Chapter 488 - 479 Testing_1

The cost of hydrogen bombs and atomic bombs isn’t really expensive; the primary expenses for nuclear-armed countries actually lie in the development stage and annual maintenance. If you just produce a batch and immediately use them on the Moon, the actual cost is less than one might imagine.

Moreover, according to simulations by the base’s supercomputer, the larger the yield of the nuclear bombs used, the more beneficial it is for future mining, which can continue to reduce subsequent costs.

The overpressure from a ten-megaton hydrogen bomb explosion can eject all rocks and Moon soil and, due to the Moon’s low gravity, scatter them widely. The resulting crater will have an unimaginably smooth parabolic surface, with the shock wave-compacted walls eliminating concerns about collapses.

The most ideal model would involve a single two-hundred-megaton super-hydrogen bomb detonated at about 1000 meters deep, but that’s practically impossible. A more realistic plan is to conduct three separate explosions with six, three, and one fifteen-megaton hydrogen bombs respectively, in three layers, to create a mine pit 1200 to 2000 meters deep by controlling the detonation locations.

This is much more convenient than traditional methods. Not only can expenses be reduced by more than 80%, but the timeline can also be compressed to around one month, and the site is nearly ready for mining immediately after the blast.

Therefore, the nuclear explosion plan has always been the base’s preferred solution, but it was not proposed right away, instead waiting until preliminary research encountered difficulties before bringing it up.

Now, Lin Ju just wanted to sense the winds, to see the attitude from above.

After all, the base wasn’t going to build these things whatever happened; they still had to find a way to persuade the officials.

He’d thought that Academician She would react strongly, but to his surprise, Academician She merely showed a brief moment of astonishment before sinking into deep thought, seemingly contemplating the feasibility of the matter.

Nuclear bombs for mining... it had actually been considered internally by the Aerospace Administration during discussions about United Mining’s establishment and it was easy to turn thoughts in this direction.

Apart from anything else, using nuclear bombs could save on the number of launches for large rockets. An atomic or hydrogen bomb weighs at least a hundred plus kilograms, or at most a couple of tons. The CZ-6, CZ-2, CZ-3, and even some private aerospace company’s smaller rockets could easily send them over, which is technically very simple.

But the reason this scheme ultimately didn’t leak wasn’t because of the technology, but a treaty.

"Lin, you should be aware of the ’Outer Space Treaty’."

Lin Ju immediately understood what Academician She was referring to.

Last century, as major nations successively possessed atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, and rapidly advanced ballistic missile technology, the entire world worried outer space would become another battlefield. Furthermore, during the Cold War, the parties were reluctant to continue expanding the arms race and increasing pressure, leading to the eventual signing of the Outer Space Treaty.

A critical provision of the treaty prohibits any party from establishing military bases and weapons of mass destruction in space or celestial bodies, effectively limiting the spread of nuclear weapons to space.

As a major country concerned with reputation and credibility, it could not openly violate a treaty it had signed itself, as the impact of such an action would be too detrimental.

Even though in reality, all countries never gave up efforts to militarize space, they all used the guise of "reconnaissance," "defense," and would never overtly admit to deploying nuclear bombs directly on the Moon, which would be too sensitive and certainly spark widespread and intense controversy.

The Outer Space Treaty must be adhered to. This treaty forms the foundation upon which the current international space order operates, including the obligation to rescue astronauts from other countries who’ve encountered accidents, which is a legal action backed by international law.

But what had been previously covertly considered tentatively was now openly discussed, and both participants in the conversation were inwardly comparing the various benefits of using nuclear bombs, each seeing a flicker of interest in the other’s eyes.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment before Academician She, tapping his fingers thoughtfully, said,

"Whatever we do, our purpose must be peaceful resource development, unrelated to military aims. There’s still some possibility of maneuvering.

Perhaps we can probe the situation gradually, for there are precedents of nuclear bombs being used for civil purposes!"

"You mean..."

Academician She stood up and walked to the window, then, as if deciding, turned back and said,

"Right now, every country is actually concerned about the results of the Skylight II mission. We can release part of it, especially emphasizing the expert analysis on mining methods and cost of the crater, exaggerating the costs of traditional means a bit.

Also, to reduce public sensitivity to nuclear bombs, we should get some media to publish incidents where the Union used nuclear bombs to extinguish fires and to blast reservoirs. Since there’s still quite some time, perhaps we can slowly tilt the scales in our favor."

Lin Ju nodded in agreement, already thinking of a strategy,

"I think we also need someone very influential in this field to say a few words... Our base’s Cheng Nankai has a good relationship with Academician Yu Min; it’d be great if he could publish an article."

"That’s worth a try. But what worries me more is America’s mischief."

...

Texas.

Musk had been closely following the Skylight II mission, or more accurately, every space agency in the world was watching keenly.

Since United Mining, it had become clear that China was seriously planning on developing Moon resources. Although it was uncertain whether they would succeed, everyone agreed it was an inevitable step for humanity, and even in failure, it would offer valuable experience for those who would follow.

Starting on August 12, the Aerospace Development Committee finally began releasing specific data and analysis reports collected from the Skylight II mission. Musk, always vigilant, immediately received the compiled information.

Tom Mueller sat with him, trying to parse as much information as possible from the mission.

Tom turned directly to the part he was most interested in—the blasting experiment section. To help more people understand, the released content included professional charts and data but also results from equivalent tests on Earth, allowing even the uninitiated to have a general idea of the situation.

"Oh, this isn’t good."

Musk quickly spotted the final results. The conclusion was that if a step mining method was applied, requiring a little over four tons of explosives for every 5000 tons, it would need 7.6 million tons of traditional explosives; for some new type of high-energy explosive, 4.5 million tons would be necessary. It’s impossible to send so much explosives with rockets.

Even if it were feasible to send them, the cost would be too prohibitive. Even 7.6 million tons of cement would cost two or three billion dollars, let alone explosives.

While the article ended by saying scientists could already develop high-energy explosives synthesized from Moon soil and ice, still, 4.5 million tons of high-energy explosives would be needed. Considering fertilizer production, America’s fertilizer annual production was only 12 million tons in 2016!

And for the infrastructure that would surround such a super explosive factory... the investment would be enormous on Earth, let alone on the Moon.