Summary

Venk, Teddy and Mitch travel to Beijing to monitor the launch of the booster. Ares 3 crew members exchange messages with their loved ones who understand the risk involved in returning to Mars. On a CNN report, Venk is interviewed and explains Hermes’ rendezvous with Taiyang Shen. The probe is simply a shell full of food and other supplies. The Taiyang will send it to Hermes and Major Rick Martinez, the Hermes pilot, will guide it to the ship’s docking port.

American and Chinese engineers cheer together at Jiuquan Mission Control with the launch of Taiyang. Martinez keeps his eyes on a screen that shows the docking port and stats on the probe’s telemetry. The astronauts, as a team each doing their own part, successfully bring in the probe.

Mark has finally finished all the necessary rover modifications. He had placed the...