This is Walter M. Miller's “[Crucifixus Etiam][1]”. Troffies are mentioned in the review below. > Desperate to find some sort of meaning for the work he is doing, Manue > goes to one of the “troffies” (for atrophy, the older workers who have > given up any hope of returning to Earth), who explains it to him as a > problem of overproduction and underconsumption: > > *“So, it’s either cut production or find an outlet. Mars is an outlet > for surplus energies, manpower, money. Mars Project keeps money > turning over, keeps everything turning over. Economist told me that. > Said if the Project folded, surplus would pile up-big depression on > Earth.”* > <sup><sub>[Miller, Walter M. – “Crucifixus Etiam” (1953) - Doomsayer Press][2]</sup></sub> and in the story itself. > *Earth chalice, Earth blood, Earth God, Earth worshipers—with plastic > tubes in their chests and a great sickness in their hearts.* > > *He went away saddened. There was no faith here. Faith needed familiar > surroundings, the props of culture. Here there were only swinging > picks and rumbling machinery and sloshing concrete and **the clatter of > tools and the wheezing of troffies.** Why? For five dollars an hour and > keep?* You can read the story online [here](https://archive.org/details/Astounding_v50n06_1953-02_starhome) [1]: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?55922 [2]: https://doomsdayer.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/miller-walter-m-crucifixus-etiam-1953/