Sols 477-478
MISSION LOG – SOL 477
Message from Hermes: “The storm’s continuing to expand, and the center’s moving almost directly in your direction. Keep pushing as hard as you can. Starting tomorrow we’d like you to start angling a little east of due south. This is partly because the storm has shifted direction of motion to due westwards, and partly because the ground is smoother in that direction. We’ll keep you posted.”
Wonderful. So the storm’s getting bigger and deeper, and the worst part of it is turning to aim directly at us. That’s the bad news. But the good news is…
… yeah, I got nothin’.
We made 71.1 kilometers according to the rover computer, as opposed to 71.5 yesterday, despite starting the sol with a full battery charge. That’s down to less production from the boosted solar cells on top of the rover, all of which have surprisingly remained intact through all the driving. As of right after I set out the rover’s solar panels for recharging, the panels as a whole were producing 92% of their normal voltage. That’s opposed to 97% yesterday and 99.5% the sol before.
Not much conversation in the Whinnybago today. The storm is casting a shadow over everything- in all senses of the phrase.
MISSION LOG – SOL 478
Message from Hermes: “The storm is slowing down. Keep moving. All we can do is cross our fingers.”
That’s not a message you ever want to hear from NASA, even indirectly.
When the batteries hit the critical 5% “stop right now or you’ll regret it” level, we’d made 70.3 kilometers. We’re almost out of Thymiamata. Solar cells producing at 83% of normal.
We stopped today not far from a middling-sized crater, about ten kilometers across I think. I walked out to it and up to the rim- about a kilometer each way.
Remember, the normal horizon on Mars on flat ground is just over two kilometers. When you stand on a crater rim, though, it’s like standing on a scenic outlook on Earth; you’re higher than the terrain you’re looking towards, so you can see over the curvature of the planet a bit. I should have been able to see the far rim of a ten kilometer wide crater pretty well, given normal conditions.
I could barely see it at all. It was just a slightly bigger blur in the distance. In fact, the crater seemed to be filled with this haze, which grew thicker as I followed the rim wall around the edges of my vision.
Looking up, the sky looks mostly unchanged. The sun is still bright, though not as bright as on Earth. There are no obvious clouds, no storm front, nothing like the Sol 6 storm or the Electric Storm.
But the storm is there, and it’s getting closer. And the direction we’re going now, if we drive seventy kilometers per sol, only about twenty-two of that counts as getting closer to Schiaparelli.
I’m racking my brains trying to think of something we can do to boost power or driving efficiency or both. Problem is, nothing comes to mind. We tried everything already when we were testing the Whinnybago, not just the six of us here but over fifty engineers back at NASA.
But if we don’t think of something else, this trip could become a lot longer… and hungrier.
Stats
Page generated in 0.129 seconds
Total duration
1,030 users online
2,229,426 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Yeah, the storm's slowing down, all right. Because it's almost reached its destination: directly, and permanently, overhead...
You know, we are all hating on Mars for trying to kill everyone, but look at it from its perspective.
It was perfectly fine and happy (supposedly) being alone and empty, then people start showing up, poking it, growing things in it, and being all, eww, ALIVE. So like most beings that wake up and find something small, creepy and crawly on them, it tries to swat them and get them off. Problem is, these little things are robust, smart, and can't take a hint. And then they are making it feel and sense things it either never has before, or hasn't in so long it has forgotten about them. And now they are leaving some kind of growth IN it, and moving around.
So lets have a little less hate for the grumpy pants planet, and a little more coherent rainbow beams of friendship and happiness for it. That will teach it!
This is a friendship problem. Mars has been alone for a very long time and just doesn't know how to make friends.
Probably wouldn't be possible, but if there was a way to enchant the rainbow crystals Starlight brought with some sort of electricity-generating spell, and hook it in to the solar array, it might improve charge rate.
Of course, if that were possible, they would've done it by now; not having to rely on solar power would've been a top priority
Guuuys, planets can't think, and they can't hold grudges! Face it, it's not Mars that's trying to kill Mark and company. It's Kris!
9144977
Well, Mars is GM character. And being a planet, it has extremely high bonus to Endurance and Strengh.
9144992
Yeah, a GM character that uses weighted dice to almost always roll Nat 20's...
Always keep in mind to not anthropomorphize inanimate objects.
They really hate it when you do that.
9145036
But the Hub was nice! And the cave farm too!
