According to research, Gliese 581c was a planet capable of supporting advanced life forms, located 20 light-years from Earth. The fastest spacecraft humans had built could reach five times the speed of light, so the SP, traveling at this speed, would take about four years to reach Gliese 581c. Could humans reach this distant planet? Was there extraterrestrial life on it? These unknowns were the very mission that the SP and its crew, led by David Yang, were meant to resolve.
Life aboard the spaceship was confined to a narrow space, where the astronauts felt constantly restrained. Their daily routines were monotonous, consisting of monitoring instruments, eating, processing bodily functions, and sleeping. The only pleasure they found was in looking out the windows. Nearby stars streaked by like lines, while distant stars twinkled closer and farther away. Eventually, even this ceased to be interesting. David, John, and Philip worked in shifts, taking turns to work, rest, and sleep for eight hours. If all three wanted to talk together, one of them would have to sacrifice their rest time. Silence and loneliness gnawed at them, but thanks to their isolation training on Earth, they managed to maintain their mental health.
Initially, every astronaut was on high alert, carefully steering the ship to avoid collisions with asteroids, nebulas, condensed gas ice blocks, and meteors, which could lead to the destruction of both the ship and crew. However, after several months of smooth sailing, they began to relax. But one day, while John was steering the ship, a meteor hurtled directly toward them. John, lost in thought, failed to notice it on the monitor. The meteor was getting closer and closer. David, who was resting nearby, glanced at the screen and was immediately terrified. He screamed, "Meteor! Meteor! Turn now!" John snapped back to reality, and they both quickly steered the ship aside. The meteor whooshed past the side of the spaceship, narrowly missing it. Both David and John broke out in cold sweats. Philip, startled by David’s scream and the violent shaking of the spaceship, asked what had happened. David recounted the incident, and Philip, without hesitation, gave John a stern scolding. John quickly apologized, and David intervened to calm things down. They all agreed to remain vigilant and decided that two people should always watch the screen simultaneously to ensure nothing went wrong.
Their days were tense and tedious. To pass the time, they began talking about women. Neither John nor Philip had ever been in a serious relationship. John had a crush on a girl in high school but never worked up the courage to ask her out before she became someone else’s girlfriend. Philip had two girls interested in him, but he didn’t like either of them. Only David had been in a relationship. He and his girlfriend had grown up together, and they were both friends and lovers. When they became adults, they had planned to spend their lives together, but a car accident took her life. David had once lost the will to live, but eventually, his strength carried him through, and he decided to dedicate his life to exploring space, other planets, and alien life. John and Philip were deeply moved by David’s story. Curious, Philip asked, "Can we see a picture of your fiancée?" David said, "Of course," and pulled a photo from his pocket. John and Philip both exclaimed, "Wow, she’s beautiful! Like an angel, only without wings!" David stared at the photo, and a tear rolled down his cheek.
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After the initial difficult months, David and the others gradually adjusted to life aboard the spaceship, spending their days monitoring instruments, eating, washing, chatting, and sleeping.
Unbeknownst to them, four years had almost passed, meaning they were nearing Gliese 581c. After some time, they finally saw the planet. They made several orbits around it, hoping to discover something. They saw a blue expanse, possibly indicating water! They were ecstatic! But was there intelligent life? To find out, they needed to land and investigate. So David and his crew steered the ship toward Gliese 581c.
They landed in a desert on the planet, but there were no signs of life. They began crisscrossing the area in the amphibious craft, searching high and low. But after several circles, they found nothing but desert and ocean. They were bitterly disappointed. Four years of hard work seemed wasted! Unwilling to give up, they searched several more times but still found nothing.
They longed to continue exploring space, searching for new planets and alien life, but their fuel and food supplies were running low. Reluctantly, David and his crew boarded their spaceship and began their journey back to Earth in the solar system.
After about six months of flight, the navigation system suddenly malfunctioned. No matter what they tried, they couldn’t fix it, and they became lost in space. Unable to find the direction back to Earth, they drifted aimlessly through the vastness of space, their resources slowly dwindling. Panic set in, and they sent out a distress signal into the universe. If Earth sent out another spaceship, or if some intelligent lifeforms received their signal, they might have a chance to survive.
They wandered in space for nearly a month, with no sign of rescue. Then the worst happened. David and the others noticed the temperature inside the spaceship rising abnormally. Soon, all the red lights on the instruments lit up. Something was wrong! They suddenly realized the spaceship was going to explode! David quickly ordered, “Get into the emergency rescue ship, now!” They barely made it into the rescue ship and sealed the door before a violent explosion rocked the spaceship. They lost consciousness...