"The surroundings are so quiet, but I am doing welding work. It feels like being in a horror movie. I still hope to hear sounds." The speaker was a girl, an astronaut who has been working in the Shanhai International Space Station since she was 29 years old.
, her name is Xian Qianhua.
"Zizzizizi." A man immediately began to imitate the sound of welding.
This man is performing daily repair work on the exterior of the space station together with Xian Qianhua. Yan Sichen, who is two years younger than her, is a "veteran" who likes extreme sports but started working on the International Space Station at the age of twenty-two.
"Oh ho, the young man is very popular."
"You are really impressive. I retract my prejudice. How about we reconcile as before?"
"Reconciliation? Why do I remember giving each other a fierce look when we first met?"
"Haha, that's really..."
"Don't be ridiculous. The melted metal flew out from the collector. Didn't you see it?" The supervisor is an ace astronaut with eleven years of experience working on the space station. His name is Song Ge. He is thirty-eight years old this year.
In two years, he will retire.
"Oh, really! Sorry, I'll clean it up right now." Xian Qianhua was very embarrassed.
Yan Sichen snickered on the side, he continued his work, and was obviously much more skilled than Xian Qianhua, who had just arrived here not long ago.
"Didn't you see it just now?" After finishing the processing, Xian Qianhua asked Yan Sichen in a low voice.
"I saw it, but some somersaults have to be thrown once to remember them."
"Haha...I really thank you."
"You're welcome."
The work continues.
After about half an hour, the oxygen content carried by the three people's spacesuits was less than 40%, but the work was only half done.
"Stop your work for a moment. I'll go back and see what's going on." What Song Ge said was that when they were working outside, the oxygen supply equipment in the space should deliver oxygen. In theory, it would not be so fast.
They consume the oxygen they carry, but the situation is a bit abnormal now.
"Okay, received." Yan Sichen had stopped working, but Xian Qianhua was still continuing.
"It's better to be lazy, space walking is very dangerous." Yan Sichen kindly reminded Xian Qianhua.
Xian Qianhua showed her oxygen reserve to Yan Sichen: "Here, 75%. My oxygen is very sufficient."
"Huh? This is really weird? Is it possible that everything is normal only on your side?"
"No, every time I walk in space, I will assume that I am diving in the deep sea, so my control of oxygen will be more efficient." Xian Qianhua's tone was filled with a little pride.
"Tsk..." Yan Sichen frowned and said, "What you are doing is illegal. Space walking is not diving. You must keep a clear head at all times."
"Thanks for reminding me, so I would rather finish my work as soon as possible and go back to lie down instead of here."
"Huh? You seem to never like your current job."
"Yes, but in this world now, who cares about what you like? Isn't there a slogan? Show your value!" There is something in Xian Qianhua's words.
Yan Sichen didn't know how to proceed. After being silent for a while, he fixed himself on the bracket of the solar collection panel, facing the direction of the earth and said, "But I like it here very much."
Xian Qianhua was working hard and she didn't want to be disturbed: "Sorry, I don't have time to chat with you now, and I don't want to be scolded anymore."
But Yan Sichen was still talking to himself, but his voice was much softer.
"I used to like photography the most. It was because of photography that I was 'tricked' by my senior brother..." Yan Sichen said while using the camera on his head to record the scene at this moment: "He said, there are many photographers on the earth, you
Why not go to space and take a look, maybe you can become famous in one fell swoop!"
"Hmm...have you become famous?"
.
"No, I don't like photography to become Wang Yi or Su Ran. I don't value women or fame that much."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you are really noble, then what do you value?"
"I prefer holding a camera but not taking pictures. I just want to record this moment with the eyes of a photographer, and then lock them into my own memory. I want to enjoy this moment alone." Yan Sichen said and looked at Xian Qianhua with a smile.
, even though his space mask looked pitch black from the outside.
Xian Qianhua's expression was also hidden in the darkness, and she didn't even look up.
After another five minutes, the oxygen content data in front of Yan Sichen began to rise. It seemed that it was done, but Song Ge had not returned yet.
He unlocked the fixed lock and continued working.
Xian Qianhua had already used this time to finish her work. She stopped, not because she was too tired, but because she couldn't stand this kind of silence.
"Did you know...even at the deepest depths, you can still hear sounds...with some equipment, you can even capture the calls of whales, and the sound is so beautiful."
Yan Sichen asked while working: "Why are you so afraid of silence, why do you take the initiative to apply to enter the space station?"
This sentence exposed Xian Qianhua's arrogant nature. She laughed dryly and said: "I didn't apply on my own initiative, I was forced to come."
"Well……"
Silence, stillness.
Xian Qianhua lowered her head and could just see the Pacific Ocean and the east coast of China.
"What do you think they are doing down there now?" Xian Qianhua asked.
"who?"
"They, the people of the earth."
"Busy living... or busy dying?"
"The Shawshank Redemption... Tsk, you are quite artistic."
"It's a shame." After Yan Sichen secured an area, he began to move down. The area he was responsible for was much more than Xian Qianhua's, and it was very fragmented.
