Although Mars was close by, it was too early to start celebrating victory now.
Soon, the moment Xu Fu made contact with the gravitational field of Mars, it would endure its most difficult test since it set sail.
Unlike other smaller spacecraft, it was not an easy task to accelerate or decelerate this large and complex colonial ship.
Especially deceleration.
If the speed was too low, they would not be able to catch up with Mars. If the speed was too fast, they could pass directly through the gravitational field of Mars. The window period for Xu Fu to decelerate was small. They must reduce the speed so that they could be caught by the gravitational field of Mars.
Especially since Mars did not have an atmosphere, the leapfrogging method of slowing down at the edge of the atmosphere like that on Earth was not feasible here. They could only achieve the deceleration of the spacecraft by reversing the propulsion jets.
Fortunately, for Star Sky Technology, this was not very difficult.
Once the portable controllable fusion reactor core was ignited, the temperature in the heating chamber began to rise linearly. The propellant that was sent to the heating chamber was instantly vaporized and ionized into active plasma.
The temperature in the reaction chamber and heating chamber was getting higher and higher, like a tiny sun.
The reactor’s power continued to increase when it finally broke through a certain critical point. The plasma engine suddenly ejected a blue glow, lighting up the entire tail of the Xu Fu ship!
Pushed by the blue “flames”, Xu Fu briefly accelerated forward for a short period of time.
However, this did not last long. Soon, the rectifier was deployed, and the plasma ejected from the outside of the cabin began to turn under the force of the magnetic field. Like a parachute, Xu Fu began to slow down as it headed toward Mars.
After more than ten hours of waiting and several orbit changes, Xu Fu finally completed its deceleration. It entered the Mars gravitational field for the last time and was successfully captured by the Mars gravitational force.
At the same time, a clear announcement came from above the heads of everyone sitting in the cabin.
“Xu Fu has successfully entered the Mars gravitational system. Assisted landing mode will be activated in half an hour. Colonists, please put on cabin spacesuits and stand by in No.1 ring area.”
Liang Youcheng, who was wearing his cabin spacesuit, took off the seat belt on the space chair and stood up.
He looked back at his teammates standing up and spoke in a serious tone.
“Ready?”
The four of them answered at the same time.
“Yes, sir!”
Liang Youcheng nodded with approval and ordered loudly.
“Let’s go!”
The journey had entered the final stage.
The probes previously deployed on Mars had scanned the basic geomorphology data into the database of the Jinling launch site. They decided on the landing site long before they set off.
Xu Fu would not stay in orbit for too long. It would begin the colonization process immediately after reaching the target area.
The No. 2 ring, the propulsion system, and the main structure of the spacecraft would remain in the orbit of Mars as a temporary space station and a communication relay satellite. The No. 1 ring would be separated from the spacecraft and fall toward the surface of Mars.
The group of people passed through the narrow passage, along the outer corridor of the spacecraft, and entered the No. 1 ring area.
This was the core part of the entire colonial ship.
It was also their future home on Mars.
Liang Youcheng looked at the cabin door slowly close behind him. He silently raised his right arm and gave a military salute.
After this, he turned around and went toward the buffer room on the outer edge of the No. 1 ring with his four teammates.
This was the entrance and exit of the colony capsule. It had the strongest shell and the most complete set of tools in the entire colony capsule. It was also the place where they would wait until landing.
“Find a place to sit down and connect the life support system to your spacesuit.
“After making sure your equipment is operating normally, raise your hand so that I’ll know you’ll survive.”
The joke eased the tense atmosphere in the cabin a bit, and many people’s tightened eyebrows relaxed a little.
Liang Youcheng looked at the four raised hands and nodded. He then reached out his hand and unlatched the folded seat against the wall. After sitting on the seat, he methodically connected the seat belt and the life support device on his cabin spacesuit.
The orbit deceleration was a test of Xu Fu’s capabilities.
And this was about to be a test for the astronaut’s capabilities.
After waiting for ten minutes in a quiet atmosphere, Liang Youcheng, who adjusted his breathing rhythm, began to hear his own heartbeat.
Finally, a series of slight trembles came from their seats. The astronauts sitting in the buffer room were all on high alert.
Fan Tong put his hands on the armrest of the seat and said nervously, “Captain, are we landing soon?”
Liang Youcheng tried to make himself look less nervous. He smiled and spoke in a relaxed tone.
“Not yet. We just separated from the spaceship, we’ll have to wait—”
Before he could finish, the familiar computer broadcast sound interrupted his words.
“Separation process begins. The colony capsule will be separated from the colonial ship, Xu Fu, in one minute. The landing process will begin in two minutes…
“We wish you a pleasant journey.”
Right afterward, the shaking under the seat began to feel more and more intense.
With a metal clicking sound coming along the alloy walls, the connections between the ring-shaped colony capsule and the Xu Fu colonial ship were ejected.
The four small chemical thrusters installed on the outer wall of the ring structure emitted flames, pushing the colonial capsule away from Xu Fu slowly, sending it toward the turbid atmosphere of Mars.
Like cutting a baby’s umbilical cord off, the colony capsule was separated from the mothership’s body. It ejected flames while slowly moving down toward the fiery red planet.
Soon, it was the most difficult section.
The bumpy feeling was like a roller coaster; the astronauts sitting in the buffer room were as nervous as possible.
Liang Youcheng stared at the turbid atmosphere outside the porthole. He firmly grasped the armrests of the seat. Although this did not make him more stable, it at least brought him some comfort.
Once they broke through the periphery of the atmosphere, the engine power began to increase!
For a brief moment, Liang Youcheng felt the nostalgic gravity of the Earth pulling his body.
However, the nostalgic feeling only lasted a brief moment.
The force gradually decreased with the declining altitude.
Like throwing a rock in the sand, after the final violent tremblings, all of the uncomfortable sensations went away in an instant.
Liang Youcheng looked at the flying yellow sand outside the porthole and the outline of the horizon buried in the dust. He suddenly wanted to cry.
An unspeakable excitement filled every corner of his chest.
Mars!
This is Mars!
We are finally here!
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