Han pratar inte om vågan, han pratar om den tid det tar att dränera motorerna av vatten och återvända till rymden, och noterar att de befinner sig i en gravitationsbrunn så stor den tiden på planeten passerar mycket snabbare än på uthålligheten:
Novelleringen förklarar det lite bättre än manuset;
“How bad?” he asked, thinking that he most likely didn't want to know.
“Every hour we spend on that planet will be maybe…” She did the mental
computations. “Seven years back on Earth.”
och
“How long to drain, Case?” he asked.
“Forty-five to an hour,” the robot informed him.
Cooper shook his head and uncoupled his helmet. The cabin was pressurized. Everything smelled wet, but it didn't smell like seawater or a pond. It smelled like distilled water that had been dumped on hot rocks—a mineral scent, but not salt.
“The stuff of life, huh?” he said. “What’s this gonna cost us, Brand?”
“A lot,” she said. “Decades.” Her voice was flat.
Cooper felt like he couldn't breathe. Decades. Tom and Murph were adults already. How old? It seemed impossible. He rubbed his face, trying to comprehend it. He watched the wave go, knowing there would be another, and soon.
Som det händer, tar det i själva verket inte dem så länge att de lämnar ytan som de först fruktade, tydligen på grund av Coopers innovativa idé att blåsa luft genom motorerna för att rensa vattnet.