Super technology leader

The situation in the American Space Agency's conference room has no impact on the moon, at least not until their lunar lander touches down.

On the way, geologist Peng Zizhen led the charge, his lunar rover towing a tanker to store ice.

Lin Yang followed behind, her lunar rover pulling a simple flatbed trailer—well, not even a flatbed, as it lacked a bed to reduce weight, just a welded frame.

The frame had four small, unpowered wheels, relying entirely on being towed, and it carried many tools and boxes.

Both vehicles were speeding along at 32 kilometers per hour. If it weren't for the mudguards on the wheels limiting the lunar soil kicked up, Lin Yang, following behind, would have been engulfed in a cloud of lunar dust.

They shouldn't have been driving so fast, as driving in unexplored areas requires caution. You never know when a seemingly solid surface is just a thin crust over a bottomless fault.

If a vehicle suddenly drove onto such a spot, it could become an archaeological relic and a monument to human lunar exploration.

However, they were traveling on a known route. The lunar rovers needed to search for water, so they had to venture out. Over ten months, they had established several safe routes between Moon Palace II and the shadowed areas.

If it were truly the first time on this route, the two would proceed according to exploration protocols, stopping and starting, with the lead driver changing periodically.

In reality, Peng Zizhen, leading the way, had wanted to stop countless times. As a geologist, he hadn't conducted any geological surveys since arriving on the moon, only spending hours filling sandbags.

Ah Fu jokingly said that was also geological exploration, but he didn't agree. What kind of geological exploration was that?

Now, as he drove, he observed the surroundings, noticing many excellent survey sites. He wished he could stop and start hammering at rocks, but he couldn't. Their mission was to enter the shadowed area and retrieve ice.

Ideally, they would also determine the ice reserves there in one go.

Traveling at over 30 kilometers per hour in a crater only 60 kilometers in diameter, they quickly reached the edge of the permanently shadowed area not far from the base.

Multiple tracks indicated that the "entrance" was only 20 meters ahead.

The two vehicles gradually slowed down and stopped. Peng Zizhen helped Lin Yang unload boxes and began assembling equipment.

A device called a 'Solar Energy Capture and Reflection Tracking Device.'

"Zizhen, set up the frame first," Lin Yang said, carrying a box.

"Okay, Sister Lin."

Peng Zizhen picked up the support frame, first using a laser level and shovel to clear a small patch of ground, then opened the frame and placed it in the center.

The two took out batteries, swivels, smart controllers, and installed everything.

Finally, Peng Zizhen opened a box, took out several smooth metal mirrors, pieced them together, and attached them to the swivel head on top of the frame.

"Okay, Zizhen, attach the beacon to your lunar rover, and let's test it."

Lin Yang activated the device. The telescopic metal rod topped with the metal mirror began to rise, eventually stopping at a height of ten meters. Then, the solar panels on either side of the frame stood up, automatically adjusting their direction and angle to achieve the optimal solar energy capture angle.

Because the beacon tracking signal wasn't yet active, the metal reflector wasn't adjusted to the correct angle and was slowly rotating.

Peng Zizhen installed the beacon and turned it on. "It's ready, Sister Lin."

"Okay."

Lin Yang responded, watching the metal mirror search for the beacon. The reflected beam swept past them, gradually illuminating the lunar rover with the beacon, and then stabilized.

"Haha, it worked, Sister Lin! The solar energy acquisition rate of my rover has increased!"

Watching the increase in light intensity and energy conversion rate of the lunar rover, Peng Zizhen jumped for joy.

As the first wave of astronauts stationed at the lunar base in human history, their every move was part of an experiment, representing the validation of a plan.

If this device could meet the experimental requirements, the difficulty of mining water ice would be greatly reduced, and they could even establish a refining center directly here using the simplest methods.

"Don't get too excited yet," as the deputy commander, Lin Yang wasn't as easily optimistic as the geologist, and said, "Get in the rover and move around, drive into the shadowed area. We need more comparison data."

"Okay, Sister Lin."

Peng Zizhen took his place in the driver's seat, manipulating the controls to drive his lunar rover forward. Because of the accuracy of the beacon and the flexibility of the mirror swivel, the tracking of the light source remained stable, without much fluctuation.

Entering the permanently shadowed area, even without the lunar rover's headlights on, there was some light around it.

First, because the reflective mirror was large, the area of the reflected light source was also large, so some light would pass through the vehicle structure and project onto the lunar surface. Second, some of the lunar rover's smooth surfaces would reflect light, which could also brighten the surroundings slightly.

Entering the shadowed area, without the usual sunlight, only the light reflected by the mirror, plus the fact that Peng Zizhen might block some light while driving, the solar panels still received at least 60% of the sunlight, and the energy conversion rate was still acceptable.

Combined with the added large battery, the modified lunar rover could easily reach the location of the unpowered lunar rover.

Going deeper would probably be impossible. The height of the light reflection device was limited, and the curvature of the lunar surface was large. If the vehicle went down a slope or into a crater, it would no longer be illuminated.

But this was enough. As long as the experiment proved that this solution was feasible, larger devices would be manufactured and sent over, and more professional light receiving devices would be built. Sooner or later, humans would be able to move freely in the permanently shadowed areas.

"Test complete, the device is usable."

Lin Yang said after inspecting the reflection system, "Zizhen, proceed according to the plan. Three tasks: one, drag out the unpowered lunar rover; two, collect ice; and three, confirm the impact of the reflected light on the permanently shadowed area."

"We have enough time. Carry out the tasks according to the plan, don't be impatient, and maintain communication with me, the base, and the ground control center at all times. Ask questions if you have any problems, understand?"

"Understood."

In the shadowed area, Peng Zizhen, having turned on the lunar rover's headlights, looked into the depths of the darkness with determination.

The vehicle moved forward along the existing tracks, with the external reflective mirror rotating accordingly. The reflected beam of light pierced the darkness like a sharp sword, providing an inexhaustible supply of energy for the lunar rover, as well as heat for the astronaut and the rover, reducing energy consumption.

According to the plan, Lin Yang waited at the edge of the shadowed area, just like the previous grouping plan, maintaining a rescue force and carrying out other tasks.

Lin Yang watched over the reflection device and reported the situation to the ground control center.

The ground control center could see the data, hear the astronauts' full communication, and even see everything from the perspective of the spacesuit cameras, but some things still needed to be reported and confirmed by the astronauts themselves.

"Yes, Director Tang, Peng Zizhen has driven the lunar rover into the permanently shadowed area."

"The mirror reflection device has initially proven effective. The reflected light tracking is stable, and the energy conversion rate is high, providing a continuous supply of electricity."

"The later effects remain to be observed…"