On the southern coast of Ange Island, there was a special astronaut training center. With an area of 700 acres, it occupied the southernmost corner of Ange Island. One-third of the facilities were located on the road, and two-thirds of the facilities were located in the sea.
The graphene layer circled a 400-acre aqueduct on the sea. The seawater in the aqueduct had no liquid exchange with the seawater outside, and the interior was divided into two areas by the graphene layer. By changing the salt content of the partitioned seawater, the buoyancy of the seawater could be offset against gravity to simulate the weightless environment in space and the low-gravity environment on the surface of the Moon.
The underwater construction included a simulated space station, space living area, experiment module, core module, etc. The training program covered a total of 437 space activities from spacewalk to core module work, to operating a work boat to complete the recovery of space debris.
Among them, 103 projects were open to the public. Whether it was Xin citizens or foreign tourists, the remaining 335 projects had a certain level of confidentiality. Only trained staff members could participate.
The venue was open to the public for free on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition to parents bringing their children to play, there were also social activities organized by public schools with a small ticket fee. Not only was it open to locals, but tourists visiting Xin could also pay an entrance fee of 100 USD and enter with a tourist passport to experience the feeling of weightlessness.
However, considering the high price of spacesuits, only trained staff could wear them. Other tourists could only use simulated spacesuits to experience the space environment.
The entire training center had a total investment of 2.5 billion USD. As part of Celestial Trade's space program, it was funded by the Space Elevator Project Department and could accommodate up to 8,000 tourists and trainers at the same time. In terms of scale and openness, it was undoubtedly the largest space training center in the world.
Future Group turned the aerospace industry from a private project to a national project. In addition to throwing a large amount of money into the bottomless pit of space, they also used their influence in Xin's political circle to introduce a series of policies to stimulate the development of the aerospace industry.
For example, the tax exemption for the aerospace industry, the immigration policy for space volunteers …
If there was a country with the highest proportion of astronauts in the world, it would definitely be Xin in a few years.
…
Liu Qingpeng from Fujian was one of the beneficiaries of the immigration policy for space volunteers.
Three months ago, when he was still working in Fujian, he saw a special advertisement in the news pushed by Future 1.0.
[Celestial Trade announces a moon colonization plan, recruiting volunteers from around the world!]
This advertisement reminded him of the Mars colonization plan announced by SpaceX a few years ago. In the next 15 to 20 years, SpaceX planned to send 80,000 volunteers to colonize Mars. The volunteers would live a self-sufficient life on Mars...
It sounded like a fantasy.
After all, they had not even completed the colonization of the moon, let alone Mars, which was 55 million kilometers away from Earth. According to the plan issued by Space-X, each volunteer had to raise their own travel expenses of $500,000.
Rather than calling this a Mars colonization plan, it was more like a unique crowdfunding campaign.
However, Celestial Trade's advertisement made his eyes glued to the screen, and he couldn't move his eyes away for even half a second.
[All volunteers only need to sign a safety agreement and volunteer to dedicate themselves to the aerospace industry, then they can participate in the aerospace project. All project participants, after registering through the official website, can go to the embassy to apply for a special work visa to join our cause.]
[After arriving in Xin, volunteers' accommodation and meals will be provided by Celestial Trade. Training time will be eight hours a day, four of which will be completed at the Celestial Trade Astronaut Training Center. The remaining four hours can be trained during sleep time through the Phantom helmet. The rest of the time can be arranged by volunteers. Training time can be arranged by volunteers and instructors after consultation. The training venue will be open all day.]
[In addition to providing accommodation and food, Celestial Trade will also provide volunteers with a minimum salary of $400 per month. After one year of work, volunteers can become full-time employees and can change their work visa to an immigrant visa. The salary will also be increased to $600-3,000 depending on the type of work.]
[Note: If the contract is terminated midway, the visa of the terminator will be revoked and the person will be repatriated. If the volunteer unilaterally terminates the contract after becoming a full-time employee, the volunteer will bear a certain fine. The company will determine whether to further pursue the liability of breach of contract based on the seriousness of the situation.]
[The first colonization plan is confirmed to be the Moon. Celestial Trade's probes have already set off to explore the geological information of the Moon and search for large-scale ice reservoirs.]
[The first step of human colonization in space, we look forward to your participation!]
To be honest, when Liu Qingpeng finished reading the advertisement, he was tempted.
The monthly salary of $400 was indeed low. After all, they were recruiting volunteers and not formal employees. What really tempted him was the work visa to Xin and the qualification to become a permanent immigrant after one year!
Since the completion of Penglai City, Xin tightened its immigration policy. It was no longer as easy to obtain a green card from Xin. The labor market was close to saturation. Other than the shortage of high-tech talents, the country could provide workers with a high school education or below. The Xin government, of course, prioritized the employment of its citizens.
Originally, Old Liu planned to work in Fujian to save some money, get a work visa, and immigrate to Xin. But he was one step too late. When he applied for a visa, the embassy staff gave him two choices.
Either become a soldier in Celestial Trade or provide proof of a graduate degree or above.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the result.
He couldn't endure the hardship of being a soldier. If he had a high degree, he wouldn't be working in a factory. If he couldn't satisfy both conditions, he could only say goodbye to the beautiful Coro Island.
But now, a brand new opportunity was placed in front of him! As long as he signed up to join Celestial Trade's Moon Colonization Program, he could obtain the opportunity to immigrate to Xin as an astronaut volunteer.
Although the idea of immigrating to the Moon always made him feel anxious, who knew how many years it would take for the colonization program to actually be implemented. He could become a permanent employee after a year of work. He could spend four hours at night for training and do some part-time work during the day. He could easily earn three to four thousand USD a month. Celestial Trade also provided food and accommodation, so he could save any amount of money he earned!
After he made up his mind, he immediately filled out the information on Celestial Trade's official website and applied for the volunteer qualification.
But just as he closed the official website, his eyes inadvertently scanned the upper right corner of the screen, the number of applicants.
When he saw this number, Liu Qingpeng suddenly took a deep breath, and his originally excited mood suddenly cooled down.
[With so many people signing up, will I really be chosen?]
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