel’sifIruninto
itfirst).Gettotherover.ThenI’msafe.
IfIrunoutoftimebeforefindingasuit,I’lljustruntotherover.I’d
beintrouble,butI’dhavetimetothinkandmaterialstoworkwith.
Deepbreath…herewego!
LOGENTRY:SOL120
I’malive!AndI’mintherover!
Thingsdidn’tgoexactlyasplanned,butI’mnotdead,soit’sawin.
Equalizingtheairlockwentfine.Iwasoutonthesurfacewithin30
seconds.SkippingtowardtheHab(thefastestwaytomoveinthis
gravity)Ipassedthroughthefieldofdebris.Therupturehadreallysent
thingsflying,myselfincluded.
Itwashardtosee;myfaceplatewascoveredbythemakeshiftpatch.
Fortunately,myarmhadacamera.NASAdiscoveredthatturningyour
wholeEVA-suitedbodytolookatsomethingwasastrenuouswasteof
time.Sotheymountedasmallcameraontherightarm.Thefeedis
projectedontheinnerfaceplate.Thisallowsustolookatthingsjustby
pointingatthem.
Ihadtolookatarippled,messed-upversionoftheoutsideworld.The
faceplatepatchwasn’texactlysmoothorreflective.Still,itwasenough
toseewhatwasgoingon.
Ibee-linedforwheretheairlockusedtobe.Iknewtherehadtobea
prettybigholethere,soI’dbeabletogetin.Ifounditeasily.Andboyis
itanastyrip!It’sgoingtobeapainintheasstofixit.
That’swhentheflawsinmyplanstartedtorevealthemselves.Ionly
hadonearmtoworkwith.Myleftarmwaspinnedagainstmybody,
whilethestumpyarmofthesuitbouncedfreely.SoasImovedaround
underthecanvas,Ihadtousemyonegoodarmtoholdthecanvasup.It
slowedmedown.
FromwhatIcouldsee,theinterioroftheHabischaos.Everything’s
moved.Entiretablesandbunksaremetersawayfromwheretheystarted.
Lighterobjectsarewildlyjumbled,manyofthemoutonthesurface.
Everything’scoveredinsoilandmangledpotatoplants.
Trudgingonward,IgottowhereI’dleftMartinez’ssuit.Tomy
shock,itwasstillthere!
“Yay!”Inaivelythought.“Problemsolved.”
Unfortunately,thesuitwaspinnedunderatable,whichwasheld
downbythecollapsedcanvas.IfI’dhadbotharms,Icouldhavepulledit
free,butwithonlyoneIjustcouldn’tdoit.
Runninglowontime,Idetachedthehelmet.Settingitaside,I
reachedpastthetabletogetMartinez’spatchkit.Ifounditwiththehelp
ofthearm-camera.Idroppeditinthehelmetandhauledassoutofthere.
Stumblingtotherover,Ibarelymadeitintime.Myearswere
poppingfrompressurelossjustastherover’sairlockfilledwith
wonderful1-atmosphereair.
Crawlingin,Icollapsedandpantedforamoment.
SoI’mbackintherover.JustlikeIwasbackontheGreatPathfinder
RecoveryExpedition.Ugh.Atleastthistimeitsmellsalittlebetter.
NASA’sprobablyprettyworriedaboutmebynow.Theyprobably
sawtheairlockmovebacktotheHab,sotheyknowI’malive,butthey’ll
wantstatus.Andasithappens,it’stheroverthatcommunicateswith
Pathfinder.
ItriedtosendamessagebutPathfinderisn’tresponding.That’snota
bigsurprise.It’spowereddirectlyfromtheHab,andtheHabisoffline.
Duringmybrief,panickedscrambleoutside,IsawPathfinderwasright
whereIleftit,andthedebrisdidn’treachthatfarout.Itshouldbefine
onceIgetitsomepower.
Asformycurrentsituation,thebiggainisthehelmet.They’re
interchangeable,soIcanreplacemybroken-assonewithMartinez’s.The
stumpyarmisstillanissue,butthefaceplatewasthemainsourceof
leaks.Andwiththefreshpatchkit,Icansealthearmwithmoreresin.
Butthatcanwait.I’vebeenawakeforover24hours.I’mnotinany
immediatedanger,soI’mgoingtosleep.
LOGENTRY:SOL121
Gotagoodnight’ssleep,andmaderealprogresstoday.
FirstthingIdidwasre-sealthearm.Lasttime,Ihadtospreadthe
resinprettythin;I’dusedmostofitforthefaceplatepatch.Butthistime
Ihadawholepatchkitjustforthearm.Igotaperfectseal.
Istillonlyhadaone-armedsuit,butatleastitdidn’tleak.
I’dlostmostofmyairyesterday,butIhadahalf-hourofoxygenleft.
LikeIsaidearlier,ahumanbodydoesn’tneedmuchoxygen.Maintaining
pressurewastheproblem.
Withthatmuchtime,Iwasabletotakeadvantageoftherover’sEVA
tank-refill.SomethingIcouldn’tdowiththeleakysuit.
Thetank-refillisanemergencymeasure.Theexpecteduseofthe
roveristostartwithfullEVAsuitsandcomebackwithairtospare.It
wasn’tdesignedforlongtrips,orevenovernighters.But,justincaseof
emergency,ithasrefillhosesmountedontheexterior.Insidespacewas
limitedalready,andNASAconcludedmostair-relatedemergencies
wouldbeoutdoors.
Butrefillingisslow,slowerthanmysuitwasleaking.Soitwasn’t
anyusetome.Now,withasolidsuitcapableofholdingpressure,
refillingthetankswasabreeze.
Afterrefilling,andmakingsurethesuitwasstillnotleaking,Ihada
fewimmediatetaskstotakecareof.MuchasItrustmyhandiwork,I
wantedatwo-armedsuit.
IventuredbackintotheHab.Thistime,notbeingrushed,Iwasable
touseapoletoleveragethetableoffMartinez’ssuit.Pullingitloose,I
draggeditbacktotherover.
Afterathoroughdiagnostictobesure,Ifinallyhadafully-functional
EVAsuit!Ittookmetwotripstogetit,butIgotit.
Tomorrow,I'llfixtheHab.
LOGENTRY:SOL122
ThefirstthingIdidtodaywaslineuprocksneartherovertospell
“A-OK”.ThatshouldmakeNASAhappy.
IwentintotheHabagaintoassessdamage.Myprioritywillbetoget
thestructureintactandholdingpressure.Fromthere,Icanworkonfixing
stuffthatbroke.
TheHabisnormallyadome,withflexiblesupportpolesmaintaining
thearch,andrigid,foldingfloormaterialtokeepitflat.Theinternal
pressurewasavitalpartofitssupport.Withoutit,thewholething
collapsed.Iinspectedthepoles,andnoneofthemhadbroken.They’re
justlyingflatisall.I’llhavetore-coupleafewofthem,butthat’llbe
easy.
TheholewhereAirlock1usedtobeishuge,butsurmountable.Ihave
seal-stripsandsparecanvas.It’llbealotofwork,butIcangettheHab
togetheragain.OnceIdo,I’llre-establishpowerandgetPathfinderback
online.Fromthere,NASAcantellmehowtofixanythingIcan’tfigure
outonmyown.
I’mnotworriedaboutanyofthat.Ihaveamuchbiggerproblem.
Thefarmisdead.
Withacompletelossofpressure,mostofthewaterboiledoff.Also,
thetemperatureiswellbelowfreezing.Noteventhebacteriainthesoil
cansurviveacatastrophelikethat.Someofthecropswereinpop-tents
offtheHab.Butthey’redead,too.Ihadthemconnecteddirectlytothe
Habviahosestomaintainairsupplyandtemperature.WhentheHab
blew,thepop-tentsdepressurizedaswell.Eveniftheyhadn’t,the
freezingcoldwouldhavekilledthem.
PotatoesarenowextinctonMars.
Soareearthwormsandsoilbacteria.I’llnevergrowanotherplantso
longI’mhere.
Wehaditallplannedout.MyfarmwouldgivemefoodtillSol900.
AsupplyprobewouldgethereonSol856;waybeforeIranout.Withthe
farmdead,thatplanishistory.
Therationpackswon’thavebeenaffectedbytheexplosion.Andthe
potatoesmaybedead,butthey’restillfood.Iwasjustabouttoharvest,
soitwasagoodtimeforthistohappen,Iguess.
TherationswilllastmetillSol400.Ican’tsayforsurehowlongthe
potatoeswilllastuntilIseehowmanyIgot.ButIcanestimate.Ihad400
plants,probablyaveraging5potatoeseach:2000taters.At150calories
each,I’llneedtoeat10persoltosurvive.Thatmeansthey’lllastme200
sols.Grandtotal:IhaveenoughfoodtolasttillSol600.
BySol856I’llbelongdead.
Chapter15
ProjectIris
[08:12]WATNEY:Test.
[08:25]JPL:Received!Yougaveusquiteascare
there.Thanksforthe“A-OK”message.Ouranalysis
ofsatelliteimageryshowsacompletedetachment
ofAirlock1.Isthatcorrect?What’syourstatus?
IncludeyourpersonalhealthandHabequipment.
[08:39]WATNEY:Ifby“detachment”youmean
“shotmeoutlikeacannon”thenyeah.Minorcut
onmyforehead.HadsomeissueswithmyEVAsuit
(I’llexplainlater).IpatcheduptheHaband
repressurizedit(mainairtankswereintact).I
justgotpowerbackonline.Primaryairandwater
tankswereunharmed.Therover,solararray,and
Pathfinderwereoutofblastrange.I’llrun
diagnosticsontheHab’ssystemswhileIwaitfor
yournextreply.Bytheway,whoamItalkingto?
[08:52]JPL:VenkatKapoor,inHouston.Pasadena
relaysmymessages.I'mgoingtohandlealldirect
communicationwithyoufromnowon.Checkthe
OxygenatorandWaterReclaimerfirst.They’rethe
mostimportant.
[09:05]WATNEY:Duh.Oxygenatorfunctioning
perfectly.WaterReclaimeriscompletelyoffline.
Bestguessiswaterfrozeupinsideandburstsome
tubing.I’msureIcanfixit.Hab’smaincomputer
alsofunctioningwithoutanyproblems.Anyidea
whatcausedtheHabtoblowup?
[09:18]JPL:Bestguessisfatigueonthecanvas
nearAirlock1.Thepressurizationcyclestressed
ituntilitfailed.Fromnowon,alternateAirlock
2and3forallEVAs.Also,we’llbegettingyoua
checklistandproceduresforafullcanvasexam.
[09:31]WATNEY:Yay,Igettostareatawall
forseveralhours!Bytheway,thefarmisdead.
I’verecoveredasmanypotatoesasIcouldand
storedthemoutside.Icount1841.Thatwilllast
me184days.Includingtheremainingmission
rations,I’llstartstarvingonSol584.
[09:44]JPL:Yeah,wefigured.Workingonit.
“It’sSol122,”Brucesaid.“WehaveuntilSol584togetaprobeto
Mars.That’s462sols,whichis475days.”
TheassembleddepartmentheadsofJPLfurrowedtheirbrowsand
rubbedtheireyes.
“Firsttheyneededapresupplywayaheadofschedule,”Bruce
continued.“Nowtheyneeditevenmoreaheadofschedule.”
Hestoodfromhischair.“ThepositionsofEarthandMarsaren’t
ideal.Thetripwilltake414days.Mountingtheprobetotheboosterand
dealingwithinspectionswilltake13days.Thatleavesuswithjust48
daystomakethisprobe.”
Soundsofwhisperedexasperationfilledtheroom.“Jesus,”someone
said.
“It'sawholenewballgame,”Brucecontinued.“Ourfocusisfood.
Anythingelseisaluxury.Wedon'thavetimetomakeapowered-descent
lander.It'llhavetobeatumbler.Sowecan'tputanythingdelicateinside.
Saygoodbyetothealltheothercrapwe'dplannedtosend.”
“Where'stheboostercomingfrom?”askedNormToshi,whowasin
chargeofthereentryprocess.
“TheEagleEye3Saturnprobe,”Brucesaid.“Itwasscheduledto
launchnextmonth.NASAputitonholdsowecanhavethebooster.”
“IbettheEagleEyeteamwaspissedaboutthat,”Normsaid.
“I'msuretheywere,”Brucesaid.“Butit'stheonlyboosterwehave
that'sbigenough.Whichbringsmetomynextpoint:Weonlygetone
shotatthis.Ifwe....itup,MarkWatneydies.”
Helookedaroundtheroomandletthatsinkin.
“Wedohavesomethingsgoingforus,”hefinallysaid.“Wehave
someofthepartsbuiltfortheAres4presupplymissions.Wecansteal
fromthem,andthat'llsaveussometime.Also,we'resendingfood,which
isprettyrobust.Evenifthere'sareentryproblemandtheprobeimpacts
athighvelocity,foodisstillfood.
“Andwedon'tneedaprecisionlanding.Watneycantravelhundreds
ofkilometersifnecessary.Wejustneedtolandcloseenoughforhimto
reachit.Thisendsupbeingastandardtumble-landpresupply.Allwe
havetodoismakeitquickly.Solet'sgettoit.”
[08:02]JPL:We'vespunupaprojecttogetyou
food.It'sbeeninprogressforaweekorso.We
cangetittoyoubeforeyoustarve,butit'llbe
tight.It'lljustbefoodandaradio.Wecan't
sendanOxygenator,WaterReclaimer,oranyof
thatotherstuffwithoutpowereddescent.
[08:16]WATNEY:Nocomplaintshere!Yougetme
thefood,I'llbeahappycamper.I'vegotallHab
systemsupandrunningagain.TheWaterReclaimer
isworkingfinenowthatIreplacedtheburst
hoses.Asforwatersupply,Ihave620Lremaining.
Istartedwith900L(300tostartwith,600more
fromreducinghydrazine).SoIlostalmost300Lto
sublimation.Still,withtheWaterReclaimer
operationalagain,it'splenty.
[08:31]JPL:Good,keepuspostedonany
mechanicalorelectronicproblems.Bytheway,the
nameoftheprobewe'resendingis“Iris”.Named
aftertheGreekgoddesswhotraveledtheheavens
withthespeedofwind.She'salsothegoddessof
rainbows.
[08:47]WATNEY:Gayprobecomingtosaveme.Got
it.
RichPurnellsippedcoffeeinthesilentbuilding.Onlyhiscubicle
illuminatedtheotherwisedarkroom.Continuingwithhiscomputations,
heranafinaltestonthesoftwarehe'dwritten.Itpassed.
Witharelievedsigh,hesankbackinhischair.Checkingtheclockon
hiscomputer,heshookhishead.3:42am.
Beinganastrodynamicist,Richrarelyhadtoworklate.Hisjobwasto
findtheexactorbitsandcoursecorrectionsneededforanygivenmission.
Usually,itwasoneofthefirstpartsofaproject;alltheotherstepsbeing
basedontheorbit.
Butthistime,thingswerereversed.Irisneededanorbitalpath,and
nobodyknewwhenitwouldlaunch.Anon-HoffmanMars-transferisn't
challenging,butitdoesrequiretheexactlocationsofEarthandMars.
Planetsmoveastimegoesby.Acoursecalculatedforaspecific
launchdatewillworkonlyforthatdate.Evenasingleday'sdifference
wouldresultinmissingMarsentirely.
SoRichhadtocalculatemanycourses.Hehadarangeof25days
duringwhichIrismightlaunch.Hecalculatedonecourseforeach.
Hebegananemailtohisboss.
Mike,hetyped,AttachedarethecoursesforIris,in1-dayincrements.
Weshouldstartpeer-reviewandvettingsotheycanbeofficially
accepted.Andyouwereright,Iwasherealmostallnight.
Itwasn'tthatbad.Nowherenearthepainofcalculatingorbitsfor
Hermes.IknowyougetboredwhenIgointothemath,soI'llsummarize:
Thesmall,constantthrustofHermes'siondrivesismuchhardertodeal
withthanthelargepoint-thrustsofpresupplyprobes.
All25ofthecoursestake414days,andvaryonlyslightlyinthrust
durationandangle.Thefuelrequirementisnearlyidenticalforthe
orbitsandiswellwithinthecapacityofEagleEye'sbooster.
It'stoobad.EarthandMarsarereallybadlypositioned.Heck,it's
almosteasiertoHestoppedtyping.
Furrowinghisbrow,hestaredintothedistance.
“Hmm.”hesaid.
Grabbinghiscoffeecup,hewenttothebreakroomforarefill.
“Iknowyou'reallbusy,”Teddysaid,“solet'smakethisfast.Ineed
statusonProjectIrisfromalldepartments.Venkat,let'sstartwithyou.”
“Themissionteam'sready,”Venkatsaid.“Therewasaminorturfwar
betweentheAres-3andAres-4presupplycontrolteams.TheAres-3guys
saidtheyshouldrunit,causewhileWatney'sonMars,Ares-3isstillin
progress.TheAres-4teampointsoutit'stheirco-optedprobeinthefirst
place.IendedupgoingwithAres-3.”
“DidthatupsetAres-4?”Teddyasked.
“Yeah,butthey'llgetoverit.Theyhave13presupplymissions
comingup.Theywon'thavetimetobepissy.”
“Mitch,”Teddysaidtotheflightcontroller,“Whataboutthelaunch?”
“We'vegotacontrolroomready,”Mitchreplied.“I'lloverseethe
launch,thenhandcruiseandlandingovertoVenkat'sguys.”
“Media?”Teddysaid,turningtoAnnieMontrose.
“I'mgivingdailyupdatestothepress,”shesaid.“Everyoneknows
Watney's....ifthisdoesn'twork.Thepublichasn'tbeenthisengaged in
shipconstructionsinceApollo11.CNN's'TheWatneyReport'has been
the#1showinitstime-slotforthepasttwoweeks.”
“Theattentionisgood,”Teddysaid.“It'llhelpgetusemergency
fundingfromCongress.Maurice,how'sthebooster?”
“It'sallrightfornow,”saidMauriceStein,DirectorofPad
Operations.“Butit'snotideal.EagleEye3wassettolaunch.Boosters
aren'tdesignedtostanduprightandbearthestressofgravityforlong
periods.We'readdingexternalsupportsthatwe'llremovebeforelaunch.
It'seasierthandisassembly.Alsothefueliscorrosivetotheinternal
tanks,sowehadtodrainit.Inthemeantime,we'reperforming
inspectionsonallsystemseverythreedays.”
“Good,good,”Teddynodded.“Nowforthebigquestion:Bruce?
How'sIriscomingalong?”
“We'rebehind,”Brucesaidwithatiredshakeofhishead.“We're
goingasfastaswecan,butit'sjustnotfastenough.”
“Icanfindmoneyforovertime,”Teddyoffered.
“We'realreadyworkingaroundtheclock.”
“Howfarbehindarewewalkingabout?”Teddyasked.
“We'vebeenatit29days;soweonlyhave19left,”Bruceexplained.
“Afterthat,thePadneeds13daystomountitonthebooster.We'reat
leasttwoweeksbehind.”
“Isthatasfarbehindasyou'regoingtoget?”Teddyasked.“Orwill
youslipmore?”
Bruceshrugged.“Ifwedon'thaveanymoreproblems,it'llbetwo
weekslate.Butwealwayshaveproblems.”
“Givemeanumber,”Teddysaid.
“15days,”Bruceresponded.“IfIhadanother15days,I'msurewe
couldgetitdoneintime.”
“Allright,”Teddysaid.“Let'screate15days.”
TurninghisattentiontotheAres-3FlightSurgeon,Teddyasked“Dr.
Keller,canwereduceWatney'sfoodintaketomaketherationslast
longer?”
“Sorry,butno,”Kellersaid.“he'salreadyataminimalcaloriecount.
Infact,consideringtheamountofphysicallaborhedoes,he'seatingfar
lessthanheshould.Andit'sonlygoingtogetworse.Soonhisentirediet
willbepotatoesandvitaminsupplements.He'sbeensavingprotein-rich
rationsforlateruse,buthe'llstillbemalnourished.”
“Onceherunsoutoffood,howlonguntilhestarvestodeath?”Teddy
asked.
“Presuminganamplewatersupply,hemightlastthreeweeks.Shorter
thanatypicalhungerstrikebutrememberhe'llbemalnourishedandthin
tobeginwith.”
“Remember,”Venkatinterjected,“Irisisatumbler;hemighthaveto
driveafewdaystogetit.AndI'mguessingit'shardtocontrolarover
whenyou'reliterallystarvingtodeath.”
“He'sright,”Dr.Kellerconfirmed.“Within4daysofrunningoutof
food,he'llbarelybeabletostandup,letalonecontrolarover.Plus,his
mentalfacultieswillrapidlydecline.He'dhaveahardtimeevenstaying
awake.”
“Sothelandingdate'sfirm,”Teddysaid.“Maurice,canyougetiton
theboosterinlessthan13days?”
Mauricepondered.“Well...Itonlytakes3daystoactuallymountit.
Thefollowing10arefortestingandinspections.”
“Howmuchcanyoureducethose?”
“Withenoughovertime,Icouldgetthemountingdownto2days.
ThatincludestransportfromPasadenatoCapeCanaveral.Butthe
inspectionscan'tbeshortened.They'retime-based.Wedochecksandrecheckswithsetintervalsbetweenthemtoseeifsomethingdeformsor
warps.Ifyoushortentheintervals,youinvalidatetheinspections.”
“Howoftendothoseinspectionsrevealaproblem?”Teddyasked.
Asilencefellovertheroom.
“Uh,”Mauricestammered.“Areyousuggestingwedon'tdothe
inspections?”
“No,”saidTeddy.“RightnowI'maskinghowoftentheyreveala
problem.”
“Aboutoneintwentylaunches.”
“Andhowoftenistheproblemtheyrevealawould-bemissionfailure?”
“I'm,uh,notsure.Maybehalfthetime?”
“Soifweskiptheinspectionsandtesting,wehavea1in40chanceof
missionfailure?”Teddyasked.
“That's2.5%,”Venkatsaid,steepingin.“Normally,that'sgroundsfor
acountdownhalt.Wecan'ttakeachancelikethat.”
“'Normally'wasalongtimeago,”Teddysaidcalmly.“97.5%is
betterthanzero.Cananyonethinkofasaferwaytogetmoretime?”
Helookedaroundthetable.Blankfacesstaredback.
“Allright,then.Speedingupthemountingprocessandskipping
inspectionsbuysus11days.IfBrucecanpullarabbitoutofahatandget
donesooner,Mauricecandosomeinspections.”
“Whatabouttheother4days?”Venkatasked,stillfrowningat
skippinginspections.
“I'msureWatneycanstretchthefoodtolast4extradays,
malnutritionnotwithstanding,”Teddysaid,lookingtoDr.Keller.
“I-”Kellerstarted.“Ican'trecommend-”
“Folks,”Teddyinterrupted.“Iunderstandyourpositions.Wehave
procedures.Skippingthoseproceduresmeansrisk.Riskmeanstrouble
foryourdepartment.Butnowisn'tthetimetocoverourasses.Wehave
totakerisksorMarkWatneydies.”
TurningtoKeller,hesaid“Makethefoodlastanother4days.”
Kellernoddedsilently.
“Rich,”saidMike.
RichPurnellconcentratedonhiscomputerscreen.Hiscubiclewasa
landfillofprintouts,charts,andreferencebooks.Emptycoffeecups
restedoneverysurface;take-outpackaginglitteredtheground.
“Rich,”Mikesaid,moreforcefully.
Richlookedup.“Yeah?”
“Whatthehellareyoudoing?”
“Justalittlesideproject.SomethingIwantedtocheckupon.”
“Well...that'sfine,Iguess,”Mikesaid,“butyouneedtodoyour
assignedworkfirst.Iaskedforthosesatelliteadjustmentstwoweeksago
andyoustillhaven'tdonethem.”
“Ineedsomesupercomputertime.”Richsaid.
“Youneedsupercomputertimetocalculateroutinesatellite
adjustments?”
“No,it'sforthisotherthingI'mworkingon,”Richsaid.
“Rich,seriously.Youhavetodoyourjob.”
Richthoughtforamoment.“Wouldnowbeagoodtimefora
vacation?”Heasked.
Mikesighed.“Youknowwhat,Rich?Ithinknowwouldbeanideal
timeforyoutotakeavacation.”
“Great!”Richsmiled.“I'llstartrightnow.”
“Sure,”Mikesaid.“Goonhome.Getsomerest.”
“Oh,I'mnotgoinghome,”saidRich,returningtohiscalculations.
Mikerubbedhiseyes.“Ok,whatever.Aboutthosesatelliteorbits...?”
“I'monvacation,”Richsaidwithoutlookingup.
Mikeshruggedandwalkedaway.
[08:01]WATNEY:How'smycarepackagecoming
along?
[08:16]JPL:Alittlebehindschedule,butwe'll
getitdone.Inthemeantime,wewantyoutoget
backtowork.We'resatisfiedtheHab'sisingood
condition.Maintenanceonlytakesyou12hoursper
week.We'regoingtopacktherestofyourtime
withresearchandexperiments.
[08:31]WATNEY:Great!I'msickofsittingonmy
ass.I'mgoingtobehereforyears.Youmayas
wellmakeuseofme.
[08:47]JPL:That'swhatwe'rethinking.We'll
getyouascheduleassoonasthescienceteam
putsittogether.It'llbemostlyofEVAs,
geologicalsamples,soiltests,andweeklyselfadministeredmedicaltests.Honestly,thisisthe
best“bonusMarstime”we'vehadsincethe
Opportunitylander.
[09:02]WATNEY:Opportunityneverwentbackto
Earth.
[09:17]JPL:Sorry.Badanalogy.
TheWhiteroomwasabuzzwithactivityastechnicianssealedIrisin
tothespecially-designedshippingcontainer.
Theothertwoshiftswatchedfromtheobservationdeck.Theyhad
rarelyseentheirownhomesintwomonths;amakeshiftbunkroomhad
beensetupinthecafeteria.Fullyathirdofthemwouldnormallybe
asleepatthishour,buttheydidnotwanttomissthismoment.
Theshiftleadertightenedthefinalbolt.Asheretractedthewrench,
theengineersbrokeintoapplause.Manyofthemwereintears.
After62daysofgruelingwork,Iriswascomplete.
“Thelaunchpreparationsarecomplete,”AnnieMontrosesaidtothe
pressroom.“Irisisreadytogo.Thescheduledlaunchis9:14am.
“Oncelaunched,itwillstayinorbitforatleastthreehours.During
thattime,missioncontrolwillgatherexacttelemetryinpreparationfor
thetrans-Marsinjectionburn.Oncethat'scompletethemissionwillbe
handedofftotheAres-3presupplyteam,whowillmonitoritsprogress
overthefollowingmonths.Itwilltake414daystoreachMars.”
“Aboutthepayload,”areporterasked,“Ihearthere'smorethanjust
food?”
“That'strue,”Anniesmiled.“Weallocated100gramsforluxury
items.TherearesomehandwrittenlettersfromMark'sfamily,anote
fromthePresident,andaUSBdrivefilledwithmusicfromallages.”
“Anydisco?”someoneasked.
“Nodisco,”Anniesaid,aschucklescascadedthroughtheroom.
CNN'sCathyWarnerspokeup“Ifthislaunchfails,isthereany
recourseforWatney?”
“Thereareriskstoanylaunch,”Anniesaid,“butwedon'tanticipate
problems.TheweatherattheCapeisclearwithwarmtemperatures.
Conditionscouldn'tbebetter.”
“Isthereanyspendinglimittothisrescueoperation?”another
reporterasked.“Somepeoplearebeginningtoaskhowmuchistoo
much.”
“It'snotaboutthebottomline,”Anniesaid,preparedforthequestion.
“It'saboutahumanlifeinimmediatedanger.Butifyouwanttolookatit
financially,considerthevalueofMarkWatney'sextendedmission.His
prolongedmissionandfightforsurvivalisgivingusmoreknowledge
aboutMarsthantherestoftheAresprogramcombined.”
“DoyoubelieveinGod,Venkat?”Mitchasked.
“Sure,lotsof'em,”Venkatsaid.“I'mHindu.”
“Ask'emallforhelpwiththislaunch.”
“Willdo.”
Mitchsteppedforwardtohisstationinthelargecontrolroom.He
glancedatthemanyscreensonthefarwall,andthedozensofpeopleat
theirstations.
Heputhisheadsetonandsaid.“ThisistheFlightDirector.Begin
LaunchStatusCheck.”
“Rogerthat,Houston,”camethereplyfromtheLaunchControl
DirectorinFlorida.“CLCDRcheckingallstationsaremannedand
systemsready,”hebroadcast,“Givemeago/no-goforlaunch.Talker?”
“Go.”cametheresponse.
“Timer.”
“Go,”Cameanothervoice.
“QAM1.”
“Go.”
Restinghischinonhishands,Mitchstaredatthecenterscreen.It
showedthePadvideofeed.Thebooster,amidcloudywatervaporfrom
thecoolingprocess,stillhadEagleEye3stenciledontheside.
“QAM2.”
“Go.”
“QAM3.”
“Go.”
Venkatleanedagainstthebackwall.Anadministrator,hisjobwas
done.Hecouldonlywatchandhope.Hisgazefixatedonthefarwall's
displays.Inhismindhesawthenumbers,theshiftjuggling,theoutright
liesandborderlinecrimeshe'dcommittedtoputthismissiontogether.It
wouldallbeworthwhileifitworked.
“FSC.”
“Go.”
“Prop1.”
“Go.”
TeddysatintheVIPobservationroombehindmissioncontrol.His
authorityaffordedhimtheverybestseat:front-rowcenter.Hisbriefcase
layathisfeetandheheldabluefolderinhishands.
“Prop2.”
“Go.”
“PTO.”
“Go.”
AnnieMontrosepacedinherprivateofficenexttothepressroom.
Ninetelevisionsmountedtothewallwereeachtunedtoadifferent
network;eachnetworkshowedthelaunchpad.Aglanceathercomputer
showedforeignnetworksdoingthesame.Theworldwasholdingits
breath.
“ACC.”
“Go.”
“LWO.”
“Go.”
BruceNgsatintheJPLcafeteriaalongwithhundredsofengineers
whohadgiveneverythingtheyhadtoIris.TheywatchedthelargeTV
withraptattention.Itwas6:13aminPasadena,yeteverysingleemployee
waspresent.
“AFLC.”
“Go.”
“Guidance.”
“Go.”
Millionsofkilometersaway,thecrewofHermeslistenedasthey
crowdedaroundJohanssen'sstation.The2-minutetransmissiontime
didn'tmatter.Theyhadnowaytohelp;therewasnoneedtointeract.
Johanssenstaredintentlyatherscreen,whichdisplayedonlytheaudio
signalstrength.Beckwrunghishands.Vogelstoodmotionless,hiseyes
fixedonthefloor.Martinezprayedsilentlyatfirst,thensawnoreasonto
hideit.CommanderLewisstoodapart,herarmsfoldedacrossherchest.
“PTC.”
“Go.”
“LaunchVehicleDirector.”
“Go.”
“Houston,thisisLaunchControl,wearegoforlaunch.”
“Roger,”Mitchsaidcheckingthecountdown.“ThisisFlight,weare
goforlaunchonschedule.”
“RogerthatHouston,”LaunchControlsaid,“Launchonschedule.”
Oncetheclockreached-00:00:15,thetelevisionnetworksgotwhat
theywerewaitingfor.TheTimerControllerbegantheverbalcountdown.
“15,”Shesaid.“14...13...12...11...”
ThousandshadgatheredatCapeCanaveral;thelargestcrowdeverto
watchanunmannedlaunch.TheylistenedtotheTimerController'svoice
asitechoedacrossthegrandstands.
“10...9...8...7...”
RichPurnell,entrenchedinhisorbitalcalculations,hadlosttrackof
time.Hedidn'tnoticewhenhiscoworkersmigratedtothelargemeeting
roomwhereaTVhadbeensetup.Inthebackofhismind,hethoughtthe
officewasunusuallyquiet,buthegaveitnofurtherthought.
“6...5...4...”
“Ignitionsequencestart.”
“3...2...1...”
Clampsreleased;theboosterroseamidaplumeofsmokeandfire,
slowlyatfirst,thenracingeverfaster.Theassembledcrowdcheerediton
itsway.
“...andliftoffoftheIrisSupplyProbe,”theTimerControllersaid.
Astheboostersoared,Mitchhadnotimetowatchthespectacleon
themainscreen.“Trim?”Hecalledout.
“Trim'sgood,Flight.”cametheimmediateresponse.
“Course?”Heasked.
“Oncourse.”
“Altitude1000meters,”someonesaid.
“We'vereachedsafe-abort,”anotherpersoncalledout,indicatingthat
theshipcouldcrashharmlesslyintotheAtlanticOceanifnecessary.
“Altitude1500meters.”
“Pitchandrollmaneuvercommencing.”
“Gettingalittleshimmy,flight.”
MitchlookedovertotheAscentFlightDirector.“Sayagain?”
“Aslightshimmy.On-boardguidanceishandlingit.”
“Keepaneyeonit,”Mitchsaid.
“Altitude2500meters.”
“Pitchandrollcomplete,22secondstillstaging.”
ThequickyetthoroughdesignofIrisaccountedforcatastrophic
landingfailure.Ratherthannormalmealkits,mostofthefoodwascubed
proteinbarmaterial.EvenifIrisfailedtodeployitstumbleballoonsand
impactedathundredsofkph,theproteincubeswouldstillbeedible.
Anunmannedmission,therewasnocaponacceleration.Thecontents
oftheprobeenduredforcesnohumancouldsurvive.WhileNASAhad
testedtheeffectsofextremeG-forcesonproteincubes,theyhadnotdone
sowithasimultaneouslateralvibration.Hadtheybeengivenmoretime,
theywouldhave.
Theharmlessshimmy,causedbyaminorfuelmixtureimbalance,
rattledthepayload.Mountedbystrongbolts,Irisheldfirm.Theprotein
cubesinsidedidnot.
Thethrustcompressedthefoodwhiletheshimmyrattledit.Aneffect
similartoliquefactionduringanearthquaketransformedtheprotein
cubesintoathicksludge.Storedinacompartmentthatoriginallyhadno
left-overspace,thenow-compressedsubstancehadroomtoslosh.
Theshimmyalsocausedanimbalancedload,forcingthesludge
towardtheedgeofitscompartment.Theshiftinweightonlyaggravated
theproblemandtheshimmygrewstronger.
“Shimmy'sgettingviolent,”reportedtheAscentFlightDirector.
“Howviolent?”Mitchsaid.
“Morethanwelike,”hesaid.“Buttheaccelerometerscaughtitand
calculatedthenewcenterofmass.Theguidancecomputerisadjusting
theengines'thruststocounteract.We'restillgood.”
“Keepmeposted,”Mitchsaid.
“13secondstillstaging.”
Theunexpectedweightshifthadnotspelleddisaster.Allsystems
weredesignedforworst-casescenarios;eachdidtheirjobadmirably.The
shipcontinuedtowardorbitwithonlyaminorcourseadjustment,
implementedautomaticallybysophisticatedsoftware.
Thefirststagedepleteditsfuel,andtheboostercoastedforafraction
ofasecondasitjettisonedstage-clampsviaexplosivebolts.Thenowemptystagefellawayfromthecraftasthesecond-stageenginesprepared
toignite.
Thebrutalforceshaddisappeared.Theproteinsludgefloatedfreein
thecontainer.Giventwoseconds,itwouldhavere-expandedand
solidified.Butitwasgivenonlyaquarter-second.
Asthesecondstagefired,thecraftexperiencedasuddenjoltof
immenseforce.Nolongercontendingwiththedead-weightofthefirst
stage,theaccelerationwasprofound.The300kgofsludgeslammedinto
thebackofitscontainer.ThepointofimpactwasattheedgeofIris,
nowherenearwherethemasswasexpectedtobe.
ThoughIriswasheldinplacebyfivelargebolts,theforcewas
directedentirelytoasingleone.Theboltwasdesignedtowithstand
immenseforces;ifnecessarytocarrytheentireweightofthepayload.
Butitwasnotdesignedtosustainasuddenimpactfromaloose300kg
mass.
Theboltsheared.Theburdenwasthenshiftedtotheremainingfour
bolts.Theforcefulimpacthavingpassed,theirworkwasconsiderably
easierthanthatoftheirfallencomrade.
Hadthepadcrewbeengiventimetodonormalinspections,they
wouldhavenoticedtheminordefectinoneofthebolts.Adefectthat
slightlyweakenedit,thoughwouldnotcausefailureonanormalmission.
Still,theywouldhaveswappeditoutwithaperfectreplacement.
Theoff-centerloadpresentedunequalforcetothefourremaining
bolts,thedefectiveonebearingthebruntofit.Soon,itfailedaswell.
Fromthere,theotherthreefailedinrapidsuccession.
Irisslippedfromitssupportsinthepayloadbulb,slammingintothe
hull.
“Woah!”exclaimedtheAscentFlightDirector.“Flight,we'regetting
alargeprecession!”
“What?”Mitchsaidasalertsbeepedandlightsflashedacrossallthe
consoles.
“ForceonIrisisat7G's,”someonesaid.
“Intermittentsignalloss,”cameanothervoice.
“Ascent,What'shappeninghere?”Mitchdemanded.
“Allhellbrokeloose.It'sspinningonthelongaxiswitha17degree
precession.”
“Howbad?”
“Atleast5rps,andfallingoffcourse.”
“Canyougetittoorbit?”
“Ican'ttalktoitatall;signalfailuresleftandright.”
“Comm!”MitchshottotheCommunicationsDirector.
“Workin'onit,Flight,”cametheresponse.“There'saproblemwith
theonboardsystem.”
“GettingsomemajorG'sinside,Flight.”
“Groundtelemetryshowsit200meterslowoftargetpath.”
“We'velostreadingsontheprobe,Flight.”
Mitchzeroedinonthatlastcomment.“Entirelylosttheprobe?”
Mitchasked.
“Affirm,Flight.Intermittentsignalfromtheship,butnoprobe.”
“Shit,”Mitchsaid.“Itshooklooseinthebay.”
“It'sdradeling,Flight.”
“Canitlimptoorbit?”Mitchsaid.“Evensuper-lowEO?Wemightbe
ableto-”
“Lossofsignal,Flight.”
“LOShere,too.”
“Samehere.”
Otherthanthealarms,theroomfellsilent.
Afteramoment,Mitchsaid“Reestablish?”
“Noluck,”saidComm.
“Ground?”Mitchasked.
“GC,”samethereply,“Vehiclehadalreadyleftvisualrange.”
“SatCon?”Mitchasked.
“Nosatelliteacquisitionofsignal.”
Mitchlookedforwardtothemainscreen.Itwasblacknow,withlarge
whitelettersreading“LOS”.
“Flight,”cameavoiceovertheradio,“USDestroyerStocktonreports
debrisfallingfromthesky.SourcematcheslastknownlocationofIris.”
Mitchputhisheadinhishands.“Roger,”hesaid.
ThenheutteredthewordseveryFlightDirectorhopesnevertosay:
“GC,Flight.Lockthedoors.”
Itwasthesignaltostartpost-failureprocedures.
FromtheVIPobservationroom,Teddywatchedthedespondent
MissionControlCenter.Hetookadeepbreath,thenletitout.Helooked
forlornlyatthebluefolder,whichcontainedthecheerfulspeechpraising
aperfectlaunch.Placingitinhisbriefcase,hethenextractedthered
folderwiththeotherspeechinit.
Venkatsatinhisdarkenedoffice.Heneverdecidedtobeinthedark.
He'djustbeenlostinthoughtsolongitgotdarkaroundhim.
Hismobilerang.Hiswifeagain.Nodoubtworriedabouthim.Helet
itgotovoicemail.Hejustcouldn'tfaceher.Oranyone.
Abriefchimecamefromhiscomputer.Glancingover,hesawan
emailfromJPL.ArelayedmessagefromPathfinder:
[16:03]WATNEY:How'dthelaunchgo?
Chapter16
Martinez:
Dr.ShieldssaysIneedtowritepersonal
messagestoeachofthecrew.Shesaysit'llkeep
metetheredtohumanity.Ithinkit'sbullshit.
Buthey,it'sanorder.
Withyou,Icanbeblunt:
IfIdie,Ineedyoutocheckonmyparents.
They'llwanttohearaboutourtimeonMarsfirsthand.I'llneedyoutodothat.
Itwon'tbeeasytalkingtoacoupleabout
theirdeadson.It'salottoask;that'swhyI'm
askingyou.I'dtellyouyou'remybestfriendand
stuff,butitwouldbegay.
I'mnotgivingup.Justplanningforevery
outcome.It'swhatIdo.
GuoMing,DirectoroftheChinaNationalSpaceAdministration,
examinedtheexpansivepaperworkathisdesk.Intheolddays,when
Chinawantedtolauncharocket,theyjustlaunchedit.Now,theywere
compelledbyinternationalagreementstowarnothernationsfirst.
Itwasarequirement,GuoMingnotedtohimself,thatdidnotapplyto
theUnitedStates.Tobefair,theAmericanspubliclyannouncedtheir
launchscheduleswellinadvance,soitamountedtothesame.
Hewalkedafinelinefillingouttheform:Makingthelaunchdateand
flightpathclear,whiledoingeverythingpossibleto“concealstate
secrets.”
Hesnortedatthelastrequirement.“Ridiculous,”hemumbled.The
TaiyangShenhadnostrategicormilitaryvalue.Itwasanunmanned
probethatwouldbeinEarthorbitlessthantwodays.Afterthat,itwould
traveltoasolarorbitbetweenMercuryandVenus.ItwouldbeChina's
firstheliologyprobetoorbitthesun.
Yet,theStateCouncilinsistedalllaunchesbeshroudedinsecrecy.
Evenlauncheswithnothingtohide.Thisway,othernationscouldnot
inferfromlackofopennesswhichlaunchescontainedclassified
payloads.
Aknockatthedoorinterruptedhispaperwork.
“Come,”GuoMingsaid,happyfortheinterruption.
“Goodevening,Sir,”saidUnder-DirectorZhuTao.
“Tao,welcomeback.”
“Thankyou,Sir.It'sgoodtobebackinBeijing.”
“HowwerethingsatJiuquan?”askedGuoMing.“Nottoocold,I
hope?I'llneverunderstandwhyourlaunchcomplexisinthemiddleof
theGobiDesert.”
“Itwascold,yetmanageable,”ZhuTaosaid.
“Andhowarelaunchpreparationscomingalong?”
“Iamhappytoreporttheyareallon-schedule.”
“Excellent,”GuoMingsmiled.
ZhuTaosatquietly,staringathisboss.
GuoMinglookedexpectantlybackathim,butZhuTaoneitherstood
toleavenorsaidanythingfurther.
“Somethingelse,Tao?”GuoMingasked.
“Mmm,”ZhuTaosaid,“Ofcourse,you'veheardabouttheIris
probe?”
