For those of us who think people should live on the moon, however, this is a good thing. The moon has neither an atmosphere or a magnetic field and therefore the solar wind washes over it like a constant gale, loading it up with lots of Helium-3. When we need it, all we’ll have to do is go get it. To accomplish that, surface mining operations on Luna will have to be organized, and miners will be sent to do the work. Robots, however clever and dexterous, will never be able to replace human miners. If they could, they would have already done so on Earth. No, it will take those special men and women who bring with them not only their muscle, but supple minds to solve the myriad and constant problems inherent to all mining.
This novel is my vision of what life will be like on our eighth continent during its raw, frontier mining days before everything gets civilized. It is derived somewhat from an earlier novel of mine, Back to the Moon, and is based on my knowledge and biases of the moon, the space business, the mining profession, war, and history. To help fill in, I also interviewed Dr. Barbara Cohen, a NASA planetary scientist and geologist who is often called the “Moon Goddess,” for a couple of reasons, one of them because she believes, as I do, the moon will ultimately be settled by Earthians. Dr. Cohen also perused an earlier draft of Crater’s fine adventure, making a few suggestions to improve its accuracy, which I appreciated very much. Of course, any scientific or technical errors in this tale are entirely my own.
Further thanks are extended to my most excellent editor, Ami McConnell, whose encouragement almost singlehandedly caused me to write this, the first in a planned trilogy of Helium-3 novels. That’s why I dedicated this book to her. She and publisher Allen Arnold and all the folks at Thomas Nelson are truly prodigious. Thanks are also extended to my first editor and wife, Linda Terry Hickam, and her helpmate Mango, our beloved orange tabby, who usually graces her lap while she peruses my scribblings. Of course, I thank all the true rocket boys and rocket girls who are still out there in the space business constructing the machines that will eventually carry us back to the moon, this time to stay, build, dig, sweat, and prosper.
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Reading Group Guide
1. At the beginning of the novel, Crater is very happy just working the Scrapes, collecting Helium-3. But Petro has bigger plans for both of them. Why do you think Crater was happy doing the same job every day, and why is Petro so eager to get out? Which character do you relate to the most?
2. What would be the best part about living on the moon? What would be the hardest to adjust to? What would you miss most about Earth?
3. The gillie has been with Crater his whole life, but it is illegal, as everyone keeps telling him. Why do you think he never got rid of it? In what ways does it help him in the course of the novel?
4. If you had a gillie, what would you get it to do?
5. When you imagine life on the moon in the years to come, in what ways is it similar to the way life is described in Crater? What do you think will be different?
6. What are Crater’s greatest strengths? What are his greatest weaknesses?
7. If you lived on the moon, which profession would you be most interested in?
8. Describe life on Earth as Crater sees it. What is different than the way it is now? What is similar? Do you think the Earth in the book is how Earth truly will be in the future?
9. How would you describe the relationship between Crater and Petro? How does it change over the course of the novel?
10. Why did the Colonel choose Crater for his mission? Why did he have second thoughts?
11. On the Colonel’s desk is a placard with the phrase “Do not wish ill for your enemy; plan it” engraved on it. What does that let you know about the Colonel as a leader? Do you think Crater thought the same things?
12. On the convoy, the truckers seem to have little respect for Crater, yet Captain Teller expects him to control the truckers. Do you think there is anything Crater could have done early on to gain their respect? Do you think they gained respect for him by the end of the convoy?
13. What do you think is the hardest obstacle Crater encountered on the road to completing his mission? How do you think he managed to survive it all?
14. What do you think will happen next for Crater and his friends?
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About the Author
HOMER HICKAM is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Rocket Boys, which was made into the acclaimed movie October Sky. He is also the author of the bestseller Torpedo Junction, The Keeper’s Son, The Ambassador’s Son, the award-winning memoir Sky of Stone, and the bestseller Back to the Moon. He is married to Linda Terry Hickam. See www.homerhickam.com for more information.
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