Chapter 562 Getting Started
Moon, front side.
Copernicus crater, Copernicus base.
After another half a year of expansion, the scale of the Copernicus base has expanded a lot, and the number of space capsules has reached 427.
At the same time, due to the popularity of magnetic monopole crystal communicators, there are 300 synchronized robots in addition to about 50 permanent astronauts on duty.
The so-called synchronous robot actually uses a magnetic monopole crystal communicator as its core and is specially developed for use in alien bases.
On the Earth side, Sapiens has established an alien remote control management center and built a number of professional control cabins to facilitate employees in need to control synchronized robots and perform tasks at the alien base.
At this time, all 300 synchronized robots at the Copernicus base are in working condition.
In fact, synchronous robots are in a mode where the humans rest while the machines continue.
Inside a cabin, several robots were checking the latest biosynthetic fungi that had been prepared in the cabin, allowing these fungi to synthesize the necessary components in the culture pool.
"Jack, it's OK."
The robot named Jack took a look at the situation in the cultivation pool, and a thin plate of nano-silicon steel was synthesized. He was operating the equipment.
Another robot held a tablet computer and recorded the various data for this synthesis: "It only took 17.3 hours, which is 5.9 hours shorter than before..."
Sizzle...
The sealed transparent lid of the cultivation pool popped open automatically, revealing the material-synthesizing fungi that had already calmed down. Due to the temperature and pheromones, these hard-working fungi had stopped reproducing and synthesizing at this time.
A robotic arm was inserted into the solution of the cultivation pool and took out the nano silicon steel plate which was 3 meters long, 1 meter wide and 1.5 mm thick.
The robot responsible for inspecting the panels, Hirata Takakiyoshi, uses a variety of rapid testing equipment to conduct comprehensive inspections of the panels.
"The hardness meets the standard..."
"Strength meets the standard..."
"Nanostructure defect rate 0.039 per 10,000, Grade B3 plate..."
"Radiation shielding rate..."
The robot in charge of recording nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, it has reached the mass production standard."
There are more than 50 material-related laboratories at the Copernicus base, and the base has currently achieved self-sufficiency in most basic building materials.
On the northwest side of the base, in a recently built integrated factory, there are already a large number of cultivation pools producing various parts day and night.
Qin Lang, the rotating person in charge of the Copernicus base this month, was checking the production of parts in the factory.
He stood in front of an electric motor that was being assembled: "Baru, what is the current production capacity?"
While assembling the electric motor, the robot Baru replied: "If there were enough raw materials, our base could produce about 8,000 tons of parts per month. The problem is that there is not enough raw materials now."
"Don't worry! The Earth headquarters will deliver a batch of core components this month. By then, we can put together 5 more diggers and 5 transport vehicles." Qin Lang said with a smile.
"Are there no problems with the mines and refineries?"
Qin Lang shook his head: "No, the surface sand and rocks here are rich in raw materials such as iron, titanium, aluminum, silicon, magnesium and calcium. In addition, there is a hot spring underground 47 kilometers to the north."
"Hot spring? Are you planning to mine it?" Baru looked up.
Qin Lang did not deny: "Yes, this kind of geothermal hotspot is very valuable. It contains water and carbon resources that we urgently need."
There is no way, the surface of the moon is rich in oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, magnesium and titanium.
However, the content of hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon, which are volatile elements, is relatively low.
Fortunately, there are still rich carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen resources underground on the moon, which was discovered through exploration data in recent years.
Based on the analysis of data from long-term monitoring of the moon, we can know that carbon compounds are continuously released from the younger lunar seas and lunar plains. This is obviously evidence of the existence of a large amount of carbon elements underground on the moon.
The hot springs near the Copernicus base have naturally been carefully explored.
The carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, radon and other gases spewed out from the hot springs are hundreds of times higher than those in ordinary lunar rocks.
A lot of elements are volatilized into outer space from the moon every year. If the moon's gravity was not too weak to bind these volatile elements, it would not be as bare as it is today.
It is obvious that the various bases on the moon are of good scale and were built earlier than the Venus Cloud Palace project, but the industrial scale of the moon is less than one-tenth of that of Venus.
The reason is that there is too little carbon on the moon and its gravity is quite different from that of the earth.
Venus is just the opposite. There is a high concentration of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere and its gravity is close to that of the Earth. Therefore, we can use local materials and utilize biosynthesis technology to mass-produce the required parts.
Now the Copernicus base is going to exploit hot springs in order to obtain carbon resources and reduce the pressure on material transportation on the earth.
Qin Lang and several other rotating leaders are very clear about one thing, that is, if the lunar base is to achieve something, it must get rid of its dependence on resources from the Earth headquarters.
Otherwise, all kinds of materials will require support from the Earth Headquarters, and development will be very difficult.
For example, the mass projector project on the back of the moon, why had it been slow before, but the progress has skyrocketed in the past two months? The reason is that the base on the back of the moon has achieved self-sufficiency in a large part of the parts.
Now Qin Lang and other base leaders have realized the scarcity of the three elements carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen in the base.
They have four solutions.
The first plan is to strengthen the recycling and reuse of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen resources within the base.
The second option is to use alternative materials as much as possible to reduce the consumption of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen resources.
Both plans are efforts to save money.
The third option is to tap into the moon’s underground carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen resources, such as hot spring mining.
The fourth option is to use spacecraft to capture some asteroids with high water and carbon content, then pull them to the vicinity of the lunar orbit and hand them over to the lunar orbit industrial space station to be built in the near future.
This is an open source effort.
Through these plans, the Copernicus base is gradually solving the dilemma of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen resources.
Qin Lang discussed with Baru for a while, and after listening to their opinions, he went to another workshop without stopping.
This workshop is used to assemble miniature space capsules, similar to the drone production workshops on Earth. Its main product is the tough and durable miniature space capsules.
He looked at a miniature space capsule in front of him. Its size was like a large gasoline barrel, about 10 meters long and about 3 meters in diameter.
The micro space capsule itself does not have an engine or anything like that. It can be carried by other spacecraft and thrown to various places on the moon as temporary scientific research stations.
Previously, this type of space capsule could only be transported by the Earth headquarters, but now their base can also produce micro space capsules on its own.
"Xin, can the production capacity of the micro-space capsule keep up with the schedule?"
Li Xin, who was in charge of the workshop, saw Qin Lang coming in and reported the situation directly: "We can now produce 5 to 15 micro space capsules per month, but the precision instruments need to be transported from the Earth headquarters."
"5 to 15? The production capacity is acceptable." Qin Lang nodded with satisfaction.
Li Xin spread his hands helplessly: "If we can increase the supply of raw materials, the production capacity can be increased by about 80%."
"By the way, I came here this time with a mission for you..."
