Moon Hab by D.W. Patterson

Author:D.W. Patterson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science fiction, hard science fiction
Publisher: Future Chron Publishing
Published: 2024-03-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 3

The Space Trucks company finally came through. They manually flew their rocket and landed it at the job site, that is on the other side of the hill. I had a chance to talk with the Space Trucks pilot while she was waiting for the hab to be unloaded. We sat down in the rocket's dining room over a cup of coffee.

“I'm Jeremy Rogers,” I said, as I poured her a cup of coffee.

“Jen Blalock,” she said.

“Ms. Blalock, I was wondering, I use to be the monitor on the company's space station and I was responsible for getting Space Trucks and you out here. I was just wondering, do you have any idea why the AI couldn't land the LCL at the job site? I mean, did you have any problem?”

“Well, Mr. Rogers, I don't know why the AI had such a problem, but I brought the rocket in manually, so there were many automated systems that didn't come into play.”

“Like a sensor?” I asked.

“Maybe,” she said. “Why did you say that?”

“Oh, just something that occurred to me as I was walking from the landing area to the porch the other day.”

“You don't have a hauler?” she asked.

“No, ours is out of commission,” I said.

“Well, how are you going to get the hab around the hill?”

“I don't know,” I said. “Joan's got a plan. She's the lead foreman on the job.”

“I see,” she said, but I knew she didn't, because I had no idea what Joan was doing either.

It was afternoon before I saw how the crew was moving the hab. As they came around the foot of the hill I could see they were carrying it on a frame. Two crew members in front, two behind, and two on each side. This was not as silly as it sounds because although the inflatable hab might weigh over a ton on Earth, here on the Moon, it was less than four-hundred pounds. So eight crew could handle it if careful. And they were being careful, with Joan walking in front and calling out the choreographed operation. Another few hours and they had the hab in position and they quit for the “day.”

The next day, except for a few finishing touches, the new crew and old crew packed for the trip to the space station and a trip home for George and what was left of Ralph. Some had already started for the LPL, Joan stopped to see me.

“Well Rogers, you are about to make history,” she said.

“You mean over-nighting?” I said.

“Yeah, no one's ever done it before on the Moon. Those guys at the poles have almost continuous sunlight, except when they're working down in one of the craters. But that's just shift work. So you will have the record soon.”

“I'll have it alright,” I said. “I hope that I'll want it.”

“Nervous?” she asked.

“Yeah, not so much staying here alone,” I said. “But if something happens I'm stuck here.”

“You're sitting in a rocket Rogers.”

“I know, but I don't know

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