Mars, though, he's throwing a temper tantrum.
9144930
Good idea. I suggest opening a portal between worlds for a full rainbow laser broadside.
Whew! I read CSP and this entire thing in a couple weeks! I really enjoyed all of it so far.
Also liked the inspirations from Arrow 17 (one of my favorite fics) such as the use of log entries and other records to tell the story.
Glad I started reading just in time for the last stretch!
I've never read or watched The Martian, but this story stands on its own, I think. Just in case you were wondering.
Can't wait to see what obstacles Our Little Astronauts will come across next. What problems there will be with the launch and rendezvous with Hermes. And what delay there will be between the return to Earth and the ponies'/dragon's/changeling's interdimensional rescue.
The one chapter per day challenge thing is pretty interesting too. I read some other story that did that with a similar word count per chapter (usually a little more, even). Unfortunately that author did not seem to really have the path he wanted his story to take planned our and it tended to ramble and meander a bit, and the writing quality was not as good as yours. It sounds like you have the general structure planned out (critical for a good story) but are willing to change specific details as you come up with ideas. Anyway I think you are doing a good job with this story, and it's interesting to read those author comments.
Also I really enjoyed the dreams chapter from Sol 450 or so. Really great to see everyone having great dreams. Then we get to Mark's, which is the best. Poor Mark. Dragonfly's I was hoping to be uplifting again so it was a bit of a downer that she had a nightmare. Well, without Moonbutt watching over them, they can't all be winners I suppose.
I'm normally critical of fics which put humans and EQGs in the same fic as it usually doesn't make a lot of sense to do so. The way you've done it works and makes a lot of sense (and it's a pretty obvious way to do it, even though I can't recall seeing it done anywhere I've read). Also keeping the presence of EQG down to a single mention and a hilarious cameo with the probe (making it totally worth it) helps too.
9145036
Tell that to Dragonfly with her Death Box, or the other things she sensed feelings from without ascribing life to them.
Or Chrysalis with her impression of space.
Dun Dun DUNNNNN
Gah... made the mistake of hitting the "Show all Chapters" link.
It's getting to the point I would say dig in and Tarp up, but you never know how long a dust storm will last...
Depending on how close they are they might have to make a direct run for the MAV
Also as an idea, would be to rig one or two of the electric wheel hubs with pedals for emergence power generation. it would be much, but every little bit counts...
9145066
Well, at least we now have a plausible reason for building an Orbital Friendship Cannon.
Also, I think we'd need a really powerful Friendship Amplifier along with the Elements of Harmony if we're to pacify Mars. But then again, that's what the Orbital Friendship Cannon is for: Overkill when overkill isn't enough overkill.
9144950
Dust storms is just how desert planets hug!
And they hug their friends until they stop moving and stay forever, silent.
Where are you in San Japan?
9144930
I'm still pointing Pretty Princess
Death StarFlurry Heart at is as soon as I get the opportunity.Just a little tickle under the nose and- Tarkin, take it away.
9145159
That'll burn calories. And mean that they run out of potatoes and/or alfalfa faster...
9145095
The log format is from the original book.
9145095
Welcome to the present! I'm wondering if you saw/heard any of the sound files I've made related to this story so far?
9145291
Hey, this guy liked your story!
9145291
But for all we know Flurry Heart could rip a hole in the fabric of space-time and summon an Eldritch Abomination while at planetary-destruction levels of power.
9145221As you enter the dealer room, IMMEDIATELY turn left. I have an endcap corner next to Hen Da Ne (the dojinshi booth) and across the aisle from Anime Pavilion (the first booth you see as you enter the room. Books and T-shirts, that's what to look for.
9145095
I'm still wondering about the probe with Sunset.
I see 3 possibilities there.
1: That Sunset doesn't know OUR Equestria, and/or our Equestria hasn't had an encounter with an EqG universe. I don't remember if Twilight ever made a reference to them in this story or not.
2: Sunset has contacted Twilight about the matter, and we just haven't gotten around to seeing that or its effects yet.
3: Sunset, for some inexplicable reason, has not contacted Twilight about this weird probe that she clearly recognizes as having Equestrian origins.
Maybe it was explained, and I just missed it. But I thought that that one chapter just ended with Sunset finding the probe in her backyard, and then no reference was made to it afterwards.
9145585
The mistake you are making is you are assuming their is only 1 human world and 1 pony world.
