Chapter 11 Chapter 4 "Empire" on the Moon

Located in the center of the southern highlands, Clavius ​​is one hundred and fifty miles in diameter and is the second largest crater on the lunar face.It has a long history, centuries of volcanic eruptions and the bombardment of matter in the universe have left scars and hemp pits on the mountain walls and the bottom of the cave.However, since the last age of crater formation, while the fragments of the planetary belt are still colliding with the planets in the belt, this place has enjoyed peace for half a billion years. Now, there are new vibrations above and below its surface, as humanity heads here to build their first permanent bridgehead on the moon.The Klavius ​​base is fully self-sufficient in an emergency.Local rocks are crushed, heated and chemically treated to produce all the necessities of life.Hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus—all of these, and most other elements, can be found in the moon if you know how to find them.

The base forms a system of its own, much like an active model of the earth itself, where all the chemical changes of life go round and round.In a vast "greenhouse" -- a circular chamber buried on the surface of the moon -- the air is purified. Lighted at night and filtered sunlight during the day, acres of thriving greenery warm , moist environments. They are special varieties modified for the express purpose of replenishing the air with oxygen, while also providing food as a by-product. More food is produced through chemical processing systems and algal blooms. While the green scum that circulates in long, clear plastic pipes is hardly an appetite for gourmands, biochemists can transform it into pork chops and steaks that only the experts can't confuse.

The team of 1,100 men and 600 women on the base are carefully selected, highly trained scientists and technicians before leaving Earth.Although living on the moon has basically ruled out the early hardships, inconveniences and occasional dangers, there is still a lot of psychological pressure, and it is better for those claustrophobic patients with abnormal nerves not to go.Since it takes a lot of money and time to dig a large underground base in solid rock or compacted lava, the standard single-person "living area" here is a room six feet wide, ten feet long, and eight feet high.

Each room is attractively decorated, very much like a suite in a high-end motel, with a multi-purpose sofa, TV, small hi-fi radio and video phone.Not only that, but with a simple trick of interior decoration, the flick of a switch can turn an entire wall into a realistic view of the earth.There are also eight different options for this view. This type of luxury is characteristic of the base, although it is sometimes difficult to convince the people of Earth of its necessity.Every man or woman on Colevius has spent a hundred thousand dollars on training, travel, and housing; spending a little more to maintain their mental well-being is well worth it.It's not art for art's sake, it's art for sanity's sake.

One of the attractions of life on base—as well as life on the moon as a whole—is undoubtedly the low gravity that engenders a general sense of well-being.However, this also has its dangers, and it takes several weeks for the immigrants on the earth to adapt. On the Moon, the human body has to learn a whole new set of responses.The human body needs to distinguish between mass and weight for the first time. A man who weighed 180 pounds on Earth might be happy to find himself on the moon weighing 30 pounds.As long as he maintains an even pace and moves in a straight line, he feels a magical sense of levitation.But as soon as he tried to turn, or stop suddenly—then he would find that his 180-pound mass, or inertia, was still there.Because mass is constant—it's the same on Earth, on the moon, on the sun, or in free space.Therefore, before properly adapting to life on the moon, people must understand that the inertia of all objects is five times higher than their weight indicates. Most people stay away until they get used to it.

The Klavius ​​base itself is a small world, with its own set of workshops, offices, warehouses, computing centers, power generation facilities, garages, kitchens, laboratories, and food processing plants.What is profound is that many of the technologies used to build this underground empire were actually developed during the half-century-long Cold War. Those who have worked on a fixed missile launch site will feel at home in Collevius.On the Moon there are the same technologies and devices adapted to the protection and hostile environment of subterranean life; but here they have been used for peaceful purposes.After 10,000 years, human beings have finally found a career as exciting as war.Unfortunately, not all countries have recognized this fact.

The mountains that had stood out so prominently before the descent had mysteriously disappeared beyond the narrow arc of the lunar horizon.All around the spaceship was a flat gray plain, illuminated by oblique Earthlight.The sky is of course dark, but the brighter stars and planets can only be seen by covering the eyes with the hand from the glare on the surface of the moon. Several very odd vehicles were approaching the Aries-IB spacecraft—cranes, loaders, fuel trucks, and maintenance trucks—some fully automatic, others manned by drivers in small pressurized cabs.Most vehicles run on balloon tyres, since there are no transport difficulties on the smooth and flat plain; however, there is a fuel truck with special deformable wheels which have proven to be effective in One of the best all-around ways to run on the moon.This kind of wheel consists of a series of flat plates forming a circle, and each plate is installed separately and independently. It is evolved from the track and also has many advantages of the track.It can adjust its shape and diameter to the terrain and, unlike tracks, can keep going if a few sections fall off.

