AssertUtf8: ä
Name: Dekompression
Aliases: [Decompression]
Year: 2209
Title: "Catastrophic Decompression on the Moon"
ShortTitle: Lunar Neglect
Short: The Artemis Archipelago, a lunar penal colony, faced a catastrophic decompression due to neglected safety systems during a meteoroid storm.
Headline: "Lunar Tragedy: Safety Neglect"
Post: "2209 Catastrophic Decompression of a Lunar Penal Colony. The Artemis Archipelago, a lunar penal colony, faced a catastrophic decompression due to neglected safety systems during a meteoroid storm... more: https://www.galactic-developments.de/Timeline/Dekompression?lang=en-US"
Twitter: "2209 Catastrophic Decompression of a Lunar Penal Colony. The Artemis Archipelago, a lunar penal colony, faced a catastrophic decompression due to neglected safety systems during a meteoroid storm... more: https://www.galactic-developments.de/Timeline/Dekompression?lang=en-US"
Image: en_2209_Dekompression.jpg
Author: Heiner Wolf
Translation: Heiner Wolf
Tags: [lunar colony, decompression, meteoroid storm, safety neglect, labor rights, penal labor]
Topics: [accident]
Text: |
  The penal colony, a sprawling complex known as the Artemis Archipelago, was primarily built to house prisoners who had been deported to the moon under a controversial initiative by Earth's governments and corporations. For decades, the Archipelago and other similar colonies served as the backbone of lunar mining operations. However, these labor centers were notorious for their deplorable conditions and exploitative labor practices. The safety protocols and emergency systems were woefully inadequate, reflecting the establishment's blatant disregard for the well-being of its denizens.
  The colony's most deadly oversight lay in its emergency decompression system. Originally constructed to handle sudden changes in pressure within the complex, these systems had been neglected, subject to shoddy maintenance and constant budget cuts. Two weeks prior to the catastrophic event, the emergency hatches had been taken offline for maintenance, a routine occurrence that typically went unnoticed. However, on the fateful day of the catastrophe, these hatches would prove to be the colony's Achilles heel.
  As luck would have it, a meteoroid storm struck the Artemis Archipelago that day. A few rogue meteoroids, no larger than a human fist, breached the colony's largest dome causing a big rupture that quickly vented air. In normal circumstances, the impact would have been mitigated by the emergency decompression system. It would have isolated the compromised, allowing the rest of the colony to remain habitable. However, due to the system's downtime, the emergency hatches failed to respond.
  In a matter of moments, most of the colony was exposed to the lunar vacuum. The sudden decompression tore apart living quarters, workstations, and life support systems alike. The surface areas of the Archipelago bore the brunt of the destruction, bombarded by debris and shrapnel propelled by the violent gusts of escaping air. 
  The aftermath of the disaster was deeply troubling, especially given the challenges of providing help on such a large scale. While rescue operations were promptly launched from Earth, the vast distance and the severity of the situation made the task daunting.
  This tragic event ushered in a new era of awareness and advocacy for space labor rights. It accelerated the ongoing campaigns against the use of penal labor in outer space and bolstered arguments for the enforcement of stringent safety regulations. In the years that followed, the incident became a rallying point for activists, leading to significant reforms in space labor practices and to an end of forced labor on the moon by 2215.