Hot Wavelength

Chapter 26 (Upside Down 2): Ice Lantern
In December 2029, Liangguo Sazhou Rocket City

For decades, the National Space Agency has launched numerous spacecraft and probes, gradually shifting its focus from visiting every planet in the solar system to celestial bodies with greater potential for development and utilization, such as the Moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt.

Back in 2023, when the Lingguang probe was launched to Psyche, exploration plans for other asteroids in the asteroid belt were also underway.

In August of this year, after the Psyche spacecraft burned up unexpectedly, project team members, including Daphne Braun, persuaded NASA officials to modify a spacecraft originally planned to visit other asteroids, retargeting Psyche. The spacecraft was named Psyche 8.

Michael Max's Espe company also adjusted and improved the new rocket to support the launch of the Spark II.

Michael claimed that his new rocket has greater thrust, which will allow the Spark 2 probe to enter orbit more accurately and quickly, and to achieve a greater initial velocity.

The launch site was bustling with people. A VIP lounge was specially set up on the second floor of the command center. Prince Harufa, accompanied by Irene, came from afar to experience the charm of aerospace technology up close.

Unsurprisingly, the launch of Aurora 2 was a great success. With the probe in orbit, Michael's mission was successfully completed.

Daphne Braun was filled with anticipation for Aura II, as excited as a child. Daphne and Michael enthusiastically approached Prince Harufa.

“Mr. Max, congratulations on the successful launch! This is my first time witnessing a rocket launch in person. It’s completely different from what you see on TV; it’s truly spectacular,” Prince Harufa said.

Erin didn't know much about astronomy, but she was equally awestruck by the roar of the launch site. Remembering Michael's earlier mention of the Enceladus spacecraft, she asked:
"Where is that Enceladus spacecraft you mentioned last time located now? Can we see it?"

Reminded of this, Prince Harufa also looked at Michael with a curious gaze.

"The spacecraft has arrived in the Saturnian system and is conducting an experiment above Saturn's rings." Michael smiled at Professor Braun's daughter, Daphne, and continued, "Next month, the spacecraft will land on Enceladus to begin preparations for another experimental program."

"What experiment? When will it start?" Daphne remembered Martha telling her that Michael's experiment might destroy Saturn's rings.

“The experiment is scheduled to take place on August 22, 2030,” Michael replied.

"Such a precise date? Was there anything special about that day?" Eileen asked.

Daphne Braun has a very solid foundation in astronomy. Her colleagues say that it's as if she has an automatically rotating celestial sphere in her mind. If you "input" any point in time, Daphne can always quickly say the location of the major planets in the sky.

On August 22, 2030, Daphne thought to herself, "That's a special celestial day. On that date, with the sun at the center, Saturn is in the four-hour direction of the celestial sphere, Regulus is in the ten-hour direction, Jupiter is in the sixteen-hour direction, and Earth is in the twenty-two-hour direction."

This means that Jupiter and Saturn, and Regulus and Earth, are in opposition to each other. Daphne named this celestial phenomenon "Upside Down".

Daphne had read a paper that pointed out that when Jupiter and Saturn are in opposition, solar activity intensifies, and disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur on Earth accordingly.

The opposition between Jupiter and Saturn occurs every twenty years. The last opposition occurred on March 11, 2011, when a near-magnitude earthquake struck the country of Fusheng.

Daphne was unaware that her father, Professor Braun, had commissioned Michael to conduct an experiment to determine which of the laws of universal gravitation and Nikola Tesla's theory of gravity was correct, by scattering markers around Saturn's rings and measuring the angular velocities of the different rings.

What she didn't know was that after Michael's spacecraft landed on the equator of Enceladus, it would launch a counterweight device toward the center of Saturn, which was connected to the spacecraft by a carbon fiber tube over 17 kilometers long.

It will stretch straight above the multiple rings of Saturn, absorbing the full wavelength of superluminal light. As it heats up, it will continuously absorb water vapor from the melting ice in the rings below, which will condense on its surface.

This intricate structure, stretching over 17 kilometers, absorbs heat and accumulates water vapor in a mutually reinforcing cycle, essentially making the carbon fiber tubes increasingly "thick." It is poised to become the first superluminal power station in human history on the distant moon Enceladus.

