Escaping the Hot Embrace of Mars
Early in the morning on the 125th Sol of their stay on Mars, the lights in the living module began to flash sharply, jolting everyone from a deep sleep. These flashes were generated by the notification system they had built earlier to alert them of messages received from Earth. Confused, the whole family rushed to the Arduino board, where the antenna and piezo speaker were connected. This simple yet vital system was the source of the frantic blinking.
Althorn quickly realized this wasn’t just a random signal. He suspected they might have caught an important message from Earth. There was no time for mistakes – the signal could mean their salvation. Lirania approached the speaker and listened intently.
“This isn’t just noise. It’s a message… and it’s transmitted in Morse code,” she said with a serious expression.
She began to listen to the series of long and short sounds echoing through the module.
“Dot… dash… dot… dash…” she spoke slowly, focusing on every pulse.
While she decoded the sequences, Zorin sat nearby with a notebook, quickly writing down everything he heard. His hand darted across the page, capturing every combination of dots and dashes.
Meanwhile, Althorn feverishly checked the recorded sequences against the Morse code alphabet, his eyes scanning the reference guide. He found the letters and relayed them to the family.
“S… O…” he voiced, then squinted, running his finger down the page. “Next is… P…” he continued with mounting excitement.
When they finished decoding, Melia, who had been following the work closely, read the resulting message aloud: “Rescue mission sent but cannot land on Mars. You must launch your ship into orbit for transfer.”
The room fell silent. These words, coming from little Melia, brought both relief and a new wave of anxiety. A rescue mission was on its way, but they had to prepare for the orbital launch themselves. Althorn immediately got to work. He checked all the ship’s systems, from the fuel tanks to the engine health. Fortunately, apart from the finely tuned alien electronics, the mechanical structures were intact. There was enough fuel, and even a test engine fire was successful.
But Lirania warned: “We must not forget the Martian atmosphere. Even if it’s not as dense as Earth’s, the ship will be subjected to friction upon ascent. The living module must be closed with heat-shielding shutters, otherwise, the temperature during the atmospheric transition could become critical.”
Althorn nodded, understanding the importance of this step. “And after reaching orbit,” Lirania continued, “the shutters must be opened to provide access to the hatch for the transfer to the rescue ship.”
Then the real problem began: how to automate the opening and closing of these shutters? Previously, this was handled by the alien system that was now completely fried. Althorn’s eyes fell on Melia, who was in the corner of the room playing with a small servo motor connected to an Arduino board.
A brilliant idea struck him.
“We can use the Earth-made Arduino to control our shutters!” he exclaimed. Althorn explained: “Servos, just like on Earth, can move objects with high precision. We can set them up to close and open the shutters on command.”
They immediately set to work. Althorn explained the mechanics of the servo: it is a motor capable of rotating its shaft within specific limits, usually from 0 to 180 degrees. It is controlled by a PWM signal (pulse width modulation), which determines the rotation angle.
Together they assembled the circuit, connecting the servo to the Arduino. They programmed it so that the shutters could be opened or closed manually or by sensor signals. Using command blocks, they set the movement to specific angles that ensured the protective panels were fully closed or opened.
After several tests, they achieved precise and smooth operation. The servos moved in sync, closing the shutters when necessary and opening them after a safe arrival in orbit. Thanks to Earth technology and Arduino, the system was ready for the decisive stage—launching the ship from the surface of Mars into space.
Now the family could look confidently toward the future, knowing they were ready to meet the rescue mission and that the shutters would open at the right moment, allowing them to safely transfer to the Earth ship.