“Yes,Idid,”Guofrowned.“Terriblesituation.Thatpoorman'sgoing
tostarve.”
“Possibly,”ZhuTaosaid.“Possiblynot.”
GuoMingleanedbackinhischair.“Whatareyousaying?”
“It'stheTaiyangShen'sbooster,Sir.Ourengineershaverunthe
numbers,andithasenoughfuelforaMarsinjectionorbit.Itcouldget
therein419days.”
“Areyoukidding?”
“Haveyoueverknownmeto'kid,'Sir?”
GuoMingstoodandpinchedhischin.Pacing,hesaid“Wecanreally
sendaprobetoMars?”
“It'shardlynotable,Sir,”ZhuTaosaid.“We'vesentseveralinthe
past.”
“Yes,Iknow,butwecouldreallysendtheTaiyangShen?”
“No,Sir,”saidZhuTao.“It'sfartooheavy.Themassiveheat
shieldingmakesittheheaviestunmannedprobewe'veeverbuilt.That's
whytheboosterhadtobesopowerful.Butalighterpayloadcouldbesent
allthewaytoMars.”
“Howmuchmasscouldwesend?”GuoMingasked.
“941kilograms,Sir.”
“Hmm,”GuoMingsaid,“IbetNASAcouldworkwiththat
limitation.Whyhaven'ttheyapproachedus?”
“Becausetheydon'tknow.”ZhuTaosaid.“Allourboostertechnology
isclassifiedinformation.TheMinistryofStateSecurityevenspreads
disinformationaboutourcapabilities.Thisisforobviousreasons.”
“Sotheydon'tknowwecanhelpthem,”GuoMingsaid,“Ifwedecide
nottohelp,noonewillknowwecouldhave.”
“Correct,Sir.”
“Forthesakeofargument,let'ssaywedecidedtohelp.Whatthen?”
“Timewouldbetheenemy,Sir,”ZhuTaoanswered.“Basedontravel
durationandthesuppliestheirastronauthasremaining,anysuchprobe
wouldhavetobelaunchedwithinamonth.Eventhenhewouldstarvea
little.”
“That'srightaroundwhenweplannedtolaunchTaiyangShen.”
“Yes,Sir.ButittookthemtwomonthstobuildIris,anditwasso
rusheditfailed.”
“That'stheirproblem,”GuoMingsaid.“Ourendwouldbeproviding
thebooster.We'dlaunchfromJiuquan;wecan'tshipan800-tonrocketto
Florida.”
“AnyagreementwouldhingeontheAmericansreimbursingusforthe
booster,”ZhuTaosaid,“andtheStateCouncilwouldlikelywantpolitical
favorsfromtheUSGovernment.”
“Reimbursementwouldbepointless,”GuoMingsaid.“Thiswasan
expensiveproject,andtheStateCouncilgrumbledaboutitallalong.If
theyhadabulkpayoutforit'svalue,they'djustkeepit.We'dnevergetto
buildanotherone.”
Heclaspedhishandsbehindhisback.“AndtheAmericanpeoplemay
besentimental,buttheirgovernmentisnot.TheUSStateDepartment
won'ttradeanythingmajorforoneman'slife.”
“Soit'shopeless?”askedZhuTao.
“Nothopeless,”GuoMingcorrected.“Justhard.Ifthisbecomesa
negotiationbydiplomats,itwillneverresolve.Weneedtokeepthis
amongscientists.Spaceagencytospaceagency.I'llgetatranslatorand
callNASA'sDirector.We'llworkoutanagreement,thenpresentittoour
governmentsasafaitaccompli.”
“Butwhatcantheydoforus?”ZhuTaoasked.“We'dbegivingupa
boosterandeffectivelycancelingTaiyangShen.”
GuoMingsmiled.“They'llgiveussomethingwecan'tgetwithout
them.”
“Andthatis?”
“They'llputaChineseastronautonMars.”
ZhuTaostood.“Ofcourse,”hesmiled.“TheAres5crewhasn'teven
beenselectedyet.We'llinsistonacrewman.Onewegettopickand
train.NASAandtheUSStateDepartmentwouldsurelyacceptthat.But
willourStateCouncil?”
GuoMingsmiledwryly.“PubliclyrescuetheAmericans?Puta
ChineseastronautonMars?HavetheworldseeChinaasequaltotheUS
inspace?TheStateCouncilwouldselltheirownmothersforthat.”
Teddylistenedtothephoneathisear.Thevoiceontheotherend
finishedwhatithadtosay,thenfellsilentasitawaitedananswer.
Hestaredatnothinginparticularasheprocessedwhathe'djustheard.
Afterafewseconds,hereplied“Yes.”
Johanssen:
Yourposteroutsoldtherestofourscombined.
You'reahotchickwhowenttoMars.You'reon
dorm-roomwallsallovertheworld.
Lookinglikethat,whyareyousuchanerd?And
youare,youknow.Aseriousnerd.Ihadtodo
somecomputershittogetPathfindertalkingto
theroverandohmyGod.AndIhadNASAtellingme
whattodoeverystepoftheway.
Youshouldtrytobemorecool.Weardark
glassesandaleatherjacket.Carryaswitchblade.
Aspiretoalevelofcoolnessknownonlyas...
“BotanistCool.”
DidyouknowCommanderLewishadachatwithus
men?Ifanyonehitonyou,we'dbeoffthe
mission.Iguessafteralifetimeofcommanding
sailorsshe'sgotanunfairlyjadedview.
Anyway.Trynottothinkaboutallthoseguys
wankingtoyourposter.
“Ok,hereweareagain,”saidBrucetotheassembledheadsofJPL.
“You'veallheardabouttheTaiyangShen,soyouknowourfriendsin
Chinahavegivenusonemorechance.Butthistime,it'sgoingtobe
harder.
“TaiyangShenwillbereadytolaunchin28days.Ifitlauncheson
time,ourpayloadwillgettoMarsonSol624,sixweeksafterWatney's
expectedtorunoutoffood.NASA'salreadyworkingonwaystostretch
hissupply.
“WemadehistorywhenwefinishedIrisinsixtythreedays.Nowwe
havetodoitintwentyeight.”
Helookedacrossthetabletotheincredulousfaces.
“Folks,”hesaid,“Thisisgoingtobethemost'ghetto'spacecraftever
built.There'sonlyonewaytofinishthatfast:Nolandingsystem.”
“Sorry,what?”JackTrevorstammered.
Brucenodded.“Youheardme.Nolandingsystem.We'llneed
guidanceforin-flightcourseadjustments.ButonceitgetstoMars,it's
goingtocrash.”
“That'scrazy!”Jacksaid.“It'llbegoinganinsanevelocitywhenit
hits!”
“Yep,”Brucesaid.“Withidealatmosphericdrag,it'llimpactat300
meterspersecond.”
“WhatgoodwillapulverizedprobedoWatney?”Jackasked.
“Aslongasthefooddoesn'tburnuponthewayin,Watneycaneat
it.”Brucecommented.
Turningtothewhiteboard,hebegandrawingabasicorganizational
chart.“Iwanttwoteams,”Hebegan.
“TeamOnewillmaketheoutershell,guidancesystem,andthrusters.
AllweneedisforittogettoMars.Iwantthesafestpossiblesystem.
Aerosolpropellantwouldbebest.High-gainradiosowecantalktoit,
andstandardsatellitenavigationalsoftware.
“TeamTwowilldealwiththepayload.Theyneedtofindawayto
containthefoodduringimpact.Ifproteinbarshitsandat300m/s,they'll
makeprotein-scentedsand.Weneedthemedibleafterimpact.
“Wecanweigh941kg.Atleast300ofthatneedstobefood.Get
crackin'.”
“Uh,Dr.Kapoor?”Richsaid,peekinghisheadintoVenkat'soffice.
“Doyouhaveaminute?”
Venkatgesturedhimin.“Youare...?”
“Rich,RichPurnell,”hesaid,shufflingintotheoffice,hisarms
wrappedaroundasheafdisorganizedpapers.“Fromastrodynamics.”
“Nicetomeetyou,”Venkatsaid.“WhatcanIdoforyou,Rich?”
“Icameupwithsomethingawhileago.Spentalotoftimeonit.”He
dumpedthepapersonVenkat'sdesk.“Lemmefindthesummary...”
Venkatstaredforlornlyathisoncecleandesk,nowstrewnwithscores
ofprintouts.
“Herewego!”Richsaidtriumphantly,grabbingapaper.Then,his
expressionsaddened.“No,thisisn'tit.”
“Rich,”Venkatsaid.“Maybeyoushouldjusttellmewhatthisis
about?”
Richlookedatthemessofpapersandsighed.“ButIhadsuchacool
summary...”
“Asummaryforwhat?”
“HowtosaveWatney.”
“That'salreadyinprogress,”Venkatsaid.“It'salast-ditcheffort,
but-”
“TheTaiyangShen?”Richsnorted.“Thatwon'twork.Youcan'tmake
aMarsprobeinamonth.”
“We'resureashellgoingtotry,”Venkatsaid,anoteofannoyancein
hisvoice.
“Ohsorry,amIbeingdifficult?”Richasked.“I'mnotgoodwith
people.SometimesI'mdifficult.Iwishpeoplewouldjusttellme.
Anyway,theTaiyangSheniscritical.Infact,myideawon'tworkwithout
it.ButaMarsprobe?Pfft.C'mon.”
“Allright,”Venkatsaid.“What'syouridea?”
Richsnatchedapaperfromthedesk.“Hereitis!”Hehandeditto
Venkatwithachild-likesmile.
Venkattookthesummaryandskimmedit.Themoreheread,the
widerhiseyesgot.“Areyousureaboutthis?”
“Absolutely!”Richbeamed.
“Haveyoutoldanyoneelse?”
“WhowouldItell?”
“Idon'tknow,Venkatsaid.“Friends?”
“Idon'thaveanyofthose.”
“Ok,keepitunderyourhat.”Venkatsaid.
“Idon'twearahat.”
“It'sjustanexpression.”
“Really?”Richsaid.“It'sastupidexpression.”
“Rich,you'rebeingdifficult.”
“Ah.Thanks.”
Vogel:
Beingyourbackuphasbackfired.
IguessNASAfiguredbotanyandchemistryare
similarbecausetheybothendin“Y”.Onewayor
another,Iendedupbeingyourback-upchemist.
Rememberwhentheymadeyouspendaday
explainingyourexperimentstome?Itwasinthe
middleofintensemissionprep.Youmayhave
forgotten.
Youstartedmytrainingbybuyingmeabeer.
Forbreakfast.Germansareawesome.
Anyway,nowthatIhavetimetokill,NASAgave
meapileofwork.Andallyourchemistrycrapis
onthelist.SonowIhavetodoboring-ass
experimentswithtesttubesandsoilandpHlevels
andZzzzzzzzzz....
Mylifeisnowadesperatestrugglefor
survival...withoccasionaltitration.
Frankly,Isuspectyou'reasupervillain.
You'reachemist,youhaveaGermanaccent,you
hadabaseonMars...whatmorecantherebe?
“Whatthe....is'ProjectElrond'?”Annieasked.
“Ihadtomakesomethingup,”Venkatsaid.
“Soyoucameupwith'Elrond'?”Anniepressed.
“Becauseit'sasecretmeeting?”Mitchguessed.“TheemailsaidI
couldn'teventellmyassistant.”
“I'llexplaineverythingonceTeddyarrives.”Venkatsaid.
“Whydoes'Elrond'mean'secretmeeting'?”Annieasked.
“Arewegoingtomakeamomentousdecision?”BrugeNgasked.
“Exactly,”Venkatsaid.
“Howdidyouknowthat?”Annieasked,gettingannoyed.
“Elrond,”Brucesaid.“TheCouncilofElrond.FromLordofthe
Rings.It'sthemeetingwheretheydecidetodestroyTheOneRing.”
“Jesus,”Anniesaid.“Noneofyougotlaidinhighschool,didyou?”
“Goodmorning,”Teddysaidashewalkedin.Seatinghimself,he
restedhishandsonthetable.“Anyoneknowwhatthismeeting'sabout?”
Heasked.
“Wait,”Mitchsaid,“Teddydoesn'tevenknow?”
Venkattookadeepbreath.“Oneofourastrodynamicists,Rich
Purnell,hasfoundawaytogetHermesbacktoMars.Thecoursehecame
upwithwouldgiveHermesaMarsflybyonSol549.”
Silence.
“Youshittin'us?”Anniedemanded.
“Sol549?How'sthatevenpossible?”AskedBruce.“EvenIris
wouldn'thavelandedtillSol588.”
“Iriswasapoint-thrustcraft,”Venkatsaid.“Hermeshasaconstantthrustionengine.It'salwaysaccelerating.Also,Hermeshasalotof
velocityrightnow.OntheircurrentEarth-interceptcourse,theyhaveto
decelerateforthenextmonthjusttoslowdowntoEarth'sspeed.”
Mitchrubbedthebackofhishead.“Wow...549.That's35solsbefore
Watneyrunsoutoffood.Thatwouldsolveeverything.”
Teddyleanedforward.“Runusthroughit,Venkat.Whatwouldit
entail?”
“Well,”Venkatbegan,“Iftheydidthis'RichPurnellManeuver,'
they'dstartacceleratingrightaway,topreservetheirvelocityandgain
evenmore.Theywouldn'tinterceptEarthatall,butwouldcomeclose
enoughtouseagravityassisttoadjustcourse.Aroundthattime,they'd
pickupare-supplyprobewithprovisionsfortheextendedtrip.
“Afterthat,they'dbeonanacceleratingorbittowardMars,arriving
onSol549.LikeIsaid,it'saMaryflyby.Thisisn'tanythinglikeanormal
Aresmission.They'llbegoingtoofasttofallintoorbit.Therestofthe
maneuvertakesthembacktoEarth.They'dbehome211daysafterthe
flyby.”
“Whatgoodisaflyby?”Bruceasked.“Theydon'thaveanywaytoget
Watneyoffthesurface.”
“Yeah...”Venkatsaid.“Nowfortheunpleasantpart:Watneywould
havetogettotheAres-4MAV.”
“SchiaparelliCrater!?”Mitchgaped.“That's3,200kmaway!”
“3,235kmtobeexact,”Venkatsaid.“It'snotoutofthequestion.He
drovetoPathfinder'slandingsiteandback.That'sover1,500km.”
“Thatwasoverflat,desertterrain,”Brucechimedin.“Butthetripto
Schiaparelli-”
“Sufficeittosay,”Venkatinterrupted,“Itwouldbeverydifficultand
dangerous.Butwehavealotofcleverscientiststohelphimtrickoutthe
rover.AlsotherewouldbeMAVmodifications.”
“What'swrongwiththeMAV?”Mitchasked.
“It'sdesignedtogettolowMarsorbit,”Venkatexplained.“But
Hermeswouldbeonaflyby,sotheMAVwouldhavetoescapeMars
gravityentirelytointercept.”
“How?”Mitchasked.
“It'dhavetoloseweight...alotofweight.Icangetroomsfullof
peopleworkingontheseproblemsifwedecidetodothis.”
“Earlier,”Teddysaid,“YoumentionedasupplyprobeforHermes.
Wehavethatcapability?”
“Yes,withtheTaiyangShen,”Venkatsaid.“We'dshootforanearEarthrendezvous.It'saloteasierthangettingaprobetoMars,that'sfor
sure.”
“Isee,”Teddysaid.“Sowehavetwooptionsonthetable:Send
WatneyenoughfoodtolastuntilAres4,orsendHermesbacktogethim
rightnow.BothplansrequiretheTaiyangShen,sowecanonlydoone.”
“Yes,”Venkatsaid.“We'llhavetopickone.”
Theyalltookamomenttoconsider.
“WhatabouttheHermescrew?”Annieasked,breakingthesilence.
“Wouldtheyhaveaproblemwithadding...”Shedidsomequickmathin
herhead“533daystotheirmission?”
“Theywouldn'thesitate,”Mitchsaid.“Notforasecond.That'swhy
Venkatcalledthismeeting.”HecastadisapprovingglareatVenkat.“He
wantsustodecideinstead.”
“That'sright,”Venkatsaid.
“ItshouldbeCommanderLewis'call,”Mitchsaidsternly.
“Pointlesstoevenaskher,”Venkatsaid.“Weneedtomakethis
decision;it'samatteroflifeanddeath.”
“She'stheMissionCommander,”Mitchsaid.“Lifeanddeath
decisionsareherdamnjob.”
“Easy,Mitch,”Teddysaid.
“Bullshit,”Mitchsaid.“Youguyshavedoneend-runsaroundthe
creweverytimesomethinggoeswrong.Youdidn'ttellthemWatneywas
stillalive,nowyou'renottellingthemthere'sarescueoption.”
“Wealreadyhavearescueoption,”Teddysaid.“We'rejust
discussinganotherone.”
“Thecrash-lander?”Mitchsaid.“Doesanyonethinkthat'llwork?
Anyone?”
“Allright,Mitch,”Teddysaid.“You'veexpressedyouropinion,and
we'veheardit.Let'smoveon.”HeturnedtoVenkat.“CanHermes
functionfor533daysbeyondthescheduledmissionend?”
“Itshould,”Venkatsaid.“Thecrewmayhavetofixthingshereand
there,butthey'rewelltrained.Remember,Hermeswasmadetodoall5
Aresmissions.It'sonlyhalfwaythroughitsdesignedlifespan.”
“It'sthemostexpensivethingeverbuilt,”Teddysaid.“Wecan'tmake
anotherone.Ifsomethingwentwrong,thecrewwoulddie,andtheAres
Programwiththem.”
“Losingthecrewwouldbeadisaster,”Venkatsaid.“Butwewouldn't
loseHermes.Wecanremotelyoperateit.Solongasthereactorandion
enginescontinuedtowork,wecouldbringitback.”
“Spacetravelisdangerous,”Mitchsaid.“Wecan'tmakethisa
discussionaboutwhat'ssafest.”
“Idisagree,”Teddysaid.“Thisisabsolutelyadiscussionaboutwhat's
safest.Andabouthowmanylivesareatstake.Bothplansarerisky,but
resupplyingWatneyonlyrisksonelifewhiletheRichPurnellManeuver
riskssix.”
“Considerdegreeofrisk,Teddy,”Venkatsaid.“Mitchisright.The
crash-landerishigh-risk.ItcouldmissMars,itcouldre-enterwrongand
burnup,itcouldcrashtoohardanddestroythefood...weestimate30%
chanceofsuccess.”
“Anear-EarthrendezvouswithHermesismoredoable?”Teddy
asked.
“Muchmoredoable,”Venkatconfirmed.“Withsub-second
transmissiondelays,wecancontroltheprobedirectlyfromEarthrather
thanrelyonautomatedsystems.Whenthetimecomestodock,Major
MartinezcanpilotitremotelyfromHermeswithnotransmissiondelayat
all.AndHermeshasahumancrew,abletoovercomeanyhiccupsthat
mayhappen.Andwedon'thavetodoareentry;thesuppliesdon'thaveto
survivea300m/simpact.”
“So,”Bruceoffered,“Wecanhaveahighchanceofkillingone
person,oralowchanceofkilling6people.Jeez.Howdoweevenmake
thisdecision?”
“Wetalkaboutit,thenTeddymakesthedecision,”Venkatsaid.“Not
surewhatelsewecando.”
“WecouldletLewis-”Mitchbegan.
“Yeah,otherthanthat,”Venkatinterrupted.
“Question,”Anniesaid.“WhatamIevenherefor?Thisseemslike
somethingforyounerdstodiscuss.”
“Youneedtobeintheloop,”Venkatsaid.“We'renotdecidingright
now.We'llneedtoquietlyresearchthedetailsinternally.Something
mightleak,andyouneedtobereadytodancearoundquestions.”
“Howlonghavewegottomakeadecision?”Teddyasked.
“Thewindowforstartingthemaneuverendsin39hours.”
“Allright,”Teddysaid.“Everyone,wediscussthisonlyinpersonor
onthephone;neveremail.Anddon'ttalktoanyoneaboutthis,otherthan
thepeoplehere.Thelastthingweneedispublicopinionpressingfora
riskycowboyrescuethatmaybeimpossible.”
Beck:
Hey,man.Howyabeen?
NowthatI'mina“diresituation,”Idon't
havetofollowsocialrulesanymore.Icanbe
honestwitheveryone.
Bearingthatinmind,Ihavetosay...dude...
youneedtotellJohanssenhowyoufeel.Ifyou
don’t,you’llregretitforever.
Iwon'tlie:Itcouldendbadly.Ihavenoidea
whatshethinksofyou.Orofanything.She's
weird.
Butwaittillthemission’sover.You'reona
shipwithherforanothertwomonths.Also,ifyou
guysgotuptoanythingwhilethemissionwasin
progress,Lewiswouldkillyou.
Venkat,Mitch,Annie,Bruce,andTeddymetsecretlyforthesecond
timeinasmanydays.“ProjectElrond”hadtakenonadarkconnotation,
veiledinsecrecy.Manypeopleknewthename,noneknewitspurpose.
Speculationranrampant.Somethoughtitwasacompletelynew
programintheworks.OthersworrieditmightbeamovetocancelAres4
and5.MostthoughtitwasAres6intheworks.
“Itwasn'taneasydecision,”Teddysaidtotheassembledelite.“But
I'vedecidedtogowithIris2.NoRichPurnellManeuver.”
Mitchslammedhisfistonthetable.
“We'lldoallwecantomakeitwork,”Brucesaid.
“Ifit'snottoomuchtoask,”Venkatbegan.“Whatmadeupyour
mind?”
Teddysighed.“It'samatterofrisk,”hesaid.“Iris2onlyrisksone
life.RichPurnellrisksallsixofthem.IknowRichPurnellismorelikely
towork,butIdon'tthinkit'ssixtimesmorelikely.”
“You....coward,”Mitchsaid.
“Mitch...”Venkatsaid.
“Yougoddamned....coward,”Mitchcontinued,ignoring
Venkat.“Youjustwanttocutyourlosses.You'reondamagecontrol.You
don'tgiveashitaboutWatney'slife.”
“OfcourseIdo,”Teddyreplied.“AndI'msickofyourinfantile
attitude.Youcanthrowallthetantrumsyouwant,buttherestofushave
tobeadults.Thisisn'taTVshow;theriskiersolutionisn'talwaysthe
best.”
“Spaceisdangerous,”Mitchsnapped.“It'swhatwedohere.Ifyou
wanttoplayitsafeallthetime,gojoinaninsurancecompany.Andby
theway,it'snotevenyourlifeyou'rerisking.Thecrewcanmakeuptheir
ownmindsaboutit.”
“Notheycan't,”Teddyfiredback.“They'retooemotionallyinvolved.
Clearly,soareyou.I'mnotgamblingfivelivestosaveone.Especially
whenwemightsavehimwithoutriskingthematall.”
“Bullshit!”Mitchshotbackashestoodfromhischair.“You'rejust
convincingyourselfthecrash-landerwillworksoyoudon'thavetotakea
risk.You'rehanginghimouttodry,youchicken-shitsonofabitch!”
Hestormedoutoftheroom,slammingthedoorbehindhim.
Afterafewseconds,Venkatfollowedbehind,saying“I'llmakesure
hecoolsoff.”
Bruceslumpedinhischair.“Sheesh,”hesaid,nervously.“We're
scientists,forChrist'ssake.Whatthehell!?”
Anniequietlygatheredherthingsandplacedtheminherbriefcase.
Teddylookedtoher.“Sorryaboutthat,Annie,”hesaid.“WhatcanI
say?Sometimesmenlettestosteronetakeover-”
“Iwashopinghe'dkickyourass,”sheinterrupted.
“What?”
“Iknowyoucareabouttheastronauts,buthe'sright.Youarea
....coward.IfyouhadballswemightbeabletosaveWatney.”
Lewis:
Hi,Commander.
BetweentrainingandourtriptoMars,Ispent
2yearsworkingwithyou.IthinkIknowyou
prettywell.SoI’mguessingyoublameyourself
formysituation.
Don’t.
Youwerefacedwithanimpossiblescenarioand
madeatoughdecision.That’swhatCommandersdo.
Andyourdecisionwasright.Ifyou’dwaitedany
longer,theMAVwouldhavetipped.
I’msureyou’verunthroughallthepossible
outcomesinyourhead,soyouknowthere’snothing
youcouldhavedonedifferently(otherthan“be
psychic”).
Youprobablythinklosingacrewmanisthe
worstthingthatcanhappen.Nottrue.Losingthe
wholecrewisworse.Youkeptthatfrom
happening.
Butthere'ssomethingmoreimportantweneedto
discuss:WhatisitwithyouandDisco?Ican
understandthe'70'sTVbecauseeveryoneloves
hairypeoplewithhugecollars.ButDisco?
Disco!?
VogelcheckedthepositionandorientationofHermesagainstthe
projectedpath.Itmatched,asusual.Inadditiontobeingthemission's
chemist,hewasalsoanaccomplishedastrophysicist.Thoughhisduties
asnavigatorwerelaughablyeasy.
Thecomputerknewthecourse.Itknewwhentoangletheshipsothe
ionengineswouldbeaimedcorrectly.Anditknewthelocationofthe
shipatalltimes(easilycalculatedfromthepositionofthesunandEarth,
andknowingtheexacttimefromanon-boardatomicclock.)
Barringacompletecomputerfailureorothercriticalevent,Vogel’s
vastknowledgeofastrodynamicswouldnevercomeintoplay.
Completingthecheck,heranadiagnosticontheengines.Theywere
functioningatpeak.Hedidallthisfromhisquarters.Allon-board
computerscouldcontrolallship'sfunctions.Gonewerethedaysof
physicallyvisitingtheenginestocheckuponthem.
Havingcompletedhisworkfortheday,hefinallyhadtimetoread
email.
SortingthroughthemessagesNASAdeemedworthytoupload,he
readthemostinterestingfirstandrespondedwhennecessary.His
responseswerecachedandwouldbesenttoEarthwithJohanssen'snext
uplink.
Amessagefromhiswifecaughthisattention.TitledUnserekinder
(“ourchildren”),itcontainednothingbutanimageattachment.Heraised
aneyebrow.Severalthingsstoodoutatonce.Firstly,“kinder”should
havebeencapitalized.Helena,agrammarschoolteacherinBremen,was
veryunlikelytomakethatmistake.Also,toeachother,they
affectionatelycalledtheirkidsDieAffen.
Attemptingtoopentheimage,hisviewerreportedthefilewas
unreadable.
Hewalkeddownthenarrowhallway.Thecrewquartersstoodagainst
theouterhulloftheconstantly-spinningshiptomaximizesimulated
gravity.Johanssen'sdoorwasopen,asusual.
“Johanssen.Goodevening,”Vogelsaid.Thecrewkeptthesamesleep
schedule,anditwasnearingbedtime.
“Oh,hello,”Johanssensaid,lookingupfromhercomputer.
“Ihavethecomputerproblem,”Vogelexplained.“Iwonderifyou
willhelp.”
“Sure,”shesaid.
“Youareinthepersonaltime,”Vogelsaid.“Perhapstomorrowwhen
youareonthedutyisbetter?”
“Now'sfine,”shesaid.“What'swrong?”
“Itisafile.Itisanimage,butmycomputercannotview.”
“Where'sthefile?”sheasked,typingonherkeyboard.
“Itisonmysharedspace.Thenameis'kinder.jpg'.”
“Let'stakealook,”shesaid.
Herfingersflewoverherkeyboardaswindowsopenedandclosedon
herscreen.“Definitelyabadjpgheader,”shesaid.“Probablymangledin
thedownload.Lemmelookwithahexeditor,seeifwegotanythingat
all...”
Afterafewmomentsshesaid.“Thisisn'tajpg.It'saplainASCIItext
file.Lookslike...wellIdon'tknowwhatitis.Lookslikeabunchofmath
formulae.”Shegesturedtothescreen.“Doesanyofthismakesenseto
you?”
Vogelleanedin,lookingatthetext.“Ja,”hesaid.“Itisacourse
maneuverforHermes.Itsaysthenameis'RichPurnellManeuver'.”
“What'sthat?”Johanssenasked.
“Ihavenotheardofthismaneuver.”Helookedatthetables.“Itis
complicated...verycomplicated...”
Hefroze.“Sol549!?”heexclaimed.“MeinGott!”
TheHermescrewenjoyedtheirscantpersonaltimeinanareacalled
“TheRec”.Consistingofatableandbarelyroomtoseatsix,itranked
lowingravitypriority.It'spositionamidshipsgranteditamere0.2g.
Still,itwasenoughtokeepeveryoneintheirseatsastheypondered
whatVogeltoldthem.
“...andthenmissionwouldconcludewithEarthintercept211days
later,”hefinishedup.
“Thankyou,Vogel,”Lewissaid.She'dheardtheexplanationearlier
whenVogelcametoher,butJohanssen,Martinez,andBeckwerehearing
itforthefirsttime.Shegavethemamomenttodigest.
“Wouldthisreallywork?”Martinezasked.
“Ja,”Vogelnodded.“Iranthenumbers.Theyallcheckout.Itis
brilliantcourse.Amazing.”
“HowwouldhegetoffMars?”Martinezasked.
Lewisleanedforward.“Therewasmoreinthemessage,”shebegan.
“ThemaneuverispartofanoverallideaNASAhadtorescueWatney.
We'dhavetopickupasupplynearEarth,andhe'dhavetogettoAres-4's
MAV.”
“Whyallthecloakanddagger?”Beckasked.
“Accordingtothemessage,”Lewisexplained.“NASArejectedthe
idea.They'drathertakeabigriskonWatneythanasmallriskonallof
us.WhoeversnuckitintoVogel'semailobviouslydisagreed.”
“So,”Martinezsaid,“We'retalkingaboutgoingdirectlyagainst
NASA'sdecision?”
“Yes,”Lewisconfirmed,“That'swhatwe'retalkingabout.Ifwedo
themaneuver,they'llhavetosendthesupplyshiporwe'lldie.Wehave
theopportunitytoforcetheirhand.”
“Arewegoingtodoit?”Johanssenasked.
TheyalllookedtoLewis.
“Iwon'tlie,”shesaid.“I'dsureashellliketo.Butthisisn'tanormal
decision.ThisissomethingNASAexpresslyrejected.We'retalking
aboutmutiny.Andthat'snotawordIthrowaroundlightly.”
Shestoodandpacedslowlyaroundthetable.“We'llonlydoitifwe
allagree.Andbeforeyouanswer,considertheconsequences.Ifwemess
upthesupplyrendezvous,wedie.IfwemessuptheEarthgravityassist,
wedie.
“Ifwedoeverythingperfectly,weadd533daystoourmission.533
daysofunplannedspacetravelwhereanythingcouldgowrong.
Maintenancewillbeahassle.Somethingmightbreakthatwecan'tfix.If
it'slife-critical,wedie.”
“Signmeup!”Martinezsmiled.
“Easy,cowboy,”Lewissaid.“YouandIaremilitary.There'sagood
chancewe'dbecourt-martialedwhenwegothome.Asfortherestofyou,
Iguaranteethey'llneversendyouupagain.”
Martinezleanedagainstthewall,armsfoldedwithahalfgrinonhis
face.Therestsilentlyconsideredwhattheircommanderhadsaid.
“Ifwedothis,”Vogelsaid.“Itwouldbeover1000daysofspace.
Thisisenoughspaceforalife.Idonotneedtoreturn.”
“SoundslikeVogel'sin,”Martinezgrinned.“Me,too,obviously.”
“Let'sdoit,”Becksaid.
“Ifyouthinkit'llwork,”JohanssensaidtoLewis,“Itrustyou.”
“Ok,”Lewissaid.“Ifwegoforit,what'sinvolved?”
Vogelshrugged.“Iplotthecourseandexecuteit,”hesaid.“What
else?”
“RemoteOverride,”Johanssensaid.“It'sdesignedtogettheshipback
ifwealldieorsomething.TheycantakeoverHermesfromMission
Control.”
“Butwe'rerighthere,”Lewissaid.“Wecanundowhatevertheytry,
right?”
“Notreally,”Johanssensaid.“RemoteOverridetakespriorityover
anyon-boardcontrols.Itsassumesthere'sbeenadisasterandtheship's
controlpanelscan'tbetrusted.”
“Canyoudisableit?”Lewisasked.
“Hmm...”Johanssenpondered.“Hermeshasfourredundantflight
computers,eachconnectedtothreeredundantcommsystems.Ifany
computergetssignalfromanycommsystem,MissionControlcantake
over.Wecan'tshutdownthecomms;we'dlosetelemetryandguidance.
Wecan'tshutdownthecomputers;weneedthemtocontroltheship.I'll
havetodisabletheRemoteOverrideoneachsystem...It'spartoftheOS,
I'llhavetojumpoverthecode...yes.Icandoit.”
“You'resure?”Lewisasked.“Youcanturnitoff?”
“Shouldn'tbehard,”Johanssensaid.“It'sanemergencyfeature,nota
securityprogram.Itisn'tprotectedagainstmaliciouscode.”
“Maliciouscode?”Becksmiled.“So...you'llbeahacker?”
“Yeah,”Johanssensmiledback.“IguessIwill.”
“Allright,”Lewissaid.“Lookslikewecandoit.ButIdon'twant
peerpressureforcinganyoneintoit.We'llwaitfor24hours.Duringthat
time,anyonecanchangetheirmind.Justtalktomeinprivateorsendme
anemail.I'llcallitoffandnevertellanyonewhoitwas.”
Lewisstayedbehindastherestfiledout.Watchingthemleave,she
sawtheyweresmiling.Allfourofthem.Forthefirsttimesinceleaving
Mars,theywerebacktotheiroldselves.Sheknewrightthennoone
wouldchangetheirmind.
TheyweregoingbacktoMars.
EveryoneknewBrendanHutchwouldberunningmissionssoon.
Herosethroughtheranksasfastasonecouldinthelarge,inertiaboundorganization.Knownasadiligentworker,hisskillandleadership
qualitieswereplaintoallhissubordinates.
BrendanwasinchargeofMissionControlfrom1amto9amevery
night.Continuedexcellentperformanceinthisrolewouldcertainlynet
himapromotion.Itwasalreadyannouncedhe'dbeback-upFlight
ControllerforAres-4,andhehadagoodshotatthetopjobforAres-5.
“Flight,CAPCOM,”cameavoicethroughhisheadset.
“GoCAPCOM,”Brendanresponded.Thoughtheywereinthesame
room,radioprotocolwasobservedatalltimes.
“UnscheduledstatusupdatefromHermes.”
WithHermes90light-secondsaway,back-and-forthvoice
communicationwasimpractical.Otherthanmediarelations,Hermes
wouldcommunicateviatextuntiltheyweremuchcloser.
“Roger,”Brendansaid.“Readitout.”
“I...Idon'tgetit,Flight,”cametheconfusedreply.“Norealstatus,
justasinglesentence.”
“What'sitsay?”
“Messagereads:'Houston,beadvised:RichPurnellisasteely-eyed
missileman.'”
“What?”Brendanasked.“WhothehellisRichPurnell?”
“Flight,Telemetry,”cameanothervoice.
“GoTelemetry,”Brendansaid.
“Hermesisoff-course.”
“CAPCOM,adviseHermesthey'redrifting.Telemetry,geta
correctionvectorready-”
“Negative,Flight,”Telemetryinterrupted.“It'snotdrift.They
adjustedcourse.Instrumentationuplinkshowsadeliberate27.812degree
rotation.”
“Whatthehell?”Brendanstammered.“CAPCOM,askthemwhatthe
hell.”
“RogerFlight...messagesent.Minimumreplytime3minutes,4
seconds.”
“Telemetry,anychancethisisinstrumentationfailure?”
“Negative,Flight.We'retrackingthemwithSatCon.Observed
positionisconsistentwiththecoursechange.”
“CAPCOM,Readyourlogsandseewhatthepreviousshiftdid.Seeif
amassivecoursechangewasorderedandsomehownobodytoldus.”
“Roger,Flight.”
“Guidance,Flight.”Brendansaid.
“GoFlight,”camethereplyfromtheGuidanceController.
“Workouthowlongtheycanstayonthiscoursebeforeit's
irreversible.AtwhatpointwilltheynolongerbeabletointerceptEarth?”
“Workingonthatnow,Flight.”
“AndsomebodyfindoutwhothehellRichPurnellis!”
MitchsatcomfortablyinTeddy'soffice.
“Why'dyoudoit,Mitch?”Teddydemanded.
“Dowhat?”Mitchasked.
“YouknowdamnwellwhatI'mtalkingabout.”
“Oh,youmeantheHermesmutiny?”Mitchsaidinnocently.“You
know,that'dmakeagoodmovietitle.'TheHermesMutiny.'Gotanice
ringtoit.”
“Weknowyoudidit,”Teddysaidsternly.“Wedon'tknowhow,but
weknowyousentthemthemaneuver.”
“Isupposeyouhaveproof,then?”
Teddyglared.“No.Notyet,butwe'reworkingonit.”
“Really?”Mitchsaid.“Isthatreallythebestuseofourtime?Imean,
wehaveanear-Earthresupplytoplan,nottomentionfiguringouthowto
getWatneytoSchiaparelli.We'vegotalotonourplates.”
“You'redamnrightwehavealotonourplates!”Teddyfumed.“After
yourlittlestunt,we'recommittedtothisthing.”
“Allegedstunt,”Mitchsaid.“IsupposeAnniewilltellthemediawe
decidedtotrythisriskymaneuver?Andshe'llleaveoutthemutinypart?”
“Ofcourse,”Teddysaid.“Otherwisewe'dlooklikeidiots.”
“Guessthat'smeoffthehookthen!”Mitchsmiled.“Can'tfiremefor
enactingNASApolicy.Allegedlyenactingit,thatis.IguessLewisisoff
thehook,too.AndmaybeWatneygetstolive.Happyendingsall
around!”
“Youmayhavekilledthewholecrew,”Teddycountered.“Everthink
ofthat?”
“Whomevergavethemthemaneuver,”Mitchsaid,“onlypassedalong
information.Lewismadethedecisiontoactonit.Ifsheletemotion
cloudherjudgment,she'dbeashittycommander.Andshe'snotashitty
commander.”
“IfIcaneverproveitwasyou,I'llfindawaytofireyouforit.”
Teddywarned.
“Sure,”Mitchshrugged.“ButifIwasn'twillingtotakeriskstosave
lives,I'd...”Hethoughtforamoment.“Well,IguessI'dbeyou.”
Chapter17
LOGENTRY:SOL192
Holyshit!
They'recomingbackforme!
Idon'tevenknowhowtoreact.I'mchokedup!
AndI'vegotashitloadofworktodobeforeIcatchthatbushome.
Theycan'torbit.IfI'mnotinspacewhentheypassby,alltheycando
iswave.
IhavetogettoAres-4'sMAV.EvenNASAacceptsthat.Andwhen
thenanniesatNASArecommenda3200kmoverlanddrive,youknow
you'retrouble.
SchiaparelliCraterhereIcome!
Well...notrightaway.Istillhavetodotheaforementionedshitload
ofwork.
MytriptoPathfinderwasaquickjauntcomparedtotheepicjourney
that'scomingup.IgotawaywithalotofshortcutsbecauseIonlyhadto
survive18sols.Thistime,thingsaredifferent.
Iaveraged80km/solonmywaytoPathfinder.IfIdothatwelltoward
Schiaparelliit'lltake40sols.Callit50tobesafe.
Butthere'smoretoitthanjusttravel.OnceIgetthere,I'llneedtoset
upcampanddoabunchofMAVmodifications.NASAestimatesthey'll
take30sols,45tobesafe.BetweenthetripandtheMAVmods,that's95
sols.Callit100because“95”criesouttobeapproximated.
SoI'llneedtosurviveawayfromtheHabfor100sols.
“WhatabouttheMAV?”Ihearyouask(inmyfeveredimagination).
“Won'tithavesomesupplies?Airandwaterattheveryleast?”
Nope.It'sgot....-all.
Itdoeshaveairtanks,butthey'reempty.AnAresmissionneedslots
ofO2,N2andwateranyway.WhysendmorewiththeMAV?Easierto
havethecrewtopofftheMAVfromtheHab.Fortunatelyformy
crewmates,themissionplanhadMartinezfilltheMAVtanksonSol1.
TheflybyisonSol549,soI'llneedtoleaveby449.Thatgivesme
257solstogetmyshitingear.
Seemslikealongtime,doesn'tit?
Inthattime,IneedtomodifytherovertocarrytheAtmospheric
Regulator,Oxygenator,andWaterReclaimer.Icallthem“TheBig
Three”.Allthreeneedtobeinthepressurizedarea,buttheroverisn'tbig
enough.Allthreeneedtoberunningatalltimes,buttherover'sbatteries
can'thandlethatloadforlong.
Theroverwillalsoneedtocarryallmyfood,water,solarcells,extra
battery,mytools,somespareparts,andPathfinder.Asmysolemeansof
communicationwithNASA,Pathfindergetstorideontheroof,Granny
Clampettstyle.
Ihavealotofproblemstosolve,butIhavealotofsmartpeopleto
solvethem.PrettymuchthewholeplanetEarth.
NASAisstillworkingonthedetails,buttheideaistouseboth
rovers.Onetodrivearound,theothertoactasatrailerforalltheshitI
havetobring.
I'llhavetomakestructuralchangestothattrailer.Andby“structural
changes”Imean“cutabigholeinthehull.”ThenIcanmovetheBig
ThreeinanduseHabcanvastolooselycoverthehole.It'llballoonout
whenIpressurizetherover,butit'llhold.
HowwillIcutabigchunkoutofarover'shull?I'llletmylovely
assistantVenkatKapoorexplainfurther:
[14:38]JPL:I'msureyou'rewonderinghowto
cutaholeintherover.
Ourexperimentsshowarocksampledrillcan
getthroughthehull.Wearandtearonthebitis
minimal(rocksareharderthancarboncomposite).
Youcancutholesinaline,thenchiseloutthe
remainingchunksbetweenthem.
Ihopeyoulikedrilling.Thedrillbitis1cm
wide,theholeswillbe0.5cmapart,andthe
lengthofthetotalcutis11.4m.That's760
holes.Andeachonetakes160secondstodrill.
Problem:Thedrillsweren'tdesignedfor
constructionprojects.Theywereintendedfor
quickrocksamples.Thebatteriesonlylast240
seconds.Youdohavetwodrills,butyou'dstill
onlyget3holesdonebeforeneedingtorecharge.
Andrechargingtakes41minutes.
That's173hoursofwork,limitedto8EVA
hoursperday.That's21daysofdrilling,and
that'sjusttoolong.Allourotherideashingeon
thiscutworking.Ifitdoesn't,weneedtimeto
comeupwithnewones.
SowewantyoutowireadrilldirectlytoHab
power.
Thedrillexpects28.8Vandpulls9Amps.The
onlylinesthatcanhandlethataretherover
rechargelines.They're36V,10Amax.Sinceyou
havetwo,we'recomfortablewithyoumodifying
one.
