Chapter 260 Chen Xueming's Night Battle

December 24, 2039.

1:00 AM, Space Elevator Platform Command Center.

Chen Xueming sat before the screen, eyes fixed on the dense clusters of data, having not moved for a full twenty hours. His eyes were deeply sunken, his beard stubbly, and the coffee cup in front of him had been emptied and refilled so many times he had lost count.

The screen displayed the real-time orbital parameters of the space station.

But this time, it wasn't a simple average orbit. He had pulled up all the data from the past three months—position, velocity, and acceleration for every second, every moment affected by gravitational perturbation.

The Earth is not a perfect sphere; it has a bulge near the equator.

The Moon is 380,000 kilometers away, and its gravity causes the space station's orbit to undergo periodic oscillations.

The solar wind roared, its stream of charged particles continuously battering the space station at its 36,000-kilometer altitude.

There was also solar gravity, Earth's tides, and even the faint gravitational perturbation from Jupiter...

All these factors would affect the precise location of the space station.

What he needed to do was find a precise docking moment amidst the interference of these countless variables—the moment when the distance between the top of the cable and the space station was shortest, the relative velocity slowest, and the oscillation amplitude smallest.

"General Manager Chen," Xiao Zhou said softly, walking over with a cup of hot coffee, "you should rest."

Chen Xueming shook his head and took a sip of the coffee. "I'm not sleepy."

Xiao Zhou looked at him, hesitant to speak. It had been three days, and General Manager Chen had barely closed his eyes. He drank coffee when he was tired, nibbled on bread when he was hungry, and if he really couldn't hold on, he would nap for ten minutes in his chair before continuing.

If this continued, his body would break down.

But Xiao Zhou knew he couldn't be persuaded. Once General Manager Chen set his mind on something, nine bulls couldn't pull him back.

At 3:00 AM, Li Xiao's video request popped up.

Chen Xueming connected, and Li Xiao's face appeared on the screen. She also looked exhausted, but her eyes were bright.

"Senior Brother Chen, I've finished adjusting the simulation software on my end," she said. "Send the new parameters over, and I'll run them to see."

Chen Xueming nodded and transmitted the set of data he had just finished calculating.

"This is the first version considering Earth's oblateness, lunar gravity, and solar wind. The docking time is set for 4:23 AM on December 28th."

Li Xiao received the data and began running the simulation.

On the screen, a virtual space station began to fly slowly, while the top of the cable rose gradually from 36,000 kilometers below. Lines of various colors represented different gravitational perturbations, covering the entire system like a complex web.

The two of them stared at the screen in silence.

Three minutes later, the simulation results came out.

"A deviation of thirty-seven meters," Li Xiao said. "Better than last time, but still not enough."

Chen Xueming frowned. Thirty-seven meters was still too much. The oscillation amplitude of the cable tip at the moment of docking had to be controlled within five meters, otherwise, it could still fail.

"Where is the problem?" he asked.

Li Xiao zoomed in on the data. "The solar wind. The solar wind model you used is an average model, but solar activity has actually increased these past few days. The charged particle flow density is thirty percent higher than the average."

Chen Xueming closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

Solar wind.

Solar wind again.

He opened his eyes and pulled up the latest solar activity monitoring data. Indeed, there had been a medium-scale flare eruption three days ago, and the solar wind speed had soared from 400 kilometers per second to 600 kilometers per second. These high-speed charged particles would take two days to reach Earth's orbit, hitting right during the docking window.

"I'll recalculate," he said.

Li Xiao looked at his weary face and hesitated for a moment. "Senior Brother Chen, you should rest for a while. I'll do the calculations."

Chen Xueming shook his head. "No need. You just keep an eye on the simulation."

Li Xiao opened her mouth as if to say something, then swallowed it back.

She knew he couldn't be persuaded.

At 9:00 AM, Master Liu walked into the command center carrying breakfast.

He saw Chen Xueming still sitting in that same spot, his posture unchanged, and his heart skipped a beat.

"General Manager Chen," he walked over and placed the breakfast on the table, "eat something."

Chen Xueming looked up, glanced at him, then lowered his head to continue looking at the data.

Master Liu sighed and pushed the breakfast toward him. "Man is made of iron, and food is his fuel. How can you work without eating?"

