News of the United States successfully launching three Pathfinder Rockets caused quite a stir internationally.
When footage of the rocket launches reached Xia Country, it drew exclamations of amazement from many of its citizens.
"As expected of Eagle Sauce, which dominated Blue Star for decades. They still had something up their sleeve!"
"Holy shit... I honestly never imagined they could build a rocket even crazier than the Saturn V!"
"Eagle Sauce really went all out to land on Mars..."
"Come to think of it, this Saturn VI Launch Vehicle should be the last hurrah for chemical propulsion, right? I refuse to believe Eagle Sauce can pull out a two-hundred-meter rocket!"
"Watching the Saturn VI take off, I suddenly feel that chemical propulsion has its merits... At the very least, our Black Lady One can't reach Mars, can it?"
That question drew considerable attention.
As a regular on various military forums, Zhao Zijie naturally noticed it.
After looking through some reference material, he typed up a post in response.
"Mars is currently over 82 million kilometers from Earth, more than two hundred times the Earth-Moon distance. According to officially released data, the Black Lady One can only make two round trips between Earth and the Moon on a full tank."
"But don't forget, a rocket's engines are actually off during the journey to Mars, so... if we really wanted to send it there, the Black Lady One could probably make it too."
"It might just be a little slow, without much of an advantage over a rocket."
"I suspect that's why Xia Country has held off on tackling Mars."
Not long after he posted it, countless comments poured in.
"Well reasoned and backed by evidence. Convincing."
"So when is Xia Country going to make a move on Mars? (Insert sideways smirk