We'llsendyouinstructionsonhowtostepdown
thevoltageandputanewbreakerintheline,but
I'msureyoualreadyknowhow.
I'llbeplayingwithhighvoltagepowertomorrow.Can'timagine
anythinggoingwrongwiththat!
LOGENTRY:SOL193
Imanagedtonotkillmyselftoday,eventhoughIwasworkingwith
highvoltage.Well,it'snotasexcitingasallthat.Idisconnectedtheline
beforeI....withit.
Asinstructed,Iturnedaroverchargingcableintoadrillpower
source.Gettingthevoltagewasasimplematterofaddingresistors,which
myelectronicskithasinabundance.
Ihadtomakemyowna9Ampbreaker.Istrungthree3Abreakersin
parallel.There'snowayfor9Atogetthroughthatwithouttrippingall
threeinrapidsuccession.
ThenIhadtorewireadrill.PrettymuchthesamethingIdidwith
Pathfinder.Takeoutthebatteryandreplaceitwithapowerlinefromthe
Hab.Butthistimeitwasaloteasier.
Pathfinderwastoobigtofitthroughanyofmyairlocks,soIhadto
doalltherewiringoutside.Everdoneelectronicswhilewearingaspace
suit?Painintheass.IevenhadtomakeaworkbenchoutofMAV
landingstruts,remember?
Anyway,thedrillfitintheairlockeasily.It'sonlyametertall,and
shapedlikeajackhammer.Wedidourrocksamplingstandingup,like
Apolloastronauts.
Also,unlikemyPathfinderhatchet-job,Ihadthefullschematicsof
thedrill.Iremovedthebatteryandattachedapowerlinewhereitusedto
be.Then,takingthedrillandit'snewcordoutside,Iconnectedittothe
modifiedroverchargerandfireditup.
Workedlikeacharm!Thedrillwhirledawaywithhappyabandon.
Somehow,Ihadmanagedtodoeverythingrightthefirsttry.Deepdown,
IthoughtI'dfrythedrillforsure.
Itwasn'tevenmiddayyet.Ifiguredwhynotgetajumpondrilling?
[10:07]Watney:Powerlinemodifications
complete.Hookedituptoadrill,anditworks
great.Plentyofdaylightleft.Sendmea
descriptionofthatholeyouwantmetocut.
[10:25]JPL:Gladtohearit.Startingonthe
cutsoundsgreat.Justtobeclear,theseare
modificationstoRover1,whichwe'vebeencalling
“thetrailer.”Rover2(theonewithyour
modificationsforthetriptoPathfinder)should
remainas-isfornow.
You'llbetakingachunkoutoftheroof,just
infrontoftheairlockintherearofthe
vehicle.Theholeneedstobeatleast2.5mlong
andthefull2mwidthofthepressurevessel.
Beforeanycuts,drawtheshapeonthetrailer,
andpositionthetrailerwherePathfinder'scamera
canseeit.We'llletyouknowifyougotit
right.
[10:43]Watney:Roger.Takeapicat11:30if
youhaven'theardfrommebythen.
Theroversaremadetointerlocksoonecantowtheother.Thatway
youcanrescueyourcrewmatesiftheshithitsthefan.Forthatsame
reason,roverscanshareairviahosesyouconnectbetweenthem.That
littlefeaturewillletmeshareatmospherewiththetraileronmylong
drive.
I'dstolenthetrailer'sbatterylongago;ithadnoabilitytomoveunder
it'sownpower.SoIhitchedituptomyawesomelymodifiedroverand
toweditintoplacenearPathfinder.
Venkattoldmeto“draw”theshapeIplantocut,butheneglectedto
mentionhow.It'snotlikeIhaveaSharpiethatcanworkoutonthe
surface.SoIvandalizedMartinez'sbed.
Thecotsarebasicallyhammocks.Lightweightstringwovenloosely
intosomethingthat'scomfortabletosleepon.Everygramcountswhen
makingstufftosendtoMars.
IunraveledMartinez'sbedandtookthestringoutside.Itapedittothe
trailerhullalongthepathIplannedtocut.Yes,ofcourseducttapeworks
inanear-vacuum.Ducttapeworksanywhere.Ducttapeismagicand
shouldbeworshiped.
IcanseewhatNASAhasinmind.Therearofthetrailerhasan
airlockthatwe'renotgoingtomesswith.Thecutisjustaheadofit,and
willleaveplentyofspaceforTheBigThreetostand.
IhavenoideahowNASAplanstopowertheBigThreefor24½hours
adayandstillhaveenergylefttodrive.Ibettheydon'tknow,either.But
they'resmart;they'llworksomethingout.
[11:49]JPL:Whatwecanseeofyourplanned
cutlooksgood.We'reassumingtheothersideis
identical.You'reclearedtostartdrilling.
[12:07]Watney:That'swhatshesaid.
[12:25]JPL:Seriously,Mark?Seriously?
First,Idepressurizedthetrailer.Callmecrazy,butIdidn'twantthe
drillexplosivelylaunchedatmyface.
ThenIhadtopicksomewheretostart.Ithoughtit'dbeeasiesttostart
ontheside.Iwaswrong.
Theroofwouldhavebeenbetter.ThesidewasahasslebecauseIhad
toholdthedrillparalleltotheground.Thisisn'tyourdad'sBlack&
Deckerwe'retalkingabout.It'sameterlongandonlysafetoholdbythe
handles.
Gettingittobitewasnasty.Ipresseditagainstthehullandturnedit
on,butitwanderedallovertheplace.SoIgotmytrustyhammerand
screwdriver.Withafewtaps,Imadeasmallchipinthecarbon
composite.
Thatgavethebitaplacetoseat,soIcouldkeepdrillinginoneplace.
AsNASApredicted,ittookabouttwominutestogetallthewaythrough.
Ifollowedthesameprocedureforthesecondholeanditwentmuch
smoother.Afterthethirdhole,thedrill'soverheatlightcameon.
Itwasn'tdesignedtooperateconstantlyforsolong.Fortunately,it
sensedtheoverheatandwarnedme.SoIleaneditagainsttheworkbench
forafewminutesanditcooleddown.OnethingyoucansayaboutMars:
It'sreallycold.Thethinatmospheredoesn'tconductheatverywell,butit
coolseverythingeventually.
Ihadalreadyremovedthedrill'scowling(thepowercordneededa
wayin).Apleasantsideeffectisthedrillcoolsevenfaster.ThoughI'll
havetocleanitthoroughlyeveryfewhoursasdustaccumulates.
By17:00,whenthesunbegantoset,Ihaddrilled75holes.Agood
start,butthere'sstilltonstodo.Eventually(probablytomorrow)I'llhave
tostartdrillingholesthatIcan'treachfromtheground.ForthatI'llneed
somethingtostandon.
Ican'tusemy“workbench.”It'sgotPathfinderonit,andthelast
thingI'mgoingtodoismesswiththat.ButI'vegotthreemoreMAV
landingstruts.I'msureIcanmakearamporsomething.
Anyway,that'sallstufffortomorrow.Tonightisabouteatingafull
rationfordinner.
Awwwyeah.That'sright.I'meithergettingrescuedonSol549orI'm
dying.ThatmeansIhave35daysofextrafood.Icanindulgeonceina
while.
LOGENTRY:SOL194
Iaverageaholeevery3.5minutes.Thatincludestheoccasional
breathertoletthedrillcooloff.
Ilearnedthisbyspendingalldamndaydrilling.After8hoursofdull,
physicallyintensework,Ihad137holestoshowforit.
ItturnedouttobeeasytodealwithplacesIcouldn'treach.Ididn't
needtomodifyalandingstrutafterall.Ijusthadtogetsomethingto
standon.Iusedageologicalsamplecontainer(alsoknownas“abox”).
BeforeIwasincontactwithNASA,Iwouldhaveworkedmorethan8
hours.Icanstayoutfor10beforeevendippinginto“emergency”air.
ButNASA'sgotalotofNervousNellieswhodon'twantmeoutlonger
thanspec.
Withtoday'swork,I'mabout¼ofthewaythroughthewholecut.At
least,¼ofthewaythroughthedrilling.ThenI'llhave759littlechunksto
chiselout.AndI'mnotsurehowwellcarboncompositeisgoingtotake
tothat.ButNASA'lldoitathousandtimesbackonEarthandtellmethe
bestwaytogetitdone.
Anyway,atthisrate,it'lltake4moredaysof(boring-ass)workto
finishthedrilling.
I'veactuallyexhaustedLewis'ssupplyofshitty'70'sTV.AndI've
readallofJohanssen'smysterybooks.
Irifledthroughothercrewmates'stufftofindentertainment.Butall
ofVogel'sstuffisinGerman,Beckbroughtnothingbutmedicaljournals,
andMartinezdidn'tbringanything.
I'mgotreallybored,soIdecidedtopickathemesong!
Somethingappropriate.Andnaturally,itshouldbesomethingfrom
Lewis'sgodawful'70'scollection.Itwouldn'tberightanyotherway.
Thereareplentyofgreatcandidates:LifeonMarsbyDavidBowie,
RocketManbyEltonJohn,AloneAgain(Naturally)byGilbert
O'Sullivan.
ButIsettledonStayin'AlivebytheBeeGees.
LOGENTRY:SOL195
Anotherday,anotherbunchofholes.145thistime(I'mgetting
better.)I'mhalf-waydone.Thisisgettingreallyold.
ButatleastIhaveencouragingmessagesfromVenkattocheerme
on!
[17:12]Watney:145holestoday.357total.
[17:31]JPL:Wethoughtyou'dhavemoredoneby
now.
.....
Anyway,I'mstillboredatnight.Iguessthat'sagoodthing.Nothing's
wrongwiththeHab,there'saplantosaveme,andthephysicallaboris
makingmesleepwonderfully.
Imisstendingthepotatoes.TheHabisn'tthesamewithoutthem.
There'sstillsoileverywhere.Nopointinluggingitbackoutside.
Lackinganythingbettertodo,Iransometestsonit.Amazingly,someof
thebacteriasurvived.Thepopulationisstrongandgrowing.That'spretty
impressive,whenyouconsideritwasexposedtonear-vacuumandsubarctictemperaturesforover24hours.
Myguessispocketsoficeformedaroundsomeofthebacteria,
leavingabubbleofsurvivablepressureinside,andthecoldwasn'tquite
enoughtokillthem.Withhundredsofmillionsofbacteria,itonlytakes
onesurvivortostaveoffextinction.
Lifeisamazinglytenacious.Theydon'twanttodieanymorethanI
do.
LOGENTRY:SOL196
I....up.
I....upbigtime.Imadeamistakethatmightkillme.
IstartedmyEVAaround08:45,sameasalways.Igotmyhammer
andscrewdriverandstartedchippingthetrailer'shull.It'sapaininthe
asstomakeachipbeforeeachdrilling,soImakealltheday'schipsina
singlego.
Afterchippingout150divots(hey,I'manoptimist),Igottowork.
Itwasthesameasyesterdayandthedaybefore.Drillthrough,
relocate.Drillthrough,relocate.Drillthroughathirdtime,thensetthe
drillasidetocool.Repeatthatprocessoverandovertilllunchtime.
At12:00,Itookabreak.BackintheHab,Ienjoyedanicelunchand
playedsomechessagainstthecomputer(itkickedmyass).Thenbackout
fortheday'ssecondEVA.
At13:30myruinationoccurred,thoughIdidn'trealizeitatthetime.
Theworstmomentsinlifeareheraldedbysmallobservations.The
tinylumponyoursidethatwasn'ttherebefore.Cominghometoyour
wifeandseeingtwowineglassesinthesink.Anytimeyouhear“We
interruptthisprogram...”
Forme,itwaswhenthedrilldidn'tstart.
Onlythreeminutesearlier,itwasworkingfine.Ihadfinishedahole
andsetthedrillasidetocool.Sameasalways.
ButwhenItriedtogetbacktowork,itdidn'twork.Thepowerlight
wouldn'tevencomeon.
Iwasn'tworried.Ifallelsefailed,Ihadanotherdrill.Itwouldtakea
fewhourstowireitup,butthat'shardlyaconcern.
Thepowerlightbeingoffmeanttherewasprobablysomethingwrong
withtheline.Aquickglanceattheairlockwindowshowedthelights
wereonintheHab.Sotherewerenosystemicpowerproblems.Ichecked
mynewbreakersandsureenough,allthreehadtripped.
Iguessthedrillpulledalittletoomuchamperage.Nobigdeal.Ireset
thebreakersandgotbacktowork.Thedrillfiredrightup,andIwasback
tomakingholes.
Doesn'tseemlikeabigdeal,right?Icertainlydidn'tthinksoatthe
time.
Ifinishedmydayat17:00afterdrilling131holes.Notasgoodas
yesterday,butIlostsometimetothedrillmalfunction.
Ireportedmyprogress.
[17:08]Watney:131holestoday.488total.
Minordrillissue;ittrippedthebreakers.There
maybeanintermittentshortinthedrill,
probablyintheattachmentpointofthepower
line.Mightneedtoredoit.
EarthanMarsarejustover18light-minutesapartnow.Usually,
NASArespondedwithin25minutes.Butthistime,noreplycame.
Remember,IdoallmycommunicationfromRover2,whichrelays
everythingthroughPathfinder.Ican'tjustloungeintheHabawaitinga
reply;Ihavetostayintheroveruntiltheyacknowledgethemessage.
[17:38]Watney:Havereceivednoreply.Last
messagesent30minutesago.Pleaseacknowledge.
Iwaitedanother30minutes.Stillnoreply.Fearstartedtotakeroot.
BackwhenJPL'sNerdBrigadehackedtheroverandPathfindertobe
anpoor-man'sIMclient,theysentmeacheatsheetfortroubleshooting.I
executedthefirstinstruction:
[18:09]Watney:system_command:STATUS
[18:09]SYSTEM:Lastmessagesent00h31mago.
Lastmessagereceived26h17mago.Lastpingreply
fromprobereceived04h24mago.WARNING:52
unansweredpings.
Pathfinderwasnolongertalkingtotherover.Ithadstopped
answeringpings4hoursand24minutesago.Somequickmathtoldme
thatwasaround13:30today.
Thesametimethedrilldied.
Itriednottopanic.Thetroubleshootingsheethasalistofthingsto
tryifcommunicationislost.Theyare(inorder):
1.ConfirmpowerstillflowingtoPathfinder.
2.Rebootrover.
3.RebootPathfinderbydisconnecting/reconnectingpower.
4.Installrover'scommsoftwareontheotherrover'scomputer,try
fromthere.
5.Ifbothroversfail,problemislikelywithPathfinder.Check
connectionsveryclosely.CleanPathfinderofMartiandust.
6.SpellmessageinMorseCodewithrocks,includethingsattempted.
ProblemmayberecoverablewithremoteupdateofPathfinder.
Ionlygotasfarasstep1.IcheckedPathfinder'sconnectionsandthe
negativeleadwasnolongerattached.
Iwaselated!Whatarelief!Withasmileonmyface,Ifetchedmy
electronicskitandpreparedtoreattachthelead.Ipulleditoutofthe
probetogiveitagoodcleaning(asbestIcanwiththeglovesofmyspace
suit)andnoticedsomethingstrange.Theinsulationhadmelted.
Iponderedthisdevelopment.Meltedinsulationusuallymeansashort.
Morecurrentthanthewirecouldhandlehadpassedthrough.Butthebare
portionofthewirewasn'tblackorevensinged,andthepositivelead's
insulationwasn'tmeltedatall.
Then,onebyone,thehorriblerealitiesofMarscameintoplay.The
wirewouldn'tbeburntorsinged.That'saresultofoxidization.And
there'snooxygenintheair.Therelikelywasashortafterall.Butwith
thepositiveleadbeingunaffected,thepowermusthavecomefrom
somewhereelse...
Andthedrill'sbreakertrippedaroundthesametime...
Oh...shit...
TheinternalelectronicsforPathfinderincludedagroundleadtothe
hull.ThiswayitcouldnotbuildupastaticchargeinMartianweather
conditions(nowaterandfrequentsandblastingcanmakeimpressive
staticcharge).
ThehullsatonPanelA,oneoffoursidesofthetetrahedronwhich
broughtPathfindertheMars.Theother3sidesarestillinAresVallis
whereIleftthem.
BetweenPanelAandtheworkbenchweretheMylarballoons
Pathfinderhadusedtotumble-land.Ihadshreddedmanyofthemto
transportit.Still,alotofmaterialremained;enoughtoreacharound
PanelAandbeincontactwiththehull.IshouldmentionthatMylaris
conductive.
At13:30,Ileanedthedrillagainsttheworkbench.Thedrill'scowling
wasofftomakeroomforthepowerline.Theworkbenchismetal.Ifthe
drillleanedagainsttheworkbenchjustright,itcouldmakeametal-tometalconnection.
Andthat'sexactlywhathappened.
Powertraveledfromthedrillline'spositive,throughtheworkbench,
throughtheMylar,throughPathfinder'shull,throughabunchof
extremelysensitiveandirreplaceableelectronics,andoutthenegative
leadofPathfinder'spowerline.
Pathfinderoperateson50milliamps.Itgotninethousandmilliamps,
whichplowedthroughthedelicateelectronics,fryingeverythingalong
theway.Thebreakerstripped,butitwastoolate.
Pathfinder'sdead.I'velosttheabilitytocontactEarth.
I'monmyown.
Chapter18
LOGENTRY:SOL197
Sigh...
JustonceI'dlikesomethingtogotoplan,yaknow?
Marskeepstryingtokillme.
Well...Marsdidn'telectrocutePathfinder.SoI'llamendthat:
Marsandmystupiditykeeptryingtokillme.
Ok,enoughself-pity.I'mnotdoomed.Thingswillbejustbeharder
thanplanned.IhaveallIneedtosurvive.AndHermesisstillontheway.
IspelledoutaMorseCodemessageusingrocks.“PATHFINDER
FRIEDWITH9AMPS.DEADFOREVER.PLANUNCHANGED.WILL
GETTOMAV.”
IfIcangettotheAres-4MAV,I'llbeset.Buthavinglostcontact
withNASA,IhavetodesignmyownGreatMartianWinnebago.
Forthetimebeing,I'vestoppedallworkonit.Idon'twantto
continuewithoutaplan.I'msureNASAhadallkindsofideas,butnowI
havetocomeupwithoneonmyown.
AsImentioned,theBigThree(AtmosphericRegulator,Oxygenator,
andWaterReclaimer)arecriticalcomponents.Iworkedaroundthemfor
mytriptoPathfinder.IusedCO2filterstoregulatetheatmosphere,and
broughtenoughoxygenandwaterforthewholetrip.Thatwon'tworkthis
time.IneedtheBigThree.
Problemis,theysoakupalotofpower,andhavetorunalldaylong.
Theroverbatterieshave18kwhofjuice.TheOxygenatoraloneuses
44.1kwhpersol.Seemyproblem?
Youknowwhat?“Kilowatt-hourspersol”isapainintheasstosay.
I'mgonnainventanewscientificunitname.Onekilowatt-hourpersol
is...itcanbeanything...um...Isuckatthis...oh....it.I'llcallita
“pirate-ninja.”
Alltold,theBigThreeneed69.2pn,mostofthatgoingtothe
OxygenatorandAtmosphericRegulator.(TheWaterReclaimeronly
needs3.6ofthat.)
There'llbecutbacks.
TheeasiestoneistheWaterReclaimer.Ihave620Lofwater(Ihada
lotmorebeforetheHabblewup).Ionlyneedthreelitersofwaterpersol,
somysupplywilllast206sols.There'sonly100solsafterIleaveand
beforeI'mpickedup(ordieintheattempt).
Conclusion:Idon'tneedtheWaterReclaimeratall.I'lldrinkas
needed,anddumpmywasteoutdoors.Yeah,that'srightMars,I'mgonna
pissandshitonyou.That'swhatyougetfortryingtokillmeallthetime.
There.Isavedmyself3.6pirate-ninjas.
LOGENTRY:SOL198
I'vehadabreakthroughwiththeOxygenator!
Ispentmostofthedaylookingatthespecs.ItheatsCO2to900C,
thenpassesitoverazirconiaelectrolysiscelltoyankthecarbonatoms
off.Heatingthegasiswhattakesmostoftheenergy.Whyisthat
important?BecauseI'mjustoneguyandtheOxygenatorwasmadefor
six.1/6ththequantityofCO2means1/6ththeenergytoheatit.
Thespecsaid44.1pn,butallthistimeit'sonlybeenusing7.35
becauseofthereducedload.Nowwe'regettingsomewhere!
Thenthere'sthematteroftheAtmosphericRegulator.Theregulator
samplestheair,figuresoutwhat'swrongwithit,andcorrectsthe
problem.ToomuchCO2?Takeitout.NotenoughO2?Addsome.
Withoutit,theOxygenatorisworthless.TheCO2needstobeseparated
inordertobeprocessed.
Theregulatoranalyzestheairwithspectroscopy,thenseparatesthe
gassesbysupercoolingthem.Differentelementsturntoliquidat
differenttemperatures.OnEarth,supercoolingthismuchairwouldtake
ridiculousamountsofenergy.But(asI'macutelyaware)thisisn'tEarth.
SupercoolingisdonebypumpingairtoacomponentoutsidetheHab.
Theairquicklycoolstotheoutdoortemperature,whichrangesfrom150Cto0C.Whenit'swarm,additionalrefrigerationisused,butcold
dayscanturnairtoliquidforfree.Therealenergycostcomesfrom
heatingitbackup.IfitcamebacktotheHabunheated,I'dfreezeto
death.
“Butwait!”You'rethinking,“Mars'satmosphereisn'tliquid.Why
doestheHab'saircondense?”
TheHab'satmosphereis90timesasdense,soitturnstoliquidat
muchhighertemperatures.Theregulatorgetsthebestofbothworlds.
Literally.Sidenote:Mars'satmospheredoescondenseatthepoles.In
fact,itsolidifiesintodryice.
Problem:theregulatortakes21.5pn.EvenaddingsomeoftheHab's
powercellswouldbarelypowertheregulatorforasol,letalonehave
juicetodrive.
Morethinkingisrequired.
LOGENTRY:SOL199
I'vegotit.IknowhowtopowertheOxygenatorandAtmospheric
Regulator.
TheproblemwithsmallpressurevesselsisCO2toxicity.Youcan
havealltheoxygenintheworld,butoncetheCO2getsabove1%you'll
starttogetdrowsy.At2%it'slikebeingdrunk.At5%,it'shardtostay
conscious.8%willeventuallykillyou.Keepingaliveisn'taboutoxygen,
it'saboutgettingridofCO2.
Ineedtheregulator.ButIdon'tneedtheOxygenatorallthetime.I
justneedtogetCO2outoftheair,andback-fillwithoxygen.Ihave50
litersofliquidoxygenintwo25LtankshereintheHab.That's50,000L
ingaseousform,enoughtolast85days.Notenoughtoseemethroughto
rescue,butahellofalot.
TheregulatorcanseparatetheCO2andstoreitinatank,adding
oxygentomyairasneeded.WhenIrunlowonoxygen,Icancampout
foradayanduseallmypowertoruntheOxygenator.Thatway,the
Oxygenator'spowerconsumptiondoesn'teatupmydrivingjuice.
SoI'llruntheregulatorallthetime,butonlyruntheOxygenatoron
daysIdedicatetousingit.
AftertheregulatorfreezestheCO2out,theoxygenandnitrogenare
stillgasses,butthey're-75C.Iftheregulatorfedthatbacktomyair
withoutreheatingit,I'dbeaPopsiclewithinhours.Mostofthe
regulator'spowergoestoheatingthereturnairsothatdoesn'thappen.
ButIhaveabetterwaytoheatitup.SomethingNASAwouldn't
considerontheirmosthomicidalday.
TheRTG!
Yes,theRTG.Youmayrememberitfrommyexcitingtripto
Pathfinder.AlovelylumpofPlutoniumsoradioactiveitgivesoff1500
wattsofheatwhichitusestoharvest100Wofelectricity.Sowhat
happenstotheother1400W?Itgetsradiatedoutasheat.
OnthetriptoPathfinder,Ihadtoactuallyremoveinsulationfromthe
rovertoventexcessheatfromthedamnthing.
Iranthenumbers.Theregulatoruses790Wtoconstantlyreheatair.
TheRTG's1400Wismorethanequaltothetask,aswellaskeepingthe
roverareasonabletemperature.
Totest,Ishutdowntheheatersintheregulatorandnoteditspower
consumption.AfterafewminutesIturnedthemrightbackonagain.
JesusChristthatreturnairwascold.ButIgotthedataIwanted.
Withheating,theregulatorneeds21.5pn.Withoutit...(drumroll)
1pn.That'sright,almostallofthepowerwasgoingtoheat.
Aswithmostoflife'sproblems,thisonecanbesolvedbyaboxof
pureradiation.
Ispenttherestofthedaydouble-checkingmynumbersandrunning
moretests.Itallchecksout.Icandothis.
LOGENTRY:SOL200
Ihauledrockstoday.
Ineededtoknowwhatkindofpowerefficiencytherover/trailerwill
get.OnthewaytoPathfinder,Igot80kmfrom18kwh.Thistime,the
loadwillbealotheavier.I'llbetowingthetrailerandalltheothershit.
Ibackedtheroveruptothetrailerandattachedthetowclamps.Easy
enough.
Thetrailerhasbeendepressurizedforsometimenow(there'sa
coupleofhundredlittleholesinit,afterall),soIopenedbothairlock
doorstohaveastraightshotattheinterior.ThenIthrewabunchofrocks
in.
Ihadtoguessattheweight.TheheaviestthingI'llbringwithmeis
thewater.620kgworth.Myfreeze-driedpotatoeswilladdanother200kg.
I'llprobablyhavemoresolarcellsthanbefore,andmaybeabatteryfrom
theHab.PlustheAtmosphericRegulatorandOxygenator,ofcourse.
Ratherthanweighallthatshit,Itookaguessandcalledit1200kg.
Halfacubicmeterofbasaltweighsaboutthatmuch(moreorless).
Aftertwohoursofbrutallabor,duringwhichIwhinedalot,Igotitall
loadedin.
Then,withbothbatteriesfullycharged,IdrovecirclesaroundtheHab
untilIdrainedthemboth.
Withablisteringtopspeedof25kph,it'snotanaction-packedthrill
ride.ButIwasimpresseditcouldmaintainthatspeedwithalltheextra
weight.Theroverhasspectaculartorque.
Butphysicallawisapushylittleshit,anditexactedrevengeforthe
additionalweight.Ionlygot57kmbeforeIwasoutofjuice.
Thatwas57kmonlevelground,withouthavingtopowerthe
regulator(whichwon'ttakemuchwiththeheateroff).Callit50kmper
daytobesafe.Atthatrateitwouldtake65daystogettoSchiaparelli.
Butthat'sjustthetraveltime.
Everynowandthen,I'llneedtobreakforadayandletthe
Oxygenatoruseallthepower.Howoften?AfterabunchofmathI
workedoutthatmy18pnbudgetcanpowertheOxygenatorenoughto
make2.5solsofO2.I'dhavetostopeverytwotothreesolstoreclaim
oxygen.My65soltripwouldbecome91!
That'stoo....long.I'lltearmyownheadoffifIhavetolivein the
roverthatlong.Anyway,I'mexhaustedfromliftingrocksand whining
aboutliftingrocks.IthinkIpulledsomethinginmyback.Gonna takeit
easytherestoftoday.
LOGENTRY:SOL201
Yeah,Idefinitelypulledsomethinginmyback.Iwokeupinagony.
SoItookabreakfromroverplanning.Instead,Ispentthedaytaking
drugsandplayingwithradiation.
First,IloadeduponVicodinformyback.HoorayforBeck'smedical
supplies!
ThenIdroveouttotheRTG.ItwasrightwhereIleftit,inahole4km
away.OnlyanidiotwouldkeepthatthingneartheHab.Soanyway,I
broughtitbacktotheHab.
Eitherit'llkillmeoritwon't.Alotofworkwentintomakingsureit
doesn'tbreak.IfIcan'ttrustNASA,whocanItrust?(FornowI'llforget
thatNASAtoldustoburyitfaraway.)
Istoreditontheroofoftheroverforthetripback.Thatpuppyreally
spewsheat.
IhavesomeflexibleplastictubingintendedforminorWater
Reclaimerrepairs.AfterbringingtheRTGintotheHab,Iverycarefully
gluedsometubingaroundtheheatbaffles.Usingafunnelmadefroma
pieceofpaper,Iranwaterthroughthetubing,lettingitdrainintoa
samplecontainer.
Sureenough,thewaterheatedup.That'snotreallyasurprise,butit's
nicetoseethermodynamicsbeingwell-behaved.
TheAtmosphericRegulatordoesn'trunconstantly.Thefreezeseparationspeedisdrivenbytheweatheroutside.Sothereturningfrigid
airdoesn'tcomeasasteadyflow.AndtheRTGgeneratesaconstant,
predictableheat.Itcan't“rampup”itsoutput.
SoI'llheatwaterwiththeRTGtocreateaheatreservoir,thenI'll
makethereturnairbubblethroughit.ThatwayIdon'thavetoworry
aboutwhentheaircomesin.AndIwon'thavetodealwithsudden
temperaturechangesintherover.
WhentheVicodinworeoff,mybackhurtevenmorethanbefore.I'm
goingtoneedtotakeiteasy.Ican'tjustpoppillsforever.SoI'mtakinga
fewdaysofffromheavylabor.Tothatend,Imadealittleinventionjust
forme...
ItookJohanssen'scotandcutoutthehammock.ThenIdrapedspare
Habcanvasovertheframe,makingapitinsidethecot,withextra
canvassaroundtheedges.Weighingdowntheexcesscanvasswithrocks,
Inowhadawater-tightbathtub!
Itonlytook100Ltofilltheshallowtub.
Then,IstolethepumpfromtheWaterReclaimer.(Icangoquitea
whilewithouttheWaterReclaimeroperating).HookingituptomyRTGwater-heater,Iputboththeinputandoutputlinesinthetub.
Yes,Iknowthisisridiculous,butIhadn'thadabathsinceEarth,and
mybackhurts.Besides,I'mgoingtospend100solswiththeRTG
anyway.Afewmorewon'thurt.That'smybullshitrationalizationandI'm
stickingwithit.
Ittooktwohourstoheatthewaterto37C.Onceitdid,Ishutoffthe
pump,andgotin.Ohman,allIcansayis“Ahhhhhh.”
Whythehelldidn'tIthinkofthisbefore?
LOGENTRY:SOL207
Ispentthelastweekrecoveringfrombackproblems.Thepainwasn't
bad,buttherearen'tanychiropractorsonMars,soIwasn'ttaking
chances.
Itookhotbathstwiceaday,laidinmybunkalot,andwatchedshitty
'70'sTV.I'vealreadyseenLewis'sentirecollection,butIdidn'thave
muchelsetodo.Iwasreducedtowatchingreruns.
Igotalotofthinkingdone.
Icanmakeeverythingbetterbyhavingmoresolarpanels.The14
panelsItooktoPathfinderprovidedthe18kwhthatthebatteriescould
store.Whentraveling,Istowedthepanelsontheroof.Thetrailergives
meroomtostoreanother7(halfofitsroofwillbemissingbecauseofthe
holeI'mcuttinginit).
Thistrip'spowerneedswillbedrivenbytheOxygenator.Itallcomes
downtohowmuchpowerIcangivethatgreedylittle....inasingle sol.
IwanttominimizehowoftenIhavedayswithnotravel.Themore juice
IcangivetheOxygenator,themoreoxygenit'llliberate,andthe longer
Icangobetweenthose“air-sols.”
Let'sgetgreedy.LetssayIcanfindahomefor14morepanels
insteadof7.Notsurehowtodothat,butlet'ssayIcan.Thatwouldgive
me38pntoworkwith,whichwouldnetme5.1solsofoxygenperair-sol.
I'donlyhavetostoponceperfivesols.That'smuchmorereasonable.
Plus,ifIcanarrangebatterystoragefortheextrapower,Icoulddrive
100kmpersol!Easiersaidthandone,though.Thatextra18kwhof
storagewillbetough.I'llhavetotake2oftheHab's9kwhfuelcellsand
loadthemontotheroverortrailer.Theyaren'tliketherover'sbatteries;
they'renotsmallorportable.They'relightenough,butthey'reprettybig.
Imayhavetoattachthemtotheoutsidehull,andthatwouldeatintomy
solarcellstorage.
100kmpersol,stoppingeveryfifthsoltoreclaimoxygen.IfIcould
pullthatoff,I'dgetthere40sols.Thatwouldbesweet!
Inothernews,ItoccurredtomethatNASAisprobablyshitting
bricks.They'rewatchingmewithsatellites,andhaven'tseenmecomeout
oftheHabforsixdays.Withmybackbetter,itwastimetodropthema
line.
IheadedoutforanEVA.Thistime,beingverycarefulwhilelugging
rocksaround,IspelledoutaMorsecodemessage:“INJUREDBACK.
BETTERNOW.CONTINUINGROVERMODS.”
Thatwasenoughphysicallaborfortoday.Idon'twanttooverdoit.
ThinkI'llhaveabath.
LOGENTRY:SOL208
Today,itwastimetoexperimentwiththepanels.
First,IputtheHabonlowpowermode:Nointernallights,all
nonessentialsystemsoffline,allinternalheatingsuspended.I'dbe
outsidemostofthedayanyway.
Idetached28panelsfromthesolarfarmanddraggedthemtothe
rover.Ispentfourhoursstackingthemthiswayandthat.Thepoorrover
lookedliketheBeverlyHillbilliestruck.NothingIdidworked.
Theonlywaytogetall28ontheroofwastomakestackssohigh
they'dfalloffthefirsttimeIturned.IfIlashedthemtogether,they'dfall
offasaunit.IfIfoundawaytoattachthemperfectlytotherover,the
roverwouldtip.Ididn'tevenbothertotest.Itwasobviousbylookingand
Ididn'twanttobreakshit.
Ihaven'tremovedthechunkofhullfromthetraileryet.Halfthe
holesaredrilled,butI'mnotcommittedtoanything.IfIleftitinplace,I
couldhavefourstacksofsevencells.Thatwouldworkfine;it'sjusttwo
roversworthofwhatIdidforthetriptoPathfinder.
Problemis,Ineedthatopening.Theregulatorhastobeinthe
pressurizedareaandit'stoobigtofitintherover.Pluswhich,the
Oxygenatorneedstobeinapressurizedareawhileoperating.I'llonly
needitevery5sols,butwhatwouldIdoonthatsol?No,theholehasto
bethere.
Asitis,I'llbeabletostow21panels.Ineedhomesfortheother
seven.There'sonlyoneplacetheycango:Thesidesoftheroverand
trailer.
Oneofmyearliermodificationswas“saddlebags”drapedoverthe
rover.Onesideheldtheextrabattery(stolenfromwhatisnowthetrailer)
whiletheothersidewasfullofrocksascounterweight.
Iwon'tneedthemthistimearound.Icanreturnthesecondbatteryto
thetrailerwhenceitcame.Infact,it'llsavemethehassleofthemiddriveEVAIhadtodoeverydaytoswapcables.Whentheroversare
linkedup,theyshareresourcesincludingelectricity.
Iwentaheadandreinstalledthetrailer'sbattery.Ittookmetwohours
butit'soutofthewaynow.Iremovedthesaddlebagsandsetthemaside.
Theymaybehandydowntheline.IfI'velearnedonethingfrommystay
atClubMars,it'sthateverythingcanbeuseful.
Ihadliberatedthesidesoftheroverandtrailer.Afterstaringatthem
forawhile,Ihadmysolution.
I'llmakeL-bracketsthatstickoutfromtheundercarriages,withthe
hooksfacingup.Twobracketspersidetomakeashelf.Icouldsetpanels
ontheshelvesandleanthemagainsttherover.ThenI'dlashthemtothe
hullwithhomemaderope.
There'llbefour“shelves”total;twoontheroverandtwoonthe
trailer.Ifthebracketsstickoutfarenoughtoaccommodatetwopanels,I
couldstore8additionalpanelsthatway.Thatwouldgivemeonemore
panelthanI'devenplannedfor.
I'llmakethosebracketsandinstallthemtomorrow.Iwouldhave
doneittoday,butitgotdarkandIgotlazy.
LOGENTRY:SOL209
Coldnightlastnight.Thesolarcellswerestilldetachedfromthe
farm,soIhadtoleavetheHabinlow-powermode.Ididturntheheat
backon(I'mnotinsane),butIsettheinternaltemperatureto1Cto
conservepower.Wakinguptofrigidweatherwassurprisinglynostalgic.I
grewupinChicago,afterall.
Butnostalgiaonlylastssolong.Ivowedtocompletethebrackets
today,soIcanreturnthepanelstothefarm.ThenIcanturnthedamn
heatbackon.
IheadedouttotheMAV'slandingstrutarray.MostoftheMAVwas
madefromcomposite,butthestrutshadtoabsorbtheshockoflanding.
Metalwasthewaytogo.
Eachstrutis2meterslong,andheldtogetherbybolts.Ibroughtthem
intotheHabtosavemyselfthehassleofworkinginanEVAsuit.Itook
eachstrutapart,yieldingabunchofmetalstrips.
Shapingthebracketsinvolvedahammerand...wellthat'sit,actually.
Makingan“L”doesn'ttakealotofprecision.
Ineededholeswheretheboltswouldpassthrough.Fortunately,my
Pathfinder-murderingdrillmadeshortworkofthattask.
Attachingthebracketstotheundercarriagesoftheroverandtrailer
waseasy.Theundercarriagescomerightoff.Iboltedthebracketsin
placeandreturnedtheundercarriageswheretheybelonged.Important
note–anundercarriageisnotpartofthepressurevessel.TheholesI
drilledwon'tletmyairout.
Itestedthebracketsbyhittingthemwithrocks.Thiskindof
sophisticationiswhatweinterplanetaryscientistsareknownfor.
Afterconvincingmyselfthebracketswouldn'tbreakatthefirstsign
ofuse,Itestedthenewarrangement.Twostacksofsevensolarcellson
therover;anothersevenonthetrailer,thentwopershelf.Theyallfit.
Afterlashingthecellsinplace,Itookalittledrive.Ididsomebasic
accelerationanddeceleration,turnedinincreasinglytightcircles,and
evendidapower-stop.Thecellsdidn'tbudge.
28solarcells,baby!Androomforoneextra!
Aftersomewell-earnedfist-pumping,Iunloadedthecellsand
draggedthembacktothefarm.NoChicagomorningformetomorrow.
LOGENTRY:SOL211
Iamsmilingagreatsmile.Thesmileofamanwho....withhis car
anddidn'tbreakit.Thisisconsiderablymorerarethanyoumight think.
Ispenttodayremovingunnecessarycrapfromtheroverandtrailer.I
wasprettydamnaggressiveaboutit,too.Spaceinsidethepressure
vesselsispremium.ThemorecrapIclearoutoftherover,themore
spacethereisforme.ThemorecrapIclearoutofthetrailer,themore
suppliesIcanstoreinit,andthelessIhavetostoreintherover.
Firstoff:Eachvehiclehadabenchforpassengers.Bye!
Next:there'snoreasonforthetrailertohavelifesupport.Theoxygen
tanks,nitrogentanks,CO2filterassembly...allunnecessary.It'llbe
sharingairwiththerover(whichhasitsowncopyofeachofthose)and
it'llbecarryingtheregulatorandOxygenator.BetweentheHab
componentsit'llbecarryingandtherover,there'llbetworedundantlife
supportsystems.That'splenty.
ThenIyankedthedriver'sseatandcontrolpaneloutofthetrailer.
Thelink-upwiththeroverisphysical.Thetrailerdoesn'tdoanythingbut
getdraggedalongandfedair.Itdoesn'tneedcontrolsorbrains.However,
Ididsalvageitscomputer.It'ssmallandlight,soI'llbringitwithme.If
somethinggoeswrongwiththerover'scomputeren-route,I'llhavea
spare.
Thetrailerhadtonsmorespacenow.Itwastimeforexperimentation.
TheHabhastwelve9kwhbatteries.They'rebulkyandawkward.Over
twometerstall,ahalf-meterwide,and3/4meterthick.Makingthem
biggermakesthemtakelessmassperkwhofstorage.Yeah,it'scounterintuitive.ButonceNASAfiguredouttheycouldincreasevolumeto
decreasemasstheywerealloverit.Massistheexpensivepartabout
sendingshittoMars.
Idetachedtwoofthem.TheHabmostlyusesthebatteriesatnight.As
longasIreturnthembeforetheendoftheday,thingsshouldbefine.
Withbothofthetrailer'sairlockdoorsopenIwasabletogetthefirst
batteryin.Afterplayingreal-lifeTetrisforawhileIfoundawaytoget
thefirstbatteryoutofthewayenoughtoletthesecondbatteryin.
Together,theyeatupthewholefronthalfofthetrailer.IfIhadn'tcleared
theuselessshitoutearliertoday,I'dneverhavegottenthembothin.
Thetrailer'sbatteryisintheundercarriage,butthemainpowerline
runsthroughthepressurevessel.IwasabletowiretheHabbatteries
directlyin.(NosmallfeatinthedamnEVAsuit).
AsystemcheckfromtherovershowedIhaddonethewiring
correctly.
Thismayallseemminor,butit'sawesome.ItmeansIcanhave29
solarcellsand36kwhofstorage.I'llbeabletodomy100kmperday
afterall.
4daysoutof5,anyway.
Accordingtomycalender,theHermesresupplyprobeisbeing
launchedfromChinaintwodays(iftherewerenodelays).Ifthatscrews
up,thewholecrewwillbeindeepshit.I'mmorenervousaboutthatthan
anythingelse.
I'vebeeninmortaldangerformonths;I'mkindofusedtoitnow.But
nowI'mnervousagain.Dyingwouldsuck,butmycrewmatesdying
wouldbewayworse.AndIwon'tfindouthowthelaunchwenttillIget
toSchiaparelli.
Goodluck,guys.
Chapter19
“Hey,Melissa...”saidRobert.“AmIgettingthrough?Canyousee
me?”
“Loudandclear,babe,”saidCommanderLewis.“Thevideolinkis
solid.”
“TheysayIhave5minutes,”Robertsaid.
“Betterthannothing,”Lewissaid.Floatinginherquarters,shegently
touchedthebulkheadtostopdrifting.“It'snicetoseeyouinreal-timefor
achange.”
“Yeah,”Robertsmiled.“Icanhardlynoticethedelay.Igottasay,I
wishyouwerecominghome.”
Lewissighed,“Metoo,babe.”
“Don'tgetmewrong,”Robertquicklyadded,“Iunderstandwhy
you'redoingallthis.Still,fromaselfishpointofview,Imissmywife.
Hey,areyoufloating?”
“Huh?”Lewissaid.“Oh,yeah.Theshipisn'tspinningrightnow.No
centripetalgravity.”
“Whynot?”
