Arnaldo immediately headed for the nearby central control room to back up the data and prepare the ship for activation. Valentina and Tuan took turns transporting supplies, food, and medical equipment from their old vessel to the new one. Tuan noticed the deep fatigue etched across Valentina’s face. Ever since landing, she had done everything she could to avoid Arnaldo’s gaze. Tuan understood – and sympathized. One night was far from enough to erase the scars left by the past. In any case, he had already told Arnaldo everything. What remained now was for the man to confront it on his own.
The night before, Arnaldo had spent hours reviewing the entire experimental history of his two teammates. He guided the spacecraft into cruising mode at a deliberately slow pace, ensuring that the generated acceleration would not disturb their sleep. The following morning, as the ship prepared to land, he went to Tuan’s room to wake him and asked him to wake Valentina in the adjacent quarters as well.
Still half-asleep, Tuan rubbed his eyes and stretched, letting out a long, audible yawn. After quickly finishing his morning routine, he shuffled toward the women’s sleeping quarters. Standing before the door, he hesitated, unsure whether he should knock – when the door suddenly slid open, revealing Valentina already fully dressed. It seemed she had stayed awake all night, and upon hearing Arnaldo’s voice earlier, had risen on her own to prepare everything in advance.
The two of them walked together to the EVA chamber to suit up before heading outside. The EVA suit was the iconic image of astronauts often seen on screen, though it had been vastly streamlined compared to early-twenty-first-century models. Its functionality had also been significantly expanded to support increasingly complex space operations.
Even so, EVA suits remained bulky and heavy. The current vessel lacked sufficient automated assistance systems, forcing them to suit up manually without mechanical aid. Tuan glanced at the floating interface and adjusted the room’s gravity to zero. This would make donning the suits much easier – exactly as they had been taught during their training at L.A.B.
For an astronaut, an EVA suit is essentially a miniature spacecraft, equipped with a full life-support system that allows its wearer to survive in open space long enough in the event of an unexpected emergency. Although IEVA suits are also capable of protecting the wearer, when it comes to reliability in the face of extreme risk, no suit surpasses EVA. For this reason, all candidates who meet L.A.B’s standards are required to undergo mandatory training in donning and operating this bulky protective suit before being allowed to take the final selection exam.
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The EVA donning procedure begins in the shower chamber, where Valentina and Tuan put on adult absorbent garments to manage bodily needs during missions, along with a one-piece protective undergarment laced with a dense network of capillary tubes.
Outside the shower chamber, the room’s gravity gradually decreases to zero, leaving their bodies weightless. They float toward the equipment rack, slip their legs into the lower section of the suit, and place their feet into boots fixed in position beneath it. Next, they straighten up and activate a switch, allowing the upper torso section to descend slowly and fit over their heads. A control at the waist automatically tightens the suit to match the wearer’s body shape.
Finally, Tuan opens the locker behind them, retrieves two helmets, and helps Valentina put hers on, completing the process of donning the cumbersome protective gear. The capillary tubes embedded in the inner garment quickly interface with the corresponding network inside the EVA suit, forming the foundational system that allows the bio-support unit mounted on the back to operate smoothly and efficiently. Once the suit becomes a fully sealed system, internal life-sign parameters are recalibrated. At that point, both of them are ready to work outside the spacecraft without fear of environmental hazards.
Beyond life-support capabilities, EVA suits are equipped with numerous auxiliary systems. Concealed mechanical joints within the suit keep all components tightly integrated, forming a unified structure that prevents separation during prolonged use. These joints also provide powered assistance, enabling astronauts to carry heavy or cumbersome equipment with minimal physical strain. The extensive network of fluid and gas capillaries allows the bio-support unit to regulate humidity, control body temperature, absorb and recycle sweat for various survival purposes, and ensure stable air circulation. Integrated into both arms are sample analysis tools and positional tracking devices. The helmet houses a wireless communication system and enhanced visual support. In short, the EVA suit truly functions as a compact spacecraft – exceptionally practical and exceptionally safe.
After finishing suiting up, Tuan restores the room’s gravity to normal. Both of them settle gently onto the floor and proceed together toward the main airlock.
Arnaldo has been waiting there for some time. He goes over the task assignments one last time before the three of them descend onto Titan. Valentina and Tuan will handle the transfer of supplies from the old vessel to the new one, while he will enter the observation station to back up data and activate the spacecraft’s startup systems.
The three of them spend more than half a day transporting equipment and reorganizing supplies aboard the ship. They also dismantle several components from the old vessel to reserve them for future maintenance and repairs of the new one. Before departing, all three stand silently together to bid farewell to ELE-SP006, then lift off and head straight toward the next destination in the Solar System.
