My Little Pony: My Little Pony The Martian

AMICITAS Mission Three – Mission Day 426

ARES 3 solar day 419

"Glass Pyramid."

"Yes. The round bubble ones are actually better because they are stronger and less likely to break during severe bumps, but that's pretty much it."

"Eighty-four glass pyramids."

"No, fifty-six is ​​enough. If we had to add those solar panels we carry on the rover, they wouldn't be able to be stacked up like they are now, and we certainly wouldn't be able to transport them."

"Okay. Let's assume there are fifty-six glass pyramids. They need to be installed on the top of the spacecraft. And even if you think there is a safe space to stand on the top of the spacecraft, you will definitely not be able to find it now because everything is covered with solar energy. plate."

"Starlight, I feel like you sound like you don't really buy into this little idea I came up with." Mark was discouraged.

Starlight rolled her eyes, "Wow, did you notice all this?"

"Let me tell you, if we don't use this method, we will definitely be several days late to MAV," Mark said. "Even if there is no problem, we will be almost nine days late. Otherwise, tell me how to improve solar energy." What other ways can the battery panel output power? Or maybe I can disassemble the wheel on the nose wheel, take out the motor inside, and then build something like a bicycle for us to take turns riding to artificially generate electricity for the battery?"

Xingguang shook his head after hearing this, "Where did you get these ideas?"

"How do I know," Mark asked, "Then where did your idea come from? The cave farm is almost the result of your own efforts."

Starlight was still shaking her head. "There is a small shop in the pit behind the residential area," her tone was a mixture of self-deprecation and hatred. "It is very conspicuous and you will never miss it. There is a sign of "Big Boss". Bad idea, big sale.' Huoqiu is a gold member there, and my spending even helped the owner's children to finish college."

Mark couldn't help but laugh, "It seems that some of the jokes I usually tell are passed on to you."

"No, Mark, I'm serious," Starlight Glimmer said, stretching her hooves up on the countertop. "I don't have any original ideas at all. Even if I did, they would be bad in the end. The reason why I know so many spells is Because I used to be a little filly who went crazy and tried to manipulate the whole world as I wanted. Every time it was my own idea, something would definitely go wrong in the end."

"What you're saying is wrong." Mark objected.

"Like the time when you turned rocks into cherry missiles."

"Maybe you can do it now."

"Like the perchlorate curse."

"Later on, we relied on your method to collect salt. Without this spell, I really can't figure out what to do."

"And the time when methane was separated."

"That was my idea at the time. You won't forget it, right?" Mark grinned. "Listen, I won't let you take the blame like this. Most of the time, if I think of an idea, I have to come to you to realize it, right? It was you who came up with the translation spell so that we could start communicating. It was also you who did it to the cave at the beginning without asking for remote support from you. Sealed. It was you who tinkered with the lighting crystal. And that’s not even mentioning the idea of ​​using the rainbow crystal to circulate water and heat the cave - it’s all your brainchild. If it were up to me, it would never be possible. If Let me take charge, and we might still be playing around looking at pictures and talking."

Starlight glanced at the whiteboard currently hanging in the living cabin. They had scratched and written on it countless times, and the traces of the markers had almost dyed the entire whiteboard dark gray. "That's a good idea."

"Really, I'm sorry for always forcing my ideas on you." Mark continued, "Believe me, if I have the chance, I really want to learn magic. I might need someone like Harry Potter. There are wands and stuff like that in there, but even if I can only produce your kind of colored light..."

"Mark, we have a magic wand that emits light. That thing is called a (flash)light. You also have it." She sighed, "Let me, an addict who has not yet fully recovered, advise you, magic is not It’s omnipotent. It’s just an ordinary tool, and it can be very dangerous if the user is irresponsible.”

"But I still want to learn."

Starlight sighed again, "If you can come to Malaysia by then, we will find a solution for you, okay?" Then she lit up her unicorn - now all the plants in the living cabin have been moved, so The consumption of her own magic energy reserves is actually very large-drawing a wireframe sketch with a beam above the workbench, "So why do you want it to be pyramid-shaped?"

"It's for the consideration of surface area and incident angle." Mark explained, "You can imagine that the area per square meter is divided into four right triangles, and the hypotenuse of each triangle is one side of the square. In this way, It is an isosceles triangle of 45-45-90 degrees, right? The area of ​​each triangle is also a quarter of a square meter. Next, imagine changing to four 60-60-60 degree triangles - both It is an equilateral triangle, each side is one meter long. A simple calculation shows that the area of ​​each triangle is a little more than two-fifths of a square meter. In other words, the surface area has increased. And because such a structure is vertical There is a certain height above the battery panel, and in the end it can even capture some more light with lower incident angles. Coupled with your light concentration spell, the result is...well, of course I don't know how much, but There will definitely be more than there are now.”

"Ha." Starlight thought carefully for a while and decided to throw the hologram aside; originally, her spell wouldn't last long. "The round bubble shape should be eliminated," she analyzed, "because although this structure may be stronger, it will also form an optical lens that concentrates all the light at one point. This is definitely not a good thing, you are right. Bar?"

Mark was stunned, "Oh. You are right. I actually forgot about this."

"I feel like I can use a few mirror spells to piece together something - of course it won't be like Grandma Weatherwax's sister. It will be absolutely safe. This time it will be with the relay spell in the cave. The effect is different. I can let the glass directly refract all the light that hits the surface into vertical downwards and directly hit the solar panel. In this way, some local areas may still be hot, but it will not be so hot that it will burn. The extent of melting the battery panels.”

"Okay, I can understand that."

"But the problem is that in order to reduce weight, these things must be made very thin." Xingguang continued to analyze, "And they can only be supported by the outer frame of the battery panel, otherwise the battery module may be damaged. Mark, you can make these things Damage will inevitably occur during actual use.”

"Do you have any ideas for repairs?"

"It's impossible to repair. If there is a crack, the enchantment on it will be gone. So if I find a damaged mask, I can only replace it. This means that we have to bring the raw materials needed for repair. We I'll need a few chunks of the clearest crystal I can find. I might be able to recycle some of the broken covers and make new ones, but I think it's safer to have half a ton of crystal in the car as a spare."

Mark sighed, "You should understand that we want to speed up the journey instead of delaying it, right?"

"Then as long as you think we can find another crystal cave on the way, it will be fine..."

"No, I understand what you mean." Mark waved his hand dejectedly, "Then when can we start construction?"

"At least there has to be a place where I can stand not far from the rover and look down at the roof for easy operation," Xingguang replied, "So it can be a deep trench with a steep side slope. The mountain side of Area E is not enough. steep."

"Okay. Tomorrow we will go find the crystal you want. The next day we will install it, and then it will be the third mission of Sirius 7. How about it?"

"Ok, deal."