“Becausewe'redockingwiththeTaiyangSheninafewdays.We
can'tspinwhilewedockwiththings.”
“Isee,”saidRobert.“Sohowarethingsupontheship?Anyone
givingyoushit?”
“No,”Lewisshookherhead.“They'reagoodcrew;I'mluckytohave
them.”
“Ohhey!”Robertsaid.“Ifoundagreatadditiontoourcollection!”
“Oh?What'dyouget?”
“Anoriginalproduction8-trackofAbba'sGreatestHits.Stillinthe
originalpackaging.”
Lewiswidenedhereyes.“Seriously?A1973oroneofthereprints?”
“1973alltheway.”
“Wow!Goodfind!”
“Iknow,right!?”
Withafinalshudder,thejetlinercametoastopatthegate.
“Ohgods,”saidVenkat,massaginghisneck.“Thatwasthelongest
flightI'veeverbeenon.”
“Mm,”saidTeddy,rubbinghiseyes.
“Atleastwedon'thavetogotoJiuquantilltomorrow,”Venkat
moaned.“14½hoursofflyingisenoughforoneday.”
“Don'tgettoocomfortable,”Teddysaid.“Westillhavetogothrough
customsandwe'llprobablyhavetofilloutabunchofformsbecause
we'reU.S.Governmentofficials...it'sgonnabehoursbeforewesleep.”
“Craaaap.”
Gatheringtheircarry-onluggage,theytrudgedofftheplanewiththe
restofthewearytravellers.
BeijingCapitalInternationalAirport'sTerminal3echoedwiththe
cacophonycommontohugeairterminals.VenkatandTeddycontinued
forwardastheChinesecitizensfromtheirflightsplitofftogotoa
simplerpoint-of-entryprocess.
AsVenkattookhisplaceinline,Teddyfiledinbehindhimand
scannedtheterminalforaconveniencestore.Anyformofcaffeinewould
bewelcome.
“Excuseme,gentlemen,”cameavoicefrombesidethem.
TheyturnedtoseeayoungChinesemanwearingcasualattire.“My
nameisSuBinBao,”hesaidinperfectEnglish.“Iamanemployeeofthe
ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration.Iwillbeyourguideandtranslator
duringyourstayinthePeople'sRepublicofChina.”
“Nicetomeetyou,Mr.Su,”Teddysaid.“I'mTeddySanders,andthis
isDr.VenkatKapoor.”
“Weneedsleep,”Venkatsaidimmediately.“Justassoonasweget
throughcustoms,pleasetakeustoahoteltosleep.”
“Icandobetterthanthat,Dr.Kapoor,”Susmiled.“Youareofficial
guestsofthePeople'sRepublicofChina.Youhavebeenpre-authorized
tobypasscustoms.Icantakeyoutoyourhotelimmediately.”
“Iloveyou,”Venkatsaid.
“TellthePeople'sRepublicofChinawesaidthanks,”Teddyadded.
“I'llpassthatalong,”SuBinsmiled.
“Helena,mylove,”Vogelsaidtohiswife.“Itrustyouarewell?”
“Yes,”shesaid.“I'mfine.ButIdomissyou.”
“Sorry.”
“Can'tbehelped,”sheshrugged.
“Howareourmonkeys?”
“Thechildrenarefine,”shesmiled.“Elizaisadjustingtolifein
juniorhigh,andVictorisgoalkeeperforhishighschool'steam.”
“Excellent!”Vogelsaid.“IhearyouareatMissionControl.Was
NASAunabletopipethesignaltoBremen?”
“Theycouldhave,”shesaid.“Butitwaseasierforthemtobringmeto
Houston.AfreevacationtotheUnitedStates.WhoamItoturnthat
down?”
“Wellplayed.Andhowismymother?”
“Aswellascanbeexpected,”Helenasaid.“Shehashergooddays
andbaddays.Mylastfewvisits,shedidn'trecognizeme.Inaway,it'sa
blessing.Shedoesn'thavetoworryaboutyoulikeIdo.”
“Shehasn'tworsened?”Heasked.
“No,she'saboutthesameaswhenyouleft.Thedoctorsaresureshe'll
stillbeherewhenyoureturn.”
“Good,”hesaid.“IwasworriedI'dseenherforthelasttime.”
“Alex,”Helenasaid,“Willyoubesafe?”
“Assafeaswecanbe,”hesaid.“Theshipisinperfectcondition,and
afterreceivingtheTaiyangShen,wewillhaveallthesuppliesweneed
fortheremainderofthejourney.”
“Becareful,”Shesaid.
“Iwill,mylove,”Vogelpromised.
“WelcometoJiuquan,”GuoMingsaid.“Ihopeyourflightwas
smooth?”
SuBintranslatedGuoMing'swordsasTeddytookthesecond-best
seatintheobservationroom.
“Yes,thankyou,”Teddysaid.“Thehospitalityofyourpeoplehas
beenwonderful.Theprivatejetyouarrangedtobringusherewasanice
touch.”
“Mypeoplehaveenjoyedworkingwithyouradvanceteam,”Guo
Mingsaid.“Thelastmonthhasbeenveryinteresting.Attachingan
AmericanprobetoaChinesebooster.Ibelievethisisthefirsttimeit's
everbeendone.”
“Itjustgoestoshow,”Teddysaid.“Loveofscienceisuniversal
acrossallcultures.”
GuoMingnodded.“Mypeoplehaveespeciallycommentedonthe
workethicofyourmanMitchHenderson.Heisverydedicated.”
“He'sapainintheass,”Teddysaid.
SuBinpausedbeforetranslating,butpressedon.
GuoMinglaughed.“Youcansaythat,”hesaid.“Icannot.”
“Soexplainitagain,”Beck'ssisterAmysaid.“Whydoyouhavetodo
anEVA?”
“Iprobablydon't,”Beckexplained.“Ijustneedtobereadyto.”
“Why?”
“Incasetheprobecan'tdockwithus.Ifsomethinggoeswrong,it'llbe
myjobtogooutandgrabit.”
“Can'tyoujustmoveHermestodockwithit?”
“Noway,”Becksaid.“Hermesishuge.It'snotmadeforfine
maneuveringcontrol.”
“Whydoesithavetobeyou?”
“CauseI'mtheEVAspecialist.”
“ButIthoughtyouweretheDoctor.”
“Iam,”Becksaid.“Everyonehasmultipleroles.I'mthedoctor,the
biologist,andtheEVAspecialist.CommanderLewisisourgeologist.
Johanssenisthesysopandreactortech.Andsoon.”
“Howaboutthatgoodlookingguy...Martinez?”Amyasked.“What
doeshedo?”
“HepilotstheMDVandMAV.”Becksaid.“He'salsomarriedwitha
kid,youlecheroushomewrecker.”
“Ahwell.HowaboutWatney?Whatdidhedo?”
“He'sourbotanistandengineer.Anddon'ttalkabouthiminthepast
tense.”
“Engineer?LikeScotty?”
“Kindof,”Becksaid.“Hefixesstuff.”
“Ibetthat'scominginhandynow.”
“Yeah,noshit.”
“They'reaweirdbunch,theseChinesenerds,”Mitchsaid.“Butthey
makeagoodbooster.”
“Good.”Venkatsaid.“How'sthelinkagebetweentheboosterandour
probe?”
“Itallchecksout,”Mitchsaid.“JPLfollowedthespecsperfectly.It
fitslikeaglove.”
“Anyconcernsorreservations?”Venkatasked.
“Yeah.I'mconcernedaboutwhatIatelastnight.Ithinkithadan
eyeballinit.”
“I'msuretherewasn'taneyeball.”
“Theengineersheremadeitformespecial,”Mitchsaid.
“Theremayhavebeenaneyeball,”Venkatsaid.“Theyhateyou.”
“Why?”
“Causeyou'rea....,Mitch,”Venkatsaid.“Atotal.....To
everyone.”
“Fairenough.SolongastheprobegetstoHermes,theycanburnme
in....effigyforallIcare.”
“WavetoDaddy!”Marissasaid,wavingDavid'shandatthecamera.
“WavetoDaddy!”
“He'stooyoungtoknowwhat'sgoingon,”Martinezsaid.
“Justthinkoftheplaygroundcredhe'llhavelaterinlife,”shesaid.
“'MydadwenttoMars.What'syourdaddo?'”
“Yes,I'mprettyawesome,”heagreed.
MarissacontinuedtowaveDavid'shandatthecamera.Davidwas
moreinterestedinhisotherhand,whichwasactivelyengagedinpicking
hisnose.
“So,”Martinezsaid.“You'repissed.”
“Youcantell?”Marissaasked.“Itriedtohideit.”
“We'vebeentogethersincewewere15.Iknowwhenyou'repissed.”
“Youvolunteeredtoextendthemission533days,”shesaid.
“Asshole.”
“Yeah,”Martinezsaid.“Ifiguredthat'dbethereason.”
“Yoursonwillbeinkindergartenwhenyougetback.Hewon'thave
anymemoriesofyou.”
“Iknow,”Martinezsaid.
“Ihavetowaitanother533daystogetlaid!”
“SodoI,”hesaiddefensively.
“Ihavetoworryaboutyouthatwholetime,”sheadded.
“Yeah,”hesaid.“Sorry.”
Shetookadeepbreath.“We'llgetpastit.”
“We'llgetpastit,”heagreed.
“WelcometoCNN'sMarkWatneyReport.Todaywehavethe
DirectorofMarsOperationsVenkatKapoor.He'sspeakingtouslivevia
satellitefromChina.Dr.Kapoor,thankyouforjoiningus.”
“Happytodoit,”Venkatsaid.
“SoDr.Kapoor,tellusabouttheTaiyangShen.WhygotoChinato
launchaprobe?WhynotlaunchitfromtheUS?”
“Hermesisn'tgoingtoorbitEarth,”Venkatsaid.“It'sjustpassingby
onitswaytoMars.Anditsvelocityishuge.Weneedaboostercapable
ofnotonlyescapingEarth'sgravity,butmatchingHermes'scurrent
velocity.OnlytheTaiyangShenhasenoughpowertodothat.”
“Tellusabouttheprobeitself.”
“Itwasarushjob,”Venkatsaid.“JPLonlyhad30daystoputit
together.Theyhadtobeassafeandefficientastheycould.It'sbasically
ashellfulloffoodandothersupplies.Ithasastandardsatellitethruster
packageformaneuvering,butthat'sit.”
“Andthat'senoughtoflytoHermes?”
“TheTaiyangShenwillsendittoHermes.Thethrustersareforfine
controlanddocking.AndJPLdidn'thavetimetomakeaguidance
system.Soit'llberemote-controlledbyahumanpilot.”
“Whowillbecontrollingit?”Cathyasked.
“TheAres3pilot,MajorRickMartinez.Astheprobeapproaches
Hermes,he'lltakeoverandguideittothedockingport.”
“Andwhatifthere'saproblem?”
“HermeswillhavetheirEVAspecialist,Dr.ChrisBeck,suitedupand
readythewholetime.Ifnecessaryhewillliterallygrabtheprobewithhis
handsanddragittothedockingport.”
“Soundskindofunscientific,”Cathylaughed.
“Youwantunscientific?”Venkatsmiled.“Iftheprobecan'tattachto
thedockingportforsomereason,Beckwillopentheprobeandcarryits
contentstotheairlock.”
“Likebringinginthegroceries?”Cathyasked.
“Exactlylikethat,”Venkatsaid.“Andweestimateitwouldtake4
tripsbackandforth.Butthat'sallanedgecase.Wedon'tanticipateany
problemswiththedockingprocess.”
“Soundslikeyou'recoveringallyourbases,”Cathysmiled.
“Wehaveto,”Venkatsaid.“Iftheydon'tgetthosesupplies...well,
theyneedthosesupplies.”
“Thanksfortakingthetimetoanswerourquestions,”Cathysaid.
“Alwaysapleasure,Cathy.”
Hefidgetedinthechair,unsurewhattosay.Afteramoment,he
pulledahandkerchieffromhispocketandmoppedsweatfromhis
baldinghead.
“Whatiftheprobedoesn'tgettoyou?”Heasked.
“Trynottothinkaboutthat,”Johanssensaid.
“Yourmotherissoworriedshecouldn'tevencome.”
“I'msorry,”Johanssenmumbled,lookingdown.
“Shecan'teat,shecan'tsleep,shefeelssickallthetime.I'mnot
muchbetter.Howcantheymakeyoudothis?”
“They'renot'making'medoit,Dad.Ivolunteered.”
“Whywouldyoudothattoyourmother?”Hedemanded.
“Sorry,”Johanssenmumbled.“Watney'smycrewmate.Ican'tjustlet
himdie.”
Hesighed.“Iwishwe'draisedyoutobemoreselfish.”
Shechuckledquietly.
“HowdidIendupinthissituation?”Helamented.“I'mthedistrict
salesmanagerofanapkinfactory.Whyismydaughterinspace?”
Johanssenshrugged.
“Youwerealwaysscientificallyminded,”hesaid.“Itwasgreat!
Straight-Astudent.Hangingaroundnerdyguystooscaredtotryanything.
Nowildsideatall.You'reeveryfather'sdreamdaughter.”
“Thanks,Dad,I-”
“ButthenyougotonagiantbombthatblastedyoutoMars.AndI
meanthatliterally.”
“Technically,”shecorrected,“theboosteronlytookmeintoorbit.It
wasthenuclearpoweredionenginethattookmetoMars.”
“Oh,muchbetter!”Hesaid.
“Dad,I'llbeallright.TellMomI'llbeallright.”
“Whatgoodwillthatdo?”Hesaid.“She'sgoingtobetiedupinknots
untilyou'rebackhome.”
“Iknow,”Johanssenmumbled.“But...”
“What?”Hesaid.“Butwhat?”
“Iwon'tdie.Ireallywon't.Evenifeverythinggoeswrong.”
“Whatdoyoumean?”
Johanssenfurrowedherbrow.“JusttellMomIwon'tdie.”
“How?Idon'tunderstand.”
“Idon'twanttogetintothehow,”Johanssensaid.
“Look,”hesaid,leaningtowardthecamera.“I'vealwaysrespected
yourprivacyandindependence.Inevertriedtopryintoyourlife,never
triedtocontrolyou.I'vebeenreallygoodaboutthat,right?”
“Yeah,”shesaid.
“Soinexchangeforalifetimeofstayingoutofyourbusiness,letme
noseinjustthisonce.Whatareyounottellingme?”
Shefellsilentforseveralseconds.Finally,shesaid“Theyhavea
plan.”
“Who?”
“There'salwayshaveaplan,”shesaid.“Theyworkouteverythingin
advance.”
“Whatplan?”
“Theypickedmetosurvive.I'myoungest.Ihavetheskillsnecessary
togethomealive.AndI'mthesmallestandneedtheleastfood.”
“Whathappensiftheprobefails,Beth,”herfatherasked.Thistime,
hewasuncharacteristicallyfirm.
“Everyonewoulddiebutme,”shesaid.“They'dalltakepillsanddie.
They'lldoitrightawaysotheydon'tuseupanyfood.CommanderLewis
pickedmetobethesurvivor.Shetoldmeaboutityesterday.Idon'tthink
NASAknowsaboutit.”
“AndthesupplieswouldlastuntilyougotbacktoEarth?”
“No,”shesaid.“Wehaveenoughfoodlefttofeedsixpeoplefora
month.IfIwastheonlyone,itwouldlast6months.WithareduceddietI
couldstretchitto9.Butit'llbe17monthsbeforeIgetback.”
“Sohowwouldyousurvive?”
“Thesupplieswouldn'tbetheonlysourceoffood.”shesaid.
Hewidenedhiseyes.“Oh...ohmygod...”
“JusttellMomthesupplieswouldlast,ok?”
TaiyangShen'scon-trailwaftedinthechillyGobisky.Theship,no
longervisibletothenakedeye,pressedonwardtowardorbit.Its
deafeningroardwindledtoadistantrumblingthunder.
“Perfectlaunch,”Venkatsaidenthusiastically.
“Ofcourse,”saidZhuTao.
“Youguysreallycamethroughforus,”Venkatsaid.“Andwe're
grateful!”
“Naturally.”
“Andhey,youguysgetaseatonAres5.Everyonewins.”
“Mmm.”
VenkatlookedatZhuTaosideways.“Youdon'tseemtoohappy.”
“Ispent4yearsworkingonTaiyangShen,”hesaid.“Sodidcountless
otherresearchers,scientists,andengineers.Everyonepouredtheirsouls
intoconstructionwhileIwagedaconstantpoliticalbattletomaintain
funding.
“Intheend,webuiltabeautifulprobe.Thelargest,sturdiest
unmannedprobeinhistory.Andnowit'ssittinginawarehouse.It'llnever
fly.TheStateCouncilwon'tfundanotherboosterlikethat.”
HeturnedtoVenkat.“Itcouldhavebeenalastinglegacyofscientific
research.Nowit'sadeliveryrun.We'llgetaChineseastronautonMars,
butwhatsciencewillhebringbackthatsomeotherastronautcouldn't
have?Thisoperationisanetlossformankind'sknowledge.”
“Well,”Venkatsaidcautiously,“It'sanetgainforMarkWatney.”
“Mmm,”ZhuTaosaid.
“Distance61m,velocity2.3m/s,”Johanssensaid.
“Noproblem,”Martinezsaid,hiseyesgluedtohisscreens.One
showedthecamerafeedfromdockingportA,theotheraconstantfeedof
theprobe'stelemetry.
LewisfloatedbehindJohanssenandMartinez'sstations.
“Visualcontact,”Beck'svoicecameovertheradio.Hestoodin
Airlock3(viamagneticboots),fullysuitedupwiththeouterdooropen.
ThebulkySAFERUnitonhisbackwouldallowhimfreemotioninspace
shouldtheneedarise.Anattachedtetherledtoaspoolonthewall.
“Vogel,”Lewissaidintoherheadset.“Youinposition?”
Vogelstoodinthestill-pressurizedAirlock2,suitedupsavehis
helmet.“Ja,inpositionandready,”hereplied.Hewastheemergency
EVAifBeckneededrescue.
“Allright,Martinez,”Lewissaid.“Bringitin.”
“Aye,Commander.”
“Distance43m,velocity2.3m/s.”Johanssencalledout.
“Allstatsnominal,”Martinezreported.
“Slightrotationintheprobe,”Johanssensaid.“Relativerotational
velocityis0.05rps.”
“Anythingunder0.3isfine,”Martinezsaid.“Thecapturesystemcan
dealwithit.”
“Probeiswellwithinmanualrecoveryrange,”Beckreported.
“Copy,”Lewissaid.
“Distance22m,velocity2.3m/s.”Johanssensaid.“Angleisgood.”
“Slowingherdownalittle,”Martinezsaid,sendinginstructionstothe
probe.
“Velocity1.8...1.3...”Johanssenreported.“0.9...stableat0.9m/s.”
“Range?”Martinezasked.
“12m,”Johanssenreplied.“Velocitysteadyat0.9m/s.”
“Angle?”
“Angleisgood.”
“Thenwe'reinlineforauto-capture,”Martinezsaid.“Cometopapa.”
Theprobedriftedgentlytothedockingport.Itscaptureboom,along
metaltriangle,enteredtheport'sfunnel,scrapingslightlyalongtheedge.
Theportpulledtheboomin,aligningandorientingtheprobe
automatically.Afterseveralloudclanksechoedthroughtheship,the
computerreportedsuccess.
“Dockingcomplete,”Martinezsaid.
“Sealistight,”Johanssensaid.
“Beck,”Lewissaid.“Yourserviceswon'tbeneeded.”
“Rogerthat,commander,”Becksaid.“Closingairlock.”
“Vogel,returntointerior,”sheordered.
“Copy,Commander,”hesaid.
“Airlockpressureto100%”Beckreported.“Re-enteringship...I'm
backin.”
“Alsoinside,”Vogelsaid.
Lewispressedabuttononherheadset.“Houst-er...Jiuquan,probe
dockingcomplete.Nocomplications.”
“Gladtohearit,Hermes,”cameMitch'svoiceoverthecomm.
“Reportstatusofallsuppliesonceyougetthemaboardandinspected.”
“RogerJiuquan,”Lewissaid.
Takingoffherheadset,sheturnedtoMartinezandJohanssen.
“Unloadtheprobeandstowthesupplies.I'mgoingtohelpBeckand
Vogelde-suit.”
MartinezandJohanssenfloateddownthehalltowarddockingportA.
“So,”hesaid,“whowouldyouhaveeatenfirst?”
Sheglaredathim.
“CauseIthinkI'dbetastiest,”hecontinued,flexinghisarm.“Lookat
that.Goodsolidmusclethere.”
“You'renotfunny.”
“I'mfreerange,youknow.Corn-fed.”
Sheshookherheadandaccelerateddownthehall.
“Comeon!IthoughtyoulikedMexican!”
“Notlistening,”shecalledback.
Chapter20
LOGENTRY:SOL376
I'mfinallydonewiththerovermodifications!
Thehardpartwasfiguringouthowtomaintainlifesupport.
Everythingelsewasjusthardwork.Alotofhardwork.
Ihaven'tbeengoodatkeepingtheloguptodate,sohere'sarecap:
FirstIhadtofinishdrillingholeswiththePathfinder-murderin'drill.
ThenIchiseledoutabillionlittlechunksbetweentheholes.Ok,itwas
749butitfeltlikeabillion.
ThenIhadonebigholeinthetrailer.Ifileddowntheedgestokeep
themfrombeingtoosharp.
Rememberthepop-tents?Icutthebottomoutofoneandthe
remainingcanvaswastherightsizeandshape.Iusedseal-stripstoattach
ittotheinsideofthetrailer.AfterpressurizingandsealingupleaksasI
foundthem,Ihadanicebigballoonbulgingoutofthetrailer.The
pressurizedareaiseasilybigenoughtofittheOxygenatorand
AtmosphericRegulator.
Theregulatorhasanexternalcomponentimaginativelynamedthe
“AtmosphericRegulatorExternalComponent.”Theregulatorpumpsair
totheARECtoletMarsfreezeit.Itdoesthisalongatubethatruns
throughavalveintheHab'swall.Thereturnaircomesbackthrough
anothertubejustlikeit.
Gettingthetubingthroughtheballooncanvaswasn'ttoohard.Ihave
severalsparevalvepatches.Basicallythey're10x10cmpatchesofHab
canvaswithavalveinthemiddle.WhydoIhavethese?Considerwhat
wouldhappenonanormalmissioniftheregulatorvalvebroke.They'd
havetoscrubthewholemission.Easiertosendspares.
TheARECisfairlysmall.Imadeashelfforitjustunderthesolar
panelshelves.ThetubingandshelfarereadyforwhenIeventuallymove
theARECover.
There'sstillalottodo.
I'mnotinanyhurry;I'vebeentakingitslow.One4-hourEVAper
dayspentonwork,therestofthetimetorelaxIntheHab.Plus,I'lltakea
dayoffeverynowandthen,especiallyifmybackhurts.Ican'taffordto
injuremyselfnow.
I'lltrytobebetteraboutthislog.NowthatImightactuallyget
rescued,peoplewillprobablyreadit.I'llbemorediligentandlogevery
day.
LOGENTRY:SOL380
Ifinishedtheheatreservoir.
RemembermyexperimentswiththeRTGandhavingahotbath?
Sameprinciple,butIcameupwithanimprovement:SubmergetheRTG.
Noheatwillbewastedthatway.
IstartedwithaLargeRigidSampleContainer(or“plasticbox”to
peoplewhodon'tworkatNASA).Iranatubethroughtheopentopand
downtheinsidewall.ThenIcoileditinthebottomtomakeaspiral.I
glueditinplacelikethat,andsealedtheend.Usingmysmallestdrillbit,
Iputdozensoflittleholesinthecoil.Theideaisforthereturnairtopass
throughthewaterasabunchoflittlebubbles.Theincreasedsurfacearea
willgettheheatintotheairbetter.
ThenIgotaMediumFlexibleSampleContainer(“Ziplocbag”)and
triedtosealtheRTGinit.ButtheRTGhasanirregularshape,andI
couldn'tgetalltheairoutofthebag.Ican'tallowanyairinthere.Instead
ofheatgoingtothewater,somewouldgetstoredintheair,whichcould
superheatandmeltthebag.
Itriedabunchoftimes,buttherewasalwaysanairpocketIcouldn't
getout.IwasgettingprettyfrustrateduntilIrememberedIhavean
airlock.
Suitingup,IwenttoAirlock2anddepressurizedtoafullvacuum.I
ploppedtheRTGinthebagandclosedit.Perfectvacuumseal.
Nextcamesometesting.IputthebaggedRTGatthebottomofthe
containerandfilleditwithwater.Itholds20L,andtheRTGquickly
heatedit.Itwasgainingadegreeperminute.Iletitgountilitwasagood
40C.ThenIhookeduptheregulator'sreturnairlinetomycontraption
andwatchedtheresults.
Itworkedgreat!Theairbubbledthrough,justlikeI'dhoped.Even
better,thebubblesagitatedthewater,whichdistributedtheheatevenly.
Iletitrunforanhour,andtheHabstartedtogetcold.TheRTG'sheat
can'tkeepupwiththetotallossfromtheHab'simpressivesurfacearea.
Notaproblem.I'vealreadyestablishedit'splentytokeeptheroverwarm.
Ireattachedthereturnairlinetotheregulatorandthingsgotbackto
normal.
LOGENTRY:SOL381
I'vebeenthinkingaboutlawsonMars.
Yeah,Iknow,it'sastupidthingtothinkabout,butIhavealotoffree
time.
There'saninternationaltreatysayingnocountrycanlayclaimto
anythingthat'snotonEarth.Andbyanothertreaty,ifyou'renotinany
country'sterritory,maritimelawapplies.
SoMarsis“internationalwaters.”
NASAisanAmericannon-militaryorganization,anditownstheHab.
SowhileI'mintheHab,Americanlawapplies.AssoonasIstepoutside,
I'mininternationalwaters.ThenwhenIgetintheRover,I'mbackto
Americanlaw.
Here'sthecoolpart:IwilleventuallygotoSchiaparellicraterand
commandeertheAres4lander.Nobodyexplicitlygavemepermissionto
dothis,andtheycan'tuntilI'maboardAres4andoperatingthecomm
system.AfterIboardAres4,beforetalkingtoNASA,Iwilltakecontrol
ofacraftininternationalwaterswithoutpermission.
Thatmakesmeapirate!
ASpacePirate!
LOGENTRY:SOL383
YoumaybewonderingwhatIdowithmyfreetime.Ispentalotofit
sittingaroundonmylazyasswatchingTV.Butsodoyou,sodon'tjudge.
Also,Iplanmytrip.
Pathfinderwasacakerun.Flat,levelgroundalltheway.Theonly
problemwasnavigating.ButthetriptoSchiaparelliwillmeangoingover
massiveelevationchanges.
Ihavearoughsatellitemapofthewholeplanet.Itdoesn'thavemuch
detail,butI'mluckytohaveitatall.NASAdidn'texpectmetowander
3200kmfromtheHab.
AcidaliaPlanitia(WhereIam)hasarelativelylowelevation.Sodoes
Schiaparelli.Butbetweenthemitgoesupanddownby10km.There's
goingtobealotofdangerousdriving.
ThingswillbesmoothwhileI'minAcidalia,butthat'sonlythefirst
650km.Afterthatcomesthecrater-riddledterrainofArabiaTerra.
Idohaveonethinggoingforme.AndIswearit'sagiftformGod.
Forsomegeologicalreason,there'savalleycalledMawrthVallisthat's
perfectlyplaced.
Millionsofyearsagoitwasariver.Nowitsvalleythatjutsintothe
brutalterrainofArabiaalmostdirectlytowardSciaparelli.It'smuch
gentlerterrainthantherestofArabiaTerra,andthefarendlookslikea
smoothascentoutofthevalley.
BetweenAcidaliaandMawrthVallisI'llget1350kmofrelatively
easyterrain.
Theother1850km...wellthatwon'tbesonice.EspeciallywhenI
havetodescendintoSchiaparelliitself.Ugh.
Anyway.MawrthVallis.Awesome.
LOGENTRY:SOL385
TheworstpartofthePathfindertripwasbeingtrappedintherover.I
hadtoliveinacrampedenvironmentthatwasfullofjunkandreekedof
bodyodor.Sameasmycollegedays.
Rimshot!
Seriouslythough,itsucked.Itwas22solsofabjectmisery.
IplantoleaveforSchiaparelli100solsbeforemyrescue(ordeath),
andIswearto....GodI'llripmyownfaceoffifIhavetoliveinthe rover
forthatlong.
IneedaplacetostaywhereIcanstandupandtakeafewsteps
withouthittingthings.Andno,beingoutsideinagoddamnEVAsuit
doesn'tcount.Ineedpersonalspace,not50kgofclothing.
Sotoday,Istartedmakingatent.SomewhereIcanrelaxwhilethe
batteriesrecharge;somewhereIcanlaycomfortablywhilesleeping.
Irecentlysacrificedoneofmytwopoptentstobethetrailerballoon.
Theotherisinperfectshape.Evenbetter,ithasanattachmentforthe
rover'sairlock.BeforeImadeitapotatofarm,itsoriginalpurposewasa
lifeboatfortherover.
Icouldattachthepoptenttoeithervehicle'sairlock.I'mgoingwith
theroverinsteadofthetrailer.Theroverhasthecomputerandcontrols.
IfIneedtoknowstatusofanything(likelifesupportorhowwellthe
batteryischarging)I'llneedaccess.Thisway,I'llbeabletowalkrightin.
NoEVA.
Also,whiletraveling,I'llkeepitfoldedupintherover.Inan
emergency,Icangettoitfast.
Thepoptentisthebasisofmy“bedroom,”butnotthewholething.
It'snotverybig;notmuchmorespacethantherover.Butithasthe
airlockattachmentsoit'sagreatplacetostart.Myplanistodoublethe
floorareaanddoubletheheight.That'llgivemeanicebigspacetorelax
in.
Habcanvasisflexible.Whenyoufillitwithpressure,itwantsto
becomeasphere.That'snotausefulshape.SotheHabandthepop-tents
havespecialflooringmaterial.Itunfoldsasabunchoflittlesegments
thatwon'topenbeyond180degreessoitremainsflat.
Thepoptentbaseisahexagon.Ihaveanotherbaseleftoverfrom
whatisnowthetrailerballoon.Sowhenit'sdone,mybedroomwillbe
twoadjacenthexeswithwallsaroundthemandacrudeceiling.
It'sgonnatakealotofgluetomakethishappen.
LOGENTRY:SOL387
Thepoptentis1.2mtall.It'snotmadeforcomfort.It'smadefor
astronautstocowerinwhiletheircrewmatesrescuethem.Iwant2
meters.Iwanttobeabletostand!Idon'tthinkthat'stoomuchtoask.
Onpaper,it'snothardtodo.Ijustneedtocutcanvaspiecestothe
rightshapes,sealthemtogether,thensealthemtotheexistingcanvasand
flooring.
Butthat'salotofcanvas.Istartedthismissionwith6squaremeters
andI'veusedmostofthatup.Mostlyonsealingthebreachfromwhenthe
Habblewup.
GoddamnAirlock1.
Anyway,mybedroomwilltake30squaremetersofthestuff.Waythe
hellmorethanIhaveleft.Fortunately,IhaveanalternatesupplyofHab
canvas:TheHab.
Problemis(followmecloselyhere,thescienceisprettycomplicated)
ifIcutaholeintheHab,theairwon'tstayinsideanymore.
I'llhavetodepressurizetheHab,cutchunksout,andputitback
together(smaller).Ispenttodayfiguringouttheexactsizesandshapesof
canvasI'llneed.Ineededtonot....thisup,soItriple-checked everything.I
evenmadeamodeloutofpaper.
TheHabisadome.IfItakecanvasfromnearthefloor,Icanpullthe
remainingcanvasdownandre-sealit.TheHabwillbecomealopsided
dome,butthatshouldn'tmatter.Aslongasitholdspressure.Ionlyneed
ittolastanother62sols.
IdrewtheshapesonthewallwithaSharpie.ThenIspentalongtime
re-measuringthemandmakingsure,overandover,thattheywereright.
ThatwasallIdidtoday.Mightnotseemlikemuch,butthemathand
designworktookallday.Nowit'stimefordinner.
I'vebeeneatingpotatoesforweeks.Theoretically,withmy3/4ration
plan,Ishouldstillbeeatingfoodpacks.But3/4rationishardto
maintain,sonowI'meatingpotatoes.
Ihaveenoughtolasttilllaunch,soIwon'tstarve.ButI'mpretty
damnsickofpotatoes.Also,theyhavealotoffiber,so...let'sjustsayit's
goodI'mtheonlyguyonthisplanet.
Isaved5mealpacksforspecialoccasions.Iwrotetheirnameson
eachone.Igettoeat“Departure”thedayIleaveforSchiaparelli.I'lleat
“Half-way”whenIreachthe1600kmmark,and“Arrival”whenIget
there.
Thefourthoneis“SurvivedSomethingThatShouldHaveKilledMe”
becausesome....thingwillhappen,Ijustknowit.Idon'tknowwhat it'll
be,butit'llhappen.TheroverwillbreakdownorI'llcomedownwith
FatalHemorrhoidsorI'llrunintohostileMartiansorsomeshit.WhenI
do(ifIlive)Igettoeatthatmealpack.
ThefifthoneisreservedforthedayIlaunch.It'slabeled“LastMeal.”
Maybethat'snotsuchagoodname.
LOGENTRY:SOL388
Istartedthedaywithapotato.IwasheditdownwithsomeMartian
Coffee.That'smynamefor“hotwaterwithacaffeinepilldissolvedin
it.”Iranoutofrealcoffeemonthsago.
MyfirstorderofbusinesswasacarefulinventoryoftheHab.I
neededtorootoutanythingthatwouldhaveaproblemwithlosing
atmosphericpressure.Ofcourse,everythingintheHabhadacrashcourse
indepressurizationafewmonthsback.Butthistimewouldbecontrolled
andImightaswelldoitright.
Themainthingisthewater.Ilost300LtosublimationwhentheHab
blewup.Thistime,thatwon'thappen.IdrainedtheWaterReclaimerand
sealedallthetanks.
Therestwasjustcollectingknickknacksanddumpingthemin
Airlock3.AnythingIcouldthinkofthatdoesn'tdowellinanearvacuum.Thethreeremaininglaptops,allthepens,thevitaminbottles
(probablynotnecessarybutI'mnottakingchances),medicalsupplies,
etc.
ThenIdidacontrolledshutdownoftheHab.Thecriticalcomponents
aredesignedtosurviveavacuum.Habdepressisoneofthemany
scenariosNASAaccountedfor.Onesystematatime,Icleanlyshutthem
alldown,endingwiththemaincomputeritself.
IsuitedupanddepressurizedtheHab.Lasttime,thecanvascollapsed
andmadeamessofeverything.That'snotsupposedtohappen.Thedome
oftheHabismostlysupportedbyairpressure,butthereareflexible
reenforcingpolesacrosstheinsidetoholdthecanvasup.It'showtheHab
wasassembledinthefirstplace.
Iwatchedasthecanvasgentlysettledontothepoles.Toconfirmthe
depress,IopenedbothdoorsofAirlock2.IleftAirlock3alone.It
maintainedpressureforitscargoofrandomcrap.
ThenIcutshitup!
I'mnotamaterialsengineer;mydesignforthebedroomisn'telegant.
It'sjusta2mperimeterandaceiling.No,itwon'thaverightanglesand
corners(pressurevesselsdon'tlikethose).It'llballoonouttoamore
roundshape.
Anyway,itmeansIonlyneededtocuttwobig-assstripsofcanvas.
Oneforthewallsandonefortheceiling.
AftermanglingtheHab,Ipulledtheremainingcanvasdowntothe
flooringandre-sealedit.Eversetupacampingtent?Fromtheinside?
Whilewearingasuitofarmor?Itwasapainintheass.
Irepressurizedto1/20thofanatmospheretoseeifitcouldhold
pressure.
Hahaha!Ofcourseitcouldn't!Leaksgalore.Timetofindthem.
OnEarth,tinyparticlesgetattachedtowaterorweardowntonothing.
OnMars,theyjusthangaround.Thetoplayerofsandisliketalcum
powder.Iwentoutsidewithabagandscrapedalongthesurface.Igot
somenormalsand,butplentyofpowdertoo.
IhadtheHabmaintainthe1/20thatmosphere,backfillingasairleaked
out.ThenI“puffed”thebagtogetthesmallestparticlestofloataround.
Theywerequicklydrawntowheretheleakswere.AsIfoundeachleak,I
spot-sealeditwithresin.
Ittookhours,butIfinallygotagoodseal.I'lltellya,theHablooks
pretty“ghetto”now.Onewholesideofitislowerthantherest.I'llhave
tohunchdownwhenI'moverthere.
Ipressurizedtoafullatmosphereandwaitedanhour.Noleaks.
It'sbeenalong,physicallytaxingday.I'mtotallyexhaustedbutI
can'tsleep.Everysoundscarestheshitoutofme.IsthattheHab
popping?No?Ok...Whatwasthat!?Oh,nothing?Ok...
It'saterriblethingtohavemylifedependonmyhalf-assed
handiwork.
Timetogetasleepingpillfromthemedicalsupplies.
LOGENTRY:SOL389
Whatthe....isinthosesleepingpills!?It'sthemiddleoftheday.
AftertwocupsofMartianCoffee,Iwokeupalittle.Iwon'tbetaking
anotheroneofthosepills.It'snotlikeIhavetogotoworkinthe
morning.
Anyway,asyoucantellfromhownotdeadIam,theHabstayed
sealedovernight.Thesealissolid.Uglyashell,butsolid.
Today'staskwasthebedroom.
Assemblingthebedroomwaswayeasierthanre-sealingtheHab.
Becausethistime,Ididn'thavetowearanEVAsuit.Imadethewhole
thinginsidetheHab.Whynot?It'sjustcanvas.Icanrollitupandtakeit
outanairlockwhenI'mdone.
First,Ididsomesurgeryontheremainingpoptent.Ineededtokeep
therover-airlockconnectorandsurroundingcanvas.Therestofthe
canvashadtogo.Whyhackoffmostofthecanvasonlytoreplaceitwith
morecanvas?Seams.
NASAisgoodatmakingthings.Iamnot.Thedangerouspartofthis
structurewon'tbethecanvas.It'llbetheseams.AndIgetlesstotalseam
lengthbynottryingtousetheexistingpop-tentcanvas.
Afterhackingawaymostoftheremainingtent,Iseal-strippedthetwo
pop-tentfloorstogether.ThenIsealedthenewcanvaspiecesintoplace.
ItwassomucheasierwithouttheEVAsuiton.Somucheasier!
ThenIhadtotestit.Again,IdiditintheHab.IbroughtanEVAsuit
intothetentwithmeandclosedthemini-airlockdoor.ThenIfiredup
theEVAsuit,leavingthehelmetoff.Itoldittobumpthepressureupto
1.2atm.
Ittookalittlewhiletobringituptopar,andIhadtodisablesome
alarmsonthesuit.(“Hey,I'mprettysurethehelmet'snoton!”).It
depletedmostoftheN2tank,butwasfinallyabletobringthepressure
up.
ThenIsataroundandwaited.Ibreathed,thesuitregulatedtheair.All
waswell.Iwatchedthesuitreadoutscarefullytoseeifithadtoreplace
any“lost”air.Afteranhourwithnonoticeablechange,Ideclaredthe
firsttestasuccess.
Irolledupthewholething(waddedup,really)andtookitouttothe
rover.
Youknow,Isuitupalotthesedays.Ibetthat'sanotherrecordIhold.
AtypicalMartianastronautdoes,what,40EVAs?I'vedoneseveral
hundred.
OnceIbroughtthebedroomtotherover,Iattachedittotheairlock
fromtheinside.ThenIpulledthereleasetoletitloose.Iwasstill
wearingmyEVAsuit,causeI'mnotanidiot.
Itfiredoutandfilledinthreeseconds.Theopenairlockhatchwayled
directlytothebedroom,anditappearedtobeholdingpressure.
Justlikebefore,Iletitsitforanhour.Andjustlikebefore,itworked
great.UnliketheHabcanvasresealing,Igotthisonerightonthefirsttry.
MostlybecauseIdidn'thavetodoitwithadamnEVAsuiton.
OriginallyIplannedtoletitsitovernightandcheckinthemorning.
ButIranintoaproblem:Ican'tgetoutifIdothat.Theroveronlyhas
oneairlock,andthebedroomwasattachedtoit.Therewasnowayforme
togetoutwithoutdetachingthebedroom,andnowaytoattachand
pressurizethebedroomwithoutbeinginsidetherover.
It'salittlescary.ThefirsttimeItestthethingovernightwillbewith
meinit.Butthat'llbelater.I'vedoneenoughtoday.
LOGENTRY:SOL390
Ihavetofacefacts.I'mdonewiththerover.Idon't“feel”likeI'm
done.Butit'sreadytogo:
Food:1,692potatoes.Vitaminpills.
Water:620L.
Shelter:Rover,trailer,bedroom.
Air:Roverandtrailercombinedstorage:14LliquidO2,14Lliquid
N2.
LifeSupport:OxygenatorandAtmosphericRegulator.418hoursof
use-and-discardCO2filtersforemergencies.
Power:36kwhofstorage.Carryingcapacityfor29solarcells.
Heat:1400WRTG.Homemadereservoirtoheatregulator'sreturnair.
Electricheaterinroverasabackup.
Disco:Lifetimesupply.
I'mleavinghereonSol449.Thatgivesme59solstotesteverything
andfixwhateverisn'tworkingright.Anddecidewhat'scomingwithme
andwhat'sstayingbehind.AndplotaroutetoSchiaparelliusingagrainy
satellitemap.AndrackmybrainstryingtothinkofanythingimportantI
forgot.
SinceSol6allI'vewantedtodowasgetthehelloutofhere.Nowthe
prospectofleavingtheHabbehindscarestheshitoutofme.Ineedsome
encouragement.Ineedtoaskmyself:“WhatwouldanApolloastronaut
do?”
He'ddrink3whiskeysours,banghismistress,thenflytothemoon.
Andifheevermetabotanistlikemehe'ddispenseawedgieonprinciple.
Tohellwiththoseguys.I'maSpacePirate!
Chapter21
LOGENTRY:SOL431
I'mworkingouthowtopack.It'sharderthanitsounds.
Ihavetwopressurevessels:Theroverandthetrailer.They're
connectedbyhoses,butthey'realsonotstupid.Ifonelosespressure,the
otherwillinstantlysealoffthesharedlines.
There'sagrimlogictothis:IftheroverbreachesI'mdead.Nopoint
inplanningaroundthat.Butifthetrailerbreaches,I'llbefine.That
meansIshouldputeverythingimportantintherover.IfI'mgoingtodie,
Imayaswelltakeallthedelicatestuffwithme.
Everythingthatgoesinthetrailerhastobecomfortableinnearvacuumandfreezingtemperatures.NotthatIanticipatethat,butyou
know.Planfortheworst.
