Coffee
- Jazz stated that in the 0.2 atm pure Oxygen atmosphere, the boiling point of water is much lower, and thus can't get hot enough to make proper coffee. In reality, the solution would be simple: make it in a pressure cooker!
- The problem is not making coffee (which in all likelihood would be instant anyway) in a way similar to earth, the problem is that unless you are in a higher pressure environment it can only ever get to 63°C which apparently is "lukewarm" to coffee drinkers... And building a pressure chamber just to drink coffee at higher temperatures sounds a bit impractical...
Real Estate at a premium
A constant theme throughout the book is the immense scarcity of real estate and every "wasteful" use of space (such as broad hallways or a lobby) being an obvious sign of wealth and high prices. But it is also stated that Oxygen production far outstrips supply. Wouldn't it be possible to build more real estate and fill it with all the surplus oxygen? Maybe inflatable modules built out of the same polymer as the "hamster balls" covered in regolith and rocks. Or use pre-existing caves?
- Yes, but then wasteful use of space ceases to be a status symbol. So all the people who could realistically afford it have no interest as it would only cut into their own status. Not to mention the original setup for Artemis was a money laundering scheme that probably didn't turn a profit. As a result further expansion is likely off the table.
Food
Why is the only food available to the lower classes algae derived gunk? There is grass growing on soil in that one park and even if bringing enough soil from earth to feed 2000 people would be too much, hydroponics is a largely Solved Problem today on earth and it would not stretch the imagination that they try it on the moon, too
- Cost versus need. Algae is simple to grow, requires nothing more than water, CO2, and a tank to put it in. Hydroponics is a complicated process both in equipment and execution, with a lower yield per dollar investment. Artemis is about maximizing profits - it was founded on the principle and runs on it - so minimum cost to do minimum job makes sense when you're talking about feeding people who can't afford to pay for better anyway.
Nitrogen
It is stated that the Athmosphere on Artemis lacks Nitrogen because humans don't actually do anything with the Nitrogen they breathe in. Fair enough. But bound Nitrogen is an essential component of many parts of the human body and no plant or animal can grow without it. So where does that come from? Amonium-Nitrate imports from earth? (BAD IDEA). On earth bound Nitrogen and athmospheric Nitrogen are in a continuous cycle (albeit with the Haber-Bosch Process mightily changing the cycle from what it would otherwise be). Where do Artemis residents get their bound Nitrogen from?
"I'm not your buddy, guy"
- Why does Svobo not want Jazz to call him Buddy? He says she needs lessons talking the men but as a man, I don't get it?
- Calling him "Buddy" reinforces that he's stuck in the "Friend Zone." There are plenty of indications Svobo wishes he and Jazz were more than Just Friends. And even if he wants things to stay platonic, "Buddy" could be considered an emasculating reminder that his attractive friend has zero interest in him.
Gangster Assassins
- Why do they assume the cartel will just give up if they destroy the plant and not say... kill them all out of revenge and a lesson for others not the fuck with them?
- To much attention, no profit, and disrupting Artemis too much could cause serious problems with the records of all their money laundering that surely exist