"The earth is so beautiful..." Xian Qianhua looked at the earth under her feet in admiration.
She suddenly remembered a song, a very old song!
There is a passage in the lyrics: "The more nostalgic the coastline is, the more beautiful and winding it is..."
"I feel a little homesick."
"Um...where is your hometown?"
"Hey, we have been working together for more than half a year, and you don't know where my hometown is?"
"Haha, you didn't say that."
"That's right... I'm from Changchun, Jilin, how about you?"
"Me? I am a Chinese from Singapore, and my ancestral home is Shandong."
"Singapore...is not..."
"Well... I don't have much idea about the country, so I won't talk about such a heavy topic... Well, have you ever been curious about it?"
"What are you curious about?"
"If one day humans have to leave the earth, can we live in outer space?"
"I haven't thought about this, but I read news reports. Isn't the Wangye Ecological Zone built on the ruins of old Tokyo the prototype of mankind's future outer space ecological star ring? I have a distant relative from my hometown who still lives in that ecological zone.
.”
"Oh? Then let's have a chance to get to know each other. I'm very curious about what the food we eat every day is made of."
"Um...well, if I have the chance to go back, I will help you find out...but, have you ever heard of such a sentence?"
"What?"
"It's OK to go to a restaurant to eat, but don't go to the kitchen."
"Uh...haha, you're right, it makes sense."
…
"Eternal life or reproduction, humans, reproduce, have children, pass on knowledge and culture, create beautiful memories... I remember that I had explained the relationship between immortality and reproduction in detail before; they are not opposites, but based on
It is a choice of the existing ecological environment. If the environment allows it, we will reproduce. If the environment does not allow it, we will live forever, or in other words, freeze ourselves." - A record of an interview with Su Che in "True Record".
…
After finishing work, Xian Qianhua did not go to eat immediately. She went back to her apartment and lay down.
Living with three other space station workers in a 3.5-square-meter room is already a very luxurious treatment, but Xian Qianhua is still not used to it, especially since the woman on the bunk above her often cries alone in the middle of the night.
At first Xian Qianhua thought she must be sad in some way, and since she was unfamiliar with her, it was difficult to disturb or stop her, so she could only endure it.
But later I found out that the girl who lived on her upper bunk was just sentimental and loved reading sad books, so she cried profusely every day.
This is really terrible.
After learning about this incident, Xian Qianhua had a conversation with the girl, hoping that she would pay attention and not disturb her rest.
The girl also said she was sorry and said she would definitely pay attention...but the result is...Xian Qianhua can only take advantage of the time when everyone is working or eating to rest secretly.
As for why she chose to give in... it was because she learned from the doctor that the girl suffered from severe space depression, but she was one of the few observers in the entire space station. They were the meaning of the existence of the entire space station, so...
…
I slept for about half an hour.
When Xian Qianhua woke up, there was food on the bedside, and it was also wrapped in a beautiful scarf.
When I opened it, the food was still warm.
Xian Qianhua sighed softly, smiled slightly, and started her dinner.
In the evening, the girl came back and saw a note next to the scarf on the bed: "Thank you! In return, I will give you a book. I hope you will like it."
The girl picked up the scarf and took a look. There was indeed a real book under the scarf.
The name of the book is "Wedding in Space".
This book was written by Xian Qianhua's senior in high school. It is relatively niche and he has only written this one.
But Xian Qianhua regarded it as a treasure and always carried it with her. Even when she went to work in outer space and the weight of the items she could carry was extremely limited, she still chose to take off some of her close-fitting clothes to put this book on her.
The story written in this book is not long, only 310,000 words.
The story tells the story of a group of interstellar explorers in the near future who, as the forerunners of the continuation of human civilization, embark on an unknown journey alone to find a new home for mankind.
Most of the starry explorers in the story will finish everything they can do in their lives before setting off, such as confessing their love to the one they love, getting married, and leaving a continuation.
But the protagonist in this book chose to "return".
What he left for his lover was not memories, but expectations.
When he went through all kinds of difficulties and dangers and came back with hope, it was already thirty-three years later, and his former love was already old.
But she is still waiting, and he loves her as before.
Finally, with the blessings of the whole world, they held a grand wedding in space.
And embark on a long voyage with the hope of mankind...
…
A few days later, Xian Qianhua met the girl when she returned from her spacewalk.
She handed the book back to Xian Qianhua with her own hands, and said sincerely: "Thank you. I like this book very much. It made me suddenly enlightened. From now on... I won't disturb you late at night, thank you."
Xian Qianhua was a little confused. She didn't expect that her small actions would have such a big effect.
Moreover, it is really rare for an observer to take the initiative to say thank you to a repairman like her.
Everyone looked sideways, especially Yan Sichen, who looked at Xian Qianhua with admiration and said: "Wow, I really admire you! Xiaoyao is our group favorite, the palm princess, and she actually smiled and said thank you to you!
