Three hours later.
"Attention!"
"We're about to enter the Martian atmosphere!"
Watching the altitude reading on the screen in front of him, Andrew felt his heart pound!
Next came the legendary Terrifying Seven Minutes!
What were the Terrifying Seven Minutes?
Simply put, the entire sequence, from entering the Martian atmosphere to successfully landing on the surface, took roughly seven minutes.
From the moment they entered the atmosphere, every second was filled with sheer terror!
The slightest mistake could send the Pathfinder Lander, traveling at a hundred thousand kilometers per hour, crashing straight into the Martian surface.
The instant Andrew finished speaking, violent tremors shook every part of the lander!
At an altitude of 125 kilometers, the lander began entering the atmosphere at a precise angle!
This step was crucial!
If the entry angle was too shallow, the lander would fail to enter the atmosphere. Too steep, and atmospheric heating would burn it up!
Andrew clenched his teeth and stared fixedly at the screen before him.
When the display confirmed that all three landers had successfully entered the atmosphere in succession, he let out a deep breath of relief.
Unlike an ordinary Mars landing, this mission involved three landers, multiplying the risks several times over!
If Pathfinder Two failed, they would lose their return capsule and Mars habitat, leaving them stranded on Mars to die.
If Pathfinder Three failed, they would lose their vital supplies. Though they could return immediately without risking their lives, the Pathfinder Program would still be declared a failure.
As for Pathfinder One failing... that would probably be the easiest outcome. At least they wouldn't feel any pain.
Once the landers had successfully entered the atmosphere, the onboard computers immediately began executing the next procedure.
"Beep!"
"Trim wings successfully deployed! Current speed: Mach 3!"
As the