Thereisn'tmuchroomtospare.It'llhavetwobulkyHabbatteries,the
AtmosphericRegulator,theOxygenatorandmyhome-madeheat
reservoir.Itwouldbemoreconvenienttohavethereservoirintherover,
butithastobeneartheRegulator'sreturnairfeed.
It'llbecramped,buttherewillbesomeemptyspaces.AndIknow
justhowtofillthem:Taters!
Nothing“bad”canhappentothepotatoes.They'realreadydead.I've
beenstoringthemoutsideformonthsanyway.Also,they'resmallandnot
delicate.Theyprobablywon'tallfit,sosomewillhavetoridewithme.
Theroverwillbeprettypacked,too.WhenI'mdriving,I'llkeepthe
bedroomfoldedupneartheairlock,readyforemergencyegress.Also,I'll
havethetwofunctionalEVAsuitsintherewithmeandanythingthat
mightbeneededforemergencyrepairs:Toolkits,spareparts,mynearly
depletedsupplyofsealant,theotherrover'smaincomputer(justincase!)
andall620gloriouslitersofwater.
Andaplasticboxtotoserveasatoilet.Onewithagoodlid.
“How'sWatneydoing?”Venkatasked.
Mindylookedupfromhercomputerwithastart.“Dr.Kapoor?”
“IhearyoucaughtapicofhimduringanEVA?”
“Uh,yeah,”Mindysaid,typingonherkeyboard.“Inoticedthings
wouldalwayschangearound9amlocaltime.Peopleusuallykeepthe
samepatternssoIfiguredhelikestostartworkaroundthen.Ididsome
minorrealignmenttogetseventeenpicsbetween9:00and9:10.He
showedupinoneofthem.”
“Goodthinking.CanIseethepic?”
“Sure,”shesaid.Shebroughtuptheimageonherscreen.
Venkatpeeredattheblurryimage.“Isthisasgoodasitgets?”
“Wellitisaphototakenfromorbit,”Mindysaid.“TheNSA
enhancedtheimagewiththebestsoftwaretheyhave.”
“Wait,What?”Venkatstammered.“TheNSA?”
“Yeah,theycalledandofferedtohelpout.Samesoftwaretheyusefor
enhancingspysatelliteimagery.”
Venkatshrugged.“It'samazinghowmuchredtapegetscutwhen
everyone'srootingforonemantosurvive.”Hepointedtothescreen.
“What'sWatneydoinghere?”
“Ithinkhe'sloadingsomethingintotherover.”
“Whenwasthelasttimeheworkedonthetrailer?”Venkatasked.
“Notforawhile.Whydoesn'thewriteusnotesmoreoften?”
Venkatshrugged.“He'sbusy.Heworksmostofthedaylighthours,
andarrangingrockstospellamessagetakestimeandenergy.”
“So...”Mindysaid.“Why'dyoucomehereinperson?Wecouldhave
doneallthisoveremail.”
“Actually,Icametotalktoyou,”hesaid.“There'sgoingtobea
changeinyourresponsibilities.Fromnowon,insteadofmanagingthe
satellitesaroundMars,yoursoleresponsibilityiswatchingMark
Watney.”
“What?”Mindysaid.“Whataboutcoursecorrectionsand
alignment?”
“We'llassignthattootherpeople,”Venkatsaid.“Fromnowon,your
onlyfocusisexaminingimageryofAres3.”
“That'sademotion,”Mindysaid.“I'manorbitalengineer,andyou're
turningmeintoaglorifiedPeepingTom.”
“It'sshort-term,”Venkatsaid.“Andwe'llmakeituptoyou.Thingis,
you'vebeendoingitformonthsandyou'reanexpertatidentifying
elementsofAres3fromsatellitepics.Wedon'thaveanyoneelsewho
candothat.”
“Whyisthissuddenlysoimportant?”
“He'srunningoutoftime,”Venkatsaid.“Wedon'tknowhowfar
alongheisontherovermodifications.Butwedoknowhe'sononlygot
16solstogetthemdone.Weneedtoknowexactlywhathe'sdoing.I've
gotmediaoutletsandsenatorsaskingforhisstatusallthetime.The
Presidentevencalledmeacoupleoftimes.
“Butseeinghisstatusdoesn'thelp,”Mindysaid.“It'snotlikewecan
doanythingaboutitifhefallsbehind.Thisisapointlesstask.”
“Howlonghaveyouworkedforthegovernment?”Venkatsighed.
LOGENTRY:SOL434
Thetimehascometotestthisshitout.
Thispresentsaproblem.UnlikemyPathfindertrip,Ihavetotake
vitallifesupportelementsoutoftheHab.Whenyoutakethe
AtmosphericRegulatorandOxygenatoroutoftheHab,you'releftwith...
atent.Abigroundtentthatcan'tsupportlife.
It'snotasriskyasitseems.Asalways,thedangerouspartaboutlife
supportismanagingcarbondioxide.Whentheairgetsto1%CO2,you
startgettingsymptomsofpoisoning.SoIneedtokeepitbelowthat.
TheHab'sinternalvolumeisabout120,000L.Breathingnormally,it
wouldtakemeovertwodaystobringtheCO2levelupto1%(andI
wouldn'tevendentintheO2level).Soit'ssafetomovetheRegulator
andOxygenatoroverforawhile.
Botharewaytoobigtofitthroughthetrailerairlock.Luckyforme,
theycametoMarswith“someassemblyrequired”.Theyweretoobigto
sendwhole,sothey'reeasytodismantle.
Overseveraltrips,Itookalltheirchunkstothetrailer.Ibroughteach
chunkinthroughtheairlock,oneatatime.Itwasapainintheass
reassemblingtheminside,letmetellyou.There'sbarelyenoughroomfor
alltheshitit'sgottohold.Therewasn'tmuchleftforourintrepidhero.
ThenIgottheAREC.ItsatoutsidetheHablikeanACunitmighton
Earth.Inaway,that'swhatitwas.Ihauleditovertothetrailerand
lashedittotheshelfI'dmadeforit.ThenIhookedituptothefeedlines
thatledthroughthe“balloon”totheinsideofthetrailer'spressurevessel.
TheRegulatorneedstosendairtotheARECthenthereturnairneeds
tobubblethroughtheheatreservoir.And,itneedsapressuretankto
dumptheCO2itpullsfromtheair.
Whenguttingthetrailertomakeroom,Ileftonetankinplacefor
this.It'ssupposedtoholdoxygen,butatank'satank.ThankGodallthe
airlinesandvalvesarestandardizedacrossthemission.That'sno
mistake.It'sadeliberatedecisionformaintenancepurposes.Wecouldfix
thingsinthefieldeasierthatway.
Onceeverythingassembled,Ihookedthemintothetrailer'spower
andwatchedthempowerup.Iranboththroughfulldiagnosticsto
confirmtheywereworkingcorrectly.ThenIshutdowntheOxygenator.
Remember,I'llonlyuseitonesoloutofevery5.
Imovedtotherover,whichmeansIhadtodoanannoying10-meter
EVA.FromthereImonitoredthelifesupportsituation.It'sworthnoting
thatIcan'tmonitortheactualsupportequipmentfromtherover(it'sall
inthetrailer),buttherovercantellmeallabouttheair.Oxygen,CO2,
temperature,humidity,etc.Everythingseemedok.
GettingbackintotheEVAsuit,IreleasedacanisterofCO2intothe
rover'sair.Iwatchedtherovercomputerhaveashit-fitwhenitsawthe
CO2spiketolethallevels.Then,overtime,thelevelsdroppedtonormal.
Theregulatorwasdoingitsjob.Goodboy!
IlefttheequipmentrunningwhenIreturnedtotheHab.It'llbeonits
ownallnightandI'llcheckitinthemorning.It'snotatruetest,because
I'mnottheretobreatheuptheoxygenandmakeCO2,butonestepata
time.
LOGENTRY:SOL435
Lastnightwasweird.Iknewlogicallythatnothingbadwouldhappen
injustonenight,butitwasalittleunnervingtoknowIhadnolife
supportotherthanheaters.MylifedependedonsomemathIdidearlier.
IfIdroppedasignoraddedtwonumberswrong,Imightneverwakeup.
ButIdidwakeup,andthemaincomputershowedtheslightrisein
CO2Ihadpredicted.LookslikeIliveanotherSol.
“LiveAnotherSol”wouldbeanawesomenameforaJamesBond
movie.
Icheckedupontherover.Everythingwasfine.IfIdon'tdriveit,a
singlechargeofthebatteriescouldkeeptheregulatorgoingforovera
month(withtheheateroff).It'saprettygoodsafetymargintohave.Ifall
hellbreakslooseonmytripI'llhavetimetofixthings.I'dbelimitedby
oxygenconsumptionratherthanCO2removal,andIhaveplentyof
oxygen.
Idecideditwasagoodtimetotestthebedroom.
Igotintherover,andattachedthebedroomtotheouterairlockdoor
fromtheinside.LikeImentionedbefore,thisistheonlywaytodoit.
ThenIturneditlooseonanunsuspectingMars.
Asintended,thepressurefromtheroverblastedthecanvasoutward
andinflatedit.Afterthat,chaos.Thesuddenpressurepoppedthe
bedroomlikeaballoon.Itquicklydeflated,leavingbothitselfandthe
roverdevoidofair.IwaswearingmyEVAsuitatthetime;I'mnot
a ....idiot.SoIgetto...
LiveAnotherSol!(StarringMarkWatneyas…probablyQ.I'mno
JamesBond.)
IdraggedthepoppedbedroomintotheHabandgaveitagoodgoingover.Itfailedattheseamwherethewallmettheceiling.Makessense.
It'saright-angleinapressurevessel.Physicshatesthatsortofthing.
First,Ipatcheditup,thenIcutstripsofsparecanvastoplaceoverthe
seam.Nowithasdouble-thicknessanddoublesealingresinallaround.
Maybethat'llbeenough.Atthispoint,I'mkindofguessing.Myamazing
botanyskillsaren'tmuchuseforthis.
I'lltestitagaintomorrow.
LOGENTRY:SOL436
I'moutofcaffeinepills.NomoreMartianCoffeeforme.
Soittookalittlelongerformetowakeupthismorning,andIspent
mostofthedaywithaheadache.OnenicethingaboutlivinginamultibilliondollarmansiononMars:Accesstopureoxygen.Forsomereason,
ahighconcentrationofO2willkillmostheadaches.Don'tknowwhy.
Don'tcare.TheimportantthingisIdon'thavetosuffer.
Itestedoutthebedroomagain.Iusedthesameprocessasyesterday.
Thistimeitheld.Soisthatgood?Idon'tknow.That'stheshittypartof
failureanalysis.IfthebedroomfailswhileI'msleepinginit,I'lldie.How
longwillitlast?
Hopefully,ifitdevelopedaleak,it'dbeslowenoughthatIcould
react.Butyouneverknow.
AfterafewminutesstandingaroundinmyEVAsuit,Idecidedto
makebetteruseofmytime.Imaynotbeabletoleavewhilethebedroom
isattachedtotheairlock,butIcangointotheroverandclosethedoor.
OnceIdidthat,ItookofftheuncomfortableEVAsuit.Thebedroom
wasontheothersideoftheairlockdoor,stillfullypressurized.SoI'm
stillrunningmytest,butIdon'thavetoweartheEVAsuit.
Iwantedagoodlongtest(Iarbitrarilypicked8hours)soIwas
trappedintheroveruntilthen.
Ispentmytimeplanningthetrip.Therewasn'tmuchtoaddtowhatI
alreadyknew.I'llbee-linetoMawrthVallis,thenfollowituntilitends.
It'lltakemeonazig-zagroute,butmostlytowardSchiaparelli.
AfterthatcomesArabiaTerra.Eachcraterrepresentstwobrutal
elevationchanges.Firstdown,thenup.Ididmybesttofindtheshortest
patharoundthem.I'msureI'llhavetoadjustthecoursewhenI'mactually
drivingit.Noplansurvivesfirstcontactwiththeenemy.
Mitchtookhisseatintheconferenceroom.Theusualgangwasthere:
Teddy,Venkat,Mitch,andAnnie.ButthistimetherewasalsoMindy
ParkaswellasamanMitchhadneverseenbefore.
“What'sup,Venk?”Mitchasked.“Whythesuddenmeeting?”
“We'vegotsomedevelopments,”Venkatsaid.“Mindy,whydon'tyou
bringthemuptodate.”
“Uh,yeah,”Mindysaid.“LookslikeWatneyfinishedtheballoon
additiontothetrailer.Itmostlyusesthedesignwesenthim.”
“Anyideahowstableitis?”Teddyasked.
“Prettystable,”shesaid.“It'sbeeninflatedforseveraldayswithno
problems.Alsohebuiltsomekindof...room.”
“Room?”Teddyasked.
“It'smadeofHabcanvas,Ithink,”Mindyexplained.“Itattachesto
therover'sairlock.IthinkhecutasectionoutoftheHabtomakeit.I
don'tknowwhatit'sfor.”
TeddyturnedtoVenkat.“Whywouldhedothat?”
“Wethinkit'saworkshop,”Venkatsaid.“There'llbealotofworkto
doontheMAVoncehegetstoSchiaparelli.It'llbeeasierwithoutan
EVAsuit.Heprobablyplanstodoasmuchashecaninthatroom.”
“Clever,”Teddysaid.
“Watney'sacleverguy,”Mitchsaid.“Howaboutgettinglifesupport
inthere?”
“Ithinkhe'sdoneit,”Mindysaid.“HemovedtheAREC.”
“Sorry,”Annieinterrupted.“What'sanAREC?”
“It'stheexternalcomponentoftheAtmosphericRegulator,”Mindy
said.“ItsitsoutsidetheHab,soIknowwhenitdisappeared.Heprobably
mounteditontherover.There'snootherreasontomoveitsoI'm
guessinghe'sgotlifesupportonline.”
“Awesome,”Mitchsaid.“Thingsarecomingtogether.”
“Don'tcelebrateyet,Mitch,”Venkatsaid.“ThisisRandallCarter,
oneofourMartianmeteorologists.Randall,tellthemwhatyoutoldme.”
Randallnodded.“Thankyou,Dr.Kapoor.”Heturnedhislaptop
aroundtoshowamapofMars.“Overthepastfewweeks,aduststorm
hasbeendevelopinginArabiaTerra.Notabigdealintermsof
magnitude.Itwon'thinderhisdrivingatall.”
“Sowhat'stheproblem?”Annieasked.
“It'salow-velocityduststorm,”RandallExplained.“Slowwinds,but
fastenoughtopickupverysmallparticlesonthesurfaceandwhipthem
upintothickclouds.Therearefiveorsixofthemeveryyear.Thething
is,theylastformonths,theycoverhugesectionsoftheplanet,andthey
maketheatmospherethickwithdust.”
“Istilldon'tseetheproblem,”Anniesaid.
“Light,”Randallsaid.“Thetotalsunlightreachingthesurfaceisvery
lowintheareaofthestorm.Rightnow,it's20%ofnormal.And
Watney'sroverispoweredbysolarpanels.”
“Shit,”Mitchsaid,rubbinghiseyes.“Andwecan'twarnhim.”
“Sohegetslesspower.”Anniesaid.“Can'thejustrechargelonger?”
“Thecurrentplanalreadyhashimrechargingalldaylong,”Venkat
explained.“With20%ofnormaldaylight,it'lltakefivetimesaslongto
getthesameenergy.It'llturnhis45soltripinto225sols.He'llmissthe
Hermesflyby.”
“Can'tHermeswaitforhim?”Annieasked.
“It'saflyby,”Venkatsaid.“Hermesisn'tgoingintoMartianorbit.If
theydid,theywouldn'tbeabletogetback.Theyneedtheirvelocityfor
thereturntrajectory.”
Afterafewmomentsofsilence,Teddysaid“We'lljusthavetohope
hefindsawaythrough.Wecantrackhisprogressand-”
“Nowecan't,”Mindyinterrupted.
“Wecan't?”Teddysaid.
Sheshookherhead.“Thesatelliteswon'tbeabletoseethroughthe
dust.Onceheenterstheaffectedarea,wewon'tseeanythinguntilhe
comesouttheotherside.”
“Well...”Teddysaid.“Shit.”
LOGENTRY:SOL439
BeforeIriskmylifewiththiscontraption,Ineedtotestit.
AndnotthelittletestsI'vebeendoingsofar.Sure,I'vetestedpower
generation,lifesupport,thetrailerbubble,andthebedroom.ButIneedto
testallaspectsofitworkingtogether.
I'mgoingtoloaditupforthelongtrip,anddriveincircles.Iwon't
everbemorethan500metersfromtheHab,soI'llbefineifshitbreaks.
Idedicatedtodaytoloadinguptheroverandtrailerforthetest.I
wanttheweighttomatchwhatit'llbeontherealtrip.Plusifcargois
goingtoshiftaroundorbreakthingsIwanttoknowaboutitnow.
Imadeoneconcessiontocommonsense:Ileftmostofmywater
supplyintheHab.Iloaded20liters;enoughforthetestbutnomore.
TherearealotofwaysIcouldlosepressureinthismechanical
abominationI'vecreated,andIdon'twantallmywatertoboiloffifthat
happens.
Ontherealtrip,I'mgoingtohave620Lofwater.Imadeupthe
weightdifferencebyloading600kgofrocksinwithmyothersupplies.
BackonEarth,universitiesandgovernmentsarewillingtopay
millionstogettheirhandsonMarsrocks.I'musingthemasballast.
I'mdoingonemorelittletesttonight.Imadesurethebatterieswere
goodandfull,thendisconnectedtheroverandtrailerfromHabpower.I'll
besleepingintheHab,butIlefttherover'slifesupporton.It'llmaintain
theairovernight,andtomorrowI'llseehowmuchpoweritateup.I've
watchedthepowerconsumptionwhileit'sattachedtotheHabandthere
weren'tanysurprises.Butthis'llbethetrueproof.Icallitthe“Plugs-out
test.”
Maybethat'snotthebestname.
ThecrewofHermesgatheredinTheRec.
“Let'sgetthroughstatusquickly,”Lewissaid.“We'reallbehindin
ourscienceassignments.Vogel,youfirst.”
“IrepairedthebadcableonVASIMR4,”Vogelreported.“Itwasour
lastthickgaugecable.Ifanothersuchproblemoccurs,wewillhaveto
braidlowergaugelinestocarrythecurrent.Also,thepoweroutputfrom
thereactorisdeclining.”
“Johanssen,”Lewissaid.“Whatthedealwiththereactor?”
“Ihadtodialitback,”Johanssensaid.“It'sthecoolingvanes.They
aren'tradiatingheataswellastheyusedto.They'retarnishing.”
“Howcanthathappen?”Lewisasked.“They'reoutsidethecraft.
There'snothingforthemtoreactwith.”
“IthinktheypickedupdustorsmallairleaksfromHermesitself.
Onewayoranother,they'redefinitelytarnishing.Thetarnishis
connectingthemicro-lattice,andthatreducesthesurfacearea.Less
surfaceareameanslessheatdissipation.SoIlimitedthereactorenough
thatweweren'tgettingpositiveheat.”
“Anychanceofrepairingthecoolingvanes?”
“It'sonthemicroscopicscale,”Johanssensaid.“We'dneedalab.
Usuallytheyreplacetheveinsaftereachmission.”
“Willwebeabletomaintainenginepowerfortherestofthe
mission?”
“Yes,iftherateoftarnishingdoesn'tincrease.”
“Allright,keepaneyeonit.Beck,how'slifesupport?”
“Limping,”Becksaid.“We'vebeeninspacewaylongerthanitwas
designedtohandle.Thereareabunchoffiltersthatwouldnormallybe
replacedeachmission.IfoundawaytocleanthemwithachemicalbathI
madeinthelab,butiteatsawayatthefiltersthemselves.We'reokright
now,butwhoknowswhat'llbreaknext?”
“Weknewthiswouldhappen,”Lewissaid.“Thisshipisdesignedfor
a396daymission,andweneedtomakeitlast898.We'vegotallof
NASAtohelpwhenthingsbreak.Wejustneedtostayontopof
maintenance.Martinez,what'sthedealwithyourbunkroom?”
Martinezfurrowedhisbrow.“It'sstilltryingtocookme.Theclimate
controljustisn'tkeepingup.Ithinkit'sthetubinginthewallsthatbrings
thecoolant.Ican'tgetatthembecausethey'rebuiltintothehull.Wecan
usetheroomforstorageofnon-temperature-sensitivecargo,butthat's
aboutit.”
“Wherehaveyoubeensleeping?”
“InAirlock2.It'stheonlyplaceIcanbewithoutpeopletrippingover
me.”
“Nogood,”Lewissaid,shakingherhead.“Ifonesealbreaks,you
die.”
“Ican'tthinkofanywhereelsetosleep,”hesaid.“Theshipispretty
cramped,andifIsleepinahallwayI'llbeinpeople'sway.”
“Ok,fromnowon,sleepinBeck'sroom.Beckcansleepwith
Johanssen.”
Johanssenblushedandlookeddownawkwardly.
“So...”Becksaid,“Youknowaboutthat?”
“YouthoughtIdidn't?”Lewissaid.“It'sasmallship.”
“You'renotmad?”
“Ifitwereanormalmission,Iwouldbe,”Lewissaid.“Butwe'reway
off-scriptnow.JustkeepitfrominterferingwithyourdutiesandI'm
happy.”
“Million-mile-highclub,”Martinezsaid.“Nice!”
Johanssenblusheddeeperandburiedherfaceinherhands.
LOGENTRY:SOL444
I'mgettingprettygoodatthis.MaybewhenallthisisoverIcouldbe
aproduct-testerforMarsrovers.
Thingswentwell.Ispentfivesolsdrivingincircles;Iaveraged93
kmpersol.That'salittlebetterthanI'dexpected.Theterrainhereisflat
andsmooth,soit'sprettymuchabest-casescenario.OnceI'mgoingup
hillsandaroundbouldersitwon'tbenearlythatgood.
Thebedroomisawesome.Large,spacious,andcomfortable.Onthe
firstnight,Iranintoalittleproblemwiththetemperature.Itwas.... cold.
Theroverandtrailerregulatetheirowntemperaturesjustfine,but things
weren'thotenoughinthebedroom.
Storyofmylife.
Theroverhasanelectricheaterthatpushesairwithasmallfan.I
don'tuseitforanythingbecausetheRTGprovidesalltheheatIneed.I
liberatedthefanandwireditintoapowerlineneartheairlock.Onceit
hadpowerallIhadtodowaspointitatthebedroom.
It'salow-techsolution,butitworked.There'splentyofheat,thanks
totheRTG.Ijustneededtogetitevenlyspreadout.Foronce,entropy
wasonmyside.
Ifellintoaroutineprettyquickly.Infact,itwashauntinglyfamiliar.
Ididitfor22miserabledaysonthePathfindertrip.Butthistime,Ihad
thebedroomandthatmakesallthedifference.Insteadofbeingcoopedup
intherover,IhavemyownlittleHab.
Theprocedureiswhatyou'dexpect.Afterwakingup,Ihaveapotato
forbreakfast.Then,Ideflatethebedroomfromtheinside.It'skindof
tricky,butIworkedouthow.
First,IputonanEVAsuit.ThenIclosetheinnerairlockdoor,
leavingtheouterdoor(whichthebedroomisattachedto)open.This
isolatesthebedroom,withmeinit,fromtherestoftherover.ThenItell
theairlocktodepressurize.Itthinksit'sjustpumpingtheairoutofa
smallarea,butit'sactuallydeflatingthewholebedroom.
Oncethepressureisgone,Ipullthecanvasinandfoldit.ThenI
detachitfromtheouterhatchandclosetheouterdoor.Thisisthemost
crampedpart.Ihavetosharetheairlockwiththeentirefoldedup
bedroomwhileitrepressurizes.OnceIhavepressureagain,Iopenthe
innerdoorandmore-or-lessfallintotherover.ThenIstowthebedroom,
andgobacktotheairlockforanormalegresstoMars.
It'sacomplicatedprocess,butitdetachesthebedroomwithouthaving
todepressurizetherovercabin.Remember,theroverhasallmystuffthat
doesn'tplaywellwithvacuum.
ThenextstepistogatherupthesolarcellsI'dlaidoutthedaybefore
andstowthemontheroverandtrailer.ThenIdoaquickcheckonthe
trailer.Igointhroughitsairlockandbasicallytakeaquicklookatallthe
equipment.Idon'teventakeoffmyEVAsuit.Ijustwanttomakesure
nothing'sobviouslywrong.
Then,backtotherover.Onceinside,ItakeofftheEVAsuitandstart
driving.Idriveforalmost4hours,andthenI'moutofpower.
OnceIpark,it'sbackintotheEVAsuitforme,andouttoMars
again.Ilaythesolarpanelsoutandgetthebatteriescharging.
ThenIsetupthebedroom.PrettymuchthereverseofthesequenceI
usetostowit.Ultimatelyit'stheairlockthatinflatesit.Inaway,the
bedroomisjustanextensionoftheairlock.
Eventhoughit'spossible,Idon'trapid-inflatethebedroom.Ididthat
totestitbecauseIwantedtofindwhereit'llleak.Butit'snotagoodidea.
Rapidinflationputsalotofshockandpressureonit.Itwouldeventually
rupture.Ididn'tenjoythattimetheHablaunchedmelikeacannonball.
I'mnoteagertorepeatit.
Oncethebedroomissetupagain,IcantakeoffmyEVAsuitand
relaxtherestoftheday.Imostlywatchcrappy70'sTV.I'm
indistinguishablefromanunemployedguyformostoftheday.
Ifollowedthatprocessforfoursols,andthenitwastimeforan“Air
Day”.
AnAirDayturnsouttobeprettymuchthesameasanyotherday,but
withoutthe4hourdrive.OnceIsetupthesolarpanels,Ifiredupthe
OxygenatorandletitworkthroughthebacklogofCO2theRegulatorhad
storedup.
Onceitwasdone,mytestrunwascomplete.ItconvertedalltheCO2
tooxygen,anduseduptheday'spowergenerationtodoit.
Thetestwasasuccess.I'llbereadyontime.
LOGENTRY:SOL449
Today'sthebigday.I'mleavingforSchiaparelli.
Theroverandtrailerareallpacked.They'vebeenmostlypacked
sincethetestrun.ButnowIevenhavethewateraboard.
Ispentthelastseveraldaysrunningfulldiagnosticsoneverything.
TheRegulator,Oxygenator,RTG,AREC,batteries,roverlifesupport(in
caseIneedabackup),solarcells,rovercomputer,airlocks,and
everythingelsewithamovingpartorelectroniccomponent.Ieven
checkedeachofthemotors.Eightinall,oneforeachwheel,fouronthe
rover,fouronthetrailer.Thetrailer'smotorswon'tbepowered,butit's
nicetohavebackups.
It'sallgoodtogo.NoproblemsthatIcansee.
TheHabisashellofitsformerself.I'verobbeditofallcritical
componentsandabigchunkofitscanvas.I'velootedthatpoorHabfor
everythingitcouldgiveme,andinreturnit'skeptmealiveforayearand
ahalf.It'slikeTheGivingTree.
Iperformedthefinalshutdowntoday.Theheaters,lighting,main
computer,etc.AllthecomponentsIdidn'tstealforthetripto
Schiaparelli.
Icouldhaveleftthemon.It'snotlikeanyonewouldcare.Butthe
originalprocedureforSol31(whichwassupposedtobethelastdayof
thesurfacemission)wastocompletelyshutdowntheHabanddeflateit.
NASAdidn'twantabigtentfullofcombustibleoxygennexttotheMAV
whenitlaunched,sotheyaddedtheshutdownprocesstothemission.
IguessIdiditasanhomagetothemissionAres3couldhavebeen.A
smallpieceoftheSol31Inevergottohave.
OnceIshuteverythingdown,aneeriesilencewasallthatremained.
I'vespent449solslisteningtotheheaters,vents,andfans.Butnowitwas
deadquiet.It'sacreepy,eeriekindofquietthat'shardtodescribe.I've
beenawayfromtheHabbefore,butalwaysintheroveroranEVAsuit.
There'salwayssomekindofmachineryinoperation.
Butnowtherewasnothing.IneverrealizedhowutterlysilentMars
is.It'sadesertworldwithpracticallynoatmospheretoconveysound.I
couldhearmyownheartbeat.
Anyway,enoughwaxingphilosophical.
I'mintheroverrightnow.(Thatshouldbeobvious,withtheHab
maincomputerofflineforever.)I'vegot2fullbatteries,allsystemsare
goandI'vegot45solsofdrivingaheadofme.
Schiaparelliorbust!
Chapter22
LOGENTRY:SOL458
MawrthVallis!I'mfinallyhere!
Actually,it'snotanimpressiveaccomplishment.I'veonlybeen
traveling10sols.Butit'sagoodpsychologicalmilestone.
Sofar,theroverandmyghettolifesupportareworkingadmirably.At
least,aswellascanbeexpectedforequipmentbeingusedtentimes
longerthanintended.
TodayismysecondAirDay(thefirstwas5solsago).WhenIput
thisschemetogether,IfiguredAirDayswouldbegodawfulboring.But
nowIlookforwardtothem.They'remydaysoff.
OnanormaldayIgetup,foldupthebedroom,stackthesolarcells,
drivefourhours,setupthesolarcells,unfurlthebedroom,checkallmy
equipment(especiallytheroverchassisandwheels),thenmakeaMorse
CodestatusreportforNASAifIcanfindenoughnearbyrocks.
OnanAirDay,IwakeupandturnontheOxygenator.Thesolar
panelsarealreadyoutfromthedaybefore.Everything'sreadytogo.
ThenIchilloutinthebedroomorrover.Ihavethewholedaytomyself.
ThebedroomgivesmeenoughspacethatIdon'tfeelcoopedup,andthe
computerhasplentyofshittyTVrerunsformetoenjoy.
Technically,IenteredMawrthVallisyesterday.ButIonlyknewthat
bylookingatamap.TheentrancetothevalleyiswideenoughthatI
couldn'tseethecanyonwallsineitherdirection.
ButnowI'mdefinitelyinacanyon.Andthebottomisniceandflat.
ExactlywhatIwashopingfor.It'samazing;thisvalleywasn'tmadebya
riverslowlycarvingitaway.Itwasmadebyamega-floodinasingleday.
Itwouldhavebeenahellofathingtosee.
Weirdthought:I'mnotinAcidaliaPlanitiaanymore.Ispent457sols
there,almostayearandahalf,andI'llnevergoback.IwonderifI'llbe
nostalgicaboutthatlaterinlife.
Ifthereisa“laterinlife,”I'llbehappytoendurealittlenostalgiain
return.ButfornowIjustwanttogohome.
“WelcomebacktoCNN'sMarkWatneyReport,”Cathysaidtothe
camera.“We'respeakingwithourfrequentguest,Dr.VenkatKapoor.Dr.
Kapoor,Iguesswhatpeoplewanttoknowis:IsMarkWatneydoomed?”
“Wehopenot,”Venkatresponded.“Buthe'sgotarealchallenge
aheadofhim.”
“Accordingtoyourlatestsatellitedata,theduststorminArabiaTerra
isn'tabatingatall,andwillblock80%ofthesunlight?”
“That'scorrect.”
“AndcanWatney'sonlysourceofenergyishissolarpanels,correct?”
“Yes,that'sright.”
“Canhismakeshiftroveroperateat20%power?”
“Wehaven'tfoundanywaytomakethathappen,no.Hislifesupport
alonetakesmoreenergythanthat.”
“HowlonguntilheenterstheTauEvent.”
“He'sjustenteredMawrthVallisnow.Athiscurrentrateoftravel,
he'llbeattheedgeoftheTauEventonSol471.That's12daysfrom
now.”
“Surelyhe'llseesomethingiswrong,”Cathysaid.“Withsuchlow
visibility,itwon'ttakelongforhimtorealizehissolarcellswillhavea
problem.Couldn'thejustturnaroundatthatpoint?”
“Unfortunately,everything'sworkingagainsthim,”Venkatsaid.“The
edgeofthestormisn'tamagicline.It'sjustanareawherethedustgetsa
littlemoredense.It'llkeepgettingmoreandmoredenseashetravels
onward.It'llbereallysubtle;everydaywillbeslightlydarkerthanthe
last.Toosubtletonotice.”
Venkatsighed.“He'llgohundredsofkilometers,wonderingwhyhis
solarpanelefficiencyisgoingdown,beforehe'snoticesanyvisibility
problems.Andthestormismovingwestashemoveseast.He'llbetoo
deepintogetout.”
“Arewejustwatchingatragedyplayout?”Cathyasked.
“There'salwayshope,”Venkatsaid.“Maybehe'llfigureitoutfaster
thanwethinkandturnaroundintime.Maybethestormwilldissipate
unexpectedly.Maybehe'llfindawaytokeephislifesupportgoingon
lessenergythanwethoughtwaspossible.MarkWatneyisnowanexpert
atsurvivingonMars.Ifanyonecandoit,it'shim.”
“Twelvedays,”Cathysaidtothecamera.“AllofEarthiswatching,
butpowerlesstohelp.”
LOGENTRY:SOL462
Anotheruneventfulsol.TomorrowisanAirDay,sothisiskindofmy
Fridaynight.
I'mabouthalf-waythroughMawrthVallisnow.JustasI'dhoped,the
goinghasbeeneasy.Nomajorelevationchanges.Hardlyanyobstacles.
Justsmoothsandwithrockssmallerthanhalfameter.
YoumaybewonderinghowInavigate.WhenIwenttoPathfinder,I
watchedPhobostransittheskytofigureouttheeast-westaxis.But
Pathfinderwasaneasytripcomparedtothis,andIdiditmostlywith
landmarks.
Ican'tgetawaywiththatthistime.My“map”(suchasitis)consists
ofsatelliteimagesfartoolow-resolutiontobeofanyuse.Theyjustnever
expectedmetobeoutthisfar.TheonlyreasonIhadhigh-resimagesof
thePathfinderregionisbecausetheywereincludedforlandingpurposes;
incaseMartinezhadtolandwaylongofourtarget.
Sothistimearound,Ineededareliablewaytofixmypositionon
Mars.
LatitudeandLongitude.That'sthekey.Thefirstiseasy.Ancient
sailorsonEarthfiguredthatoneoutrightaway.Earth's23.5degreeaxis
pointsatPolaris.Marshasatiltofjustover25degrees,soit'spointedat
Deneb.
Makingasextantisn'thard.Allyouneedisatubetolookthrough,a
string,aweight,andsomethingwithdegreemarkings.Imadeitinunder
anhour.
SoIgoouteverynightwithahome-madesextantandsightDeneb.
It'skindofsillyifyouthinkaboutit.I'minmyspacesuitonMarsand
I'mnavigatingwith16thcenturytools.Buthey,theywork.
Longitudeisadifferentmatter.OnEarth,theearliestwaytoworkout
longituderequiredthemtoknowtheexacttime,thencompareittothe
sun'spositioninthesky.Thehardpartforthembackthenwasinventing
aclockthatwouldworkonaboat(pendulumsdon'tworkonboats).All
thetopscientificmindsoftheageworkedontheproblem.
Fortunately,Ihaveaccurateclocks.Therearefourcomputersinmy
immediatelineofsightrightnow.AndIhavePhobos.
BecausePhobosisridiculouslyclosetoMars,itorbitstheplanetin
lessthanoneMartianday.Soittravelswesttoeast(unlikethesunand
Deimos)andsetsevery11hours.Andnaturally,itmovesinavery
predictablepattern.
Ispend13hourseverysoljustsittingaroundwhilethesolarpanels
chargethebatteries.Phobosisguaranteedtosetatleastonceduringthat
time.Inotethetimewhenitdoes.ThenIplugitintoanastyformulaI
workedoutandIknowmylongitude.
So,workingoutlongituderequiresPhobostoset,andworkingout
latituderequiresittobenightsoIcansightDeneb.It'snotaveryfast
system.ButIonlyneeditonceaday.IworkoutmylocationwhenI'm
parked,andaccountforitinthenextday'stravel.It'skindofasuccessive
approximationthing.Sofar,it'sbeenworking.
MindyParkzoomedinonthelatestsatellitephotowithpracticed
ease.Watney'sencampmentwasvisibleinthecenter,thesolarcellslaid
outinacircularpatternaswashishabit.
Thebedroomwasinflated.Checkingthetimestampontheimage,it
wasfromnoonlocaltime.Shequicklyfoundthestatusreport;Watney
alwaysplaceditclosetotheroverwhenrockswereinabundance,usually
tothenorth.
Tosavetime,MindyhadtaughtherselfMorseCodesoshewouldn't
havetolookeachletterupeverymorning.Openinganemail,she
addressedittotheever-growinglistofpeoplewhowantedWatney'sdaily
statusmessage.
“ONTRACKFORSOL495ARRIVAL.”
Shefrownedandadded“Note:5solsuntilTauEvententry.”
LOGENTRY:SOL466
MawrthValliswasfunwhileitlasted.I'minArabiaTerranow.
Ijustenteredtheedgeofit,ifmylatitudeandlongitudecalculations
arecorrect.Butevenwithoutthemath,it'sprettyobvioustheterrainis
changing.
Forthelasttwosols,I'vespentalmostallmytimeonanincline,
workingmywayupthebackwallofMawrthVallis.Itwasagentlerise,
butaconstantone.I'matamuchhigheraltitudenow.AdicaliaPlanitia
(wherethelonelyHabishangingout)is3000mbelowelevationzero,and
ArabiaTerrais500mbelow.SoI'vegoneuptwoandahalfkilometers.
Wanttoknowwhat'satelevationzero?OnEarth,it'ssealevel.
Obviously,thatwon'tworkonMars.Solab-coatedgeeksgottogetherand
decidedMars'selevationzeroiswherevertheairpressureis610.5
Pascals.That'sabout500metersupfromwhereIamrightnow.
Nowthingsgettricky.InAcidaliaPlanitia,ifIgotoff-course,Icould
justpointintherightdirectionbasedonnewdata.Later,inMawrth Vallis,
itwasimpossibleto....itup.Ijusthadtofollowthecanyon.
NowI'minarougherneighborhood.Thekindofneighborhoodwhere
youkeepyourroverdoorslocked,andnevercometoacompletestopat
intersections.Well,notreally,butit'sbadtogetoff-coursehere.
ArabiaTerrahaslarge,brutalcratersthatIhavetodrivearound.IfI
navigatepoorly,I'llendupattheedgeofone.Ican'tjustdrivedownone
sideanduptheother.Risinginelevationcostsatonofenergy.Onflat
ground,Icanmake90kmperday.Onasteepslope,I'dbeluckytoget
40km.Plus,drivingonaslopeisdangerous.OnemistakeandIcouldroll
therover.Idon'tevenwanttothinkaboutthat.
Yes,I'lleventuallyhavetodrivedownintoSchiaparelli.Noway
aroundthat.I'llhavetobereallycareful.
Anyway,ifIendupattheedgeofacraterI'llhavetobacktrackto
somewhereuseful.Andit'sadamnmazeofcratersouthere.I'llhaveto
beonmyguard;observantatalltimes.I'llneedtonavigatewith
landmarksaswellaslatitudeandlongitude.
MyfirstchallengeistopassbetweenthecratersRutherfordand
Trouvelot.Itshouldn'tbetoohard.They're100kmapart.EvenI
can't ....thatup,right?
Right?
LOGENTRY:SOL468
ImanagedtothreadtheneedlebetweenRutherfordandTrouvelot
nicely.Admittedly,theneedlewasa100kmwide,buthey.
I'mnowenjoyingmyfourthAirDayofthetrip.I'vebeenontheroad
for20sols.Sofar,I'mrightonschedule.Accordingtomymaps,I've
traveled1,440km.Notquitehalfwaythere,butalmost.
I'vebeengatheringsoilandrocksamplesfromeachplaceIcamp.I
didthesamethingonmywaytoPathfinder.Butthistime,Iknow
NASA'swatchingme.SoI'mlabelingeachsamplebythecurrentsol.
They'llknowmylocationahellofalotmoreaccuratelythanIdo.They
cancorrelatethesampleswiththeirlocationslater.
Itmightbeawastedeffort.TheMAVisn'tgoingtohavemuchweight
allowancewhenIlaunch.TointerceptHermes,it'llhavetoreachescape
velocity,butitwasonlydesignedtogettoorbit.Theonlywaytogetit
goingfastenoughistolosealotofweight.
Atleastthatjury-riggingwillbeNASA'sjobtoworkout,notmine.
OnceIgettotheMAV,I'llbebackincontactwiththemandtheycantell
mewhatmodificationstomake.
They'llprobablysay“Thanksforgatheringsamples.Butleavethem
behind.Andoneofyourarms,too.Whicheveroneyoulikeleast.”Buton
theoff-chanceIcanbringthem,I'mgatheringthem.
Thenextfewdaystravelshouldbeeasy.Thenextmajorobstacleis
MarthCrater.It'srightinmystraight-linepathtowardSchiaparelli.It'll
costmeahundredkilometersorsotogoaround,butitcan'tbehelped.
I'lltrytoaimforthesouthernedge.ThecloserIgettotherimtheless
timeIwastegoingaroundit.
“Didyoureadtoday'supdates?”Lewisasked,pullinghermealfrom
themicrowave.
“Yeah,”Martinezsaid,sippinghisdrink.
ShesatacrosstheRectablefromhim.Carefullyopeningthe
steamingpackage,sheletitcoolforamomentbeforeeating.“Mark
enteredtheduststormyesterday.”
“Yeah,Isawthat,”hesaid.
“Weneedtofacethepossibilitythathewon'tmakeitto
Schiaparelli,”Lewissaid.“Ifthathappens,weneedtokeepmoraleup.
Westillhavealongwaytogobeforewegethome.”
“Hewasdeadbefore,”Martinezsaid.“Itwasroughonmorale,butwe
soldieredon.Besides,hewon'tdie.”
“It'sprettybleak,Rick,”Lewissaid.“He'salready50kmintothe
storm,andhe'llgoanother90kmpersol.He'llgetintoodeeptorecover
soon.”
Martinezshookhishead.“He'llpullthrough,Commander.Have
faith.”
Shesmiledforlornly.“Rick,youknowI'mnotreligious.”
“Iknow,”hesaid.“I'mnottalkingaboutfaithinGod,I'mtalking
aboutfaithinMarkWatney.LookatalltheshitMarshasthrownathim,
andhe'sstillalive.He'llsurvivethis.Idon'tknowhow,buthewill.He'sa
cleverson-of-a-bitch.”
Lewistookabiteofherfood.“Ihopeyou'reright.”
“Wanttobet$100?”Martinezsaidwithasmile.
“Ofcoursenot,”Lewissaid.
“Damnright,”hesmiled.
“I'dneverbetonacrewmatedying,”Lewissaid.“Butthatdoesn't
meanIthinkhe'll-”
“Blahblahblah,”Martinezinterrupted.“Deepdown,youthinkhe'll
makeit.”
