The moon landing was only the first step.

For the researchers who put astronauts on the moon, what really matters is what happens after they get on the moon.

Some of the materials in the lunar module were loaded on the lunar rover, and Nie Han, who was sitting in the driver's seat, skillfully started the engine, carried Liu Zhengwen who was sitting in the passenger seat, and drove towards the crater closest to the landing site.

Looking at the craters stacked in the distance, and then looking back at the blue planet, Liu Zhengwen couldn't help but sigh softly.

"This moon is truly desolate."

"yes."

There was no more communication between the two along the way.

Until the lunar rover stopped next to a crater, Liu Zhengwen got out of the car, glanced nearby, and found a pole made of unknown material, standing abruptly in the open space near the crater.

"There's ......"

"It's probably the flagpole of the Americans, it is said that they used nylon to weave the national flag in the early days, and most of these flags were damaged by cosmic rays, and it is estimated that there is only one pole left...... Turn the tachograph on. ”

Liu Zhengwen had a knowing expression on his face.

Of course, he was aware of the damaging effect of cosmic rays on nylon materials that had not been specially treated, after all, his education was probably the highest among the three astronauts. It's not just the nylon materials that are afraid of being eroded, it is estimated that most of them have even been brittled under the irradiation of the solar wind.

"It's already open, and when I leave the landing capsule, I'll open it."

A flag was flipped out of the lunar rover, and Nie Han, who had his back to him, nodded.

"Really? That's good. ”

Looking at Nie Han, who was carrying a flagpole on his shoulder and slowly strolling towards the center of the crater, Liu Zhengwen spoke.

"What about ours?"

"Of course we have learned their lesson, as long as we don't get hit by meteorites, this red flag will be perfectly fine even if it is erected here for a hundred years."

He waved the bright red flag, then planted it firmly on the barren lunar soil, and unfolded the triangular bracket for fixation.

Looking at the banner that flowed like blood, the corners of Nie Han's mouth hooked up a smile, and he raised his arm to wipe the moon dust on the mask below, "This is the first step...... Sooner or later, we'll stick it all over the moon. ”

Although it was just a very ordinary sentence, for some reason, the moment he heard it, Liu Zhengwen, who was standing not far away, felt that the blood was tumbling in his heart and his heart was surging.

I think back to my vision for the future when I chose such a major......

I remembered the vow I made when I signed up for the astronaut audition......

"The moon is too small."

Looking back at Liu Zhengwen, who suddenly spoke, Nie Han raised his eyebrows.

"Oh?"

Looking at the blue planet in the sky with fascination, Liu Zhengwen smiled and continued.

"It's not interesting to just be on the moon, and sooner or later, we'll plant this flag in the world beyond the Kuiper Belt."

Hearing this, Nie Han smiled, turned around and walked in the direction of the lunar rover.

"Alright, let's stop the small talk, and get to work."

They're not here for tourism.

Planting the national flag on this land is only the first step.

There's a lot more to them than that.

……

Time on the moon is precious.

The Lunar Module's reserves of food, fresh water and oxygen are only enough to sustain two astronauts on the lunar surface for 48 hours, and only 4-6 hours for each extravehicular activity. Except for a series of physical needs such as returning to the lunar module to resupply, eating, drinking, and lazing, the time left for them to carry out the mission is not very generous.

After planting the flag, the two men continued to get into the car, and after driving some distance along the edge of the crater, they stopped in a relatively flat area near the ridge.

According to computer analysis, there is a small probability that this area will be visited by meteorites.

Although it is a probability in a statistical sense, it still has a certain reference value.

After stopping the lunar rover, Liu Zhengwen took out the infrared beacon from the rover and placed it on the flat ground as he had done countless times during training, and then returned to the lunar rover to evacuate the area.

Soon, in the 127-minute orbit, a pitch-black square object separated from Xiangrui, dragging a faint backjet flame, slowly landing on the surface of the moon under the traction of the moon's gravity, stirring up billowing dust.

After waiting for the flying lunar dust to drift away, the rover returned to the area.

After getting out of the car, Liu Zhengwen pulled out a data cable with a special interface from the spacesuit and connected it to the device.

Soon, a line of progress bars appeared on the screen attached to the arm.

As the progress bar was completed, the simple control interface was quickly presented to him.

“…… This is the lunar surface research team, the planting unit has been successfully deployed, and the device is starting normally. ”

After a brief electric sound, Nie Yun's voice came from the communication screen.

"Check the condition of the specimen."

"Roger."

The entire space planting unit covers a total area of 15 square meters, and it still looks quite spacious when unfolded.

The core components are divided into two parts, the vast majority of which are planting cabins, which are used to cultivate five easy-to-grow crops such as potatoes and carrots, and a small part is a breeding cabin, located in a corner of the planting unit, containing ten mice.

Six of the mice were divided into two groups, one male and one female, and the remaining four "single mice" were sterilized and lived in single rooms separated by metal fences.

As long as the power is uninterrupted, the gas circulation system can continue to work, and as for fresh water and food, there is enough for them to survive for a year without increasing the quantity. If the organism is confirmed to be dead, the entire device activates the cryogenic device to freeze the death test to prevent it from rotting.

As for the longer period......

Actually, there is no need for that.

The space planting unit is an experimental model to test whether it is possible to grow crops on the surface of the moon to achieve the self-sufficiency of a space colony and the impact on the health of organisms in prolonged low-gravity environments.

As long as one of these mice can survive for more than three months, the whole experiment is not considered a failure.

After starting the diagnostic procedure of the planting unit, the first thing Liu Zhengwen did was to check the health of the little mice.

Perhaps because they couldn't adapt to the gravitational environment of outer space, several of the mice seemed quite mentally weak, but fortunately, they were all alive and could react to some movements in the outside world.

Liu Zhengwen was not sure if they could survive tenaciously, but he still prayed silently for these little lives who sacrificed their lives for science.

After confirming that the specimen was in good condition, he checked the operation of the planting unit one last time, and then removed the data attached to his arm and reported the situation to Nie Yun, who was far away on the Xiangrui.

“…… This is the lunar surface research team, all the specimens in the planting unit are alive, and the air pressure, temperature, carbon and oxygen balance are all at the standard level, and no abnormalities have been found. ”

"Well done! Get ready to start a mission. ”

"Roger."

After completing the deployment of the space planting unit, the next step is to collect lunar soil.

For a long time, the lunar soil and lunar meteorite specimens preserved by the Chinese Academy of Sciences have been collected through remote-controlled detectors. This kind of lunar soil rock and soil specimens collected by astronauts is the first time for Huaguo.

Looking at the gray lunar soil all over the mountains, Liu Zhengwen's eyes lit up with a sampling shovel in his hand.

For him, who used to work at the Center for Lunar and Planetary Science Research, he really knew how valuable these things were.

No, that's not accurate enough, the value of these things is not something that can be measured in money.

If it weren't for the limited weight he carried, he would have dug up the area.

"Hurry up, time is limited," Nie Han glanced at the locator on his arm after putting a flick of powdery lunar dust into the sample bag, "The next sampling point is in the crater two kilometers away, so we have to move quickly." ”

Coming back from the excitement, Liu Zhengwen fixed himself with the hook lock on his waist, and then knocked on the crater with the iron catalpa.

"Understood!"