Event Description
The Staircase Program originated from the vision of aerospace engineer Cheng Xin. She proposed a seemingly insane yet physically feasible plan: positioning a series of nuclear bombs along a predetermined trajectory in space, using the radiation pressure from sequential detonations to propel an ultra-light sail to near-light speed, thereby intercepting the Trisolaran fleet. The core advantage of this approach was that the craft itself carried no fuel, enabling speeds far beyond conventional propulsion methods.
However, the radiation sail's payload capacity was extremely limited. After repeated calculations, it was confirmed that only approximately one kilogram of effective payload could be carried. Under this weight constraint, the only meaningful option was to send a human brain — with the hope that the Trisolaran civilization would possess the capability to revive it, thereby giving humanity an intelligence source inside enemy territory.
At this point, the terminally ill Yun Tianming became the candidate. Unbeknownst to Cheng Xin, Yun Tianming had already purchased a star for her as a dying gift. Upon learning of the Staircase Program, he volunteered his own brain. Intelligence chief Thomas Wade drove the plan's execution with his characteristic cold efficiency. Yun Tianming's brain was extracted, cryogenically preserved, and installed aboard the light-sail craft for launch. However, the craft lost contact with Earth after the acceleration phase, and the outcome of the Staircase Program remained unknown.