LOGENTRY:SOL473
MyfifthAirDay,andthingsaregoingwell.Ishouldbeskimming
southofMarthCratertomorrow.It'llgeteasierafterthat.
I'minthemiddleofabunchofcratersthatformatriangle.I'm
callingittheWatneyTrianglebecauseafterwhatI'vebeenthrough,shit
onMarsshouldbenamedafterme.
Trouvelot,Becquerel,andMarthformthepointsofthetriangle,with
5othermajorcratersalongthesides.Normallythiswouldn'tbea
problematall,butwithmyextremelyroughnavigation,Icouldeasily
endupatthelipofoneofthemandhavetobacktrack.
AfterMarth,I'llbeoutoftheWatneyTriangle(yeah,I'mlikingthat
namemoreandmore).ThenIcanbeelinetowardSchiaparelliwith
impunity.There'llstillbeplentyofcratersintheway,butthey're
comparativelysmallandgoingaroundthemwon'tcostmuchtime.
Progresshasbeengreat.ArabiaTerraiscertainlyrockierthan
AcidaliaPlanitia,butnowherenearasbadasI'dfeared.I'vebeenableto
driveovermostoftherocks,andaroundtheonesthataretoobig.
Ihave1435kmlefttogo.Ares4'sMAVisinthesouthwestpartof
Schiaparelli.TheprimarygoalofAres4istogetalookatthelong-term
effectsofMartianweatherondeeplayersofstrataexposedbythecrater.
Atleast,thatwastheoriginalplan.I'llbetakingtheirMAVand
CommanderLewishasn'tgivenHermesback,sowe'veruinedeverything.
They'llprobablyjustsendanotherMAVandwaitforthenextwindow.
IdidsomeresearchonSchiaparelliandfoundsomegoodnews.The
bestwayinisrightinmydirect-linepath.Iwon'thavetodrivethe
perimeteratall.Andthewayiniseasytofind,evenwhenyousuckat
navigating.Thenorthwestrimhasasmallercrateronit,andthat'sthe
landmarkI'llbelookingfor.Tothesouthwestofthatlittlecraterisa
gentleslopeintoSchiaparelliBasin.
Thelittlecraterdoesn'thaveaname.Atleast,notonthemapsIhave.
SoIdubit“EntranceCrater.”BecauseIcan.
Inothernews,myequipmentisstartingtoshowsignsofage.Not
surprising,consideringit'swaythehellpastitsexpirationdate.Forthe
pasttwosols,thebatterieshavetakenlongertorecharge.Thesolarcells
justaren'tproducingasmuchwattageasbefore.It'snotabigdeal,Ijust
needtochargealittlelonger.
LOGENTRY:SOL474
Well,I....itup.
Itwasboundtohappeneventually.Inavigatedbadlyandendedupat
theridgeofMarthCrater.Withitbeing100kmwide,Ican'tseethe
wholething,soIdon'tknowwhereonthecircleIam.
TheridgerunsperpendiculartothedirectionIwasgoing.SoIhave
nocluewhichwayIshouldgo.AndIdon'twanttotakethelongway
aroundifIcanavoidit.OriginallyIwantedtogoaroundtothesouth,but
northisjustaslikelytobethebestpathnowthatI'moff-course.
I'llhavetowaitforanotherPhobostransittogetmylongitude,and
I'llneedtowaitfornightfalltosightDenebformylatitude.SoI'mdone
drivingfortheday.I'dmade70kmoutofthe90kmIusuallydo.Soit's
nottoomuchwastedpotentialdriving.
Marthisn'ttoosteep.Icouldprobablyjustdrivedownonesideand
uptheother.It'sbigenoughthatI'dendupcampinginsideitonenight.
ButIdon'twanttotakeunnecessaryrisks.Slopesarebadandshouldbe
avoided.Igavemyselfplentyofbuffertime,soI'mgoingtoplayitsafe.
I'mendingtoday'sdriveearlyandsettingupforrecharge.Probablya
goodideaanywaywiththesolarcellsactingup;it'llgivethemmoretime
towork.Theyunderperformedagainlastnight.Icheckedallthe
connectionsandmadesuretherewasn'tanydustonthem,buttheystill
justaren't100%.
LOGENTRY:SOL475
I'mintrouble.
IwatchedtwoPhobostransitsyesterdayandsightedDeneblastnight.
IworkedoutmylocationasaccuratelyasIcould,anditwasn'twhatI
wantedtosee.AsfarasIcantell,IhitMarthCraterdead-on.
Craaaaap.
Thisistheworstcasescenario.Icangonorthorsouth,andthey'llbe
aboutthesame.It'llcostatleastadaytocorrect.AllbecauseIaimed
wrongyesterday.
That'sfrustrating,butit'snotwhyI'mintrouble.
Istillwantedtobeefficient,andIwasn't100%surewhereIwas.SoI
tookalittlewalkthismorning.Itwasoverakilometertothepeakofthe
rim.That'sthesortofwalkpeopledoonEarthwithoutthinkingtwice,
butinanEVAsuitit'sanordeal.
Ican'twaittillIhavegrandchildren.“WhenIwasyounger,Ihadto
walktotherimofacrater.Uphill!InanEVAsuit!OnMars,yalittle
shit!Yahearme?Mars!”
Anyway,Igotuptotherimanddamn,it'sabeautifulsight.Frommy
highvantagepoint,Igotastunningpanorama.IfiguredImightbeable
toseethefarsideofMarthCrater,andmaybeworkoutifnorthorsouth
wasthebestwayaroundit.
ButIcouldn'tseethefarside.Therewasahazeintheair.It'snot
uncommon;Marshasweatherandwindanddust,afterall.Butitseemed
hazierthanitshould.I'maccustomedtothewide-openexpansesof
AcidaliaPlanitia,myformerprairiehome.
Thenitgotweirder.Iturnedaroundandlookedbacktowardtherover
andtrailer.EverythingwaswhereI'dleftit(veryfewcarthieveson
Mars).Buttheviewseemedalotclearer.
IlookedeastacrossMarthagain.Thenwesttothehorizon.Theneast,
thenwest.Eachturnrequiredmetorotatemywholebody,EVAsuits
beingwhattheyare.
Yesterday,Ipassedacrater.It'sabout50kmwestofhere.It'sjust
visibleonthehorizon.Butlookingeast,Ican'tseeanywherenearthat
far.MarthCrateris110kmwide.Withavisibilityof50km,Ishouldat
leastbeabletoseeadistinctcurvatureoftherim.ButIcan't.
The....?
Atfirst,Ididn'tknowwhattomakeofit.Butthelackofsymmetry
botheredme.AndI'velearnedtobesuspiciousofeverything.That's
whenabunchofstuffstartedtodawnonme:
1) Theonlyexplanationforasymmetricalvisibilityisaduststorm.
2) Duststormsreducetheeffectivenessofsolarcells.
3) Mysolarcellshavebeenslowlylosingeffectivenessforseveral
sols.
Fromthis,Iconcludedthefollowing:
1) I'vebeeninaduststormforseveralsols.
2) Shit.
NotonlyamIinaduststorm,butitgetsthickerasIapproach
Schiaparelli.Afewhoursago,IwasworriedbecauseIhadtogoaround
MarthCrater.NowI'mgoingtohavetogoaroundsomethingafuckload
bigger.
AndIhavetohustle.Duststormsmove.SittingstillmeansI'lllikely
getoverwhelmed.ButwhichwaydoIgo?It'snolongeranissueoftrying
tobeefficient.IfIgothewrongwaythistime,I'lleatdustanddie.
Idon'thavesatelliteimagery.Ihavenowayofknowingthesizeor
shapeofthestorm,oritsheading.Man,I'dgiveanythingfora5-minute
conversationwithNASA.NowthatIthinkofit,NASAmustbeshitting
brickswatchingthisplayout.
I'montheclock.IhavetofigureouthowtofigureoutwhatIneedto
knowaboutthestorm.AndIhavetodoitnow.
Andrightthissecondnothingcomestomind.
Mindytrudgedtohercomputer.Today'sshiftbeganat2:10pm.Her
schedulematchedWatney'severyday.Shesleptwhenheslept.Watney
simplysleptatnightonMars,whileMindyhadtodrift40minutes
forwardeveryday,tapingaluminumfoiltoherwindowstogetanysleep
atall.
Shebroughtupthemostrecentsatelliteimages.Shecockedan
eyebrow.Hehadnotbrokencampyet.Usuallyhedroveintheearly
morning,assoonasitwaslightenoughtonavigate.Thenhecapitalized
onthemiddaysuntomaximizerecharging.
Buttoday,hehadnotmoved,anditwaswellpastmorning.
Shecheckedaroundtheroversandbedroomforamessage.Shefound
itintheusualplace(northofthecampsite).ReadingtheMorsecode,her
eyeswidened.
“DUSTSTORM.MAKINGPLAN.”
Fumblingwithhercellphone,shedialedVenkat'spersonalnumber.
Chapter23
LOGENTRY:SOL476
IthinkIcanworkthisout.
I'montheveryedgeofastorm.Idon'tknowitssizeorheading.But
it'smoving,andthat'ssomethingIcantakeadvantageof.Idon'thaveto
wanderaroundexploringit.It'llcometome.
Thestormisjustdustintheair;it'snotdangeroustotherovers.Ican
thinkofitas“Percentpowerloss.”Icheckedyesterdayspower
generationanditwas97%ofoptimal.Sorightnow,it'sa3%storm.
IneedtomakeprogressandIneedtoregenerateoxygen.Thoseare
mytwomaingoals.Iuse20%ofmyoverallpowertoreclaimoxygen
(whenIstopforAirDays).IfIendupinan81%partofthestorm,I'llbe
inrealtrouble.I'llrunoutofoxygenevenifIdedicateallavailable
powertoit.That'sthefatalscenario.Butreally,it'sfatalmuchearlier
thanthat.IneedpowertomoveorI'llbestrandeduntilthestormpasses
ordissipates.Thatcouldbemonths.
ThemorepowerIgenerate,themoreI'llhaveformovement.With
clearskies,Idedicate80%ofmytotalpowertowardmovement.Iget
90kmpersolthisway.SoRightnow,at3%loss,I'mgetting3.3kmless
thanIshould.
It'soktolosesomedrivingdistancepersol.Ihaveplentyoftime,but
Ican'tletmyselfgettoodeepinthestormorI'llneverbeabletogetout.
Attheveryleast,Ineedtotravelfasterthanthestorm.IfIcango
faster,Icanmaneuverarounditwithoutbeingenveloped.Ineedtofind
outhowfastit'smoving.
Icandothatbysittinghereforasol.Icancomparetomorrow's
wattagetotoday's.AllIhavetodoismakesuretocomparethesame
timesofday.ThenI'dknowhowfastthestormismoving,atleastin
termsofpercentpowerloss.
ButIneedtoknowtheshapeofthestorm,too.
Duststormsarebig.Theycanbethousandsofkilometersacross.So
whenIworkmywayaroundit,I'llneedtoknowwhichwaytogo.I'll
wanttomoveperpendiculartothestorm'smovement,andinwhatever
directionhaslessstorm.
Sohere'smyplan:
Rightnow,Icango86km(becauseIcouldn'tgetafullbattery
yesterday).I'mgoingtoleaveasolarcellhereanddrive40kmduesouth.
ThenI'lldropoffanothersolarcellanddriveanother40kmduesouth.I'll
havethreepointsofreferenceacross80km.
Thenextday,I'llgobacktocollectthecellsandgetthedata.By
comparingthewattageatthesametimeofdayinthosethreelocations,
I'lllearntheshapeofthestorm.Ifthestormisthickertothesouth,I'll
gonorthtogetaroundit.Ifit'sthickernorth,I'llgosouth.
I'mhopingtogosouth.Schiaparelliissoutheastofme.Goingnorth
wouldaddalotoftimetomytotaltrip.
There'soneslightproblemwithmyplan:Idon'thaveanywayto
“record”thewattagefromanabandonedsolarcell.Icaneasilytrackand
logwattagewiththerovercomputer,butIneedsomethingIcandropoff
andleavebehind.Ican'tjusttakereadingsasIdrivealong.Ineed
readingsatthesametimeindifferentplaces.
SoI'mgoingtospendtodayworkingonsomemadscience.Ihaveto
makesomethingthatcanlogwattage.SomethingIcanleavebehindwith
asinglesolarcell.
SinceI'mstuckhereforthedayanyway,I'llleavethesolarcellsout.I
mayaswellgetafullbatteryoutofit.
LOGENTRY:SOL477
Ittookalldayyesterdayandtoday,butIthinkI'mreadytomeasure
thisstorm.
WhenIpackedforthisroadtrip,Imadesuretobringallmykitsand
tools.JustincaseIhadtorepairtheroveren-route.
Imadethebedroomintoalab.Istackedmysupplycontainersto
formarudimentarytable,andusedasampleboxasastool.
Ineededawaytotrackthetimeofdayandthewattageofthesolar
cell.Thetrickypartisloggingit.AndthesolutionistheextraEVAsuitI
broughtalong.
ThecoolthingaboutEVAsuitsistheyhavecamerasrecording
everythingtheysee.There'sacameraontherightarm(ortheleftifthe
astronautislefthanded),andoneabovethefaceplate.Atime-stampis
burnedintothelowerleftcorneroftheimage,justliketheshakyhome
videosDadusedtotake.
Myelectronicskithasseveralpowermeters.SoIfigure:whymake
myownloggingsystem?Icanjustfilmthepowermeteralldaylong.
Sothat'swhatIsetup.
First,IharvestedthecamerasfrommyspareEVAsuit.Ihadtobe
careful;Ididn'twanttoruinthesuit.It'smyonlyspare.Ihadtogetthe
camerasandthelinesleadingtotheirmemorychips.
Iputapowermeterintoasmallsamplecontainer,thenglueda
cameratotheundersideofthelid.WhenIsealedupthecontainer,the
camerawasproperlyrecordingthereadoutofthepowermeter.
Fortesting,Iusedroverpower.HowwillitgetpoweronceIabandon
itonthesurface?Well,itturnsoutit'sgoingtobeattachedtoa2square
metersolarcell.That'llbeplenty.AndIputasmallrechargeablebattery
inthecontainertotideitoverduringnighttime(again,harvestedfrom
thespareEVAsuit).
Thenextproblemisheat,orthelackthereof.AssoonasItakethis
thingoutoftherover,it'llstartcoolingdownmightyfast.Onceitgets
toocold,theelectronicswillstopworkingentirely.
SoIneededaheatsource.Andmyelectronicskitprovidedthe
answer.Resistors.Lotsandlotsofthem.Thecameraandpowermeter
onlyneedatinyfractionofwhatasolarcellcanmake.SoI'mdumping
therestoftheenergythroughresistors.
Resistorsheatup.It'swhattheydo.There'smyheatsource.
Imadeandtestedtwo“powerloggers”,andconfirmedtheimages
werebeingproperlyrecorded.
ThenIhadanEVA.Idetachedtwoofmysolarcellsandhookedthem
uptothepowerloggers.Iletthemloghappilyforanhour,thenbrought
thembackintochecktheresults.Theyworkedgreat.
It'sgettingtowardnightfallnow.Tomorrowmorning,I'llleaveone
powerloggerbehind,andheadsouth.
WhileIwasworking,IlefttheOxygenatorgoing(whynot?).SoI'm
allstockeduponO2andgoodtogo.
Thesolarcellefficiencyfortodaywas92.5%.Comparedto
yesterday's97%.Sorightnow,thestormismovingat4.5%persol.IfI
weretostayhereanother16sols,itwouldgetdarkenoughtokillme.
JustaswellI'mnotgoingtostayhere.
LOGENTRY:SOL478
Everythingwentasplannedtoday.Nohiccups.Ican'ttellifI'm
drivingdeeperintothestormoroutofit.It'shardtotelliftheambient
lightislessormorethanitwasyesterday.Thehumanbrainworkshardto
abstractthatout.
Ileftapower-loggerbehindwhenIstartedout.Then,after40km
travelduesouth,IhadaquickEVAtosetupanother.NowI'vegonethe
full80km,setupmysolarcellsforcharging,andI'mloggingthe
wattage.
Tomorrow,I'llhavetoreversecourseandpickupthepower-loggers.
Itmaybedangerous;I'llbedrivingrightbackintoaknownstormarea.
Buttheriskisworththegain.
Also,haveImentionedI'msickofpotatoes?Because,byGod,Iam
sickofpotatoes.IfIeverreturntoEarth,I'mgoingtobuyanicelittle
homeinWesternAustralia.BecauseWesternAustraliaisontheopposite
sideofEarthfromIdaho.
IbringitupbecauseIdinedonamealpacktoday.Ihadsaved5
packsforspecialoccasions.Iatethefirstofthem29solsagowhenIleft
forSchiaparelli.ItotallyforgottoeatthesecondwhenIreachedthehalfwaypoint9solsago.SoI'menjoyingmybelatedhalf-wayfeast.
It'sprobablymoreaccuratetoeatittodayanyway.Whoknowshow
longit'lltakemetogoaroundthisstorm.AndifIendupstuckinthe
stormanddoomedtodie,I'mtotallyeatingtheotherearmarkedmeals.
LOGENTRY:SOL479
Haveyouevertakenthewrongfreewayentrance?Youneedtodrive
tothenextexittoturnaround,butyouhateeveryinchoftravelbecause
you'regoingawayfromyourgoal.
Ifeltlikethatallday.I'mnowbackwhereIstartedyesterday
morning.Yuk.
Alongtheway,Ipickedupthepower-loggerI'dleftbehindatthe
half-waypoint.JustnowIbroughtintheoneI'dlefthereyesterday.
BothloggersworkedtheywayI'dhoped.Idownloadedeachoftheir
videorecordingstoalaptopandadvancedthemtonoon.FinallyIhad
solarefficiencyreadingsfromthreelocationsalongan80kmline,all
fromthesametimeofday.
Asofnoonyesterday,thenorthern-mostloggershowed12.3%
efficiencyloss,themiddleonewasa9.5%loss,andtheroverrecordeda
6.4%lossatitssouthernmostlocation.Itpaintsaprettyclearpicture:the
stormfrontrunsnorthwesttosoutheast.AndIalreadyworkedoutit's
travelingwest.
Thebestwaytoavoiditistogosouth.
Finally,somegoodnews!SouthiswhatIwanted.Iwon'tlosemuch
time.
Sigh...Ihavetodrivethesamegoddamnedpathathirdtime
tomorrow.
LOGENTRY:SOL480
IthinkI'mgettingaheadofthestorm.
HavingtraveledalongMarsHighway1allday,I'mbackatmy
campsitefromyesterday.Tomorrow,I'llfinallymakerealheadway
again.Iwasdonedrivingandhadthecampsetupbynoon.The
efficiencylosshereis15.6%.Comparedtothe17%lossatyesterday's
camp,thismeansIcanoutrunthestormaslongasIkeepheadingsouth.
Hopefully.
Thestormisprobablycircular.Theyusuallyare.ButIcouldjustbe
drivingintoanalcove.Ifthat'sthecase,I'mjust....dead,ok?There's
onlysomuchIcando.
I'llknowsoonenough.Ifthestormiscircular,Ishouldgetbetterand
betterefficiencyeverydayuntilI'mbackto100%.OneIreach100%that
meansI'mcompletelysouthofthestormandIcanstartgoingeastagain.
We'llsee.
Iftherewerenostorm,I'dbegoingdirectlysouthwesttowardmy
goal.Asitis,goingonlysouth,I'mnotnearlyasfast.I'mtraveling90km
perdayasusual,butIonlyget37kmclosertoSchiaparellibecause
Pythagorasisa.....Idon'tknowwhenI'llfinallyclearthestormandbe
abletobeelinetoSchiaparelliagain.Butonething'sforsure:Myplanto
arriveonSol495isboned.
Sol549.That'swhentheycomeforme.IfImissit,I'llspendtherest
ofmyveryshortlifehere.AndIstillhavetheMAVtomodifybefore
then,too.
Sheesh.
LOGENTRY:SOL482
Airday.Atimeforrelaxationandspeculation.
Forrelaxation,Iread100pagesofAgathaChristie'sEvilUnderthe
SuncourtesyofJohanssen'sdigitalbookcollection.IthinkLinda
Marshallisthemurderer.
Asforspeculation,IspeculatedonwhenthehellI'llgetpastthis
....storm.
I'mstillgoingduesoutheveryday;andstilldealingwithefficiency
loss(thoughI'mkeepingaheadofit).EverydayofthiscrapI'monly
getting37kmclosertotheMAVinsteadof90.Pissingmeoff.
IconsideredskippingtheAirDay.Icouldgoanothercoupleofdays
beforeIranoutofoxygen,andgettingawayfromthestormispretty
important.ButIdecidedagainstit.I'maheadofthestormenoughthatI
canaffordonedayofnomovement.AndIdon'tknowifacouplemore
dayswouldhelp.Whoknowshowfarthestormgoessouth?
Well,NASAprobablyknows.AndthenewsstationsbackonEarthare
probablyshowingit.Andthere'sprobablyawebsitelikewww.watchmark-watney-die.com.Sothere'slikeahundredmillionpeopleorsowho
knowexactlyhowfarsouthitgoes.
ButI'mnotoneofthem.
LOGENTRY:SOL484
Finally!
IamFINALLYpastthegoddamnedstorm.Today'spowerregenwas
100%.Nomoredustintheair.Withthestormmovingperpendicularto
mydirectionoftravel,itmeansI'msouthofthesouthernmostpointof the
cloud(presumingit'sacircularstorm.Ifit'snotthen.....)
Startingtomorrow,IcangodirectlytowardSchiaparelli.Whichis
good,causeIlostalotoftime.Iwent540kmduesouthwhileavoiding
thatstorm.I'mcatastrophicallyoffcourse.
Mindyou,ithasn'tbeenthatbad.I'mwellintoTerraMeridianinow,
andthedrivingisalittleeasierherethantheruggedass-kickingterrain
ofArabiaTerra.Schiaparelliisalmostdueeast,andifmysextantand
Phoboscalculationsarecorrect,I'vegotanother1030kmtogetthere.
Accountingforairdaysandpresuming90kmoftravelpersol,I
shouldarriveonSol505.Nottoobad,really.TheNearly-Mark-Killin'
stormonlyendedupdelayingmeby7sols.
I'llstillhave44solstodowhateverMAVmodificationsNASAhasin
mind.
LOGENTRY:SOL487
Ihaveaninterestingopportunityhere.Andby“opportunity”Imean
Opportunity.
Igotpushedsofaroffcourse,I'mactuallynotfarfromtheMars
ExplorationRoverOpportunity.It'sabout300kmaway.Icouldactually
getthereandpullaPathfinderonit.Itwouldtakeabout4sols.
Thingis,it'snotworthit.I'monly13solsawayfromtheMAV.Why
gooutofmywaytodigupanotherbroken-assrovertouseasamakeshift
radiowhenI'llhaveabrandnew,fullyfunctionalcommunicationsystem
withinacoupleofweeks.
So,whileit'skindofneatthatI'mwithinstrikingrangeofanother
rover(manwereallylitteredthisplanetwiththem,didn'twe?)it'snot
relevant.
Besides,I'vedefiledenoughfuturehistoricalsitesfornow.
LOGENTRY:SOL492
Ineedtoputsomethoughtintothebedroom.
Rightnow,IcanonlyhaveitsetupwhenI'minsidetherover.It
attachestotheairlock,soIcan'tgetoutifit'sthere.Duringmyroadtrip
thatdidn'tmatter,becauseIhadtofurliteverydayanyway.ButonceI
gettotheMAV,Iwon'thavetodrivearoundanymore.Each
decompress/recompressofthebedroomstressestheseams(Ilearnedthat
lessonthehardwaywhentheHabblewup)soit'sbestifIcanfindaway
toleaveitout.
Holyshit.IjustrealizedIactuallybelieveI'llgettotheMAV.See
whatIdidthere?IcasuallytalkedaboutwhatI'lldoafterIgettothe
MAV.Likeitwasnothing.Nobigdeal.I'mjustgoingtopopoverto
SchiaparelliandhangwiththeMAVthere.
Nice.
Anyway,Idon'thaveanotherairlock.I'vegotoneontheroverand
oneonthetrailerandthat'sit.They'refirmlyfixedinplace,soit'snot
likeIcandetachoneandattachittothebedroom.
ButIcansealthebedroomentirely.Idon'tevenhavetodoany
bullshithatchetjobsonit.TheairlockattachmentpointhasaflapIcan
unrollsealtheopeningwith.Remember,Istoletheairlockattachment
fromapop-tent.It'sanemergencyfeatureforpressurelosswhileinthe
rover.It'dbeprettyuselessifitcouldn'tsealitselfoff.
Unfortunately,asanemergencydevice,itwasneverintendedtobe
reusable.Theideawaspeoplesealthemselvesinthepoptent,thenthe
restofthecrewdrivestowherevertheyareintheotherroverandrescues
them.Thecrewofthegoodroverdetachesthepoptentfromthebreached
rover,andre-attachesittotheirs.Thentheycutthroughthesealfrom
theirsidetorecovertheircrewmates.
Tomakesurethiswouldalwaysbeanoption,missionrulesdictated
nomorethan3peoplecouldbeinaroveratonce,andbothrovershadto
befullyfunctionalorwecouldn'tuseeither.
Sohere'smybrilliantplan:Iwon'tusethebedroomasabedroom
anymoreonceIgettotheMAV.I'lluseittohousetheOxygenatorand
AtmosphericRegulator.ThenI'llusethetrailerasmybedroom.Neat,eh?
Thetrailerhastonsofspace.Iputafucktonofworkintomakingthat
happen.Theballoongivesplentyofheadroom.Notalotoffloorspace,
butstilllotsofverticalarea.
Also,thebedroomhasseveralvalveaperturesinitscanvas.Ihavethe
pop-tentstothankforthatagain.IjustneededswathsofcanvassoIstole
itfromwhereverIcould.Istolealotfromthepoptents,andtheyhad
valveapertures(tripleredundantones,actually).NASAwantedtomake
suretheemergencyshelterallowsthecrewontheoutsidetogetairinto
thecrewontheinside.
Intheend,I'llhavethebedroomsealedwiththeOxygenatorand
AtmosphericRegulatorinside.It'llbeattachedtothetrailerviahosesto
sharethesameatmosphereandI'llrunapowerlinethroughoneofthe
hoses.Theroverwillserveasstorage(becauseIwon'tneedtogettothe
drivingcontrolsanymore)andthetrailerwillbecompletelyempty.Then
I'llhaveapermanentbedroom.I'llevenbeabletouseitasaworkshop
forwhateverMAVmodificationsIneedtodoonpartsthatcanfit
throughthetrailer'sairlock.
Ofcourse,iftheAtmosphericRegulatororOxygenatorhave
problems,I'llneedtocutintothebedroomtogettothem.ButI'vebeen
here492solsandthey'veworkedfinethewholetime,soI'lltakethat
risk.
LOGENTRY:SOL497
I'llbeattheentrancetoSchiaparellicratertomorrow!
Presumingnothinggoeswrong,thatis.Buthey,everythingelsehas
gonesmoothlythismission,right?(Thatwassarcasm.)
Today'sanAirDayandforonce,Idon'twantit.I'msocloseto
Schiaparelli,Icantasteit.Iguessitwouldtastelikesand,mostly,but
that'snotthepoint.
Ofcourse,thatwon'tbetheendofthetrip.It'lltakeanother3solsto
getfromtheentrancetotheMAV,buthotdamn!I'malmostthere!
IthinkIcanevenseetherimofSchiaparelli.It'swaythehelloffin
thedistanceanditmightjustbemyimagination.It's62kmaway,soif
I'mseeingit,I'monlyjustbarelyseeingit.
Tomorrow,onceIgettoEntranceCrater,I'llturnsouthandenterthe
SchiaparelliBasinviathe“EntranceRamp.”Ididsomeback-of-thenapkinmathandtheslopeshouldbeprettysafe.Theelevationchange
fromtherimtothebasinis1.5km,andtheRampisatleast45kmlong.
Thatmakesfora2-degreegrade.Noproblem.
Tomorrownight,I'llsinktoanallnewlow!
Lemmerephrasethat...
Tomorrownight,I'llbeatrockbottom!
No,thatdoesn'tsoundgoodeither...
Tomorrownight,I'llbeinGiovanniSchiaparelli'sfavoritehole!
Ok,IadmitI'mjust....aroundnow.
Formillionsofyears,therimofthecraterhadbeenunderconstant
attackfromwind.Iterodedtherockycrestlikearivercutsthrougha
mountainrange.Afteraeons,itfinallybreachedtheedge.
Thehighpressurezonecreatedbythewindnowhadanavenueto
drain.Thebreachwidenedmoreandmorewitheachpassingmillennium.
Asitwidened,dustandsandparticlescarriedalongwiththeattack
settledinthebasinbelow.
Eventually,abalancepointwasreached.Thesandhadpileduphigh
enoughtobeflushwiththelandoutsidethecrater.Itnolongerbuilt
upward,butnowoutward.Theslopelengtheneduntilanewbalancepoint
wasreached,onedefinedbythecomplexinteractionsofcountlesstiny
particlesandtheirabilitytomaintainanangledshape.EntranceRamp
hadbeenborn.
Theweatherbroughtdunesanddesertterrain.Nearbycraterimpacts
broughtrocksandboulders.Theshapebecameuneven.
Gravitydiditswork.Therampcompressedovertime.Butitdidnot
compressevenly.Differingdensitiesshrunkatdifferentrates.Someareas
becamehardasrockwhileothersremainedassoftastalc.
Whileprovidingasmallaverageslopeintothecrater,therampitself
wasruggedandbitterlyuneven.
UponreachingEntranceCrater,theloneinhabitantofMarsturnedhis
vehicletowardtheSchiaparelliBasin.Thedifficultterrainwas
unexpected,butlookednoworsethanotherterrainheroutinely
navigated.
Hewentaroundthesmallerdunes,andcarefullycrestedthelarger
ones.Hetookcarewitheveryturn,everyriseorfallinelevation,and
everyboulderinhispath.Hethoughtthrougheverycourseand
consideredallalternatives.
Butitwasn'tenough.
Therover,whiledescendingdownaseeminglyordinaryslope,drove
offaninvisibleridge.Thedense,hardsoilsuddenlygavewaytosoft
powder.Withtheentiresurfacecoveredbyatleast5cmofdust,there
werenovisualhintstothesuddenchange.
Therover'sleftfrontwheelsank.Thesuddentiltbroughttheright
rearwheelcompletelyofftheground.Thisinturnputmoreweightonthe
leftrearwheel,whichslippedfromit'sprecariouspurchaseintothe
powderaswell.
Beforethetravelercouldreact,theroverrolledontoitsside.Asit
did,thesolarcellsneatlystackedontheroofflewoffandscatteredlikea
droppeddeckofcards.
Thetrailer,attachedtotheroverwithatowclamp,wasdragged
along.Thetorsionontheclampsnappedthestrongcompositelikea
brittletwig.Thehosesconnectingthetwovehiclesalsosnapped.The
trailerplungedhead-longintothesoftsoilandflippedoverontoits
balloon-roof,shudderingtoanabrupthalt.
Theroverwasnotsolucky.Itcontinuedtumblingdownthehill,
bouncingthetraveleraroundlikeclothesinadryer.After20meters,the
softpowdergavewaytomoresolidsandanditshudderedtoahalt.
Theroverhadcometorestonitsside.Thevalvesleadingtothenow
missinghoseshaddetectedthesuddenpressuredropandclosed.The
pressuresealwasnotbreached.
Thetravelerwasalivefornow.
Chapter24
Thedepartmentheadsstaredatthesatelliteimageontheprojection
screen.
"Jesus,"Mitchsaid."Whatthehellhappened?"
"Therover'sonitsside,"Mindysaid,pointingtothescreen."The
trailer'supsidedown.Thoserectanglesscatteredaroundaresolarcells."
Venkatputahandonhischin."Dowehaveanyinformationonthe
stateoftheroverpressurevessel?"
"Nothingobvious,"Mindysaid.
"AnysignsofWatneydoingsomethingaftertheaccident?AnEVA
maybe?"
"NoEVA,"Mindysaid."Theweather'sclear.Ifhe'dcomeoutthere'd
bevisiblefootsteps."
"Isthistheentirecrashsite?"BruceNgasked.
"Ithinkso,"Mindysaid."Uptowardthetopofthephoto,whichis
North,thereareordinarywheeltracks.Righthere,"shepointedtoalarge
disturbanceinthesoil,"iswhereIthinkthingswentwrong.Judgingby
wherethatditchis,I'dsaytheroverrolledandslidfromthere.Youcan
seethetrenchitleftbehind.Thetrailerflippedforwardontoitsroof."
"I'mnotsayingeverything'sok,"Brucesaid,"butIdon'tthinkit'sas
badasitlooks."
"Goon,"Venkatsaid.
"Therover'sdesignedtohandlearoll,"Bruceexplained."Andif
there'dbeenpressurelossthere'dbeastarburstpatterninthesand.Idon't
seeanythinglikethat."
"Watneymaystillbehurtinside,"Mitchsaid."Hecouldhavebanged
hisheadorbrokenanarmorsomething."
"Sure,"Brucesaid."I'mjustsayingtheroverisprobablyok."
"Whenwasthistaken?"
Mindycheckedherwatch."Wegotit17minutesago.We’llget
anotherpicin9minuteswhenMGS4’sorbitbringsitinview.”
“Firstthinghe’lldoisanEVAtoassessdamage,”Venkatsaid.
“Mindy,keepuspostedonanychanges.”
LOGENTRY:SOL498
Hmm.
Yeah.
Thingsdon'tgowellonthedescentintoSchiaparelliBasin.Togive
yousomeindicationofhowunwelltheywent,I'mreachinguptothe
computertotypethis.Becauseit'sstillmountednearthecontrolpanel,
andtheroverisonitsside.
Igotbouncedaroundalot,butI'mawell-honedmachineintimesof
crisis.Assoonastherovertoppled,Icurledintoaballandcowered.
That'sthekindofactionheroIam.
Itworked,too.CauseI'mnothurt.
Thepressurevesselisintact,sothat'saplus.Thevalvesthatleadto
thetrailerhosesareshut.Probablymeansthehosesdisconnected.And
thatmeansthetrailerjunctionsnapped.Wonderful.
Lookingaroundtheinteriorhere,Idon'tthinkanythingisbroken.The
watertanksstayedsealed.Therearen'tanyvisibleleaksintheairtanks.
Thebedroomcameunfoldedandit'sallovertheplace,butit'sjustcanvas
soitcan'thavegottentoohurt.
Thedrivingcontrolsareok,andtheNavComputeristellingmethe
roverisatan"unacceptablydangeroustilt."Thanks,Nav!
SoIrolled.That'snottheendoftheworld.I'maliveandtherover's
fine.I'mmoreworriedaboutthesolarcellsIprobablyrolledover.Also,
sincethetrailerdetachedthere'sagoodchanceit's....up,too.The
balloonroofithasisn'texactlydurable.Ifitpopped,theshitinsidewill
haveflungoutinalldirectionsandI'llhavetogofindit.That'smy
criticallifesupport.
Speakingoflifesupport,theroverswitchedovertothelocaltanks
whenthevalvesshut.Goodboy,Rover!Here'saScooby-Snack.
I'vegot20Lofoxygen(enoughtokeepmebreathingfor40days)but
withouttheRegulator(whichisinthetrailer)I'mbacktochemicalCO2
absorption.Ihave312hoursoffiltersleft.PlusIhaveanother171hours
ofEVAsuitCO2filtersaswell.Alltold,they'lllast483hours,whichis
closeto20sols.SoIhavetimetogetthingsworkingagain.
I'mreallydamnclosetotheMAVnow.About220km.I'mnotgoing
toletsomethinglikethisstopmefromgettingthere.AndIdon'tneed
everythingtoworkattopformanymore.Ijustneedtherovertoworkfor
220morekilometersandthelifesupporttoworkfor51moresols.That's
it.
Timetosuitupandlookforthetrailer.
LOGENTRY:SOL498(2)
IhadanEVAandthingsaren'ttoobad.Mindyou,they'renotgood.
Itrashed3solarcells.They'reundertheroverandcrackedalltohell.
Theymightstillbeabletopissoutoutafewwatts,butI'mnotholding
outmuchhope.Ididcomeintothiswithoneextrasolarcell.Ineeded28
formydailyoperationsandIbrought29(14ontherover'sroof,7onthe
trailer'sroof,and8onthemakeshiftshelvesIinstalledonthesidesof
bothvehicles.)
Itriedpushingtheroverover,butIwasn'tstrongenough.I'llneedto
rigsomethingtogetaleverageadvantage.Otherthanbeingonitsside,I
don'tseeanyrealproblems.
Well,that'snottrue.Thetowhookis....beyondrepair.Halfofit
rippedcleanoff.Fortunately,thetraileralsohasatowhook,soIhavea
spare.
Thetrailer'sinaprecarioussituation.It'supside-downandsittingon
theinflatedroof.I'mnotsurewhichgodsmileddownonmeandkeptthat
balloonfrompopping,butI'mgrateful.Myfirstprioritywillberighting
it.Thelongeritputsweightonthatballoon,thelargerthechancesit'll
pop.
WhileIwasout,Icollectedthe26solarcellsthataren'tunderthe
roverandsetthemuptorechargemybatteries.Mayaswell,right?
Sorightnow,Ihaveafewproblemstotackle:First,Ineedtoright
thetrailer.Oratleastgettheweightofftheballoon.Next,Ineedtoright
therover.Finally,Ineedtoreplacetherover'stowhookwiththeoneon
thetrailer.
Also,IshouldspelloutamessageforNASA.They'reprobably
worried.
MindyreadtheMorsecodealoud.“Rolled.Fixingnow.”
“What?That'sit?”Venkatsaidoverthephone.
“That'sallhesaid,”shereported,cradlingthephoneasshetypedout
anemailtothelistofinterestedparties.
“Justthreewords?Nothingabouthisphysicalhealth?Hisequipment?
Hissupplies?”
“Yougotme,”shesaid.“Heleftadetailedstatusreport.Ijust
decidedtoliefornoreason.”
“Funny,”Venkatsaid.“Beasmart-asstoaguysevenlevelsabove
youatyourcompany.Seehowthatworksout.”
“Ohno,”Mindysaid.“Imightlosemyjobasaninterplanetary
voyeur?IguessI'dhavetousemyMaster'sdegreeforsomethingelse.”
“Irememberwhenyouwereshy.”
“I'mspacepaparazzinow.Theattitudecomeswiththejob.”
“Yeah,yeah,”Venkatsaid.“Justsendtheemail.”
“Alreadysent.”
LOGENTRY:SOL499
IhadabusydaytodayandIgotalotdone.
Istartedoutprettysore.Ihadtosleeponthewalloftherover.The
bedroomwon'tworkwhentheairlockisfacingup.Ididgettousethe
bedroom,somewhat.Ifoldeditupanduseditasabed.
Anyway,sufficetosaythewalloftheroverwasn'tmadeforsleeping
on.ButafteramorningpotatoandVicodin,Iwasfeelingmuchbetter.
AtfirstIfiguredmytopprioritywasthetrailer.ThenIchangedmy
mind.Aftertakingagoodlookatit,IdecidedI'dneverbeabletorightit
bymyself.I'dneedtherover.
Sotodaywasfocusedongettingtheroverrighted.
Ibroughtallmytoolsalongonthistrip,figuringI'dneedthemforthe
MAVmodifications.AndalongwiththemIbroughtcabling.OnceIget
setupattheMAV,mysolarcellsandbatterieswillbeinafixedposition.
Idon'twanttomovetheroveraroundeverytimeIuseadrillonthefar
sideoftheMAV.SoIbroughtalltheelectricalcablingIcouldfit.
Goodthing,too.Becauseitdoublesasrope.
Idugupmylongestcable.It'sthesameoneIusedtopowerthedrill
thatdestroyedPathfinder.Icallitmy“LuckyCable.”
Ipluggedoneendintothebatteryandtheotherintotheinfamous
sampledrill.Thenwalkedoffwiththedrilltofindsolidground.OnceI
foundit,IkeptgoinguntilI'dgoneasfarastheelectricallinewould
reach.Idrovea1-meterbithalfameterintoarock,unpluggedthepower
line,andtieditaroundthebaseofthebit.
ThenIwentbacktotheroverandtiedoffthecordtotheroof-rackbar
onthehighside.NowIhadalong,tautlinerunningperpendiculartothe
rover.
Iwalkedtothemiddleofthecordandpulleditlaterally.Theleverage
advantageontheroverwashuge.Ionlyhopeditwouldn'tbreakthedrill
bitbeforeittippedtherover.
Ibackedaway,pullingthelinemoreandmore.Somethinghadto
give,anditwasn'tgoingtobeme.IhadArchimedesonmyside.The
roverfinallytipped.
Itfellontoitswheels,kickingupalargecloudofsoftdust.Itwasa
silentaffair.Iwasfarenoughawaythatthethinatmospherehadnohope
ofcarryingthesoundtome.
Iuntiedthepowerline,liberatedthedrillbit,andreturnedtothe
rover.Igaveitafullsystem'scheck.That'saboring-as-helltaskbutIhad
todoit.Everysystemandsubsystemwasworkingcorrectly.
JPLdidadamngoodjobmakingtheserovers.IfIgetbacktoEarth,
I'mbuyingBruceNgabeer.ThoughIguessIshouldbuyalltheJPLguys
abeer.
Beersfor....everyoneifIgetbacktoEarth.
Anyway,withtheroverbackonitswheelsitwastimetoworkonthe
trailer.Problemis,I'minacrater.
IhadgottenmostofthewaydowntheRampwhenIrolledtherover.
AndtheRampisupagainstthewesternedgeofthecrater.Sothesunsets
reallyearlyfrommypointofview.I'mintheshadowofthewesternwall.
Andthatroyallysucks.
MarsisnotEarth.Itdoesn'thaveathickatmospheretobendlightand
carryparticlesthatreflectlightaroundcorners.It'sdamn-nearavacuum
here.Oncethesunisn'tvisible,I'minthedark.Phobosgivesmesome
moonlight,butnotenoughtoworkwith.Deimosisalittlepieceofshit
that'snogoodtoanyone.
Longstoryshort:Iranoutofdaylight.Ihatetoleavethetrailer
sittingonitsballoonforanothernight,butthere'snotmuchelseIcando.
Ifigureit'ssurvivedawholedaylikethat.It'sprobablystablefornow.
Andhey,withtheroverrighted,Igettousethebedroomagain!It's
thesimplethingsinlifethatmatter.
LOGENTRY:SOL500
WhenIwokeupthismorning,thetrailerhadn'tpoppedyet.Sothat
wasagoodstart.
Thetrailerwasabiggerchallengethantherover.Ionlyhadtotipthe
rover.I'dneedtocompletelyflipthetrailer.Thatrequireslotmoreforce
thanyesterday'slittleleveragetrick.
