Chapter 5

Summary

• The narrator intensely questions the motivations and mechanics of the Astrophage organism's visitation to Venus.
• After Stratt leaves the narrator alone with the lab, he observes and interacts with three Astrophage named Larry, Curly, and Moe.
• Scientists globally are foregoing slow, methodical peer review in favor of rapidly sharing Astrophage research in an effort to understand the organism quickly.
• Scientific findings include: Astrophage reacting inconsistently to magnetic fields, ants being disoriented by their proximity to Astrophage, and the internal organelles of Astrophage, including DNA and mitochondria that are unexpectedly similar to terrestrial life.
• The narrator ponders the Astrophage's method of high-speed interstellar travel and its baffling resistance to extreme heat.
• The narrator builds a lightproof closet to experiment with the Astrophage and their reaction to light and discovers their movement ceases in total darkness.
• More experiments with an LED light reveal the Astrophage do not react to just any light source. This insight leads him to speculate that planets' infrared emission spectra are the navigational clues they use.
• Further experiments suggest that the Astrophage are attracted to the spectral signature of carbon dioxide, which leads to an experiment where the narrator unwittingly causes the Astrophage to jet off at high speeds.
• The narrator finds that Astrophage move only towards the spectral signature of Venus-like carbon dioxide, not toward replicated sun-like conditions.
• In a revelation, it is discovered that one of the Astrophage has reproduced, signifying a major breakthrough.
• The narrator deducts the entire life-cycle of Astrophage, hypothesizing its energy-gathering phase, migration between the sun and Venus for breeding, and how it interacts with magnetic fields and light frequencies.
• Dimitri, a Russian scientist, reveals that Astrophage can convert absorbed energy into mass, a groundbreaking energy-storage mechanism.
• An international team led by Stratt unveils Project Hail Mary, which aims to investigate Tau Ceti, a nearby star unaffected by Astrophage.
• This team has developed a potential way to travel to Tau Ceti using Astrophage as a revolutionary propulsion system.
• The narrator is tasked with designing an Astrophage-breeding facility to fuel the interstellar journey to Tau Ceti, with the project being based on a Chinese aircraft carrier for safety reasons.