The Strip Mining Moon (also known as the Foundry, the Source or the Core) was a planetoid located in the center of Installation 00. Due to its heavily scarred appearance, it appears to have been extensively mined for resources by the Forerunners, most likely to support the construction of the Ark and potential replacement installations. It can be seen in several levels on the game Halo 3, most notably The Covenant and Halo.
Description
The Moon is partially obscured by dense violet clouds. Although no evidence as to their nature exists, it is highly likely that these clouds are, in fact, armies of Strato-Sentinels, tasked with the construction of new installations. This type of bottom-up manufacture would certainly be within the technological capability of the Forerunners, and it is difficult to imagine how a construct like Installation 04B could be fabricated within months[1] by any other method.
Defenses
Along with these Sentinel populations found around the Ark, the Mining Moon has an extra, albeit passive defense. It is equipped with a barrier shield which can be raised to protect both the Core and the Foundry from a possible attack by the Flood. At least one superluminal communications array is included within the barrier's confines.
The Prophet of Truth raised this barrier in 2552, either intentionally or accidentally. A small section of it is subsequently lowered by a joint Covenant Separatist assault force in order to allow access to the Citadel.
History
It is believed that the moon was originally located within the Milky Way galaxy, but was moved by the Forerunners in order to be mined. However, it is also possible that it was an extragalactic "rogue" planet; not gravitationally bound to any stellar system.
In late 2552, the moon appears to be approximately one third of Earth's dimensions, with a diameter of roughly 4255 kilometers. It could have originally been substantially larger, since the gap in which it is located appears able to accommodate an object at least twice its diameter; although, the large gap may have been intentional as to minimize the planetoid's gravitational pull on the ark's inner edge. Orange-red coloration can be observed in the fissures which dot the planetoid, indicating that it may have a molten internal structure. Template:Wide Image
Sources
- ^ Installation 04, Mark I was destroyed in September 21st 2552. Installation 04, Mark II would have been ready to fire in "just a few more days" by late 2552