This experimental power station will provide Michael's team with valuable construction experience, serving as a prelude to Michael's ambitious Mars terraforming plan.

Of course, convincing potential investors, such as Prince Harufa, is equally important to Michael. Once the Enceladus power station is completed, some of the thermal energy will be injected into the core beneath Enceladus's icy shell, where the heated liquid water will erupt as ice volcanoes, spewing steam outwards.

Enceladus already boasts the highest reflectivity of any celestial body in the solar system, with a geometrical albedo of 138%. On August 22, 2030, when Saturn and Jupiter are in opposition, the superluminal diffraction behind Enceladus's orbit will intensify, causing its ice volcanoes to erupt more violently. This would envelop Enceladus in a larger cloud of water vapor, and its extremely high albedo would make it appear like an "ice lamp" lit up in the solar system. At that time, Michael will invite his investors, including Prince Harufa, to observe this "ice lamp" using ordinary amateur telescopes. Since the powerful force of superluminal waves can illuminate an icy moon, it could certainly reshape Mars in an incredible way.

Lighting up the "ice lamps" is one of the reasons why Michael chose Enceladus to build the first superluminal power station; it's essentially a "roadshow" to raise astronomical funds for the Mars terraforming project.

Michael and Daphne had a wonderful evening, and even on the way back, they couldn't stop chatting excitedly.

Michael sat in the back seat of a Nikola self-driving electric car, a product of his company, and gently stroked Daphne's long blonde hair, saying affectionately:

"Do you know? We spent just a few months debugging the rocket to launch the Lingguang-2 probe. In my heart, this is the most romantic gift I could give you."

Daphne felt a surge of joy. After hesitating for a moment, she turned her head to the side, looked into Michael's eyes, and said to him:

"Michael, you know me too well. The Aura II is truly the best gift for me. I'll return the favor with a gift of my own: I'm pregnant."

Michael was pleasantly surprised and instinctively loosened his grip on Daphne's arms, shouting happily:

"Wow, that's great! It seems you'll be under my special protection from today onwards."

Daphne pursed her lips, a happy smile on her face, and then, as if remembering something, asked:

"Michael, Martha told me that your Enceladus experiment could potentially damage Saturn's rings, is that true?"

“Honey, I signed a confidentiality agreement, so I can’t tell you the details of the experiment. Our team has done many computer simulations. The experiment is risky, but the probability of it happening is very low, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Michael, my stance is very clear: no one has the right to destroy Saturn’s rings, no matter how low the risk is, even if it’s only one percent or one in ten thousand.”

Daphne's phone vibrated. She opened it and saw a text message from Martha that read:

"Please pass this interview outline to Michael. I'd like to confirm a few things with him before publishing it."

Michael Max saw the interview outline Martha sent him, which read: Was the purpose of your company's Enceladus spacecraft launch to verify Nikola Tesla's theory of faster-than-light waves?

Are you planning to build a superluminal power station above Saturn's rings? If the rings melt from heat, is there a risk of them collapsing?
Michael withdrew his arm from Daphne, crossed his arms in front of his chest, straightened his face, and leaned back in his seat.

“What are you talking about, Martha? Are you really going to do that so-called superluminal experiment? And even partially dissolve Saturn’s rings or destroy them?” Daphne asked.

Michael sighed helplessly and said, "These reporters are really intrusive. I have to stop her reporting, otherwise the relevant secrets will cause a huge uproar, and it seems that my experimental plan will have to be suspended."

Daphne was momentarily at a loss for words. After thinking for a moment, she asked:

"So how will you reply to Martha?"

Michael hesitated for a moment, then edited a short message:
"Martha, hello! I assure you that the experiment you mentioned will not be conducted for the time being, and please make sure it is not reported publicly. In return for your help, I promise to exclusively provide you with the results of another experiment involving the theory of gravity."

&
The poem composed of collected verses at the end of the chapter:
Suddenly, the horizon appeared to form a circle, Song Dynasty, Zhao Fan
A rainbow arches across the long waves. (Qing Dynasty, Xuan Ye)

The principle of "that which is abundant and that which is great" applies to things of the same nature. (Yuan, Liu Jiangsun

The water reflects the starlight in strange and unusual ways. (Tang Dynasty, Zhou Tan)

(End of this chapter)