The colony of Heinlein began at Tranquility Home, a United States scientific lunar station that was built around the site of the original Apollo 11 landing. Since the construction of the Beanstalk and the mining of helium-3 began, the lunar colony exponentially boomed. Now Heinlein is made up of several structures and domes spread across the barren lunar surface. Much of the land is claimed by Melange Mining, which has a near-monopoly on the industry of helium-3 extraction. There are several settlements made to house colonists on Luna and the occasional visitors, many of who live in a pragmatic lifestyle compared to one found on Earth. The settlements are connected by way of mag-lev trains or transit tunnels underground although several areas remain out of reach from public transportation.
It is easy to forget that Heinlein is actually the twelfth district of New Angeles. Despite having council representation in New Angeles’s city hall, most matters on Heinlein are managed locally. The Lunar Insurrection was fifteen years ago where unrest over the mining of helium-3 had spread between several colonies. This eventually broke into an insurrection where several colonies were seized by the workers. Unfortunately, this occupation was short as it was quickly and brutally put down by the military. In the aftermath, the Treaty of Heinlein was signed and put Heinlein in control of New Angeles, making Heinlein one of its districts. Melange Mining now continues to operate with fewer competitors in the area and fewer humans in their workforce, largely supplemented by both types of androids. The Big Four Megacorporations have a visible presence here as well. The Space Expeditionary Corp (SXC) maintains a watch on Luna to prevent any future rebellion.
In order to reach Heinlein, often travellers will take the Beanstalk to Midway Station, an orbiting satellite around Earth, where they will transition to continue their travel to the Challenger Planetoid. From the Challenger Planetoid, travellers will fly by direct shuttle or ships to Heinlein. Direct flights from Earth to Heinlein still exist, although they are often a costly venture compared to taking the Beanstalk.
Heinlein has a population of approximately 3 million.