Super technology leader

"It really is water, and judging by the size of this ice block, it must be at least a cubic meter, right?"

"I think it's more than that. And since we're already seeing ice blocks here, it means there are more ice blocks nearby, possibly even a huge water resource point."

"That should be the case. According to the Pathfinder's detection report, this area is indeed rich in water molecules. Previously, we could only speculate that there were large amounts of water resources here, but now that we've seen this water ice, we can basically confirm that this is a large ice mine."

"Great! This place is excellent. It's not far from the landing site, making it a very good resource point. With the resources here, we can completely establish the Polide impact crater as our forward base."

"Exactly. When we initially chose the landing site, the Polide impact crater was classified as a Grade A landing point. It's rich in surrounding minerals, and the terrain is relatively flat. Although the crater walls are steep, there are many gaps, making it very suitable for building high-speed通道(channels/passages/access routes)."

"Yes, all conditions are suitable. Now that we have water, the final and most important piece is in place. It seems our initial calculations were correct."

"We signed a cooperation agreement with Pathfinder. With its technology and our organizational strength, I believe we can quickly gain a foothold in the Polide impact crater and then radiate outwards... expand our scientific exploration range."

"Hey, hey, you better watch your mouth. Don't let anything slip during media interviews later. Although that's how it is, international legal opinions haven't been unified yet."

"Got it, got it..."

In the conference room, everyone else was excitedly imagining the future because of the appearance of water ice, only Long and Tang Chao were discussing the details.

It's not that the others were less capable—okay, they were a little less capable than Long and Tang Chao—but mainly because the discovery of a large ice block on the moon was too explosive.

Especially since this large ice block might represent a huge ice mine, right near the initial landing site.

This is like playing *Red Alert*, where your base vehicle deploys in a place full of gold and gem mines.

On the moon, ice is the foundation of everything.

Speaking of which, this time, Tianxia's manned moon landing is different from the previous American manned moon landings in that it's not a 'visit and leave' type of mission, but rather a permanent base. It’s basically a permanent residency.

Astronauts will rotate shifts after a while, but the base will be rooted here, welcoming batches of scientists and pioneers.

This will be the beginning of Tianxia's manned lunar base. Moon Palace II is the core module of the first base, and the soon-to-be-launched 'Benyue' lunar spacecraft is a bit more complex.

Yes, although it doesn't enter the Earth's atmosphere and only operates in a vacuum and low-gravity environment, as the first lunar spacecraft, it has its own special positioning.

The title of 'first' has different meanings in different fields.

In the field of competition, it is the undisputed first, without any other meaning.

In the field of scientific research, 'first' is not simply the first. It often also represents a 'prototype'.

Even the 'second,' 'third,' and 'fourth' are prototypes. It's not until the 'tenth' that it's officially finalized, and only then are terms like 'mass production' used.

The 'Benyue' spacecraft is like that. As the first spacecraft to fly to the moon, it bears quite a few scientific research and testing missions.

The most important thing is reusability. In the future, 'reusability' will be a basic capability of spacecraft. Single-use spacecraft will be too embarrassed to be called 'spacecraft'.

Currently, there are no supporting facilities on the moon, and the basic infrastructure is zero. Everything needs to be launched from Earth, and of course, future fuel resupply will also have to be done by ourselves.

Therefore, it is equipped with a fuel conversion furnace from Kanxing (Kerbal Space Program), which can efficiently separate oxygen and hydrogen molecules from water, without worrying about dangerous mixing.

Just melt the mined ice, then purify it, separate the mixed debris and water, and then input the water into the fuel conversion furnace. The final product is liquid fuel.

Foolproof operation, very simple.

Except for the conversion furnace itself being relatively complex, everything else is simple equipment from Earth, integrated into one unit.

However, because it is in an experimental state, the fuel extraction speed is not fast enough. If the conversion furnace cannot convert the required liquid hydrogen-oxygen fuel, then the 'Benyue' lunar spacecraft will be in danger.

It's not about explosions or anything, but rather that the astronauts would not be able to board it to leave the moon and return to Earth orbit.

Without fuel, the 'Benyue' cannot take off.

If it were during the first wave of human moon landings, this operation would basically be a death sentence. The small lunar lander would not be able to support the long-term survival of two astronauts.

Moreover, at that time, human space capabilities were limited, and it was unlikely that new lunar landing equipment could be sent for rescue in a short period of time.

Now it's different. Moon Palace II is a small but fully equipped survival base, and its supplies are enough for four people to survive for two months.

Plus the one month of survival supplies carried by this 'Benyue', it is enough for four astronauts to stay on the moon safely for three months.

Three months is enough for Pathfinder to build two more upgraded versions of the new lunar spacecraft, the kind that doesn't need to add fuel for a round trip between Earth and the moon.

Even the reason why this 'Benyue' spacecraft weighs 40 tons but has no return capability is that it also includes a living space and a cargo hold.

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Basically, it does not need to bring any extra survival cabin. It can provide the astronauts with a living space for the flight time from Earth to the moon, and it is quite spacious. Four astronauts will not feel crowded.

This is the standard space that a real lunar spacecraft should have.

Because it is too spacious, in order to make the best use of everything, it not only contains living materials, but also a large number of other materials.

In terms of transportation capacity alone, it can carry 10 tons of cargo to the moon and 5 tons of cargo from the moon.

This time, it carries a large number of solar panels, which need to be taken out of the spacecraft by the astronauts and assembled on the lunar surface.

The electricity they obtain can be provided to the fuel conversion furnace. Relying solely on the small solar sails on the spacecraft is obviously not enough for electrolysis consumption.

After the spacecraft leaves, these solar arrays can also supply power to Moon Palace II, allowing it to carry out some energy-intensive experiments.

Even when resource production modules, various experimental modules, biological cultivation modules, equipment maintenance modules, and other base modules come later, they can still supply power.

The power consumption of any base's early construction is not small, so it is very necessary to build a 'power plant' first.

When these things are built, plus the water ice in the permanently shadowed areas, Tianxia can be considered to have truly gained a foothold on the moon.

These things combined are a complete forward base, especially the important biological cultivation module, where astronauts can grow plants and raise animals. It is also the key to the forward base's self-sufficiency on the moon.

Tianxia people are very familiar with farming, and this ability is even engraved in their genes. As long as the biological cultivation module can keep up, maybe Earth can eat lunar-produced grain, vegetables, and meat.

At that time, the lunar base will not be simply 'standing' on the moon, it will become a link in economic production, allowing the human economic circle to expand to the Earth-Moon system.

Only a complete economic system can promote the better and faster development of the human space industry.

Chapter Two will be at 12 o'clock.