The steam generator and the steelmaking blast furnace were ready, but they still couldn’t be put into use at this mont.
Because high-capacity thermal power generators require more fuel supply.
The current mining team was already working at full capacity just to support the two existing generators; adding another generator that needed several tis more fuel than the two existing ones combined would exhaust the Clones to death, and they still wouldn’t be able to supply enough.
Even adding the five newly increased Clones to the mining team wouldn’t be enough.
At this stage, the mining team’s mining thod involved driving a planetary rover, using its power, and electric heating equipnt to heat and cut solid oxygen and solid tolin, then loading them into the vehicle’s bucket and bringing them back.
Because the planetary rover was not originally designed for mining, its capacity was limited, and its cutting power was also limited.
Furthermore, even on Loshen Star, where gravity is extrely low, repeatedly moving solid oxygen and solid tolin for long periods was still very tiring, and the Clones’ handling efficiency was very low.
Continuing to invest more manpower in mining was not realistic.
Firstly, there weren’t that many people, and secondly, even if there were, it would be a waste of manpower.
Tom had a better solution.
Then... he would build a tractor!
With a tractor specifically for transportation, the predicant he currently faced would be easily resolved.
Whether it was the transportation of iron ore or the fuel demands of high-power generators, everything could be addressed.
The problem now was how to build this tractor.
The two Clones remaining on the Shenkong (Deep Space) Spaceship once again began intense study.
After learning the basic principles, the total of 22 brains he controlled began to think together, quickly completing the blueprints with efficiency far exceeding that of ordinary people.
Thus, the ore refining and processing equipnt resud operation, continuously producing parts, which were then carefully assembled by the Clones.
Initially, from the outside, it was impossible to tell what the Clones were assembling.
It looked like a large iron can, covered with irregular protrusions and connection holes.
But as ti passed and more and more parts were produced, it gradually took shape.
Finally, a relatively small steam engine appeared before the Clones.
That’s right, this tractor was not powered by an internal combustion engine, nor was it electric like the planetary rover; it was powered by a steam engine.
Aside from the steam engine, Tom couldn’t find any other energy source at this stage.
Once the tractor’s "heart" was built, the remaining parts were much easier.
Finally, after another month or so, the tractor’s engine block was completed.
Looking at the rough-looking tractor head before him, with its four steel wheels, standing about 1.5 ters high, 2 ters wide, and 2.2 ters long, Tom, who had been busy for over two months, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"It’s finally built..."
This was a fully chanical tractor head with no electrical components whatsoever.
Its internal workings relied entirely on chanical chanisms for power transmission, fuel regulation, and so on, making it incredibly clunky and outdated.
If this thing were thrown onto Earth, it would probably only belong in a museum.
But for Tom at this mont, it would be of great use.
After providing the initial heat to lt the solid oxygen and solid tolin for the tractor head’s steam engine, the steam engine finally started.
Tom patiently waited for the ice to lt and steam to generate.
This process took about ten minutes, and finally, a slight vibration ca from the vehicle body, indicating that power was ready.
Yes, each ti it started, this tractor would take over ten minutes, and it couldn’t cold start; it required an external heat source to assist in starting.
If it broke down in the wilderness, it couldn’t start itself and would have to wait for external rescue.
A Clone went up, grabbed the gear stick and shifted gears, and imdiately, the steam power was transmitted to two of the four wheels; the two drove the four, and all four wheels rolled simultaneously, slowly pulling the vehicle forward.
As the steam engine’s power increased, the vehicle’s speed grew faster and faster.
Finally, with the steam engine running at full load, the tractor head’s speed reached its maximum, about ten kiloters per hour, roughly the speed of a person running.
"This speed is acceptable."
Tom imdiately began the next experint.
The tractor’s bucket had already been built; it was a steel compartnt two ters wide, four ters long, and half a ter deep.
It had a connecting hole at the front, which could be directly attached to the tractor head, allowing it to be moved by the head.
Tom controlled the Clones to move large chunks of tolin ore and oxygen ore onto the bucket, totaling about seven to eight cubic ters, with a total mass of about six to seven tons, and then restarted the tractor head.
This ti, the tractor head was noticeably struggling.
Large plus of black smoke billowed from the chimney, then quickly dissipated into the vacuum environnt of Loshen Star’s surface, turning into black snow falling from afar.
The tractor head trembled, its four steel tires rolled laboriously, slowly pulling the heavy bucket forward, with a maximum speed of only six to seven kiloters per hour.
Tom stared intently at it until the Clone controlling it drove it one or two kiloters along the canyon and then turned back.
A group of Clones imdiately stepped forward and carefully inspected the condition of the tractor head.
After finding that the tractor head was in good condition and had no malfunctions, they finally truly relaxed.
After the inspection was completed, the tractor was imdiately put into use.
Following a gentle slope leading from the canyon to the surface, the tractor trembled, roaring silently, and drove onto the desolate and lifeless land of Loshen Star.
It took over an hour, navigating around various gullies and undulations, traveling over ten kiloters, finally arriving at a previously surveyed oxygen ore rich area.
On Loshen Star’s surface, tolin ore was everywhere and could be sourced nearby.
oxygen ore was relatively scarce, requiring so distance to find.
Two Clones jumped down from the tractor head, each taking out a heat dissipation pipe—one end of the pipe was connected to the steam engine, now serving as a heating and cutting device.
Underground, the pale blue oxygen ore shimred with a peculiar light under the distant dim sun and mining lamps.
Under the heating of the heat dissipation pipe, a large amount of solid oxygen rapidly sublimated and disappeared.
Soon, a large chunk of oxygen ore was cut off and directly lifted by the Clones into the bucket.
In a short while, a full bucket was collected, weighing about seven to eight tons in total.
So the tractor roared again, slowly driving back to Base 1 at an even slower speed than before.
The previously sowhat empty fuel storage area was imdiately filled.
Looking at the full supply of fuel, Tom breathed a long sigh of relief.
"This is great! With this tractor, the mining team not only doesn’t
need to increase manpower but can even be reduced from five people to just two, freeing up three Clones to do other things."
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