Chapter 711 Friendship

Before boarding the rocket, Roy had been preparing for a hard life. However, except for a long nap after completing the landing work on the first day, the rest of the time was simply a vacation-like enjoyment.

Since there were only three crew members this time, Artemis VI had more supplies, extending the mission cycle to 10 days, which will last until July 12, and will be evacuated a few hours before the detonation of the nuclear bomb.

Thanks to the huge brightness of the Jiuzhang and its strong logistical support capabilities, the plan was much easier than they imagined.

Jiuzhang not only provided a comfortable living environment, but also had up to 3 large lunar rovers and four explorer robots to help, and the progress was amazingly fast.

The relationship between the Artemis VI crew and the members of the Sky Curtain Project was also rapidly shortened. As humans on the moon, the disputes on Earth seemed to be insignificant here and did not affect their daily work at all.

Roy had lived with others on Jiuzhang for three days and was almost completely familiar with everything here.

The first thing he did when he got up was to make his bed. The Jiuzhang was not so luxurious as to have a separate bedroom, but a folding bed was installed on the cabin wall. However, the configuration was not simple, at least it was much more comfortable than squeezing in the circular space of the "Origin" lander.

After a simple buffet breakfast, except for the two team members who stayed behind, the rest of the team put on their space suits and continued to prepare to go to the mine.

The three members of Artemis VI still wore their own space suits, which were "big potatoes" with a semi-hard shell design. The one-piece design of the torso caused the head and torso to be connected together, and from a distance it looked like a vertical potato with limbs stretched out.

On the contrary, the "Kaituo II" on Deng Lei and Fu Xiangjie was both fit and flexible, and the two were completely different in style.

Roy couldn't help but think of the exoskeleton space suit that NACA was also designing. It has been under development for half a year, and it is still far from delivering the finished product, and it is said that the cost is extremely high.

The three members of Artemis VI now fully recognize the gap between NACA and China Aerospace in lunar construction. If described in more fashionable language, it is probably a version behind.

The essence of the Artemis program is not much different from the Apollo program, except that it costs more money, has more landings, and the concept is still the same.

"Deng, does your base have a breeding plan? I think with your construction scale, you can try to breed meat in space."

After getting familiar with the Jiuzhang, Roy was very yearning for the Yushu base, which has exceeded 100 tons. It's a pity that the Jiuzhang consumes a lot of fuel for takeoff, and the cost-effectiveness of flying only a few hundred kilometers is too low. Even the Chinese have never done this.

Deng Lei: "Meat? That probably requires a special compartment, but our total plan is only 8 compartments, and it should still be mainly for the survival of personnel. Raising meat is too troublesome, much more troublesome than plants."

"I think we can raise white-feathered chickens, which has the highest cost-effectiveness. Besides, aren't you going to build a super large base in the future? The demand for meat must be met."

"Roy, in fact, I think it is easier to manage the route to the moon. Dawn 2 can deliver a batch of new supplies every 3 days, but what you said is indeed a good idea. Maybe the company should hire you as a breeder here."

"If XAP is willing to pay more, I can even help you build nuclear bombs."

The two laughed together. Deng Lei was also very happy to get along with Roy. The addition of newcomers can liven up the already somewhat dull atmosphere.

Of course, the more critical thing is the instructions from the country. The Aviation Development Commission requires that the Artemis VI crew be treated as colleagues. Except for confidential matters, everything else is very relaxed. Moreover, the Sky Curtain Project is strictly speaking an unofficial mission, and the team members have full personal disposal power.

The chat ended after the six people on the mission were all dressed up. Deng Lei first asked them to check whether their protective measures were complete before going out through the hatch on the side of the Jiuzhang.

Five of the eight hydrogen bombs have been placed, and the remaining three hydrogen bombs brought by Artemis VI are all placed in the designated locations today.

This batch of hydrogen bombs was placed very easily. Just like the first test explosion, they were placed directly on the lunar surface, without digging holes and burying them deeply for maximum efficiency.

The thickness of the lunar soil layer near the mining area ranges from a few meters to dozens of meters. Drilling holes requires additional mechanical equipment and time costs. Although ground detonation is less efficient, as long as the hydrogen bomb equivalent is larger, the effect can be achieved.

So this time, all the hydrogen bombs with an equivalent of tens of millions of tons are used...

After all, as long as you weigh it a little, you will know that placing a large-equivalent hydrogen bomb is much more convenient than digging a hole with great effort.

Roy climbed behind the cockpit of the largest T7 lunar rover, while checking the machinery used, he couldn't help looking at the perfect parabolic pit in the distance.

The traces left by "Robin Hood" are the most spectacular man-made miracles ever created by humans on the moon. The original scene after the explosion is still preserved. The molten turbid glass scattered everywhere reflects the sunlight. From a certain angle, it looks like a glowing lake.

In the past month, the self-media on the earth often spread rumors that the big crater left by the first nuclear explosion can be observed with astronomical telescopes. This is of course a complete fallacy. Not to mention that it is not big enough to be distinguished, the key is that this is the Aitken Basin, located on the back of the moon. Because of tidal locking, the ground will never be able to see this place.

The second 8 hydrogen bombs were powerful enough. According to Lloyd's calculations, the impact range after the explosion has exceeded the small crater. If it is on the front of the moon, the astronomical telescope can still observe it.

The super weapon that might have destroyed millions of people was used to develop minerals... At least the crew of Artemis VI was very enthusiastic about this matter, especially the Chinese people's attitude towards them was quite good.

The landing place of the "Origin" lander was about one kilometer away from the Jiuzhang. After arriving, the three American astronauts went in first to untie the fixing device of the hydrogen bomb.

Roy was concentrating on his work, and suddenly heard the commander Felix say:

"Roy, you are very close to the Chinese."

Roy was startled, and then realized that they were using an encrypted channel now, so he breathed a sigh of relief and replied helplessly:

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

"No, that's not the case. I mean that you should maintain this attitude and get along with them as much as possible."

Felix's words surprised Roy very much. This was really un-American.

"NACA has given us the latest instructions to get along well with the Chinese as much as possible. We may have long-term cooperation in the future. You may really raise chickens for the Chinese."

"whaaa...what?"

"Whether you believe it or not, of course I am just guessing that NACA may have reached some agreement with United Mining, and it is very likely that they will jointly develop the moon."