Chen Xueming was silent for a few seconds, then grabbed a bun and took a bite. Even as he chewed, his eyes remained fixed on the screen.

Master Liu stood by, watching him eat, feeling a pang of sorrow in his heart.

This kid was pushing himself too hard.

At 2:00 PM, the second set of data was transmitted.

Li Xiao ran the simulation again.

This time, real-time solar wind data was considered, along with a forecast model for the next three days. The complex calculations caused the servers to emit a low hum.

Three minutes later, the results came out.

"A deviation of nineteen meters," Li Xiao said.

Chen Xueming's brow furrowed even deeper. Nineteen meters was still not enough.

"What other factors haven't we considered?" he asked.

Li Xiao was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Senior Brother Chen, have you thought about... the dynamic response of the cable itself?"

Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment.

"A cable thirty-six thousand kilometers long," Li Xiao continued, "is not a rigid body. Earth's gravity, solar wind, and even the swaying of the platform itself will cause it to have different oscillation modes at different altitudes. We only calculated the oscillation at the tip before, but in reality, the entire cable is moving, like an ultra-long pendulum."

Chen Xueming stared at the screen, his mind racing.

Dynamic response.

Different altitudes, different frequencies, different amplitudes.

He had previously calculated static oscillation, assuming the entire cable moved as a single unit. But if the oscillations at different altitudes were inconsistent, then the actual position of the tip would be much more complex.

"I need the dynamic model of the cable," he said.

Li Xiao nodded. "I have it here. I'll send it to you immediately."

At 8:00 PM, Chen Xueming was surrounded by piles of data.

The cable's dynamic model was ten times more complex than the space station's orbit. The motion of a 36,000-kilometer-long flexible body in a gravitational field and solar wind required partial differential equations to describe. He solved them item by item, calculating line by line, his brain working like an overloaded computer.

Xiao Zhou brought dinner over, saw that his breakfast was still unfinished, sighed, set the dinner down beside it, and quietly withdrew.

At 11:00 PM, Chen Xueming suddenly stood up.

Everyone in the command center was startled and looked toward him.

"I've calculated it," he said, his voice hoarse but clear.

He walked to the communication console and connected to Li Xiao's video.

"Li Xiao, transmit the data."

The third set of data was sent over.

On the screen, the simulation software began to run. This time, every factor was taken into account—Earth's oblateness, lunar gravity, real-time solar wind data, the cable's dynamic response, and even the minute swaying of the platform itself.

The server ran for a full five minutes.

This was the longest simulation yet.

Then, the results came out.

A number popped up on the screen: Deviation 1.8 meters.

Chen Xueming stared at the number, motionless.

Li Xiao cheered from the other end of the screen, "Senior Brother Chen! It's done! One point eight meters!"

Applause and cheers erupted in the command center. Xiao Zhou rushed over and hugged Chen Xueming. "General Manager Chen! You're incredible!"

Chen Xueming staggered slightly from the hug, then smiled.

As he smiled, his eyes turned red.

At 1:00 AM, Chen Xueming finally left the command console.

He walked to the edge of the platform and looked up at the starry sky. The sea breeze blew gently, and the waves lapped softly; everything was so quiet.

Footsteps sounded behind him.

It was Lin Mo.

"I heard you haven't slept for three days?" Lin Mo walked up beside him.

Chen Xueming smiled. "It's fine, I'm used to it."

Lin Mo looked at him, silent for a few seconds, then said, "Xueming, did you know? During those seven failed Nuclear Fusion ignitions, there was one time I calculated for five days straight."

Chen Xueming turned to look at him.

"At that time, I was just like you, working without rest, feeling like I had to solve the problem myself," Lin Mo's voice was soft. "Later, Academician Wang said something to me."

"What did he say?"

Lin Mo looked at him. "He said, 'You can't carry everything alone. Learning to let others help you is also a skill.'"

Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment.

Lin Mo patted his shoulder. "Next time, call on us."

Chen Xueming looked at him for a long time.

Then he nodded. "Okay."

The two stood side by side at the edge of the platform, looking at the starry sky.

Overhead, 36,000 kilometers away, that small space station was flying slowly.

In four days, they would attempt the docking again.

This time, they were ready.