The Crater

Lore & Background

The Crater is not merely a location but a testament to cosmic violence, its steep walls hiding diverse biomes ranging from frozen depths to scorching lava tubes. While the Duplicants arrive via automated ship, the crater itself existed long before human technology touched the surface. It serves as a natural containment zone, protecting the colony from external atmospheric hazards while presenting internal geological challenges. Communication logs suggest this specific site was chosen for its resource density and relative isolation. The walls are rich in ores and water ice, essential for survival. Yet, the silence of the surrounding void implies that Earth is no longer reachable, turning this impact basin into a closed loop where every breath must be manufactured by the colony's own ingenuity.

In Their Own Story

Commander Vance adjusted his helmet seal as the landing thrusters cut out. Dust swirled in the low gravity, settling on the metal hull of the dropship. Below lay the Crater, a dark maw swallowing the light of the distant sun. "We're home," he whispered, though it felt more like exile. The airlock hissed, releasing the scent of recycled oxygen and cold stone.

Reader's Guide

The history begins with the automated arrival of the Duplicant transport ship into this basin, marking the start of the colony's timeline. Pre-game logs indicate Earth was facing ecological collapse, necessitating a remote, self-sustaining colony established by cloned personnel. Cryptic messages found in mission briefings hint at specific geological requirements for terraforming and atmospheric stability within the depression. Players uncover layers of rock revealing deep caves and alien ecosystems adapted to extreme conditions, suggesting life existed here before humanity arrived. Theories suggest the Crater's unique composition allows for stable atmospheric pockets that would otherwise escape into space. Some fans speculate the impact that formed it brought valuable extraterrestrial materials necessary for advanced tech, making this scar on the planet a golden opportunity for survival despite the isolation. The silence of the surrounding void implies Earth is no longer reachable, turning this impact basin into a closed loop where every breath must be manufactured by the colony's own ingenuity and endless labor against entropy.

Did You Know?

• The crater walls contain distinct biomes like Lava and Ice that require specialized gear to explore safely.
• Duplicants are genetically engineered clones sent from Earth, not original biological humans.
• Gravity is significantly lower than standard Earth levels in this setting, affecting movement and fluid dynamics.
• Resources like water often exist as ice or gas initially, requiring processing before consumption.

Overview and Visibility

The hemisphere facing away from Earth is known as the far side, often mistakenly referred to as the dark side due to its hidden nature rather than lack of illumination. Tidal locking ensures the Moon rotates on its axis in the same time it takes to orbit our planet, keeping one face permanently turned toward us. While approximately 18 percent of this distant hemisphere becomes visible through libration and oscillation, the majority remained unseen until space exploration began. During a full moon as viewed from Earth, the entire far side is actually in darkness, yet over long periods, both sides receive nearly equal sunlight. The term dark also applies to communication blackouts experienced by spacecraft positioned behind the lunar bulk, blocking signals from Earth. This phenomenon complicates observation and contact, making direct study impossible without orbital or landed assets capable of relaying data around the obstruction.

Surface Composition and Appearance

Visually, this hemisphere presents a rugged landscape distinct from the near side, characterized by dense impact craters and significantly fewer dark maria. While the Earth-facing side contains vast plains covering over thirty percent of its surface, the far side boasts only about one percent coverage of these basaltic seas. Consequently, the hidden face appears brighter overall due to the lack of reflective lowlands found elsewhere. Scientists attribute this disparity to higher concentrations of heat-producing elements on the near side, though crustal thickness and elevation also play roles. Notably, the South Pole–Aitken basin exists here as one of the largest craters in the Solar System. Despite having a thin crust and low elevations suitable for volcanic activity, it remained less active than regions like Oceanus Procellarum. Theories suggest an ancient collision with a companion moon might explain the highlands, though chemical data currently contradicts this hypothesis regarding surface composition.

Exploration Milestones

Human and robotic exploration of this region remained impossible until the mid-twentieth century. For a long time, all soft landings occurred exclusively on the near side. This changed dramatically on January 3, 2019, when China’s Chang'e 4 spacecraft achieved the historic first landing on the hidden hemisphere. More recently, the Chang'e 6 mission launched in May 2024 to retrieve samples from the Apollo basin in the southern hemisphere. Returning to Earth in late June that year, it delivered humanity's first physical lunar material collected specifically from this previously unlanded region of space.

Scientific Misconceptions and Potential

Common misunderstandings persist regarding the mechanics and lighting of this hemisphere. Many believe the Moon does not rotate, which would actually allow Earth to see all sides over an orbit; instead, its rotation period matches its orbital cycle perfectly. Another error assumes the far side never receives light, ignoring that every location experiences two weeks of sunlight followed by night. In reality, the near side receives extra illumination from earthshine during lunar nights, while the far side relies on faint starlight. Astronomers value this remote environment for potential radio telescopes, as the Moon blocks terrestrial interference. The Earth obscures only a negligible portion of the sky from the lunar perspective, meaning impact rates are likely equal across both hemispheres. Differences in crater visibility stem from lava flows covering older impacts rather than any protective shielding effect provided by our planet against space debris.

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