Dead on Mars

Translator: CKtalon  Editor: CKtalon

On the second night that Tomcat observed Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I again, the point of light had brightened again. The comet’s speed was extremely fast—it was probably the fastest moving celestial body in the Solar System. It could fly more than 70 km/s while ordinary planetoids only moved at 20 km/s.

In terms of mass, the energy brought by the comet was thirteen times that of the asteroid that blasted the dinosaurs into extinction at the end of the Cretaceous Period. If Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I were to hit Mars, the catastrophe it created would be more spectacular than the fifth major extinction event.

Mars’s volume density was much smaller than Earth’s, and the comet had enough energy to throw large quantities of matter into orbit. This would leave a huge impact crater on Mars’s surface while also forming a belt of particles around it, giving it its own ring.

Of course, it would be impossible for Tang Yue and Mai Dong to see such a scene. Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I came from above the Solar System’s ecliptic plane, so it would definitely hit the northern hemisphere of Mars. It was possible that Kunlun Station would be instantly destroyed upon impact, and the space station would be ripped to shreds from the ejected rubble.

“How is it? That comet?” Tang Yue asked.

Tomcat moved the monitor towards Tang Yue.

On the screen was space. It was a picture taken from the space station’s survey telescope. It had been constantly tracking the comet that had barged into the Solar System.

To Tang Yue’s surprise, Tomcat pointed at a very faint point of light with its paw. It didn’t stand out among the bright stars, completely at odds with Tang Yue’s impression of a comet.

He originally imagined that he would see a bright comet with a sweeping tail.

“Unfortunately, the Dawn module on the space station has been destroyed. Otherwise, we could have telescopes with bigger apertures and precision. That way, you’d be able to see it more clearly,” Tomcat said. “This is Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I that’s flying towards the sun at high speeds. In the three minutes you have been staring blankly at the screen, it has already crossed a distance of 12,600 kilometers.”

Tang Yue stroked his chin.

If this were ancient times, this comet would likely be labeled as a “calamity from the skies, an ominous portent.” Be it China or foreign countries, the ancients had bad impressions of comets. The Chinese called it a jinx that represented bad luck, while Westerners believed that it was a sign of God’s displeasure and fury.

After all, anyone who knew that there was such a huge object approaching from over their heads would feel uneasy, regardless if it was a nuclear bomb or a comet.

Tang Yue suddenly had a strange thought. “Tomcat, do you think that this is actually an interstellar missile? Certain civilizations create them as long-range strike weapons. They fly fast just like a missile… Don’t you see the resemblance?”

“Not at all.” Tomcat shot a glance at him and shook its head. “According to the light spectrum analysis, this object is 95% comprised of water. The rest is carbon dioxide, nitrogen, ammonia, and methane. Such materials rapidly evaporate when they approach the sun. If it’s a missile, I feel that it should have a ferrotungsten core at the very least, or be a three-stage bomb.”

“So it’s actually just an interstellar water delivery boy?”

“Yes.” Tomcat nodded. “A considerable portion of Earth’s water might have originated from comets. Billions of years ago, when life had yet to be born, large numbers of comets and asteroids collided with Earth, bringing it rare metals and water, perhaps even organic molecules.”

“If it hits Mars, and I’m only saying if… with it not affecting Kunlun Station or the space station… does that mean it will replenish us with water? So much, that we won’t be able to finish that amount in all our lives.”

“Impossible. What is going on inside your head? Do you think it will turn into a lake or ocean after the impact?” Tomcat shook its head. “All the water contained in the comet nucleus will instantly evaporate due to the high temperatures from the impact. They will evaporate into the Martian atmosphere, and you won’t be able to get a single drop of water. Of course, this bit of water won’t moisturize the Martian atmosphere. It’s equivalent to pouring a bottle of mineral water in the middle of the Sahara desert.”

“I was just fantasizing.” Tang Yue curled his lips.

“The only way to extract the water resources from the comet is…”

“What’s it?” Tang Yue asked.

“To fly up and stop it just like the Deep Impact spacecraft,” Tomcat answered. “Then, you can extract however much water you wish.”

When Tomcat mentioned such tales that bordered on the level of gods, it meant that it was very irritated by one’s extreme stupidity.

“Is the result of this object’s trajectory out?”

Tomcat shook its head. “It’s still under observation.”

Tang Yue knew that it was impossible for the comet to hit Mars… The possibility of having these two celestial objects collide, was lower than having a bullet hit another. However, he couldn’t stop worrying. In the past, Tang Yue definitely wouldn’t have worried over a comet, nor was it his place to worry over it. But ever since Earth had vanished, Tang Yue felt that the Universe was fraught with danger. The vast, pitch-black night sky seemed to be hiding all kinds of ferocious beasts.

Since it could swallow Earth with just one bite, spitting out something to drown you wasn’t unimaginable.

“Mr. Cat?”

“Miss Mai Dong, is the light sensor on the S1 battery bank still operational?”

“Everything is operational. The light sensor is in good condition,” Mai Dong replied. “The repair work was very successful.”

Mai Dong’s EVA missions had come to a perfect conclusion. She had smoothly swapped the damaged wires and Tang Yue had praised her for her talent as an electrician.

Tomcat curled its mouth as it couldn’t be bothered.

What kind of talent was needed to be an electrician?

Only being Electrician Liu, Liu Cixin, needed talent.

“Mr. Cat, I’ve sorted out a portion of the development history of European technology and agriculture. I’ve also briefly mentioned a few key people in Western philosophy,” Mai Dong sent the document to Tomcat. “I have St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Leibniz, and Descartes.”

“Hmm…” Tomcat glanced at it. “Tang Yue, are you done on your side?”

“Almost. However, for people like Pythagoras and Democritus, do you plan on putting them into philosophical history or in scientific history?”

Tomcat thought and said, “Philosophical history.”

“After all, the earliest science was the philosophy of nature,” Mai Dong said. “Philosophers were scientists.”

“But Aristotle was practically an antagonist in secondary physics classes,” Tang Yue said. “He was criticized in almost every lesson.”

“The next person is Francis cured meat… Ah, no. Bacon!”

“Next would be Nikola and Bruno.”

“Going down the list would be Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo… These people should be placed in scientific history. The philosophers worth mentioning here would be Berkeley and Spinoza.”

Tomcat babbled on and on.

They were organizing their records of scientific and philosophical history. They were taking note of all the famous experts in history, while science and philosophy were specially highlighted, placing them on equal ground with the human civilization’s chronicles. Doing so made the presentation more orderly. In addition, agricultural and industrial development was made into a separate book by them. They went from slash-and-burn to the use of fertilizer, going from the first Industrial Revolution to the birth of the semiconductor. Human history was sloshing through this tiny scientific station.

“Kant… and also Hegel.”

“That person is Schopenhauer!”

“Freud shouldn’t appear here. Let’s mention him when writing about psychology. Don’t forget Nietzsche, heard that, Miss Mai Dong… Nietzsche’s period is wrong.”

“F*ck, I told you before, Tang Yue. Marx isn’t a Soviet!”