Durban Tungut Desert.
This was a forbidden area for life.
Many years ago, Academician Lu drew a circle here, and a six-lane road and two stretches of poplar trees were paved here. After the completion of a closed biosphere in the shape of an ostrich's egg, the area gradually became populated.
Liang Youcheng, who was wearing overalls, glanced at the cabin pressure indicator on the workbench next to him. He then closed the diary in his hand.
It had been four hundred days since the biosphere was last closed.
Liang Youcheng had to do two things every day. One was to video chat with his wife and children, and the other was to write a diary to record every bit of his life in the biosphere.
This was the advice given to him by his psychiatrist when he was still in training.
"… The environment on Mars will be harsher than here. Staying in a state of low gravity for a long time will not only burden the bones and organs, but it will also cause a lot of mental stress. The former can be controlled by drugs, but the latter needs to be adjusted by you. When you're bored, try writing in your diary. Just write a few sentences. "
Just like that, more than a year had passed. He felt that his diary was thick enough to be published as a book. Even though this kind of life was about to end, he still felt a little reluctant.
"Speaking of which, today is the day the biosphere is opened."
He took a deep breath and stood up from the console.
If he remembered correctly, he was on the last shift. After his colleagues in the agriculture department harvested the last batch of potatoes and corn, they could pack their luggage and stand at the door of the airlock, waiting for the people outside to open the door.
Lu Zhou didn't know where the news came from, but since the day before yesterday, people have been saying that Academician Lu would come today.
The chief consultant and chief designer of the Lunar Orbit Committee was no stranger to any astronaut.
After hearing this news, almost everyone was talking excitedly. Did this mean that the time for them to fulfill their mission was coming soon …
On the other hand, outside the biosphere.
Accompanied by several army soldiers, a group of people walked on the cement road inside the research base.
Lu Zhou looked around at the neat cement houses on both sides of the road. He couldn't help but speak with nostalgia.
"We're back here again."
Director Li, who was walking next to him, felt the same way at the moment. He spoke with emotion.
"Yeah."
Including this time, he had been to this desert a total of three times. Whether it was the location of the base or the retrieval of the Lightning Airborne Capsule, he had been with Lu Zhou every time.
Not only that, but every time he came here, he could see the obvious difference in this lonely castle in the desert.
This time, the changes in his eyes were even more obvious.
It could even be said that it was like a completely different place. Even the changes he had seen the last two times he had been here couldn't compare to the shock he felt this time.
"I didn't expect this place to change so much."
Hearing this, Lu Zhou smiled.
"It's not just big. I almost couldn't recognize it. "
When the Tinder Plan was just established, he remembered that this place was still a desolate desert. The people who were stationed here were mainly the militia nearby and the researchers from various research units.
The conditions at that time were very difficult. They slept in mobile rooms converted from shipping containers, ate food that was easy to store, and drank water delivered by water trucks from hundreds of kilometers away.
Now that a few years had passed, the Tinder Plan had taken root in this desert. This research base had turned from a tinder to a burning torch. It had become a beacon that could not be ignored in China's extraterrestrial colonization plan and the international biosphere research plan!
Professor Hu Yang walked next to Lu Zhou and Director Li. He looked a lot older than before.
The dry wind and sand took away the youth of this middle-aged professor from Agricultural University. At the same time, it also left cracks on his face.
If one didn't look at his ID card, no one would be able to tell that he was in his early forties.
"In the past two years, two more research institutes have been moved here, and members of international cooperation organizations have also moved in. With so many people stationed here, the local economy has been boosted by the food and drink they eat and drink. Many locals who do business in the area saw the military building a water tower nearby, so they decided to build houses along the road. I'm a little worried that with so many people moving here, will it destroy the fragile ecological environment here? "
"After all, what attracted us to stay here is the forbidden zone in the middle of the Dourbantunggut Desert. If this continues, I'm afraid that the local people will develop tourism here. We will have to move sooner or later."
Director Li nodded thoughtfully and said in a serious manner, "I will report the situation here to the organization and guide the non-researchers nearby to a suitable place as soon as possible."
Professor Hu Yang sighed and said, "Thank you."
While they were talking, the group finally walked to the deepest part of the research base.
This was the core component of the entire Tinder Plan — Biosphere A.
From the last experiment until now, this biosphere had been operating steadily for 400 days without the input of external resources. Now that its phased goal had been completed, today was the day the floodgates opened.
In the lounge outside the biosphere, Lu Zhou and the others met the astronauts who were about to go to Mars.
"Hello, Academician Lu!"
As soon as they met, a young astronaut in casual clothes walked up and shook Lu Zhou's hand enthusiastically.
Lu Zhou responded to the enthusiasm of the young astronaut. He shook his right hand and spoke with a smile.
"Hello, hello! You've been in the biosphere for a year, thank you for your hard work! "
Dr. Liang Youcheng's face was filled with pride as he spoke with a hearty smile.
"It's not hard at all! The automation technology in the biosphere is very mature, so our work is relatively easy! We only have to work six hours a day, and we rest after work. We also have broadband access to the Internet. It's just that the two months of the psychological stress test were a bit difficult, but everything else is fine. "
The so-called psychological stress test was to simulate extreme situations and test the mental endurance of astronauts.
For example, in the last simulation, the researchers assumed that solar flares damaged the communication equipment outside the biosphere and artificially cut off the communication between the biosphere and the outside world for two months.
During that time, they couldn't talk to their family on the phone or surf the Internet.
For a person who had lived in modern society for 20 or 30 years, this was quite torturous.
Lu Zhou looked at the young astronaut in front of him and spoke in a serious tone.
"The situation on Mars will be worse than on Earth, and it's likely to be two or three years. Maybe by the time you come back, your child will already be in junior high school … Have you thought about it?"
Liang Youcheng straightened his back, raised his chin slightly, and replied in a sonorous voice.
"I've thought about it since the day I joined the space brigade. As for my son, he will be proud of his father's name! "
Lu Zhou looked at the determined expression on the face of the astronaut in front of him. He cast a look of approval at him and nodded gently.
"It's my honor to work with you."
"Speaking of which, Academician Lu, I want to ask you something on behalf of my comrades. I don't know if it's okay?"
Lu Zhou: "What question?"
"Are we … about to depart?"
Lu Zhou looked at the eager expressions on the faces of the astronauts in front of him. He paused for a second before nodding with a smile and speaking in a serious manner.
"That's right.
"The Mars manned landing program will be launched within a month!"
He cleared his throat and continued in a serious tone.
"One of the purposes of my visit to the Northwest is to check whether the design of the colonial cabin meets the standards, and the other purpose is to review the warriors who are about to go to space for us …
"Which is you guys!
"Your performance is excellent, even beyond the expectations of our researchers! Obviously, you have passed all the tests, and with the perseverance and courage shown in the experiment, you have impressed everyone, including me. I hope you can remember what you have learned in the experiment and spread all the beautiful and excellent qualities of our civilization to the distant stars.
"Although we are not the first people to set foot on the land of Mars, I believe that we will do what they wanted to do but failed to do.
"In the near future, because of your bravery, our flag will fly on the land of Mars forever.
"We will reclaim the wasteland into fertile land and turn the desert into an oasis!
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