"
Hearing this, Xian Qianhua rolled her eyes at Yan Sichen speechlessly. She was too embarrassed to tell these melon-eaters that she and Yao Yao had slept together in a bed together. This was nothing.
However, seeing her smile was indeed both surprising and gratifying to Xian Qianhua.
But by that night, Xian Qianhua couldn't laugh anymore... It turned out that Yao Yao's statement that he would not bother her again was not because she really no longer suffered from space depression, but because her work here was over and she would
Return to Earth, return to your hometown, and we may never see each other again.
That night... it was Xian Qianhua who cried for a long time holding the scarf left by Yao Yao.
…
"I heard that you live alone in a four-person room. It's so luxurious." Yan Sichen was still so careless. They walked on the golden solar collection panel, with the space station behind them facing the sun on one side and the earth on the other.
Xian Qianhua didn't want to pay attention to this big pig's hooves at all. His steely straight man attribute had already reached his bone marrow and he was terminally ill.
"Watch your steps, don't be distracted." Song Ge followed behind them, working as seriously as ever.
Although Xian Qianhua didn't speak, she was always distracted.
Three days ago, she watched Yao Yao take the space elevator back to Earth. Now she should be with her family.
Neither Yan Sichen nor Song Ge noticed that Xian Qianhua was walking towards a crack.
They each have their own areas of responsibility and cannot be careless.
until……
"What is that?!" Yan Sichen suddenly noticed a light point appearing in the distance. It was very far away and seemed to be "very slow", but it was constantly approaching the earth.
This sentence accidentally saved Xian Qianhua, and she stopped in front of the crack.
Song Ge had much more experience. He immediately contacted the space station and the ground command center to remind them that there might be meteorites that had slipped through the network and were rushing towards the earth.
Situations like this are not that rare.
And with the advancement of technology, humans can now basically detect meteorites that pose a threat to the earth, or to human society on the earth, one or two years in advance.
Although this fish that slipped through the net is heading straight towards the earth, it has never been able to pass through the atmosphere smoothly.
At this time in the Western Hemisphere at night, many people should be able to see the pop and make good wishes.
After the report, Song Ge coughed and said: "Don't be distracted, it's just a meteorite, keep working."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and continued walking forward. After passing by, Xian Qianhua also noticed the crack in front of her while raising her feet.
"We found a problem! It seems that it was hit by debris from the past few days, and a crack appeared." Xian Qianhua retreated in time and told Song Ge about the situation.
Song Ge and Yan Sichen were both shocked.
Yan Sichen was very close to Xian Qianhua. He reminded: "Don't move, this thing is very fragile. Turn on the Qi balance system and wait for us to pass."
Xian Qianhua is also very professional. She has turned on the air balance system on the space suit and stood firm on the skeletal frame.
After Song Ge arrived nearby, he collected data on the damaged area, and then said: "This place needs to be completely replaced. The three of us can't complete it, so we should go back and report it first."
Just as they were talking, the three people's spacesuits lit up red warning lights at the same time.
Yan Sichen subconsciously turned back to look in the direction of the light spot, and then saw a very smiling explosion.
"What's wrong?" This was the first time Xian Qianhua encountered a warning while performing a task.
Song Ge stayed for a second and then said immediately: "Go back to the space station! Hurry!"
Xian Qianhua and Yan Sichen did not hesitate and immediately followed the instructions.
But they are still twenty meters away from the space station. This distance is nothing on the ground, but it is so far away in outer space.
…
The ground command center has entered a state of high tension at this time, and all personnel who are resting are on their way to the command center.
At the same time, the space elevator system in the launch base was also awakened.
…
"What did you say? The meteorite hit a central axis sampling satellite? How is this possible?!" The person in charge of the ground command center was already on the way, and he couldn't believe his ears.
"I don't think it's possible, but it has happened. There is a one in 390 billion chance that we will catch up, Lao Zheng! We have to consider the rescue issue quickly!"
The person in charge trembled in his heart. He looked at the crystal plate in his hand. The data showed that the orbit of this central axis sampling satellite, which was launched into orbit three years ago and started working, happened to overlap with the Shanhai International Space Station. However, if it operates normally,
It will not interfere with the work of the space station.
But if it is hit by a meteorite and turned into countless fragments...then the space station may be hit by the fragments and completely destroyed in three minutes and thirty-seven seconds!
…
At this time, the space station was already in a panic.
The Shanhai International Space Station, which was not originally designed with such an emergency in mind, would not be able to complete its orbit change within three minutes, not to mention that there is now a set of solar collection panels that had been taken back 27 hours ago and are awaiting repair.
A tiny piece of space junk may cause the overall operation of the space station to fall into chaos, let alone a satellite with a volume of more than 30 cubic meters, which will produce tens of thousands of fragments after being destroyed!
…
But at this time, in another corner.
Hanako, who was in Wangye Ecosystem, was chatting with her best friend Shimizu Masato in the climate-controlled room while basking in the moon.
When she saw the meteor streaking across the sky, Hanako quickly closed her eyes and made a wish: "I hope Natsume and I can become a couple soon!"