Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Sea Trial

"Flying Dragon" is indeed a good name.Its long, sloping wings are barely visible, except when the light reflects a rainbow of brilliance at an angle, making them appear as wing-shaped soap bubbles.It is covered with an organic film only a few molecules thick, yet strong enough to withstand winds at 50 kilometers per hour. The driver - who is both the engine and the controls - sits in a semi-recumbent position on a small seat at the center of gravity to reduce drag.A single joystick controls movement up, down, left, and right.The only "instrument" is a ribbon on the edge of the leading edge to indicate the relative wind direction.

Once the aircraft was assembled on the hub, Jimmy would not allow anyone to touch it.Fiddling with caresses would have snapped the single-fiber rods that make up the frame, and the gleaming transparent airfoils were so inviting to curious fingers that it was hard to believe there was really anything palpable there. Newton thought about it as he watched Jimmy climb into his seat: If those pitifully thin struts snapped over the Sea of ​​Columns, even if he managed to land safely, Jimmy wouldn't be able to get back.They violated one of the inviolable laws of space exploration: to let a man go alone into uncharted territory, with no possibility of assistance.The only consolation is that he can always be within people's sight and communication range.

Yet the opportunity was too good to pass up.Even for those who believed in luck, it was a challenge to the god to see if he would pass up the only chance to see the mysteries of Antarctica up close, on the other side of Dharama.Jimmy knew better than anyone else that he was speculating, and that it was worth the risk; if it failed, it was bad luck.You can't always be a winner. "Now listen to me, Jimmy!" said Laura. "The most important thing is not to overwork yourself. Remember that at this altitude the oxygen levels are low. If you feel short of breath, Just stop and use Dantian to breathe for 30 seconds, but not longer."

Jimmy nodded absently while trying the joystick.The rudder and elevator, 5 meters behind the seat, and the ailerons in the middle of the wing are turned accordingly. "Do you want me to turn the propeller for you?" Cafu couldn't help but think of old war movies from 200 years ago, and asked, "Fire! Put into gear!" Maybe no one except Jimmy knew what he was talking about, but this But it helps to relax the tension. Jimmy began to pedal slowly, and the transparent wide-bladed propeller—which, like the wing, was covered with an ultra-thin transparent membrane on the delicate skeleton—started to turn.After a few turns, it was completely invisible. The "Flying Dragon" has been slowly flying out.

After flying a few hundred meters, Jimmy stopped pedaling.An aerodynamic car standing motionless in mid-air is quite a spectacle. "How?" Newton called. "Good response, poor stability, but I know where the problem is - no weight. 1,000 meters would be better." "Wait a minute... is this safe?" By losing altitude, Jimmy sacrificed his best advantage.On the axis, he can use absolutely no effort; he can even sleep if he wants to.But away from the center line of Rama, the centrifugal force of rotation works. At the same time as he loses height, he gains weight, and the combination of the two can be disastrous.When it reached the height of the Rama Plain, the gravitational force of the flying dragon was already doubled. Even if he could land safely, he would not be able to fly again.

But he had considered all these, and he replied confidently: "I can fly without difficulty under one-tenth of the gravity, and it will operate better in places where the air density is slightly higher." The slow, leisurely "Flying Dragon" rolled over and flew down roughly in the direction of the Alpha Staircase.The little air bike was barely visible, only Jimmy was pedaling desperately in mid-air, reaching a speed of 30 kilometers per hour.Sometimes he stops and tries various controlled performances. Obviously, the Wyvern is much more stable at lower altitudes.It no longer rolls, and the wings remain parallel to the plain below 7,000 meters.Jimmy flew a couple of difficult trajectories and flew back up.He paused above the heads of his waiting companions, hesitating a little, not knowing how to land the fragile craft.

"Do you need us to throw you a rope?" Newton asked half-seriously. "No, Captain, I'll have to do it myself. There's no one to help me at the South Pole." He put the "Flying Dragon" as close to the hub as possible, jumped out when it was 5 meters away, grabbed a rib of the hub, turned over immediately at the same time, and pulled the aircraft over with his other hand.His quick and continuous movements won a burst of applause from the audience. But Jimmy doesn't want everyone's praise. "It was such a mess just now," he said. "I know what to do. Next time I'll take a bomb with a 20-meter line. That way I can moor wherever I want."

"Bring your wrist, Jimmy," the doctor ordered, "and inflate this air bag at the same time. I'm going to draw some of your blood. Did you have any trouble breathing?" "Only at this altitude. But what do you want blood for?" "Test the blood sugar content. That way I can see how much energy you've expended. We need to find out if you have the stamina to complete the task. By the way, what's the endurance record for the air bike?" "2 hours 25 minutes 3.6 seconds. That was created in the 2,000-meter-diameter Olympic stadium on the Moon."

"You think you can last six hours?" "It's easy because I can stop and rest at any time. It's at least twice as difficult to play air bike on the moon than here." "OK, Jimmy, go to the lab. I'll give you a 'yes' or a 'no' as soon as I get the analytical data on these samples. I don't want to stir up false hopes, but I think you can do it." A satisfied smile filled Jimmy's face, and as he followed Lieutenant Colonel Ernst to the air chamber, he turned and shouted to his companions, "Please don't touch it! I don't want anyone A man's fist went through my wing."

"I'll take care of it, don't worry, Jimmy!" promised the captain, "No one is allowed to touch the 'dragon'—including myself."