Dead on Mars Novel

“A third processor?”

Tomcat retracted its claws and nodded. “On Mars, there’s a third TCU1524M temperature control processor. I met it eight years ago.”

“Where is it?”

“Chelomey.”

Tang Yue was taken aback. Chelomey? He tried hard to recall this strange name, and vaguely seemed to recall that he had heard it before… But what was it? A rocket? A satellite? Or a probe?

Tang Yue could no longer recall what Chelomey was. After the Mars landing missions fully unfolded, unmanned probes were no longer the focus of attention. This was particularly so with the Orion I and II ferrying astronauts like a bus between Earth and Mars. There was all kind of equipment that hitched a ride to Mars. Even the Vatican had sent a tiny lander via the Orion spacecraft. It wasn’t responsible for any research work other than to transmit the Holy Bible’s contents once every twenty-four hours. The idea was to spread the gospel of God to the Universe.

Unfortunately, the lander crashed when it passed through the Martian atmosphere. So the spreading of God’s gospel on Mars probably had to wait.

“The Russian Chelomey is a Martian probe. It was launched in 2044, and was carried by a cargo spacecraft,” Tomcat whispered. “That lander has a TCU1524M temperature control processor. Its exact number is TCU1524M2043071123. It’s from the same product line but a different batch. It’s completely compatible.”

“Wait… How do you know what components are on a Russian probe?”

“It’s because I participated in the design of that probe. Back then, the Russian engineers had sought my advice when creating the Chelomey probe,” Tomcat answered. “The Chelomey lander has such a processor. Intel’s TCU1542M is the most reliable temperature control chip to date, so the Russians specially purchased a batch from Intel to be used for the Mars exploration projects.”

Tang Yue understood what Tomcat’s last solution was—find the Chelomey, and remove its processor.

“But where’s the Chelomey?” Tang Yue asked.

Even though they knew that there was a third TCU1542M processor on Mars, it was a huge planet with a radius of about 3,300 kilometers. The surface area exceeded 140 million square kilometers. How was one to find it across such vast lands?

To search for a tiny probe on an entire planet without knowing its exact location was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Besides, the surface area of Mars was huge. If the probe’s landing point was more than a thousand kilometers from Kunlun Station, how was Tang Yue to obtain it?

“The Chelomey’s exact location isn’t recorded in Kunlun Station.” Tomcat shook its head. “The detailed location will need to be obtained from Roscosmos.”

“How can there be a Roscosmos now? Buddy ol’ Pal, the great Qin dynasty is finished, the great Soviet Union has disintegrated.” Tang Yue threw up his arms. “If Roscosmos is still in existence, we should already be on Earth by now.”

“We can only search for it ourselves,” Tomcat said. “The Chelomey’s main mission is to evaluate the soil quality and water resources of the Isidis Planitia; therefore, it can’t have landed too far from Kunlun Station. It should be within reach…”

Even if they narrowed the scope to the Isidis Planitia, it was still a massive region spanning more than a hundred square kilometers. To seek out a probe in such a large desert was impossible via Tomcat and Tang Yue alone.

“How do you plan to find it?”

“Obviously not with our eyes. It will take ages.” Tomcat swiftly turned on the computer. “We will shout to it. If it’s alive… it will respond.”

…

“OK! Mr. Cat, I’m in position. The communications system is fully operational.” Mr. Cat floated in the core module as it held a wireless keyboard in hand. “The Russian Chelomey probe… is that it?”

“Yes!” Tomcat nodded.

“It’s been eight years. Is it still alive?” Tang Yue asked. “Will it be able to receive our commands?”

“In fact, the Chelomey died five years ago. The probe was designed for thirty-six months, and it ultimately failed to die a natural death… A super sandstorm swept the landing area of the Chelomey, caking the probe’s solar panels with sand. Finally, the Chelomey was drained of all its power and lost communications with Mission Control,” Tomcat said.

“Project Chelomey was just a tiny part of the Roscosmos’s Mars missions. The mission team was very small, and the budget was limited. After they lost communications with it, Roscosmos immediately abandoned the probe and declared the end of Project Chelomey. The mission team was dismissed, and it was completely forgotten from that moment forth.”

“It died five years ago?” Tang Yue was alarmed. “So you’re telling me that it’s a chunk of metal that’s been dead for years? Then how will it respond to you?”

“It’s you humans that believe it’s dead. I don’t think so.” Tomcat raised a single claw and waved it. “Mai Dong? Are you ready?”

“The antenna is unfolding!” Mr. Cat answered. “I’m adjusting the high-gain antenna’s direction… Mr. Cat, what’s the command?”

“The command is КАТЮША.”

“What?” Mai Dong and Tang Yue were taken aback. Tomcat had just said a series of retroflex consonants that neither one of them understood.”

“It’s Katyusha in Russian,” Tomcat said. “That’s the awakening command for the Chelomey.”

“You even know that?” Tang Yue widened his eyes.

“All the probes in the Roscosmos Mars projects use this command. Some Russian astronaut had told me that, after having too much vodka to drink,” Tomcat said. “Miss Mai Dong, try using that!”

Mai Dong nodded as the United Space Station swept over Kunlun Station. The high-gain antenna was pointed at the Isidis Planitia, and if the probe named Chelomey was really still alive, it would respond after receiving the command.

Tomcat and Tang Yue were awaiting the news.

Tang Yue’s found his heart in his throat. No one knew if a probe that had been abandoned for five years was still operational. The chances were low, and with the harsh environment on Mars, it wouldn’t surprise Tang Yue if it was completely destroyed. Tomcat was betting, but not all probes had a life as hardy as the Curiosity rover that had remained in service for more than ten times its expected lifetime.

God, please… Tang Yue muttered inwardly.

Half a minute later.

“Mr. Cat! Tang Yue!” Mai Dong’s voice sounded over the comms. Her tone was filled with amazement and surprise. “The Chelomey probe has greeted us!”

…

“Truly amazing.” Tang Yue sat down with his blanket wrapped around him. “A probe that people have forgotten for five years is still stubbornly living on… Didn’t you say that it was covered in sand, and its batteries were completely drained?”

“The Chelomey has a clock on it that can run for ten years,” Tomcat explained. “According to the Chelomey’s original design, once the battery stores dropped below a critical line, the probe would enter hibernation, shutting down its computer and all power-draining components. But that clock will keep running. It would wake the computer from time to time, and once the solar panel gained a charge, the probe would awaken from its hibernation… Do you still remember the hurricane from three months ago?”

Tang Yue nodded. He obviously remembered the super hurricane that enveloped Kunlun Station. It nearly caused the Eagle’s launch to end up in failure.

“A hurricane can sweep up sand, but it can also sweep away sand,” Tomcat said. “The hurricane three months ago might have swept away the sand on the Chelomey’s solar panels, allowing the batteries to be recharged. Therefore, the probe would awaken from its slumber and continue its work… That’s how machines are. As long as you don’t give them up, they will never let you down.”