day 14 of 30

NanoWriMo2005
J E D Cline

day 14 of 30

However, the Radio Frequency signal would have to be coordinated with other base operations, to make certain it did not cause glitches in commands or data acquisitions. Perhaps instead was a “911” kind of system that could operate even without humans inside the station?

Idealiana got in her Holopresence nook and initiated a holographic design processor, and began to create a schematic of the new 911 system. As virtual hands and eyes manipulated the virtual drawing tools and analytical math systems, with subroutines continuing to operate when the attention moved beyond their setup, a space-time equivalent of the new equipment quickly arose in the Holopresence chamber. It had to be built with the spares on hand, which factors progressed through the design. That which could be created with available resources was highlighted, and that which could be made possible or better, showed what needed to be requisitioned to be brought in subsequent supply missions to the lunar StationBase1. Fortunately, with cheap electrical lift to GEO, the transfer vehicles from GEO to the Moon could be absolutely huge, lotgs of cargo space for all kinds of things, including a variety of animals and vegetation.

Artesiana found time to relax in the station’s pet facilities. Long before, it had been decided that animals and plants were necessary for companionship of people in long term residency far from earth, maintaining a deep kind of psychological health for the crew. Letting the creatures reproduce within controlled conditions, provided data that would be important later, too, including levels of needed genetic diversity. They had species diversity, although no ecological balance was a particular concern with these; just to have freshwater tropical fish in a tank, toads in a small pond, an ant farm, several parakeets and quail, green iguanas, minature lop-eared rabbits, housecats and small dogs. The carnivores were separated away from edible neighbors. This experiment was not to supply food, although data from it would be useful later when livestock were imported for food. The Quinoa greenhouse was the initial setup for vegetation, other than a potted vine in the living quarters; one of the things to be built soon, based on early results with the Quinoa greenhouse, was a large greenhouse to grow fresh veggies, and grain for some of the pets.

The basic hydrocarbon waste processing was still being done by the standard Digestion Vat process. They had only the basic food processing facilities so far, drawing from the raw moosh of the vat, and growing from several cell cultures, including beef muscle, turkey muscle, watermellon fruit, peach fruit, corn kernels, grapes. A bit of beer and wine was fermented from these as secondary food products.