After sending all the resources from the base into the cave, he put away the stone bead and boarded the spaceship with Li Muyue.
Then, Explorer began to accelerate.
With a slight vibration from the engine, the Explorer sped up, heading in the direction away from the sun.
The starry sky outside the Explorer's window rushed past, forming a magnificent band of light.
The Explorer's hull gleamed silver, and its engines spewed powerful flames, propelling it ever faster.
Ahead lay endless darkness, the depths of the universe beyond our solar system.
In the Explorer's control center, Ye Chen watched the data on the screen, ensuring that all the spacecraft's systems were operating normally.
Li Muyue sat to the side, carefully recording the various data observed by the spacecraft. This was the first time humanity had crossed the Kuiper Belt, and every piece of data recorded was invaluable.
As the speed continued to increase, the Explorer gradually entered its maximum speed state, the surrounding starry sky became blurred, and time seemed to slow down.
Ye Chen and Li Muyue also felt the powerful acceleration pressure, waiting for the spaceship to break through the boundary of the solar system and enter the vast universe.
Behind Explorer, the planets of the solar system gradually shrink and eventually disappear into the distance.
The Kuiper Belt is about 30 to 55 astronomical units wide. One astronomical unit represents the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, which is about 149.6 million kilometers.
The distance of nearly 5 billion kilometers was covered in less than two days.
At this point, they had reached the edge of the solar system, more than 10 billion kilometers away from Earth!
Finally, after a violent tremor, the Explorer successfully crossed the heliopause, left the boundary of the solar system, and truly entered interstellar space.
Ye Chen and Li Muyue held each other's hands tightly. They knew that this was a great feat in human history and an important experience in their lives.
At this moment, the spaceship entered a completely unfamiliar area, with no reference points around it, only endless darkness and silence.
Ye Chen felt a little dizzy. He looked through the large, transparent driver's side window and his eyes widened in surprise.
Nebula! A magnificent nebula!
It is many times brighter than the nebulae we see in our solar system!
Under the illumination of cosmic light, these nebulae exhibit a wide variety of colors and shapes.
Some resemble a blooming flower, some a dancing ribbon, some a phoenix spreading its wings, and some a galloping beast.
They intertwine, entwine, and permeate each other, forming a breathtaking picture.
Ye Chen and Li Muyue were stunned by the magnificent sight, feeling as if they were in a dream world.
Ye Chen stared blankly out the window, muttering to himself, "It's so beautiful... This is the most beautiful view I've ever seen..."
Li Muyue was equally amazed. She turned to look at Ye Chen, her eyes sparkling with excitement: "Husband, I never imagined that the universe would be so beautiful from outside the solar system. We are the first humans to traverse the solar system. Do you think future generations will remember our feat?"
Ye Chen snapped out of his daze, laughed, and said, "Do you think we should also create a famous quote, like the one about the US landing on the moon?"
Li Muyue smiled and said, "It's a pity there are no other witnesses here. Are you worried that people will suspect that you filmed it in a studio?"
Ye Chen waved his hand and said boldly, "If anyone has any doubts, I'll drag the Voyager out to prove it."
Li Muyue chuckled. Of course, she was joking when she said that. The Explorer had a complete navigation track and video footage of the entire journey, which was enough to prove its authenticity!
They said they would make a fuss for a while, take a few photos in the direction of the solar system as a record, and then continue heading towards the location of Voyager 2.
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 crossed the boundary of the solar system from different directions.
Voyager 1 flew past the edge of the solar system, passed through the solar apex, and entered the interstellar medium in 2012.
Voyager 2 was five years late in successfully leaving the heliosphere of the solar system and entering interstellar space. When it last made contact with Earth two years ago, the distance was about 18 billion kilometers.
Ye Chen gave the order: "Zhizi, generate the predicted trajectory map of Voyager 2, correct the course, and chase at full speed!"
Upon receiving the order, Zhizi quickly began calculating and predicting.
Soon, the simulated position of Voyager 2 and the relative position of Explorer were displayed on the spacecraft's large screen.
Through the calculations and predictions of the sophon, they can clearly see the flight trajectory of Voyager 2 in the universe.
According to predictions, Voyager 2 is about 8 billion kilometers away from them, and at the speed of Explorer, it will reach their location in less than 4 days.
Ye Chen turned to Li Muyue and said, "According to the prediction, we will be able to catch up with it soon. However, Voyager 2 has not sent a signal for a long time. Its equipment and energy may have been damaged or exhausted. We need to be prepared for all kinds of situations."
Ye Chen nodded and agreed, saying, "Okay, let's do it that way."
With the combined efforts of the two, after four days of travel, Explorer finally arrived at the predicted location of Voyager 2 in space.
Ye Chen stretched out his hand and drew a circle on the screen, saying, "According to our calculations, Voyager 2 should be in this area."
Li Muyue did some mental calculations and couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement: "That diameter must be nearly 200 million kilometers! With such a vast area, finding Voyager 2 won't be easy!"
"200 million kilometers is indeed insignificant on a cosmic scale."
Ye Chen said in a deep voice, "I hope Voyager 2 hasn't encountered any accidents. If it has deviated from its course, then we will really be at a loss. It's even more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack!"
Li Muyue smiled casually and said, "Our luck has always been pretty good. Finding Voyager 2 is only a matter of time. Let's begin!"
Ye Chen nodded and ordered, "Zhi Zi, activate all the detectors on the Explorer and focus on monitoring radioactive elements."
Voyager 2 uses nuclear-powered batteries containing the radioactive element plutonium-238.
The decay process of plutonium-238 generates heat, which can be converted into electrical energy to provide a continuous power supply for the spacecraft.
According to his estimate, Voyager 2 has lost power, which means that the nuclear power battery has been damaged or lost its effectiveness, but the decay process of plutonium-238 is certainly still ongoing, just weakly.
"As long as we can find plutonium, we can find Voyager 2!" Ye Chen thought to himself.
He decided to follow this line of thought and began searching in circles aboard the Explorer.
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