Thefirststepwastodrivetherovertonearthetrailer.Thencamethe
digging.
Ohgodthedigging.
Thetrailerwasupsidedownwithitsnosepointeddownhill.Idecided
thebestwaytorightitwastotakeadvantageoftheslopeandrollthe
traileroveritsnose.Basicallytomakeitdoasomersaulttolandonits
wheels.
Icanmakethishappenbytyingoffthecabletotherearofthetrailer
andtowingwiththerover.ButifItriedthatwithoutdiggingaholefirst,
thetrailerwouldjustslidealongtheground.Ineededittotipup.I
neededaholeforthenosetofallinto.
SoIdugahole.Aholeonebythreemeters,andonemeterdeep.It
tookmefourmiserablehoursofhardlabor,butIgotitdone.
Ihoppedintheroveranddroveitdownhill,draggingthetrailerwith
me.AsI'dhoped,thetrailernosedintotheholeandtippedup.From
there,itfellontoitswheelswithahugeplumeofdust.
ThenIsatforamoment,dumbstruckthatmyplanactuallyworked.
AndnowI'moutofdaylightagain.Ican'twaittogetoutofthis ....
shadow.AllIneedisonedayofdrivingtowardtheMAVandI'll beaway
fromthewall.Butfornow,it'sanotherearlynight.
I'llspendtonightwithoutthetrailertomanagemylifesupport.Itmay
berighted,butIhavenoideaiftheshitinsidestillworks.Theroverstill
hasamplesuppliesforme.
I'llspendtherestoftheeveningenjoyingapotato.Andby“enjoying”
Imean“hatingsomuchIwanttokillpeople.”
LOGENTRY:SOL501
IstartedthedaywithsomeNothin'Tea.Nothin'Teaiseasytomake.
First,getsomehotwater,thenaddnothin'.IexperimentedwithPotato
SkinTeaafewweeksago.Thelesssaidaboutthatthebetter.
Iventuredintothetrailertoday.Notaneasytask.It'sprettycramped
inthere;IhadtoleavemyEVAsuitintheairlock.
ThefirstthingInoticedwasthatitwasreallyhotinthere.Ittookme
afewminutestoworkoutwhy.
TheAtmosphericRegulatorwasstillinperfectworkingorder,butit
hadnothingtodo.Withoutbeingconnectedtotherover,itnolongerhad
myCO2productiontodealwith.Theatmosphereinthetrailerwas
perfect,whychangeanything?
Withnoregulationnecessary,theairwasnotbeingpumpedouttothe
ARECforfreeze-separation.Andthusitwasn'tcomingbackinasaliquid
inneedofheating.
Butremember,theRTGgivesoffheatallthetime.Youcan'tstopit.
Sotheheatjustbuiltup.Eventually,thingsreachedabalancepointwhere
theheatbledthroughthehullasfastastheRTGcouldaddit.Ifyou're
curious,thatbalancepointwasasweltering41C.
IdidafulldiagnosticontheRegulatorandOxygenatorandI'mhappy
toreportbothareworkingperfectly.
TheRTG'swatertankwasempty,whichisnosurprise.Itwasanopen
top,notintendedtobeturnedupsidedown.Thefloorofthetrailerhasa
lotofpuddledwaterthattookmequiteawhiletosopupwithmy
jumpsuit.Itoppedthetankoffwithsomemorewaterfromasealed
containerthatI'dstoredinthetrailerearlier.Remember,Ineedthatwater
tohavesomethingforthereturningairtobubblethrough.That'smy
heatingsystem.
Butallthingsconsidered,itwasgoodnews.Thecriticalcomponents
areworkingfine,andbothvehiclesarebackontheirtires.
Thehosesthatconnectedtheroverandtrailerweredesignedwell,and
releasedwithoutbreaking.Isimplysnappedthembackintoplaceandthe
vehiclesweresharinglifesupportagain.
Theoneremainingthingtofixwasthetowhook.Itwasabsolutely
ruined.Ittookthefullforceofthecrash.AsIsuspected,thetrailer'stow
hookwasunscathed.SoItransferredittotheroverandreconnectedthe
twovehiclesfortravel.
Alltold,thatlittlefender-bendercostme4sols.ButnowI'mbackin
action!
Sortof.
WhatifIrunintoanotherpowderpit?Igotluckythistime.Next
timeImightnotgetoffsoeasy.Ithinkthiswassortofafreakaccident.
Theproblemwasthatonewheelwasonsolidgroundwhiletheotherwas
onsoftpowder.
Ineedawaytoknowifthegroundinfrontofmeissafe.Atleastfor
thedurationofmytimeonTheRamp.OnceI'mintheSchiaparelliBasin
proper,IcancountonthenormalsandyterrainI'musedto.
IfIcouldhaveanything,itwouldbearadiotoaskNASAthesafe
pathdowntheRamp.Well,ifIcouldhaveanything,itwouldbeforthe
green-skinnedyetbeautifulQueenofMarstorescuemesoshecanlearn
moreaboutthisEarththingcalled“lovemaking”.
It'sbeenalongtimesinceI'veseenawoman.Justsayin'.
Anyway,toensureIdon'tcrashagain,I'll--Seriously...nowomenin
like,years.Idon'taskformuch.Andbelieveme,aBotanist/Mechanical
Engineerdoesn'texactlyhaveladieslinedupatthedoor.Butstill,c'mon.
Anyway.I'lldriveslower.Like...acrawl.Thatshouldgivemeenough
timetoreactifonewheelstartstosink.Also,thelowerspeedwillgive
memoretorque,makingitlesslikelyIlosetraction.
UptillnowI'vebeendriving25kph,soI'mgoingtocutthatto5kph.
I'mstilltowardthetopoftheRamp,butthewholethingisonly40km.I
cantakemytimeandgetsafelytothebottom.Itshouldtakeabout8
hours.
I'lldoittomorrow.I'malreadyoutofdaylightagaintoday.That's
anotherbonus:OnceIcleartheramp,Icanstartbee-liningtowardthe
MAV,whichwilltakemeawayfromthecraterwall.I'llbebackto
enjoyingtheentireday'ssunlightinsteadofjusthalfofit.
IfIgetbacktoEarth,I'llbefamous,right?Afearlessastronautwho
beatalltheodds,right?Ibetwomenlikethat.
Moremotivationtostayalive.
“Soitlookslikehe'sfixedeverything,”Mindyexplained.“Andhis
messagetodaywas'ALLBETTERNOW'soIguesshe'sgoteverything
working.”
Shesurveyedthesmilingfacesofthemeetingroom.
“Awesome.”Mitchsaid.
“Greatnews,”Bruce'svoicecameinthroughthespeakerphone.
Venkatleanedforwardtothespeakerphone“HowaretheMAV
modificationplanscoming,Bruce?IsJPLgoingtohavethatprocedure
soon?”
“We'reworkingaroundtheclockonit,”Brucesaid.“We'repastmost
ofthebighurdles.Workingoutthedetailsnow.”
“Good,good,”Venkatsaid.“AnysurprisesIshouldknowabout?”
“Um...”Brucesaid.“Yeah,afew.Thismightnotbethebestvenue
forit.I'llbebackinHoustonwiththeprocedureinadayortwo.Wecan
gothroughitthen.”
“Ominous,”Venkatsaid.“Butok.We'llpickituplater.”
“CanIspreadtheword?”Annieasked.“It'dbenicetoseesomething
otherthantherovercrashsiteonthenewstonight.”
“Definitely,”Venkatsaid.“It'llbenicetohavesomegoodnewsfora
change.Mindy,howlonguntilhegetstotheMAV?”
“Athisusualrateof90kmpersol,”Mindysaid,“heshouldgetthere
onSol504.Sol505ifhetakeshistime.Healwaysdrivesintheearly
morning,finishingaroundnoon.”Shecheckedanapplicationonher
laptop.“NoononSol504willbe11:41amthisWednesdayherein
Houston.NoononSol505willbe12:21pmonThursday.”
“Mitch,who'shandlingAres4MAVcommunication?”
“TheAres3missioncontrolteam,”Mitchreplied.“It'llbeincontrol
room2”.
“Iassumeyou'llbethere?”
“BetyourassI'llbethere.”
“SowillI.”
LOGENTRY:SOL502
EveryThanksgiving,myfamilyusedtodrivefromChicagoto
Sandusky,an8-hourdrive.It'swhereMom'ssisterlived.Dadwould
alwaysdrive,andhewastheslowest,mostcautiousdriverwhoevertook
thewheel.
Seriously.Hedrovelikehewastakingadriver'stest.Neverexceeded
thespeedlimit,alwayshadhishandsat10and2,adjustedmirrorsbefore
eachouting,younameit.
Itwasinfuriating.We'dbeonthefreeway,carsblowingbyleftand
right.Someofthemwouldblaretheirhornsbecause,honestly,driving
thespeedlimitmakesyouaroadhazard.Iwantedtogetoutandpush.
Ifeltthatwayalldamndaytoday.5km/hisliterallyawalkingpace.
AndIdrovethatspeedforeighthours.
ButtheslowspeedensuredthatIwouldn'tfallintoanymorepowder
pitsalongtheway.AndofcourseIdidn'tencounterany.Icouldhave
drivenfullspeedandhadnoproblems.Butbettersafethansorry.
ThegoodnewsisI'mofftheRamp.Icampedoutassoonasthe
terrainflattenedout.I'vealreadyoverdonemydrivingtimefortheday.I
couldgofurther,Istillhave15%batterypowerorso,butIwanttogetas
muchdaylightonmysolarcellsasIcan.
I'mintheSchiaparelliBasinatlast!Farfromthecraterwall,too.I
getafulldayofsunlighteverydayfromnowon.
Idecideditwastimeforaveryspecialoccasion.Iatethemealpack
labeled“SurvivedSomethingThatShouldHaveKilledMe.”Ohmygod,
Iforgothowgoodrealfoodtastes.
Withluck,I'llgettoeat“Arrival”inafewsols.
LOGENTRY:SOL503
Ididn'tgetasmuchrechargeIusuallywouldyesterday.Becauseof
myextendeddrivingtime,Ionlyrechargedto70%beforenightfell.So
today'sdrivingwasabbreviated.
Igot63kmbeforeIhadtocampoutagain.ButIdon'tevenmind.
BecauseI'monly148kmfromtheMAV.ThatmeansI'llgettherethesol
aftertomorrow.
Holyhell,I'mreallygoingtomakeit!
LOGENTRY:SOL504
Holyshitthisisawesome!Holyshit!Holyshit!
Okcalm.Calm.
Imade90kmtoday.Bymyestimate,I'm50kmfromtheMAV.I
shouldgettheresometimetomorrow.I'mexcitedaboutthat,buthere's
whatI'mreallystokedabout:IcaughtablipfromtheMAV!
NASAhastheMAVbroadcastingtheAres3Habhomingsignal.Why
wouldn'tthey?Itmakesperfectsense.Unlikemywornoutshit,the
MAVisasleek,perfectlyfunctionalmachine,readytodowhatit'stold.
AndtheyhaveitpretendingtobetheAres3Habsomyroverwillseethe
signalandtellmewhereitis.
Thatisanexceptionallygoodidea!Iwon'thavetowanderaround
lookingforthething.I'mgoingstraighttoit.
Ionlycaughtablip.I'llgetmoreasIgetcloser.Ithasthree
redundantmethodsofcommunicatingwithEarth,butthey'reextremely
directedandaredesignedforline-of-sightcommunication.It'sstrangeto
thinkthatasanddunewillstopmefromhearingwhattheMAVhasto
say,butitcantalktoEarthnoproblem.Well,therearen'tanysanddunes
betweenitandEarthwhentheytalk.
Somehowtheymessedwiththingstomakearadialsignal,however
weakitmaybe.AndIheardit!
Mymessageforthedaywas“GOTBEACONSIGNAL.”IfI'dhad
enoughrocks,Iwouldhaveadded“AWESOME....IDEA!!!”But it'sa
reallysandyarea.
TheMAVwaitedinsouthwesternSchiaparelli.Itstoodanimpressive
27meterstall,itsconicalbodygleaminginthemiddaysun.
Therovercrestedanearbydunewiththetrailerintow.Itslowedfora
fewmoments,thencontinuedtowardtheshipattopspeed.Itcametoa
stop20metersaway.
Thereitremainedfortenminuteswhiletheastronautinsidesuitedup.
Hestumbledexcitedlyoutoftheairlock,fallingtothegroundthen
scramblingtohisfeet.BeholdingtheMAV,hegesturedtoitwithboth
arms,asifindisbelief.
Heleapedintotheairseveraltimes,armsheldhighwithfists
clenched.Thenhekneltononekneeandfist-pumpedrepeatedly.
Runningtothespacecraft,hehuggedLandingStrutB.Afterafew
moments,hebrokeofftheembracetoperformanotherroundofleaping
celebrations.
Nowfatigued,theastronautstoodwitharmsakimbo,lookingupat
thesleeklinesoftheengineeringmarvelbeforehim.
Climbingtheladderonthelandingstage,hereachedtheascentstage
andenteredtheairlock.Hesealedthedoorbehindhim.
Chapter25
LOGENTRY:SOL505
Ifinallymadeit!I'mattheMAV!
Well,rightthissecond,I'mbackintherover.IdidgointotheMAV
todoasystemscheckandboot-up.IhadtokeepmyEVAsuitonthe
wholetimebecausethere'snolifesupportintherejustyet.
It'sgoingthroughaselfcheckrightnow,andI'mfeedingitoxygen
andnitrogenwithhosesfromtherover.ThisisallpartoftheMAV's
design.Itdoesn'tbringairalong.Whywouldit?That'saneedlessweight
whenyou'llhaveaHabfullofairrightnextdoor.
I'mguessingfolksatNASAarepoppingchampagnerightnowand
sendingmelotsofmessages.I'llreadtheminabit.Firstthingsfirst:Get
theMAVsomelifesupport.ThenI'llbeabletoworkcomfortablyinside.
AndthenI'llhaveaboringconversationwithNASA.Thecontentmay
beinteresting,butthe14-minutetransmissiontimebetweenhereand
Earthwillbeabitdull.
[13:07]HOUSTON:Congratulationsfromallofus
hereatMissionControl!Welldone!What'syour
status?
[13:21]MAV:Thanks!Nohealthorphysical
problems.Theroverandtraileraregettingpretty
wornout,butstillfunctional.Oxygenatorand
Regulatorbothworkingfine.Ididn'tbringthe
WaterReclaimer.Justbroughtthewater.Plentyof
potatoesleft.I'mgoodtolasttill549.
[13:36]HOUSTON:Gladtohearit.Hermesis
stillontrackforaSol549flyby.Asyouknow,
theMAVwillneedtolosesomeweighttomakethe
intercept.We'regoingtogetyouthoseprocedures
withintheday.Howmuchwaterdoyouhave?What
didyoudowithurine?
[13:50]MAV:Ihave550Lofremainingwater.
I'vebeendumpingurineoutsidealongtheway.
[14:05]HOUSTON:Preserveallwater.Don'tdo
anymoreurinedumps.Storeitsomewhere.Turnthe
rover'sradioonandleaveiton.Wecancontact
itthroughMAV.
“Soisitready?”Venkatasked.
“Yes,it'sready.”Brucesaid.“Butyou'renotgoingtolikeit.”
“Goon.”
“Bearinmind,”Brucesaid,producingabookletfromhisbriefcase,
“Thisistheendresultofthousandsofhoursofwork,testing,andlateral
thinkingbyallthebestguysatJPL.”
“I'msureitwashardtotrimdownashipthat'salreadydesignedtobe
aslightaspossible,”Venkatsaid.
BruceslidthebookletacrossthedesktoVenkat.“Theproblemisthe
interceptvelocity.TheMAVisdesignedtogettoLowMarsOrbit,which
is4.1kps.ButtheHermesflybywillbe5.8kps.”
Venkatflippedthroughthepages.“Caretosummarize?”
“Firstly,we'regoingtoaddfuel.TheMAVmakesitsownfuelfrom
theMartianatmosphere,butit'slimitedbyhowmuchHydrogenithas.It
broughtenoughtomake19,397kgoffuel,asitwasdesignedtodo.Ifwe
cangiveitmorehydrogen,itcanmakemore.”
“Howmuchmore?”
“Foreverykilogramofhydrogen,itcanmake13kilogramsoffuel.
Watneyhas550litersofwater.We'llhavehimelectrolyzeittoget60kg
ofHydrogen.”Brucereachedoverthedeskandflippedafewpages,
pointingtoadiagram.“Thefuelplantcanmake780kgoffuelfromthat.”
“Ifheelectrolyzeshiswaterwhat'llhedrink?”
“Hecanelectrolyzeurine,soweonlyneedtosetafewlitersasidefor
thelastcoupleofdays.”
“Isee.Andwhatdoes780kgoffuelbuyus?”Venkatasked.
“Itbuysus300kgofpayload.It'sallaboutfuelversuspayload.The
MAV'slaunchweightisover12,600kg.Weneedtogetthatdownto
7,300kg.That'saccountingforthebonusfuel.Sotherestofthisbooklet
ishowtoremoveoverfivethousandkilogramsfromtheship.”
Venkatleanedback.“Walkmethroughit.”
Brucepulledanothercopyofthebookletfromhisbriefcase.“There
weresomegimmiesrightoffthebat.Thedesignpresumes500kgof
Martiansoilandrocksamples.Obviouslywewon'tdothat.Also,there's
justonepassengerinsteadofsix.Thatsaves500kgwhenyouconsider
theirweightplustheirsuitsandgear.Andwecanlosetheother5
accelerationchairs.Andofcourse,we'llremoveallnonessentialgear.
Themedkit,toolkit,internalharnessing,straps,andanythingelsethat
isn'tnaileddown.Andsomestuffthatis.
“Nextup,”hecontinued,“We'reditchingalllifesupport.Thetanks,
pumps,heaters,airlines,CO2absorptionsystem,eventheinsulationon
theinnersideofthehull.Wedon'tneedit.We'llhaveWatneywearhis
EVAsuitforthewholetrip.”
“Won'tthatmakeitawkwardforhimtousethecontrols?”Venkat
asked.
“Hewon'tuseanycontrols,”Brucesaid.“MajorMartinezwillpilot
theMAVremotelyfromHermes.It'salreadydesignedforremote
piloting.Itwasremotelylanded,afterall.”
“Whatifsomethinggoeswrong?”Venkatasked.
“Martinezisthebesttrainedpilot,”Brucesaid.“Ifthereisan
emergency,he'stheguyyouwantcontrollingtheship.”
“Hmm,”Venkatsaidcautiously.“We'veneverhadamannedship
controlledremotelybefore.Butok.Goon.”
“SinceWatneywon'tbeflyingtheship,”Brucecontinued,“hewon't
needanyofthosecontrols.We'llditchthecontrolpanelsandallthe
poweranddatalinesthatleadtothem.”
“Wow,”Venkatsaid.“We'rereallyguttingthisthing.”
“I'mjustgettingstarted,”Brucesaid.“Thepowerneedswillbe
dramaticallyreducednowthatlifesupportisgone,sowe'lldumpthreeof
thefivebatteriesandtheauxiliarypowersystem.TheOrbital
ManeuveringSystemhas3redundantthrusters.We'llgetridofthose.
Also,thesecondaryandtertiarycommsystemscango.”
“Wait,what?”Venkatsaid,shocked.“You'regoingtohavearemote
controlledascentwithnobackupcommsystems?”
“Nopoint,”Brucesaid.“Ifthecommsystemgoesoutduringascent,
thetimeittakestoreacquirewillbetoolongtodoanygood.The
backupsdon'thelpus.”
“Thisisgettingreallyrisky,Bruce.”
Brucesighed.“Iknow,Venkat.There'sjustnootherway.AndI'mnot
eventothenastystuffyet.”
Venkatrubbedhisforehead.“Byallmeans,tellmethenastystuff.”
“We'llremovethenoseairlock,thewindows,andHullPanel19.”
Venkatblinked.“You'retakingthefrontoftheshipoff?”
“Sure,”Brucesaid.“Thenoseairlockaloneis400kg.Thewindows
areprettydamnheavy,too.Andthey'reconnectedbyHullPanel19so
mayaswelltakethat,too.”
“Sohe'sgoingtolaunchwithabigholeinthefrontoftheship?”
“We'llhavehimcoveritwithHabcanvas.”
“Habcanvas?Foralaunchtoorbit!?”
Bruceshrugged.“Thehull'smostlytheretokeeptheairin.Mars's
atmosphereissothinyoudon'tneedalotofstreamlining.Bythetimethe
ship'sgoingfastenoughforairresistancetomatter,it'llbehighenough
thatthere'spracticallynoair.We'verunallthesimulations.Shouldbe
good.”
“You'resendinghimtospaceunderatarp.”
“Prettymuch,yeah.”
“Likeahastilyloadedpickuptruck.”
“Yeah.CanIgoon?”
“Sure,can'twait.”
“We'llalsohavehimremovethebackpanelofthepressurevessel.
It'stheonlyotherpanelhecanremovewiththetoolson-hand.Also,
we'regettingridoftheauxiliaryfuelpump.Sadtoseeitgo,butitweighs
toomuchforitsusefulness.Andwe'renixingaStageOneengine.”
“Anengine?”
“Yeah.TheStageOneboosterworksfineifoneenginegoesout.It'll
saveusahugeamountofweight.OnlyduringtheStageOneascent,but
still.Prettygoodfuelsavings.”
Brucefellsilent.
“Thatit?”Venkatasked.
“Yeah.”
Venkatsighed.“You'veremovedmostofthesafetybackups.What's
thisdototheestimatedoddsoffailure?”
“It'sabout4%.”
“JesusChrist.”Venkatsaid.“Normallywe'dneverevenconsider
somethingthatrisky.”
“It'sallwe'vegot,Venk,”Brucesaid.“We'vetesteditalloutandrun
simulationsgalore.Weshouldbeokifeverythingworksthewayits
supposedto.”
“Yeah.Great.”Venkatsaid.
[08:41]MAV:You....kiddingme?
[09:55]HOUSTON:Admittedly,theyarevery
invasivemodifications,buttheyhavetobedone.
Theproceduredocwesenthasinstructionsfor
eachofthesestepswithtoolsyouhaveonhand.
Also,you'llneedtostartelectrolyzingwaterto
getthehydrogenforthefuelplant.We'llsend
youproceduresforthatshortly.
[09:09]MAV:You'resendingmeintospaceina
convertible.
[09:24]HOUSTON:TherewillbeHabcanvas
coveringtheholes.Itwillprovideenough
aerodynamicsinMars'satmosphere.
[09:38]MAV:Soit'saragtop.Muchbetter.
LOGENTRY:SOL506
Onthewayhere,inmycopiousfreetime,Idesigneda“workshop.”I
figuredI'dneedspacetoworkonstuffwithouthavingtowearanEVA
suit.Idevisedabrilliantplanwherebythecurrentbedroomwould
becomethenewhomeoftheRegulatorandOxygenator,andthenowemptytrailerwouldbecomemyworkshop.
It'sastupidideaandI'mnotdoingit.
AllIneedisapressurizedareathatIcanworkin.Isomehow
convincedmyselfthatthebedroomwasn'tanoptionbecauseit'sahassle
togetstuffintoit.Butitwon'tbethatbad.
Itattachestotheroverairlock,sotheonlywaytogetstuffinis
annoying.Bringthestuffintotherover,attachthebedroomtotheairlock
fromtheinside,inflateit,bringthestuffintothebedroom.I'llalsohave
toemptythebedroomofalltoolsandequipmenttofolditupanytimeI
needtodoanEVA.
Soyeah,it'llbeannoying,butallitcostsmeistime.AndI'mactually
doingwellonthatfront.Ihave43moresolsbeforeHermesfliesby.And
lookingattheprocedureNASAhasinmindforthemodifications,Ican
takeadvantageoftheMAVitselfasaworkspace.
ThelunaticsatNASAhavemedoingallkindsofrapetotheMAV,
butIdon'thavetoopenthehulltilltheend.SothefirstthingI'lldois
clearoutabunchofclutter,likechairsandcontrolpanelsandthelike.
Oncethey'reout,I'llhavealotofroomintheretowork.
ButIdidn'tdoanythingtothesoon-to-be-mutilatedMAVtoday.
Todaywasallaboutsystemchecks.NowthatI'mbackincontactwith
NASA,Ihavetogobacktobeingall“safetyfirst.”Strangely,NASA
doesn'thavetotalfaithinmykludged-togetherroverormymethodof
pilingeverythingintothetrailer.Theyhadmedoafullsystemscheckon
everysinglecomponent.
Everything'sstillworkingfine,thoughit'swearingdown.The
RegulatorandOxygenatorarelessthanpeakefficiency(tosaytheleast)
andthetrailerleakssomeaireveryday.Notenoughtocauseproblems,
butit'snotaperfectseal.NASA'sprettyuncomfortablewithit,butwe
don'thaveanyotheroptions.
Then,theyhadmerunafulldiagnosticontheMAV.That'sinmuch
bettershape.Everything'ssleekandpristineandperfectlyfunctional.I'd
almostforgottenwhatnewhardwareevenlookslike.
PityI'mgoingtotearitapart.
“YoukilledWatney,”Lewissaid.
“Yeah,”Martinezsaid,scowlingathismonitor.Thewords“Collision
withTerrain”blinkedaccusingly.
“Ipulledanastytrickonhim,”Johanssensaid.“Igavehima
malfunctioningaltitudereadoutandmadeengine3cutouttooearly.It'sa
deadlycombination.”
“Shouldn'thavebeenamissionfailure,”Martinezsaid.“Ishould
havenoticedthereadoutwaswrong.Itwaswayoff.”
“Don'tsweatit,”Lewissaid.“That'swhywedrill.You'vestillgot
threeweekstogetitright.”
“Willdo,”Martinezsaid.
“Weonlygotaweekofremotelaunchtraining,”Johanssensaid.“It
wasonlysupposedtohappenifwescrubbedbeforelanding.We'dlaunch
theMAVtohaveitactasasatellite.Itwasacut-your-lossesscenario.”
“It'smission-criticalnow,”Lewissaid.“Sogetitright.”
“Aye,Commander.”Martinezsaid.
“ResettingtheSim,”Johanssensaid.“Anythingspecificyouwantto
try?”
“Surpriseme,”Martinezsaid.
Leavingthecontrolroom,Lewismadeherwaytothereactor.
Climbing“up”theladdertowardthecenteroftheship,thecentripetal
forceonherdiminishedtonearlyzeroasshereachedthecore.Vogel
lookedupfromacomputerconsole.“Commander?”
“Howaretheengines?”Sheasked,grabbingawall-mountedhandleto
stayattachedtotheslowlyturningroom.
“Allworkingwithintolerance,”Vogelsaid.“Iamnowdoinga
diagnosticonthereactor.IamthinkingthatJohanssenisbusywiththe
launchingtraining.SoperhapsIdothisdiagnosticforher.”
“Goodidea,”Lewissaid.“Andhow'sourcourse?”
“Alliswell,”Vogelsaid.“Noadjustmentsnecessary.Wearestillon
tracktoplannedtrajectorywithin4meters.”
“Keepmepostedifanythingchanges.”
“Ja,Commander.”
Floatingtotheothersideofthecore,Lewistooktheotherladderout,
againgaininggravityasshewent“down”.Shemadeherwaytothe
Airlock2readyroom.
Beckheldacoilofmetalwireinonehandandapairofworkgloves
intheother.“Heya,Commander.What'sup?”
“I'dliketoknowyourplanforrecoveringMark.”
“Easyenoughiftheinterceptisgood,”Becksaid.“Ijustfinished
attachingallthetetherswehaveintoonelongline.It's214meterslong.
I'llhavetheMMUpackon,somovingaroundwillbeeasy.Icanget
goinguptoaround10meterspersecondsafely.AnymoreandIrisk
breakingthetetherifIcan'tstopintime.”
“Howfastarelativevelocitycanyouhandle,youthink?”
“YoumeanonceIgettoMark?IcangrabtheMAVeasilyat5meters
persecond.10meterspersecondiskindoflikejumpingontoamoving
train.AnythingmorethanthatandImightmiss.”
“So,includingtheMMUsafespeed,weneedtogetwithin20meters
persecondofhisvelocity.”
“Andtheintercepthastobewithin214meters,”Becksaid.“Pretty
narrowmarginoferror.”
“We'vegotalotofleeway,”Lewissaid.“Thelaunchwillbe52
minutesbeforetheinterceptandittakes12minutes.AssoonasMark's
S2enginecutsoutwe'llknowourinterceptpointandvelocity.Ifwedon't
likeit,we'llhave40minutestocorrect.Ourengine's2millimetersper
secondmaynotseemlikemuch,butin40minutesitcanmoveusupto
5.7kilometers.”
“Good,”Becksaid.“And214metersisn'tahardlimit,perse.”
“Yesitis,”Lewiscorrected.
“Nah,”Becksaid.“IknowI'mnotsupposedtogountethered,but
withoutmyleashIcouldgetwayoutthere-”
“Notanoption.”Lewissaid.
“Butwecoulddoubleoreventripleoursafeinterceptrange-”
“We'redonetalkingaboutthis.”Lewissaidsternly.
“Aye,Commander.”
LOGENTRY:SOL526
Therearen'tmanypeoplewhocansaythey'vevandalizedathree
billiondollarspacecraft.ButI'moneofthem.
I'vebeenpullingcriticalhardwareoutoftheMAVleftandright.It's
nicetoknowthatmylaunchtoorbitwon'thaveanypeskyback-up
systemsweighingmedown.
FirstthingIdidwasremovethesmallstuff.ThencamethethingsI
coulddisassemble.Likethecrewseats,severaloftheback-upsystems,
andthecontrolpanels.
I'mnotimprovisinganything.I'mfollowingascriptsentbyNASA,
whichwassetuptomakethingsaseasyaspossible.SometimesImiss
thedayswhenImadeallthedecisionsmyself.ThenIshakeitoffand
rememberI'minfinitelybetterwithabunchofgeniusesdecidingwhatI
dothanmakingshitupasIgoalong.
Periodically,Isuitup,crawlintotheairlockwithasmuchjunkasI
canfit,anddumpitoutside.TheareaaroundtheMAVlooksliketheset
ofSanfordandSon.
IlearnedaboutSanfordandSonfromLewis'scollection.Seriously,
thatwomanneedstoseesomeoneabouther70'sproblem.
LOGENTRY:SOL529
I'mturningmypeeintorocketfuel.It'seasierthanyou'dthink.
Urineismostlywater.Separatinghydrogenandoxygenonlyrequires
acoupleofelectrodesandsomecurrent.Theproblemiscollectingthe
hydrogen.Idon'thaveanyequipmentforpullinghydrogenoutoftheair.
TheAtmosphericRegulatordoesn'tevenknowhow.ThelasttimeIhad
togethydrogenoutoftheair(backwhenIturnedtheHabintoabomb)I
burnedittoturnitintowater.Obviouslythatwouldbecounterproductive.
ButNASAthoughteverythingthroughandgavemeaprocess.First,I
disconnectedtheroverandtrailerfromeachother.Then,whilewearing
myEVAsuit,Idepressurizedthetrailerandback-filleditwithpure
oxygenatonefourthofanatmosphere.ThenIopenedaplasticboxfull
ofurineandputacoupleofelectrodesin.That'swhyIneededthe
atmosphere.Withoutit,theurinewouldjustboilimmediatelyandI'dbe
hangingaroundinanpiss-basedatmosphere.
Theelectrolysisseparatedthehydrogenandoxygenfromeachother.
Overtime,itreducedtheurinetoareallygrosssludgeasitpulledthe
waterout.Nowthetrailerwasfullofevenmoreoxygenandalso
hydrogen.Prettydangerous,actually.
ThenIfireduptheAtmosphericRegulator.Itdoesn'tevenrecognize
hydrogen,butitknowshowtoyankoxygenoutoftheair.Ibrokeallthe
safetiesandsetittopull100%oftheoxygenout.Afteritwasdone,all
thatwasleftwashydrogen.That'swhyIstartedoutwithanatmosphere
ofpureoxygen.Sotheregulatorcouldseparateitlater.
ThenIopenedtheinnerairlockdoorandhaditevacuatethetrailer.It
pumpedalltheairintotheairlock'sholdingtank.Andthereyouhaveit,
atankofpurehydrogen.
Thefinalstepwastotaketheairlock'sholdingtanktotheMAVand
transferthecontentstotheMAV'shydrogentanks.I'vesaidthismany
timesbeforebut:Hurrayforstandardizedvalvesystems!
OnceIfeditthehydrogen,Ifiredupthefuelplantanditgottowork
makingtheadditionalfuelI'dneed.
I'llneedtogothroughthisprocessseveralmoretimesasthelaunch
dateapproaches.Icouldhavedonethisallatonce,butNASAdoesn't
wantmetorunlowonwateruntilwe'reclosetolaunch.They'dratherI
electrolyzeurineovertimebecauseI'vealready“used”thatwater.
IfIsurvivethis,I'lltellpeopleIpissedmywayintoorbit.
[19:22]JOHANSSEN:Hello,Mark.
[19:23]MAV:Johanssen!?Holycrap!Theyfinally
lettingyoutalktomedirectly?
[19:24]JOHANSSEN:Yes,NASAgavetheOKfor
directcommunicationanhourago.We'reonly35
light-secondsapart,sowecantalkinnearrealtime.IjustsetupthesystemandI'mtesting
itout.
[19:24]MAV:Whattookthemsolongtoletus
talk?
[19:25]JOHANSSEN:Thepsychteamwasworried
aboutpersonalityconflicts.
[19:25]MAV:What?Justcauseyouguysabandoned
meonagodforsakenplanetwithnochanceof
survival?
[19:26]JOHANSSEN:Funny.Don'tmakethatkind
ofjokewithLewis.
[19:27]MAV:Roger.Souh...thanksforcoming
backtogetme.
[19:27]JOHANSSEN:It'stheleastwecoulddo.
HowistheMAVretrofitgoing?
[19:28]MAV:Sofar,sogood.NASAputalotof
thoughtintotheprocedures.Theywork.That'snot
tosaythey'reeasy.Ispentthelast3days
removingHullPanel19andthefrontwindow.Even
inMars-Gthey'reheavymotherfuckers.
[19:29]JOHANSSEN:Whenwepickyouup,Iwill
makewild,passionatelovetoyou.Prepareyour
body.
[19:29]JOHANSSEN:Ididn'ttypethat!Thatwas
Martinez!Isteppedawayfromtheconsoleforlike
10seconds!
[19:29]MAV:I'vereallymissedyouguys.
LOGENTRY:SOL543
I'm...done?
IthinkI'mdone.
Idideverythingonthelist.TheMAVisreadytofly.Andin6sols,
that'sjustwhatit'lldo.Ihope.
Itmightnotlaunchatall.Ididremoveanengine,afterall.Icould
have....upallsortsofthingsduringthatprocess.Andthere'snoway to
testtheascentstage.Onceyoulightit,it'slit.
Everythingelse,however,willgothroughtestsfromnowuntil
launch.Somedonebyme,somedoneremotelybyNASA.They'renot
tellingmethefailureodds,butI'mguessingthey'rethehighestinhistory.
YuriGagarinhadamuchmorereliableandsafeshipthanIdo.
AndSovietshipswere....deathtraps.
“Allright,”Lewissaid,“tomorrow'sthebigday.”
ThecrewfloatedintheRec.Theyhadhaltedtherotationoftheship
inpreparationfortheupcomingoperation.
“I'mready,”Martinezsaid.“Johanssenthreweverythingshecouldat
me.Igotallscenariostoorbit.”
“Everythingotherthancatastrophicfailures,”Johanssencorrected.
“Wellyeah,”Martinezsaid.“Kindofpointlesstosimulateanascent
explosion.Nothingwecando.”
“Vogel,”Lewissaid,“How'sourcourse.”
“Itisperfect,”Vogelsaid.“Wearewithinonemeterofprojectedpath
andtwocentimeterspersecondofprojectedvelocity.”
“Good,”shesaid.“Beck,howaboutyou?”
“Everything'sallsetup,Commander,”Becksaid.“Ilinkedallthe
tethersIcouldfindandspooledthemupinAirlock2.MysuitandMMU
arepreppedandready.”
“Ok,”Lewissaid.“Thebattleplanisprettyobvious.Martinezwillfly
theMAV,Johanssenwillsysoptheascent.BeckandVogel,Iwantyouin
Airlock2withtheouterdooropenbeforetheMAVevenlaunches.You'll
havetowait52minutes,butIdon'twanttoriskanytechnicalglitches
withtheairlockoryoursuits.Oncewereachintercept,it'llbeBeck'sjob
togetWatney.”
“HemightbeinbadshapewhenIgethim,”Becksaid.“ThestrippeddownMAVwillgetupto12g'sduringthelaunch.Hecouldbe
unconsciousandmayevenhaveinternalbleeding.”
“Justaswellyou'reourdoctor,”Lewissaid.“Vogel,ifallgoes
accordingtoplan,you'repullingBeckandWatneybackaboardwiththe
tether.Ifthingsgowrong,you'reBeck'sbackup.”
“Ja,”Vogelsaid.
“Iwishtherewasmorewecoulddorightnow,”Lewissaid.“Butall
wehaveleftisthewait.Yourworkschedulesarecleared.Allscientific
experimentsaresuspended.Sleepifyoucan,rundiagnosticsonyour
equipmentifyoucan't.”
“We'llgethim,Commander,”Martinezsaid.“24hoursfromnow,
MarkWatneywillberighthereinthisroom.”
“Let'shopeso,Major.”Lewissaid.“Dismissed.”
“Finalchecksforthisshiftarecomplete,”Mitchsaidintohis
headset.“Timekeeper.”
“Go,flight,”saidtheTimekeeper.
“TimeuntilMAVlaunch?”
“16hours,9minutes,40seconds...mark.”
“Copythat.Allstations:FlightDirectorshiftchange.”Hetookhis
headsetoffandrubbedhiseyes.
BrendanHutchtooktheheadsetfromhimandputiton.“Allstations,
FlightDirectorisnowBrendanHutch.”
“Callmeifanythinghappens,”Mitchsaid.“Ifnot,I'llseeyou
tomorrow.”
“Getsomesleep,boss,”Brendansaid.
Venkatwatchedfromtheobservationbooth.“Whyaskthe
Timekeeper?”hemumbled.“It'sonthehugemissionclockinthecenter
screen.”
“He'snervous,”Anniesaid.“Youdon'toftenseeit,butthat'swhat
MitchHendersonlookslikewhenhe'snervous.Hedoubleandtriple
checkseverything.”
“Fairenough,”Venkatsaid.
“They'recampingoutonthelawn,bytheway,”Anniesaid.
“Reportersfromallovertheworld.Ourpressroomsjustdon'thave
enoughspace.”
“Themedialovesadrama,”hesighed.“It'llbeovertomorrow,one
wayoranother.”
“What'sourroleinallthis?”Anniesaid.“Ifsomethinggoeswrong,
whatcanMissionControldo?”
“Nothing,”Venkatsaid.“Notadamnedthing.”
“Nothing?”
“It'sallhappening12light-minutesaway.Thatmeansittakes24
minutesforthemtogettheanswertoanyquestiontheyask.Thewhole
launchis12minuteslong.They'reontheirown.”
“Oh,”Anniesaid.“Sowe'rejustobserversinallthis?”
“Yes,”Venkatsaid.“Sucks,doesn'tit?”
LOGENTRY:SOL549
I'dbelyingifIsaidIwasn'tshittingmyself.In4hours,I'mgoingto
rideagiantexplosionintoorbit.ThisissomethingI'vedoneafewtimes
before,butneverwithajury-riggedmesslikethis.
Rightnow,I'msittingintheMAV.I'msuitedupbecausethere'sabig
holeinthefrontoftheshipwherethewindowandpartofthehullusedto
be.I'm“awaitinglaunchinstructions.”Really,I'mjustawaitinglaunch.I
don'thaveanypartinthis.I'mjustgoingtositintheaccelerationcouch
andhopeforthebest.
Lastnight,Iatemyfinalmealpack.It'sthefirstgoodmealI'vehad
inweeks.I'mleaving41potatoesbehind.That'showcloseIcameto
starvation.
Icarefullycollectedsamplesfrommyentirejourney.ButIcan'tbring
anyofthemwithme.SoIputtheminacontainerafewhundredmeters
fromhere.Maybesomedaythey'llsendaprobetocollectthem.Mayas
wellmakethemeasytopickup.
Thisisit.There'snothingafterthis.Thereisn'tevenanabort
procedure.Whymakeone?Wecan'tdelaythelaunch.Hermescan'tstop
andwait.Nomatterwhat,we'relaunchingonschedule.
IfacetheveryrealpossibilitythatI'lldietoday.Can'tsayIlikeit.It
wouldn'tbesobadiftheMAVblewup.Iwouldn'tknowwhathitme.
IfImisstheinterceptI'lljustfloataroundinspaceuntilIrunoutof
air.Ihaveacontingencyplanforthat.I'lldroptheoxygenmixtureto
zeroandbreathepurenitrogenuntilIsuffocate.Itwouldn'tfeelbad.The
lungsdon'thavetheabilitytosenselackofoxygen.I'djustgettired,fall
asleep,thendie.
I'vehadmylastMartianpotato.I'vesleptintheroverforthelast
time.I'vehadmylastEVAonthesurface.I'mleavingMarstoday,one
wayoranother.
About....time.
Chapter26
Theygathered.
EverywhereonEarth,theygathered.
FromTrafalgarSquaretoTienanmenSquaretoTimesSquare,they
watchedongiantscreens.Inofficestheyhuddledaroundcomputer
monitors.Inbars,theystaredsilentlyattheTVinthecorner.Inhomes
theysatbreathlesslyontheircouches,theireyesgluedtothestory
playingout.
InChicago,acoupleclutchedeachother'shandsastheywatched.The
manheldhiswifegentlyassherockedbackandforthoutofsheerterror.
TheNASArepresentativeknewnottodisturbthem,butstoodreadyto
answeranyquestionsshouldtheyask.
“FuelPressuregreen,”Johanssen'svoicesaidfromabillion
televisions.“Enginealignmentperfect.Communications5by5.Weare
readyforpreflightchecklist,Commander.”
“Copy,”cameLewis'svoice.“CAPCOM”
“Go,”Johanssenresponded.
“Guidance.”
“Go,”Johanssensaidagain.
“RemoteCommand.”
“Go,”saidMartinez.
“Pilot.”
“Go,”saidWatneyfromtheMAV.
Amildcheercoruscatedthroughthecrowdsworldwide.
Mitchsatathisstationinmissioncontrol.Theymonitoredeverything
andwerereadytohelpinanywaythecould.Thecommunicationlatency
betweenHermesandEarthmadeanysuchneedhighlyunlikely.
“Telemetry,”Lewis'svoicesaidoverthespeakers.
“Go,”Johanssenresponded.
