The third exam inside the sealed boxes has been underway for ten days. Each team has been experiencing unexpected problems, such as broken clocks and mysterious alarms that ring in the middle of the night. However, Mutta soon realizes who is actually responsible.

Two days are left before launch. First, the lunar lander Artemis goes into space on Mars V. Afterwards, Hibito and the rest of the crew will head into space on Mars I.

After a buggy accident, Hibito and Damian are stuck at the bottom of a ravine. Damian's spacesuit is damaged, and he's losing body heat quickly. The odds are against them, but Hibito decides that the unmanned drone Gibson is their key out.

After completing survival training, the NASA astronaut candidates are tasked to participate in the upcoming Comeback Competition. Each team receives an advisory engineer, but Mutta's team is stuck with someone who won't help.

Deneil takes Mutta on his first T-38 flight where, unlike the other instructors, he flies at speeds of 6.5Gs. Mutta throws up on his first flight, though after hearing Hibito went through the same training, he decides to go on it again. He soon begins training to fly himself, tasked with relying on instruments instead of sight. Whilst intially having trouble, Mutta is soon encouraged by Deneil's advice and Sharon's hand written letter, encouraging him to train for what he can.