This is not the case as we have see when they are sending probes to various universes, we see at least 1 universe thats similar to "The War of the Worlds" and another where Nightmare Moon is in charge.
And if you read CSP, you would know that CSP does diverge from Cannon and technocolour changlings will never occur here. Queen C in fact has a nightmare about it happening.
Longstory short, Equestria =/= Equestria girls universe =/= Changeling Space program universe =/= Maretain universe =/= our universe. The probe that Sunset found MAY have reached a different Equestrian Twilight, who then PERHAPS speculated at its origns, but even if this did happen we have seen the incredible effort it takes for 2 universes to find each other, and they have a communication method linking them.
The changes of the EQ universe that found the probe contacting CSP universe is effectively zero. It may however lead them to stating their own space program.
9145585 Fluttershy's FRONTyard. And we never followed up on it because I do NOT want to go into the woods speculating on (a) temporal differences between EqGverse and Equestria, or (b) the college-or-not adventures of the Rainbooms.
9145585
I think it was just a one-off joke having one of the probes get stuck in the EQG world. I would not expect to see the EQG world in this story again.
9145416
Nope, haven't been reading the comments, but I'll keep my eye out!
9145383
Ha, it does resemble the Arrow 17 method (which is otherwise unique among fics I've read). Cool coincidence.
9145763
The links are all in past chapters, so you may have missed them. I've done some songs, Fireball lines, and one thing of Dragonfly's dream about talking with Mars.
Given how much power Opportunity lost to dust, at what point, could there, be a turnover point where its more energetic to physically get out and haul can?
9145973
), and space suits tend to be delicate pieces of equipment that aren't meant to surviving being effectively sand blasted. And Mars doesn't like them, so it is likely going to try throwing slightly bigger pieces of rock within that dust storm, to rip open the suits and make people die on its lack of breathable atmosphere.
Probably, though the problem at that point is SURVIVING said pushing. Cause a dust storm is full of small pointy rocks the size of dust (hence the name, knew that college edumacation would help
9145973 If you'd like to make the empirical experiment yourself, here's what you need:
(1) Six people
(2) A rocky desert terrain, not particularly hilly but not perfectly level either
(3) A thirty-five ton weight on wheels
(4) Rope
See how far and fast you get towing that load by hand, and then add on doing it in spacesuits in a hostile sub-freezing environment...
I can't wait for the ponies to get to Earth.
derpicdn.net/img/2018/9/1/1821966/large.jpeg
9146060
Still not as good as the 500-700 metres at current Opportunity levels? That Oregon Trail is vicious.
Time to have a Donner party.
9144930
That's the point: Mars isn't ALLOWED to have a perspective. Life's da boss, and if ya don' like dat, youse could get yer undead kneecaps broke, don'cha know... :)
9145036
That's how the Japanese concept of the Tsukumogami happens.
9145036
I aplreciate the joke, but must be the pedant that I am and point out that personification is more suitable here than anthropomorphization.
9146175 Oh geez... I understood that reference. That's a rough joke, man!
Current or power?
10281249 I honestly don't know how to answer that. I'm pretty sure Mark's tester would measure current, but I'm clueless on the distinction between electrical current and electrical power in this context.
10281727
The intuition is each photon hitting panel has a chance of producing electron-hole pair, so solar cells are basically constant current sources with current roughly proportional to insolation:
researchgate.net/profile/Meng-Hui_Wang/publication/258388008/figure/fig10/AS:323446237089827@1454127000915/The-I-V-characteristic-curve-of-solar-cells-under-different-sunlight-intensity.png
To extract maximum power from panel charge controller has to keep voltage where curve bends down:
samlexsolar.com/images/learning-center/Graph_1.gif
As a result while working under reasonable conditions panel current is proportional to insolation, voltage is almost constant and power is proportional to current (i.e. current and power in percents is a same thing with pretty good precision). Electronics that panels are plugged in would probably have some sort of power gage.
10282433 This only reinforces my confusion, I'm afraid.
10283734
Well, omitting nerd stuff, the summary is that it's difficult to figure power out from voltage measurement and very easy --- from current measurement (and electronics everything is plugged in may as well report power directly)
I call hax! Ban Mars actions for cheating
Can't we give them a unlimited Pirate Ninja cheat?
They deserve it
If this was a game like Halo we play with legendary difficulty setting and all negative skulls activated
