Chapter 737 - 711 Friendship

Roy had been mentally preparing himself for a tough life before boarding the rocket, but aside from a long sleep after completing the landing on the first day, the following time was an almost vacation-like enjoyment.

Since only three crew members were carried this time, the supplies on Artemis VI were more plentiful compared to others, extending the mission period to 10 days. It would last until July 12, with evacuation planned only a few hours before the detonation of the nuclear bomb.

Thanks to the substantial illumination provided by Chapter 9 and its powerful logistical support capacity, the planned work was far easier than they had imagined.

Chapter 9 not only offered a comfortable living environment but also had up to three large lunar rovers and four Explorer robots to assist, making progress astonishingly fast.

The relationship between the crew of Artemis VI and the Skylight project members also quickly grew closer. As humans on the Moon, the disputes from Earth seemed trivial here and did not affect their daily work.

Roy had already been living with the others on Chapter 9 for three days and was almost completely familiar with everything there.

The first thing he did after getting up was to make his bed—Chapter 9 was not luxurious enough to have separate bedrooms, instead, foldable beds were installed on the cabin walls, but they were not rudimentary; they were at least much more comfortable than the cramped, circular space of the "Origin" lander.

After a simple self-service breakfast, except for the two crew members left behind, the rest were donning spacesuits to continue preparing for the trip to the mine.

The three members of Artemis VI wore their own spacesuits, which were semi-rigid "Big Potatoes" with the head and torso fused in an integrated design, making them look like upright potatoes with limbs from a distance.

In contrast, Deng Lei and Fu Xiangjie’s "Pioneer II" suits were both well-fitted and flexible, not matching the others in style at all.

Roy couldn’t help but think of the "Exoskeleton Space Suit" also being designed internally by NACA. It had been in development for half a year and was still far from delivering a finished product, which was also rumored to have huge costs.

The three members of Artemis VI had now fully recognized the gap between NACA and Chinese aerospace in Moon construction. If described in more fashionable terms, it was probably about a generation behind.

The essence of the Artemis plan hadn’t diverged much from the Apollo missions, simply costing more money and involving more landings, with the same old philosophy.

Roy, "Do bases like yours have breeding plans? I think with the scale of your construction, you could totally try breeding meat in space."

After becoming familiar with Chapter 9, Roy was very envious of the Yushu Base, already exceeding 100 tons. It was a pity that Chapter 9 consumed a lot of fuel for takeoff, and flying only a few hundred kilometers was too costly in terms of effectiveness, even the Chinese themselves had never done so.

Deng Lei, "Meat? That probably requires setting aside a specific module, but our master plan only includes 8 modules to mainly satisfy human survival. Breeding meat is too much trouble, far more than plants."

"I think you could try breeding broilers, as they have the highest cost-effectiveness ratio, and aren’t you planning to build a super large base in the future? The demand for meat will definitely need to be met."

Deng, "Roy, actually, I think running the routes to the Moon is easier. The Dawn Two can deliver a new batch of supplies every three days. But what you’re suggesting is indeed a good idea; maybe the company should hire you to come here as a breeder."

"If XAP is willing to pay a little extra, I could even help you build nuclear bombs."

Both men laughed together. Deng Lei also very much enjoyed Roy’s company; the addition of a newcomer was quite refreshing in an atmosphere that had become a bit stagnant.

Of course, more crucial were the instructions from back home. The Aerospace Development Committee had commanded them to treat the crew of Artemis VI as colleagues, relaxed about everything except for classified matters; moreover, the Skylight project was officially not a governmental mission, and the team members had the full right to handle things personally.

The casual chat ended after all six members going on the mission had put on their gear, and Deng Lei first asked them to check each other’s protective measures to make sure everything was in place before he went out through the hatch on the side of Chapter 9.

Five of the eight hydrogen bombs had already been placed, leaving the three brought by Artemis VI, which Deng planned to put in their predetermined locations today.

The placement of this batch of hydrogen bombs was very easy, just like the first test explosion, they were placed directly on the Moon’s surface without aiming for maximum efficiency by drilling and burying deep.

The thickness of the Moon Soil layer near the mining area varied from a few meters to several tens of meters. Drilling required additional mechanical equipment and time cost. Although surface detonation was less efficient, by simply increasing the yield of the hydrogen bombs, the desired effect could still be achieved.

So, they were using megaton-yield hydrogen bombs this time...

After all, with a little consideration, one would realize that setting off a large-yield hydrogen bomb was much more convenient than the painstaking effort of drilling holes.

Roy climbed to the back of the largest T7 Lunar Rover’s driver’s cabin, checking the machinery used while he couldn’t help but look towards the distant perfect parabolic crater.

The traces left by "Robin Hood" were the most spectacular man-made wonders ever created by humans on the Moon, still retaining the primitive scene after the explosion, with melted murky glass scattered around reflecting sunlight, looking like a glowing lake from certain angles.

Over the past month, social media on Earth often spread rumors that one could observe the crater left by the first nuclear explosion with astronomical telescopes, which was complete nonsense. Not to mention that it wasn’t large enough to be discernible, the key point was that this was the Aitken Basin, located on the far side of the Moon, and because of tidal locking, it’s an area that could never be seen from Earth’s surface.

The power of the eight hydrogen bombs in the second explosion was enough, and according to Roy’s calculations, the impact range after the explosion had exceeded that of a small crater. If it had been on the near side of the Moon, the astronomical telescopes might have detected it.

What could have been a superweapon capable of destroying a million people was being used for mining development... at least the crew of Artemis VI was very enthusiastic about it, especially since the Chinese People’s attitude towards them was quite good.

The "Origin" lander touched down about a kilometer away from Chapter 9, and the three American astronauts got in first and started to undo the securing devices on the hydrogen bombs.

Roy was focused on his work when he suddenly heard Commander Felix say:

"Roy, you’re getting pretty close with the Chinese People."

Roy jumped, then realized they were using an encrypted channel, and he answered helplessly with a sigh of relief:

"Felix, did you get a surveillance mission from NACA?"

"No, no, that’s not it. What I mean is, keep that attitude, be as amiable as possible in dealing with them."

Felix’s words surprised Roy; it was very un-American.

"NACA has given us new directions, to get along with the Chinese People as well as possible, as we may be collaborating for a long time in the future. You really might end up farming chickens for the Chinese People."

"whaaa... what?"

"Believe it or not, of course, I’m guessing, but NACA might have reached some kind of agreement with United Mining, very likely to develop the Moon together."