“Recovery,”shecontinued.
“Go,”saidBeckfromtheairlock.
“SecondaryRecovery.”
“Go,”saidVogelfrombesideBeck.
“Missioncontrol,thisisHermesActual,”Lewisreported.“Wearego
forlaunchandwillproceedonschedule.WeareTminusfourminutes,
10secondstolaunch...mark.”
“Didyougetthat,Timekeeper?”Mitchsaid.
“Affirmative,flight,”cametheresponse.“Ourclocksaresynched
withtheirs.”
“Notthatwecandoanything,”Mitchmumbled,“Butatleastwe'll
knowwhat'ssupposedlyhappening.”
“Aboutfourminutes,Mark,”Lewissaidintohermic.“Howyou
doingdownthere?”
“Eagertogetupthere,Commander,”Watneyresponded.
“We'regoingtomakethathappen,”Lewissaid.“Remember,you'llbe
pullingsomeprettyheavyG's.It'soktopassout.You'reinMartinez's
hands.”
“Tellthatassholenobarrel-rolls.”
“Copythat,MAV,”Lewissaid.
“Fourmoreminutes,”Martinezsaid,crackinghisknuckles.“You
readyforsomeflying,Beth?”
“Yeah,”Johanssensaid.“It'llbestrangetosysopalaunchandstayin
zero-gthewholetime.”
“Ihadn'tthoughtofitthatway,”Martinezsaid,“butyeah.I'mnot
goingtobesquashedagainstthebackmyseat.Weird.”
Beckfloatedintheairlock,tetheredtoawall-mountedspool.Vogel
stoodbesidehim,hisbootsclampedtothefloor.Bothstaredthroughthe
openouterdoortotheredplanetbelow.
“Didn'tthinkI'dbebackhereagain,”Becksaid.
“Yes,”Vogelsaid.“Wearethefirst.”
“Firstwhat?”
“WearethefirsttovisitMarstwice.”
“Ohyeah.EvenWatneycan'tsaythat.”
“Hecannot.”
TheylookedatMarsinsilenceforawhile.
“Vogel,”Becksaid.
“Ja.”
“IfIcan'treachMark,Iwantyoutoreleasemytether.”
“DoctorBeck,”Vogelsaid,“TheCommanderhassaidnotothis.”
“IknowwhattheCommandersaid,butifIneedafewmoremeters,I
wantyoutocutmeloose.IhaveanMMU,Icangetbackwithouta
tether.”
“Iwillnotdothis,DoctorBeck.”
“It'smyownlifeatrisk,andIsayit'sok.”
“YouarenottheCommander.”
BeckscowledatVogel,butwiththeirreflectivevisorsdown,the
effectwaslost.
“Fine,”Becksaid.“ButIbetyou'llchangeyourmindifpushcomes
toshove.”
Vogeldidnotrespond.
“T-minus10,”saidJohanssen,“9...8...”
“Mainenginesstart,”saidMartinez.
“7...6...5...mooringclampsreleased...”
“About5seconds,Watney,”Lewissaidtoherheadset.“Hangon.”
“Seeyouinafew,Commander,”Watneyradioedback.
“4...3...2...”
WatneylayintheaccelerationcouchastheMAVrumbledin
anticipationofliftoff.
“Hmm,”hesaidtonobody.“Iwonderhowmuchlonger-”
TheMAVlaunchedwithincredibleforce.Morethananymannedship
hadacceleratedinthehistoryofspacetravel.Watneywasshovedinto
hiscouchsohardhecouldn'tevengrunt.
Havinganticipatedthis,hehadplacedafoldedupshirtbehindhis
headinthehelmet.Ashisheadpressedfirmlyintothemakeshift
cushion,theedgesofhisvisionbecameblurry.Hecouldneitherbreathe
normove.
Directlyinhisfieldofview,theHabcanvaspatchflappedviolently
astheshipexponentiallygainedspeed.Concentrationbecamedifficult,
butsomethinginthebackofhismindtoldhimthatwasbad.
“Velocity741meterspersecond,”Johanssenquicklycalledout.
“Altitude1350meters.”
“Copy,”Martinezsaid.
“That'slow,”Lewissaid.“Toolow.”
“Iknow,”Martinezsaid.“It'ssluggish;fightingme.Whatthe....is
goingon?”
“Velocity850,altitude1843,”Johanssensaid.
“I'mnotgettingthepowerIneed!”Martinezsaid.
“Enginepowerat100%,”Johanssensaid.
“I'mtellingyouit'ssluggish,”Martinezinsisted.
“Watney,”Lewissaidtoherheadset.“Watney,doyouread?Canyou
report?”
WatneyheardLewis'svoiceinthedistance.Likesomeonetalkingto
himthroughalongtunnel.Hevaguelywonderedwhatshewanted.His
attentionwasbrieflydrawntotheflutteringcanvasaheadofhim.Arip
hadappearedandwasrapidlywidening.
Butthenhewasdistractedbyaboltinoneofthebulkheads.Itonly
hadfivesides.HewonderedwhyNASAdecidedthatboltneededfive
sidesinsteadofsix.Itwouldrequireaspecialwrenchtotightenor
loosen.
Thecanvastoreevenfurther,thetatteredmaterialflappingwildly.
Throughtheopening,Watneysawredskystretchingoutinfinitelyahead.
“That'snice,”hethought.
AstheMAVflewhigher,theatmospheregrewthinner.Soon,the
canvasstoppedflutteringandsimplystretchedtowardMark.Thesky
shiftedfromredtoblack.
“That'snice,too,”Markthought.
Asconsciousnessslippedaway,hewonderedwherehecouldgeta
cool5-sidedboltlikethat.
“I'mgettingmoreresponsenow,”Martinezsaid.
“Backontrackwithfullacceleration,”Johanssensaid.“Musthave
beendrag.MAV'soutoftheatmospherenow.”
“Itwaslikeflyingacow,”Martinezgrumbled,hishandsracingover
hiscontrols.
“Canyougethimup?”Lewisasked.
“He'llgettoorbit,”Johanssensaid,“buttheinterceptcoursemaybe
compromised.”
“Gethimupfirst,”Lewissaid.“Thenwe'llworryaboutintercept.”
“Copy.Mainenginecut-offin15seconds.”
“Muchsmoothernow,”Martinezsaid.“It'snotfightingmeatall
anymore.”
“Wellbelowtargetaltitude,”Johanssensaid.“Velocityisgood.”
“Howfarbelow?”Lewissaid.
“Can'tsayforsure,”Johanssensaid.“AllIhaveisaccelerometer
data.We'llneedradarpingsatintervalstoworkouthistruefinalorbit.”
“Backtoautomaticguidance,”Martinezsaid.
“Mainshutdownin4,”Johanssensaid“3...2...1...Shutdown.”
“Confirmshutdown,”Martinezsaid.
“Watney,youthere?”Lewissaid.“Watney?Watney,doyouread?”
“Probablypassedout,Commander,”Becksaidovertheradio.“He
pulled12G'sontheascent.Givehimafewminutes.”
“Copy,”Lewissaid.“Johanssen,gothisorbityet?”
“Ihaveintervalpings.Workingoutourinterceptrangeand
velocity...”
MartinezandLewisstaredintenselyatJohanssenasshebroughtup
theinterceptcalculationsoftware.Normally,orbitswouldbeworkedout
byVogel,buthewasotherwiseengaged.Johanssenwashisbackupfor
orbitaldynamics.
“Interceptvelocitywillbe11meterspersecond...”shebegan.
“Icanmakethatwork,”Becksaidovertheradio.
“Distanceatinterceptwillbe-”Shestoppedandchoked.Shakily,she
continued.“We'llbe68kilometersapart.”Sheburiedherfaceinher
hands.
“Didshesay68kilometers!?”Becksaid.“Kilometers!?”
“Goddamnit,”Martinezwhispered.
“Keepittogether,”Lewissaid.“Worktheproblem.Martinez,isthere
anyjuiceintheMAV?”
“Negative,Commander,”Martinezresponded.“Theyditchedthe
OMSsystemtolightenthelaunchweight.”
“Thenwe'llhavetogotohim.Johanssen,timetointercept?”
“39minutes,12seconds,”Johanssensaid,tryingnottoquaver.
“Vogel,”Lewiscontinued,“howfarcanwedeflectin39minuteswith
theionengines?”
“Perhaps5kilometers,”heradioed.
“Notenough,”Lewissaid.“Martinez,whatifwepointourattitude
thrustersallthesamedirection?”
“Dependsonhowmuchfuelwewanttosaveforattitudeadjustments
onthetriphome.”
“Howmuchdoyouneed?”
“Icouldgetbywithmaybe20percentofwhat'sleft.”
“Allright,ifyouusedtheother80percent-”
“Checking,”Martinezsaid,runningthenumbersonhisconsole.
“We'dgetadelta-vof31meterspersecond.”
“Johanssen,”Lewissaid.“Math.”
“In39minuteswe'ddeflect...”Johanssenquicklytyped,“72
kilometers!”
“Therewego,”Lewissaid.“Howmuchfuel-”
“Use75.5percentofremainingattitudeadjustfuel,”Johanssensaid.
“That'llbringtheinterceptrangetozero.”
“Doit,”Lewissaid.
“Aye,Commander.”Martinezsaid.
“Holdon,”Johanssensaid.“That'llgettheinterceptrangetozero,but
theinterceptvelocitywillbe42meterspersecond.”
“Thenwehave39minutestofigureouthowtoslowdown,”Lewis
said.“Martinez,burnthejets.”
“Aye.”Martinezsaid.
“Whoa,”AnniesaidtoVenkat.“Alotofshitjusthappenedreally
fast.Explain.”
VenkatstrainedtoheartospeakeroverthemurmuroftheVIPsinthe
observationbooth.ThroughtheglasshesawMitchthrowhishandsupin
frustration.
“Thelaunchmissedbadly,”Venkatsaid,lookingpastMitchtothe
screensbeyond.“Theinterceptdistancewasgoingtobewaytoobig.So
they'reusingtheattitudeadjusterstoclosethegap.”
“Whatdoattitudeadjustersusuallydo?”
“Theyrotatetheship.They'renotmadeforthrustingit.Hermes
doesn'thavequickreactionengines.Justtheslowsteadyionengines.”
“So...problemsolved?”Anniesaidhopefully.
“No,”Venkatsaid.“They'llgettohim,butthey'llbegoing42meters
persecondwhentheygetthere.”
“Howfastisthat?”Annieasked.
“About90milesperhour,”Venkatsaid.“There'snohopeofBeck
grabbingWatneyatthatspeed.”
“Cantheyusetheattitudeadjusterstoslowdown?”
“Theyusedallthefueltheycouldtoclosethegapintime.Theydon't
haveenoughtoslowdown.”Venkatfrowned.
“Sowhatcantheydo?”
“Idon'tknow,”hesaid.“AndevenifIdid,Icouldn'ttellthemin
time.”
“Well....,”Anniesaid.
“Yeah,”Venkatagreed.
“Watney,”Lewissaid“Doyouread?”
“Watney?”Sherepeated.
“Commander,”Beckradioed.“He'swearingasurfaceEVAsuit,
right?”
“Yeah.”
“Itshouldhaveabio-monitor,”Becksaid.“Andit'llbebroadcasting.
It'snotastrongsignal;it'sonlydesignedtogoacouplehundredmeters
totheroverorHab.Butmaybewecanpickitup.”
“Johanssen,”Lewissaid.
“Onit,”Johanssensaid.“Ihavetolookupthefrequenciesinthetech
specs.Gimmeasecond.”
“Martinez,”Lewiscontinued.“Anyideahowtoslowdown?”
Heshookhishead.“Igotnothin',Commander.We'rejustgoingtoo
damnfast.”
“Vogel?”
“Theiondriveissimplynotstrongenough,”Vogelreplied.
“There'sgottobesomething,”Lewissaid.“Somethingwecando.
Anything.”
“Gothisbiomonitordata,”Johanssensaid.“Pulse58,bloodpressure
98/61.”
“That'snotbad,”Becksaid.“LowerthanI'dlikebuthe'sbeeninMars
gravityfor18months,soit'sexpected.”
“Timetointercept?”Lewisasked.
“32minutes,”Johanssenreplied.
Blissfulunconsciousnessbecamefoggyawarenesswhichtransitioned
intopainfulreality.Watneyopenedhiseyes,thenwincedatthepainin
hischest.
Littleremainedofthecanvas.Tattersfloatedalongtheedgeofthe
holeitoncecovered.ThisgrantedWatneyanunobstructedviewofMars
fromorbit.Thegreatredplanet'shorizonstretchedoutseeminglyforever
asthewispyatmospheregaveitafuzzyedge.Only18peopleinhistory
hadpersonallyseenthisview.
“....you,”hesaidtotheplanetbelow.
Reachingtowardthecontrolsonhisarm,hewinced.Tryingagain,
moreslowlythistime,heactivatedhisradio.“MAVtoHermes.”
“Watney!?”Camethereply.
“Affirmative.Thatyou,Commander?”Watneysaid.
“Affirmative.What'syourstatus?”
“I'monashipwithnocontrolpanel,”hesaid.“That'sasmuchasI
cantellyou.”
“Howdoyoufeel?”
“Mychesthurts.IthinkIbrokearib.Howareyou?”
“We'reworkingongettingyou,”Lewissaid.“Therewasa
complicationinthelaunch.”
“Yeah,”Watneysaid,lookingouttheholeintheship.“Thecanvas
didn'thold.Ithinkitrippedearlyintheascent.”
“That'sconsistentwithwhatwesawduringthelaunch.”
“Howbadisit,Commander?”Heasked.
“WewereabletocorrecttheinterceptrangewithHermes'sattitude
thrusters.Butthere'saproblemwiththeinterceptvelocity.”
“Howbigaproblem.”
“42meterspersecond.”
“Wellshit.”
“Hey,atleasthe'sokforthemoment,”Martinezsaid.
“Beck,”Lewissaid.“I'mcomingaroundtoyourwayofthinking.
Howfastcanyougetgoingifyou'reuntethered?”
“Sorry,Commander,”Becksaid.“Ialreadyranthenumbers.AtbestI
couldget25meterspersecond.EvenifIcouldgetto42,I'dneedanother
42tomatchHermeswhenIcameback.”
“Copy,”Lewissaid.
“Hey,”Watneysaidovertheradio,“I'vegotanidea.”
“Ofcourseyoudo,”Lewissaid.“Whatdoyougot?”
“Icouldfindsomethingsharpinhereandpokeaholeinthegloveof
myEVAsuit.Icouldusetheescapingairasathrusterandflymywayto
you.Thesourceofthrustwouldbeonmyarm,soI'dbeabletodirectit
prettyeasily.”
“Howdoeshecomeupwiththisshit?”Martinezinterjected.
“Hmm,”Lewissaid.“Couldyouget42meterspersecondthatway?”
“Noidea,”Watneysaid.
“Ican'tseeyouhavinganycontrolifyoudidthat,”Lewissaid.
“You'dbeeyeballingtheinterceptandusingathrustvectoryoucan
barelycontrol.”
“Iadmitit'sfatallydangerous,”Watneysaid.“Butconsiderthis:I'd
gettoflyaroundlikeIronMan.”
“We'llkeepworkingonideas,”Lewissaid.
“IronMan,Commander.IronMan.”
“Standby,”Lewissaid.
Shefurrowedherbrow.“Hmm...Maybeit'snotsuchabadidea...”
“Youkidding,Commander?”Martinezsaid.“It'saterribleidea.He'd
shootoffintospace-”
“Notthewholeidea,butpartofit,”shesaid.“Usingatmosphereas
thrust.Martinez,getVogel'sstationupandrunning.”
“Ok,”Martinezsaid,typingathiskeyboard.Thescreenchangedto
Vogel'sworkstation.HequicklychangedthelanguagefromGermanto
English.“It'sup.Whatdoyouneed?”
“Vogel'sgotsoftwareforcalculatingcourseoffsetscausedbyhull
breaches,right?”
“Yeah,”Martinezsaid.“Itestimatescoursecorrectionsneededinthe
eventof-”
“Yeah,yeah,”Lewissaid.“Fireitup.Iwanttoknowwhathappensif
weblowtheVAL.”
JohanssenandMartinezlookedateachother.
“Um.Yes,Commander,”Martinezsaid.
“TheVehicularAirlock?”Johanssensaid.“Youwantto...openit?”
“Plentyofairintheship,”Lewissaid.“It'dgiveusagoodkick.”
“Ye-es...”Martinezsaidashebroughtupthesoftware.“Anditmight
blowthenoseoftheshipoffintheprocess.”
“Also,alltheairwouldleave,”Johanssenfeltcompelledtoadd.
“We'llsealthebridgeandreactorroom.Wecanleteverywhereelse
govacuo,butwedon'twantexplosivedecompressioninhereornearthe
reactor.”
Martinezenteredthescenariointothesoftware.“Ithinkwe'lljust
havethesameproblemasWatney,butonalargerscale.Wecan'tdirect
thatthrust.”
“Wedon'thaveto,”Lewissaid.“TheVALisinthenose.Escapingair
wouldmakeathrustvectorthroughourcenterofmass.Wejustneedto
pointtheshipdirectlyawayfromwherewewanttogo.”
“OkIhavethenumbers,”Martinezsaid.“AbreachattheVAL,with
thebridgeandreactorroomsealedoff,wouldaccelerateus29metersper
second.”
“We'dhavearelativevelocityof13meterspersecondafterward,”
Johanssensupplied.
“Beck,”Lewisradioed,“Haveyoubeenhearingallthis?”
“Affirmative,Commander,”Becksaid.“
“Canyoudo13meterspersecond?”
“It'llberisky,”Beckreplied,“13tomatchtheMAVthenanother13
tomatchHermes.Butit'sahellofalotbetterthan42.”
“Johanssen,”Lewissaid.“timetointercept?”
“18minutes,Commander.”
“Whatkindofjoltwillwefeelwiththatbreach?”Lewisaskedto
Martinez.
“Theairwilltake4secondstoevacuate,”hesaid.“We'llfeelalittle
lessthanoneg.”
“Watney,”shesaidtoherheadset,“Wehaveaplan.”
“Yay!Aplan!”Watneyreplied.
“Houston,”Lewis'svoicerangthroughMissionControl,“beadvised
wearegoingtodeliberatelybreachtheVALtoproducethrust.”
“What?”Mitchsaid.“What!?”Heyelled.
“Oh...mygod,”Venkatsaidintheobservationroom.
“....meraw,”Anniesaid,gettingup.“Ibettergettothepressroom.
AnypartingknowledgebeforeIgo?”
“They'regoingtobreachtheship,”Venkatsaid,stilldumbfounded.
“They'regoingtodeliberatelybreachtheship.Ohmygod...”
“Gotit,”Anniesaid,joggingtothedoor.
“Howwillweopentheairlockdoors?”Martinezasked.“There'sno
waytoopenthemremotely,andifanyone'snearbywhenitblows-”
“Right,”Lewissaid.“Wecanopenonedoorwiththeothershut,but
howdoweopentheother?”
Shethoughtforamoment.“Vogel,”sheradioed.“Ineedyoutocome
backinandmakeabomb.”
“Um.Again,please,Commander?”Vogelreplied.
“Abomb,”Lewisconfirmed.“You'reachemist.Canyoumakea
bomboutofstuffonboard?”
“Ja,”Vogelsaid.“Wehaveflammablesandpureoxygen.”
“Soundsgood.”Lewissaid.
“Itisofcoursedangeroustosetoffanexplosivedeviceona
spacecraft,”Vogelsaidpragmatically.
“Somakeitsmall,”Lewissaid.“Itjustneedstopokeaholeinthe
innerairlockdoor.Anyholewilldo.Ifitblowsthedooroffthat'sfine.If
itdoesn't,theairwillgetoutslower,butforlonger.Themomentum
changeisthesameandwe'llgettheaccelerationweneed.”
“PressurizingAirlock-2,”Vogelreported.“Howwillweactivatethis
bomb?”
“Johanssen?”Lewissaid.
“Uh...”Johanssensaid.Shepickedupherheadsetandquicklyputit
on.“Vogel,canyourunwiresintoit?”
“Ja,”Vogelsaid.“Iwillusethreadedstopperwithasmallholeforthe
wires.Itwillhavelittleeffectontheseal.”
“Wecouldrunthewiretolightingpanel41,”Johanssensaid.“It's
nexttotheairlock,andIcanturnitonandofffromhere.”
“There'sourremotetrigger,”Lewissaid.“Johanssengosetupthe
lightingpanel.Vogel,getinhereandmakethebomb.Martinez,goclose
andsealthedoorstothereactorroom.”
“YesCommander,”Johanssensaid,kickingoffherseattowardthe
hallway.
“Commander,”Martinezsaid,pausingattheexit,“Youwantmeto
bringbacksomespacesuits?”
“Nopoint,”Lewissaid.“Ifthesealonthebridgedoesn'tholdwe'll
getsuckedoutatclosetothespeedofsound.We'llbejellywithor
withoutsuitson.”
“Roger,Commander.”
“Areyoubackinyet,Vogel?”Lewisasked.
“Iamjustre-enteringnow,Commander.”
“Beck,”Lewissaidtoherheadset.“I'llneedyoubackin,too.But
don'ttakeyoursuitoff.”
“Ok,”Becksaid.“Why?”
“We'regoingtohavetoliterallyblowuponeofthedoors,”Lewis
explained.“I'dratherwekilltheinnerone.Iwanttheouterdoor
unharmedsowekeepoursmoothaerobrakingshape.”
“Makessense.”Beckrespondedashefloatedbackintotheship.
“Oneproblem,”Lewissaid.“Iwanttheouterdoorlockedinthefully
openpositionwiththemechanicalstopperinplacetokeepitfrombeing
trashedbythedecompress.”
“Youhavetohavesomeoneintheairlocktodothat,”Becksaid.
“Andyoucan'topentheinnerdooriftheouterdoorislockedopen.”
“Right,”Lewissaid.“IneedyoutogototheVAL,depressurize,and
locktheouterdooropen.Thenyou'llneedtocrawlalongthehulltoget
backtoAirlock2.”
“Copy,Commander,”Becksaid.“Therearelatchpointsalloverthe
hull.I'llmovemytetheralong,mountainclimberstyle.”
“Gettoit,”Lewissaid.“AndVogel,you'reinahurry.Youhaveto
makethebomb,setitup,getbacktoAirlock2,suitup,depressurizeit,
andopentheouterdoorsoBeckcangetin.”
“He'stakinghissuitoffrightnowandcan'treply,”Beckreported,
“butheheardtheorder.”
“Watney,howyoudoing?”Lewis'svoicesaidinhisear.
“Finesofar,Commander,”Watneyreplied.“Youmentionedaplan?”
“Affirmative,”shesaid.“We'regoingtoventatmospheretoget
thrust.”
“How?”
“We'regoingtoblowaholeintheVAL.”
“What!?”Watneysaid.“How!?”
“Vogel'smakingabomb.”
“Iknewthatguywasamadscientist!”Watneysaid.“Ithinkwe
shouldjustgowithmyIronManidea.”
“That'stooriskyandyouknowit,”shereplied.
“Thingis,”Watneysaid,“I'mselfish.Iwantthememorialsback
hometobejustforme.Idon'twanttherestofyoulosersinthem.Ican't
letyouguysblowtheVAL.”
“Oh,”Lewissaid.“Wellifyouwon'tletusthen-wait...waita
minute...I'mlookingatmyshoulderpatchanditturnsoutI'mthe
Commander.Sittight.We'recomingtogetyou.”
“Smart-ass.”
Beingachemist,Vogelknewhowtomakeabomb.Infact,muchof
histrainingwastoavoidmakingthembymistake.
Theshiphadfewflammablesaboard,duetothefataldangeroffire.
Butfood,byitsverynature,containedflammablehydrocarbons.Lacking
timetositdownanddothemath,heestimated.
Sugarhas4000food-caloriesperkilogram.Onefood-calorieis4184
Joules.Sugarinzero-gwillfloatandthegrainswillseparate,maximizing
surfacearea.Inapureoxygenenvironment,16.7millionJouleswillbe
releasedforeverykilogramofsugarused,releasingtheexplosiveforce
of8sticksofdynamite.Suchisthenatureofcombustioninpureoxygen.
Vogelmeasuredthesugarcarefully.Hepoureditintothestrongest
containerhecouldfind,athickglassbeaker.Thestrengthofthe
containerwasasimportantastheexplosive.Aweakcontainerwould
simplycauseafireballwithoutmuchconcussiveforce.Astrong
container,however,wouldcontainthepressureuntilitreachedtrus
destructivepotential.
Hequicklydrilledaholeinthestopper,thenstrippedasectionof
wire.Heranthewirethroughthehole.
“Sehrgefährlich,”hemumbledashepouredliquidoxygenfromthe
ship'ssupplyintothecontainer,thenquicklyscrewedthestopperon.In
justafewminutes,hehadmadearudimentarypipebomb.
“Sehr,sehr,gefährlich,”
Hefloatedoutofthelabandmadehiswaytowardthenoseofthe
ship.
JohanssenworkedonthelightingpanelasBeckfloatedtowardthe
airlock.
Shegrabbedhisarm.“Becarefulcrawlingalongthehull.”
Heturnedtofaceher.“Becarefulsettingupthebomb.”
Shekissedhisfaceplatethenlookedaway,embarrassed.“Thatwas
stupid.Don'ttellanyoneIdidthat.”
“Don'ttellanyoneIlikedit,”Becksmiled.
Heenteredtheairlockandsealedtheinnerdoor.Afterdepressurizing,
heopenedtheouterdoorandlockeditinplace.Grabbingahandrailon
thehull,hepulledhimselfout.
Johanssenwatcheduntilhewasnolongerinview,thenreturnedto
thelightingpanel.Shehaddeactivateditearlierfromherworkstation.
Pullingalengthofthecableoutandstrippingtheends,shefiddledwitha
rollofelectricaltapeuntilVogelarrived.
Heshowedupjustaminutelater,carefullyfloatingdownthehall
withthebombheldinbothhands.
“Ihaveusedasinglewireforigniting,”heexplained.“Ididnotwant
torisktwowiresforaspark.Itwouldbedangeroustousifwehadstatic
whilesettingup.”
“Howdowesetitoff?”Johanssensaid.
“Thewiremustreachahightemperature.Ifyoushortpowerthrough
it,thatwillbesufficient.”
“I'llhavetopinthebreaker,”Johanssensaid,“butit'llwork.”
Shetwistedthelightingwirestothebomb'sandtapedthemoff.
“Excuseme,”Vogelsaid.“IhavetoreturntoAirlock2toletDr.
Beckbackin.”
“Mm,”Johanssensaid.
Martinezfloatedbackintothebridge.“Ihadafewminutes,soIran
throughtheaerobrakelockdownchecklistforthereactorroom.
Everything'sreadyforaccelerationandthecompartment'ssealedoff.”
“Goodthinking,”Lewissaid.“Preptheattitudecorrection.”
“Roger,Commander.”Martinezsaid,driftingtohisstation.“It'lltake
measec...Ineedtodoeverythingbackward.TheVAL'sinfront,sothe
sourceofthrustwillbeexactlyoppositetoourengines.Oursoftware
wasn'texpectingustohaveanenginethere.Ijustneedtotellitweplan
tothrusttowardMark.”
“Takeyourtimeandgetitright,”Lewissaid.“Anddon'texecutetillI
giveyoutheword.We'renotspinningtheshiparoundwhileBeck'sout
onthehull.”
“Roger.”Hesaid.Afteramoment,headded“Ok,theadjustment's
readytoexecute.”
“Standby.”Lewissaid.
Vogel,backinhissuit,depressurizedAirlock2andopenedtheouter
door.
“Bouttime,”Becksaid,climbingin.
“Sorryforthedelay,”Vogelsaid.“Iwasrequiredtomakeabomb.”
“Thishasbeenkindofaweirdday,”Becksaid.“Commander,Vogel
andIareinposition.”
“Copy,”cameLewis'sresponse.“Getupagainsttheforewallofthe
airlock.It'sgoingtobeaboutonegforfourseconds.Makesureyou're
bothtetheredin.”
“Copy,”Becksaidasheattachedhistether.Thetwomenpressed
themselvesagainstthewall.
“Ok,Martinez,”Lewissaid,“Pointustherightdirection.”
“Copy,”saidMartinez,executingtheattitudeadjustment.
Johanssenfloatedintothebridgeastheadjustmentwasperformed.
Theroomrotatedaroundherasshereachedforahandhold.“Thebomb's
ready,andthebreaker'sjammedclosed,”shesaid.“Icansetitoffby
remotelyturningonLightingPanel41.”
“Sealthebridgeandgettoyourstation,”Lewissaid.
“Copy,”Johanssensaid.Unstowingtheemergencyseal,sheplugged
theentrancetothebridge.Withafewturnsofthecrank,thejobwas
done.Shereturnedtoherstationandranaquicktest.“IncreasingBridge
pressureto1.03atmospheres...pressureissteadywehaveagoodseal.”
“Copy,”Lewissaid.“Timetointercept?”
“28seconds,”Johanssensaid.
“Wow,”Martinezsaid.“Wecutthatprettyclose.”
“Youready,Johanssen?”Lewisasked.
“Yes,”Johanssensaid.“AllIhavetodoishitenter.”
“Martinez,how'sourangle?”
“Dead-on,Commander,”Martinezreported.
“Strapin,”Lewissaid.
Thethreeofthemtightenedtherestraintsoftheirchairs.
“20seconds,”Johanssensaid.
TeddytookhisseatintheVIProom.“What'sthestatus?”Heasked.
“15secondstilltheyblowtheVAL,”Venkatsaid.“Wherehaveyou
been?”
“OnthephonewiththePresident,”Teddysaid.“Doyouthinkthis
willwork?”
“Ihavenoidea,”Venkatsaid.“I'veneverfeltthishelplessinmy
life.”
“Ifit'sanyconsolation,”Teddysaid,“Prettymucheveryoneinthe
worldfeelsthesameway.”
Ontheothersideoftheglass,Mitchpacedtoandfro.
“5...4...3...”Johanssensaid.
“Braceforacceleration,”Lewissaid.
“2...1...”Johanssencontinued.“ActivatingPanel41.”
Shepressedenter.
InsideVogel'sbomb,thefullcurrentoftheship'sinternallighting
systemflowedthroughathin,exposedwire.Itquicklyreachedthe
ignitiontemperatureofthesugar.Whatwouldhavebeenaminorfizzle
inEarth'satmospherebecameanuncontrolledconflagrationinthe
container'spureoxygenenvironment.Inunder100milliseconds,the
massivecombustionpressureburstthecontainerandtheresulting
explosionrippedtheairlockdoortoshreds.
TheinternalairofHermesrushedthroughtheopenVAL,blasting
Hermesintheotherdirection.
VogelandBeckwerepressedagainstthewallofAirlock2.Lewis,
Martinez,andJohanssenenduredtheaccelerationintheirseats.Itwas
notadangerousamountofforce,infactitwaslessthantheforceof
Earth'ssurfacegravity.Butitwasinconsistentandjerky.
Afterfourseconds,theshakingdieddownandtheshipreturnedto
weightlessness.
“Reactorroomstillpressurized,”Martinezreported.
“Bridgesealholding,”Johanssensaid.“Obviously.”
“Damage?”Martinezsaid.
“Notsureyet,”Johanssensaid.“IhaveExternalCamerafourpointed
alongthenose.Idon'tseeanyproblemswiththehullneartheVAL.”
“Worryaboutthatlater,”Lewissaid.“What'sourrelativevelocity
anddistancetoMAV?”
Johanssentypedquickly.“We'llgetwithin22metersandwe'reat12
meterspersecond.Weactuallygotbetterthanexpectedthrust.”
“Watney,”Lewissaid.“Itworked.Beck'sonhisway.”
“Score!”Watneyresponded.
“Beck,”Lewissaid.“You'reup.12meterspersecond.”
“Closeenough!”Beckreplied.
“I'mgoingtojumpout,”Becksaid.“Shouldgetmeanothertwoor
threemeterspersecond.”
“Understood,”Vogelsaid,looselygrippingBeck'stether.“Goodluck,
Dr.Beck.”
Placinghisfeetonthebackwall,Beckcoiledandleapedoutofthe
airlock.
Oncefree,hegothisbearings.Aquicklooktohisrightshowedhim
whathecouldnotseefrominsidetheairlock.
“Ihavevisual!”hesaid.“IcanseeMAV!Jesus,Mark,whatdidyou
dotothatthing?”
“YoushouldseewhatIdidtotherover,”Watneyradioedback.
Beckthrustedonaninterceptcourse.Hehadpracticedthismany
times.Thepresumptioninthosepracticesessionswasthathe'dbe
rescuingacrewmatewhosetetherhadbroken,buttheprinciplewasthe
same.
“Johanssen,”hesaid,“Yougotmeonradar?”
“Affirmative,”shereplied.
“CalloutmyrelativevelocitytoMarkevery2secondsorso.”
“Copy.5.2meterspersecond.”
“HeyBeck,”Watneysaid.“Thefront'swideopen.I'llgetupthereand
bereadytograbatyou.”
“Negative,”interruptedLewis.“Nountetheredmovement.Stay
strappedtoyourchairuntilyou'relatchedtoBeck.”
“Copy,”Watneysaid.
“3.1meterspersecond,”Johanssenreported.
“Goingtocoastforabit,”Becksaid.“GottacatchupbeforeIslowit
down.”Herotatedhimselfinpreparationforthenextburn.
“11meterstotarget,”Johanssensaid.
“Copy.”
“6meters,”Johanssensaid.
“Aaaaand,counter-thrusting.”Becksaid,firingtheMMUthrusters
again.TheMAVloomedbeforehim.“Velocity?”Heasked.
“1.1meterspersecond,”Johanssensaid.
“Goodenough,”hesaid,reachingfortheship.“I'mdriftingtowardit.
IthinkIcangetmyhandonsomeofthetorncanvas...”
Thetatteredcanvasbeckonedastheonlyhandholdontheotherwise
smoothship.Beckreached,extendingasbesthecould,andmanagedto
grabhold.
“Contact,”Becksaid.Firminghisgrip,hepulledhisbodyforward
andlashedoutwithhisotherhandtograbmorecanvas.“Firmcontact!”
“Dr.Beck,”Vogelsaid.“Wehavepastclosestapproachpointandyou
arenowgettingfurtheraway.Youhave169metersoftetherleft.Enough
for14seconds.”
“Copy,”Becksaid.
Pullinghisheadtotheopening,helookedinsidethecompartmentto
seeWatneystrappedtohischair.
“VisualonWatney!”Hereported.
“VisualonBeck!”Watneyreported.
“Howyadoin',man?”Becksaid,pullinghimselfintotheship.
“I...Ijust...”Watneysaid.“Givemeaminute.You'rethefirstperson
I'veseenin18months.”
“Wedon'thaveaminute,”Becksaid,kickingoffthewall.“We'vegot
11secondsbeforewerunoutoftether.”
Beck'scoursetookhimtothechairwhereheclumsilycollidedwith
Watney.Thetwogrippedeachothers'armstokeepBeckfrombouncing
away.“ContactwithWatney!”Becksaid.
“8seconds,Dr.Beck,”Vogelradioed.
“Copy,”Becksaidashehastilylatchedthefrontofhissuittothe
frontofWatney'swithtetherclips.“Connected,”hesaid.
Watneyreleasedthestrapsonhischair.“Restraintsoff.”
“We'reouta'here,”Becksaid,kickingoffthechairtowardthe
opening.
ThetwomenfloatedacrosstheMAVcabintotheopening.Beck
reachedouthisarmandpushedofftheedgeastheypassedthrough.
“We'reout,”Beckreported.
“5seconds,”Vogelsaid.
“RelativevelocitytoHermes:12meterspersecond,”Johanssensaid.
“Thrusting,”Becksaid,activatinghisMMU.
ThetwoacceleratedtowardHermesforafewseconds.Thenthe
MMUcontrolsonBeck'sheads-updisplayturnedred.
“That'sitforthefuel,”Becksaid.“Velocity?”
“5meterspersecond,”Johanssenreplied.
“Standby,”Vogelsaid.Throughouttheprocess,hehadbeenfeeding
tetheroutoftheairlock.Nowhegrippedtheever-shrinkingremainderof
theropewithbothhands.Hedidn'tclampdownonit;thatwouldpullhim
outoftheairlock.Hesimplyclosedhishandsoverthetethertocreate
friction.
HermespulledBeckandWatneyalong,withVogel'suseofthetether
actingasashockabsorber.IfVogelusedtoomuchforcetheshockofit
wouldpullthetetherfreefromBeck'ssuitclips.Ifheusedtoolittlethe
tetherwouldrunoutbeforetheymatchedspeeds,thenitwouldhavea
hardstopattheend,whichwouldalsoripitoutofBeck'ssuitclips.
Vogelmanagedtofindthebalance.Afterafewsecondsoftense,gutfeelphysics,Vogelfelttheforceonthetetherabate.
“Velocity0!”Johanssenreportedexcitedly.
“Reel'emin,Vogel,”Lewissaid.
“Copy,”Vogelsaid.Handoverhand,heslowlypulledhiscrewmates
towardtheairlock.Afterafewseconds,hestoppedactivelypullingand
simplytookinthelineastheycoastedtowardhim.
Theyfloatedintotheairlock,andVogelgrabbedthem.Beckand
WatneybothreachedforhandholdsonthewallasVogelworkedhisway
aroundthemandclosedtheouterdoor.
“Aboard!”Becksaid.
“Airlock2outerdoorclosed,”Vogelsaid.
“Yes!”Martinezyelled.
“Copy,”Lewissaid.
Lewis'svoiceechoedacrosstheworld:“Houston,thisisHermes
Actual.Sixcrewsafelyaboard.”
Thecontrolroomexplodedwithapplause.Leapingfromtheirseats,
theycheered,hugged,andcried.Thesamesceneplayedoutalloverthe
worldinparks,bars,civiccenters,livingrooms,classrooms,andoffices.
MitchhaggardlypulledoffhisheadsetandturnedtofacetheVIP
room.Throughtheglass,hesawvariouswell-suitedmenandwomen
cheeringwildly.HelookedatVenkatandletoutaheavysighofrelief.
Venkatputhisheadinhishandsandwhispered“Thankthegods.”
Teddypulledabluefolderfromhisbriefcaseandstood.“Anniewill
bewantingmeinthepressroom.”
“Guessyoudon'tneedtheredfoldertoday,”Venkatsaid.
“Honestly,Ididn'tmakeone.”Ashewalkedoutheadded“Good
work,Venk.Nowgetthemhome.”
LOGENTRY:MISSIONDAY687
That“687”caughtmeoffguardforaminute.OnHermes,wetrack
timebymissiondays.ItmaybeSol549downonMars,butit'sMission
Day687uphere.Andyouknowwhat?Itdoesn'tmatterwhattimeitison
MarscauseI'MNOT....THERE!
Ohmygod.I'mreallynotonMarsanymore.Icantellbecausethere's
nogravityandthereareotherhumansaround.I'mstilladjusting.
Ifthiswereamovie,everyonewouldhavebeenintheairlockand
therewouldhavebeenhigh-fivesallaround.Butitdidn'tpanoutthat
way.
IbroketworibsduringtheMAVascent.Theyweresorethewhole
time,buttheyreallystartedscreamingwhenVogelpulledusintothe
airlockbythetether.Ididn'twanttodistractthepeoplewhoweresaving
mylifesoImutedoffmymicandscreamedlikealittlegirl.
It'strue,youknow.Inspace,noonecanhearyouscreamlikealittle
girl.
OncetheygotmeintoAirlock2,theyopenedtheinnerdoorandI
wasfinallyaboardagain.Hermeswasstillinvacuo,sowedidn'thaveto
cycletheairlock.
Becktoldmetogolimpandpushedmedownthecorridortowardhis
quarters(whichserveastheship's“sickbay”whenneeded).
VogelwenttheotherdirectionandclosedtheouterVALdoor.
OnceBeckandIgottohisquarters,wewaitedfortheshipto
repressurize.Hermeshadenoughspareairtorefilltheshiptwomore
timesifneeded.It'dbeaprettyshittylong-rangeshipifitcouldn't
recoverfromadecompression.
OnceJohanssengaveustheallclear,Dr.Bossy-Beckmademewait
whilehefirsttookoffhissuit,thentookoffmine.Afterhepulledmy
helmetoff,helookedshocked.IthoughtmaybeIhadamajorheadwoundorsomething,butitturnsoutitwasthesmell.
It'sbeenawhilesinceIwashed...anything.
Afterthat,itwasx-raysandchestbandageswhiletherestofthecrew
waitedoutside.
Thencamethe(painful)high-fives,followedbypeoplestayingasfar
awayfrommystenchaspossible.Wehadafewminutesofreunion
beforeBeckshuttledeveryoneout.Hegavemepainkillersandtoldmeto
showerassoonasIcouldfreelymovemyarms.
SonowI'mwaitingforthedrugstokickin.Myribshurtlikehell,my
visionisstillblurryfromaccelerationsickness,I'mreallyhungry,it'llbe
another211daysbeforeI'mbackonEarth,andapparentlyIsmelllikea
skunktookashitonsomesweatsocks.
Thisisthehappiestdayofmylife.
Watneyfinishedhistwoslicesofpizzaandacoke.Hehadanother
half-hourtokillbeforegoingbacktoJohnsonSpaceCenter.Leavingthe
pizzeria,hesatonapublicbenchjustoutside.
Nextweekwouldbebusy.HewouldbemeetingtheAres-6Engineer.
Hehadreadherfile,buthadnevermetherinperson.Hewouldn'tget
muchtimetorelaxafterthat.Thefollowingsixweekswouldbefilled
withconstanttrainingashetriedtoimpartasmuchknowledgeashe
could.
Butthatwassomethingtoworryaboutlater.Rightnow,hetooka
deepbreathofthefreshairandwatchedthepeoplegoby.
“Hey,Iknowyou!”Cameavoicefrombehind.
Ayoungboyhadstrayedfromhismother.“You'reMarkWatney!”
“Sweetie,”theboy'smomsaid,embarrassed.“Don'tbotherpeople
likethat.”
“It'sok,”Watneyshrugged.
“YouwenttoMars!”Theboysaid,hiseyeswidewithawe.
“Suredid,”Watneysaid.“Almostdidn'tmakeitback.”
“Iknow!”Saidtheboy.“Thatwasawesome!”
“Sweetie!”Themomscolded.“That'srude.”
“SoMr.Watney,”theboysaid,“IfyoucouldgotoMarsagain,like,
iftherewasanothermissionandtheywantedyoutogo,wouldyougo?”
Watneyscowledathim.“Yououtofyour....mind?”
“Oktimetogo,”themomsaid,quicklyherdingtheboyaway.They
recededintothecrowdedsidewalk.
Watneysnortedintheirdirection.Thenheclosedhiseyesandfeltthe
sunonhisface.Itwasanice,boringafternoon.
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