A medium-sized sedan with a stubby, trunk-like extendable leather tube was sniffing admiringly at the spaceship.A few seconds later, there was a ping-pong and plop sound from outside the spacecraft, followed by a hissing sound of air intake, and the air pressure on both sides of the connection was evened out.The inner door of the airlock opened, welcoming the delegation into the ship. At the head of the delegation was Ralph Halverson, the magistrate of the Southern Province--Southern Province not only referring to the base, but any delegation from the base.With him was his chief scientist, Roy Michaels, a small grizzled geophysicist whom Floyd had met on previous visits; several senior scientists and administration staff.They welcomed Floyd with reverent relief; it was clear that everyone, starting with the chief executive, looked forward to the day when someone would come to share their worries.

"Very glad you're among us, Dr. Floyd," said Halvorson. "Have you had a good trip?" "Excellent," Floyd replied. "It couldn't have been better. The crew took great care of it." As the limousine pulled away from the spaceship, Floyd struck up the usual conversations with them; no one mentioned the purpose of his trip, tacitly.A thousand feet from the landing site, the vehicle approached a large placard that read: Welcome to Klevius Base. The American Aerodynamic Engineering Corps 1994 sedan drove into a tunnel mouth and quickly lowered to the ground. below the level.A huge door opened in the front, the car drove past and closed again.There was one door after another, and then a third.After the last door closed, there was a great roar of air, and it was back into the atmosphere again, into the base that was too hot to wear a shirt.

Then there is a short passage, which is full of pipes and cables, and there are bursts of rhythmic sound and vibration like echoes in the valley.Walking down the aisle, they came to the administration, and Freud found himself back in the familiar scene of typewriters, office computers, female staff, charts on the wall, jingling phones.They stopped in front of the office of the "Chief Executive," and Halverson said diplomatically, "Dr. Floyd and I will be in the briefing room in a few minutes." The others nodded and said yes, and walked forward along the passage.But Halvorson was interrupted before he could let Floyd into his office.When the door opened, a little girl jumped up to the Chief Executive.

"Dad! You went to 'upper'! You promised to take me there!" "No, Diane," said Halvorson, in a mildly bored tone, "I was just saying I'd take you if I could. But I'm busy meeting Dr. Floyd. Come shake hands with the Doctor—he Just came from Earth." The little girl—about eight, according to Freud—holds out a lounging hand.She was vaguely familiar, and Freud could feel the mischievous smile on the executive's face when he looked at him.Surprised memories suddenly made him understand. "I can't believe it!" he cried. "She was still in my arms the last time I was here!" "She turned four last week," Halvorson replied proudly. "In low gravity, children grow fast. But they age slowly—they'll outlive us." Floyd looked at the confident young girl with some bewilderment, noting her graceful figure and unusual lightness of frame. "Nice to see you again, Diana," He said.Then, involuntarily—perhaps out of sheer curiosity, perhaps out of politeness—added: "Do you want to go to Earth, too?" Her eyes rounded in surprise; then she shook her head. "It's a nasty place; you're going to get hurt every time you fall. Plus, there's too many people there." "It seems," thought Freud, "that this is the first cosmic being born; there will be many more in the years to come." While there was sadness in the thought, there was also great hope.When the moon is tamed, settled, and perhaps a little worn out, there will still be room for the free-loving, hardy pioneers, and restless adventurers.But their tools will not be axes, guns, canoes, and horse-drawn wagons; they will be nuclear power plants, plasma drives, and soilless farms.The earth, like all mothers, also sends its children on a journey, and this day is not far away. Halvorson frightened and promised, finally sent his stubborn offspring away, and then let Floyd into the office.The chief executive's suite is only fifteen square feet, but it is equipped with all the decorations and signs that correspond to a $50,000 annual salary and a ministerial status.Signatures of key political figures — including the President of the United States and the Secretary-General of the United Nations — hang on one wall, while the other is covered in signed photographs of famous spaceflight guests. Floyd plopped down in a comfortable leather chair and was handed a glass of “sherry”—a gift from the Lunar Biochemical Manufacturing Plant. "How's the situation, Ralph?" Floyd asked, taking a cautious sip before continuing to sip slowly and contentedly. "Not too bad," Halvorson replied, "but there's one thing you'd better know before you go there." "What's up?" "Well, I guess you could call it a morale issue," Halvorson said with a sigh. "Oh?" "It's not serious, but it's coming soon." "News blackout," Floyd said bluntly. "Yes!" Halvorson replied, "my folks are a little bit overwhelmed with that. In any case, most had relatives on Earth; relatives probably thought they all died of moon plague. " "I'm sorry about that," Floyd said, "but no one could think of a better cover-up, and it's worked so far. Oh, and I ran into Moisevic on the space station, Even he believed it." "Well, the guards should be happy to hear that." "Don't get too excited - he's heard about TMA-1; rumors are leaking out. But we mustn't make any announcements until we know what the hell it is and if our Chinese friends are behind the scenes. " "Dr. Michaels thinks he has the answer. He can't wait to tell you." Floyd drank his drink. "I can't wait to hear him. Let's go."