A study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters on July 1st describes the increased metal levels in and around the moon’s craters.
It’s generally believed the moon formed when Earth’s debris was ejected from the atmosphere and condensed under gravity. This event would have occurred before the Earth’s metals had sunk to the core. Before this study, the issue was that the areas of the moon analyzed by scientists presented less metal than expected, leading people to believe there was less metal on the moon than there actually might be.
The study’s theory is that craters have eroded the moon’s surface and exposed metal lying closer to the core. In a nutshell, there’s more metal on the moon than we thought.
Now how could we turn this into a story? Something about the lone moon-dweller has always interested me. If you’ve seen “Umbrella Academy,” I imagine a scenario similar to how Number One was sent to the moon to acquire samples.
Except for the lone hero of this story oversees a massive amount of mining machinery. His best friend and dog are both robots. The story could kick-off when he witnesses the Earth erupt in a series of nuclear blasts (I’d have to research if it’s possible to see from space). His life is never in danger since he was provided with everything necessary to survive, but he has given up hope of ever talking to another human.
Then, a small girl and her cat arrive at the station, and he’s tasked with becoming a surrogate father. She becomes convinced the moon is haunted and slowly starts behaving in a way that makes the lonely miner wonder if she’s a ghost. When she gets lost in the massive cave system created by the mining operation, he is forced to save her.
So, in a sense, they save each other by showing up. The end of the book could be after the man and girl emerge from the mining system, and they find a small group of humans who there to join them after escaping Earth. Book 2 would go into the development of their community, and book three would be about returning to Earth.
