Summary

In Chapter 19, Rocky and Ryland use the chain to retrieve a sample from deeper within Adrian's atmosphere. Ryland must leave the Hail Mary in the EVA suit again to get the sample from the end of the chain. Their efforts are successful, but when Ryland returns to the ship, it is suddenly rocked by turbulence and it feels as though the hull is bending. Using the Hail Mary's controls and cameras, he sees that there is a large hole in the side of the ship where it was melted by the infrared light of Adrian's atmosphere. The hole runs through the fuel bay, exposing the Astrophage inside, which sense Adrian's carbon dioxide-rich environment and begin flying toward it. Ryland jettisons the affected fuel bays. The mechanical issues have affected the gravity in the ship and Ryland feels on the verge of blacking out...