Imagine waking up to the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, climbing out of your tiny bunk, and watching the sun rise over red Martian cliffs stretching for miles through your porthole window.
That’s what I did this morning.
Today we did safety training. Safety here is critical … the nearest hospital is more than 100 miles away! (Don’t freak out, Mom. I’ll be okay, I promise.) I also got trained to use the ATVs and the EVA suits. The spacesuits, while not exactly high-tech, are fully functional, with sealed helmets (air is pumped in via the backpack), and built-in radios. The suits weigh 35 pounds apiece.
While I got caught up on training, Derek rebuilt the computer in the observatory so that the telescope can take pictures again.
It has become very clear very quickly that most of our time will be spent on maintenance rather than science. If our power dies or our water runs out, we have to find a solution, which is difficult when you can’t just make a quick trip to the convenience store. This is a big part of the simulation … after all, if we were really on Mars, it’d be a long trip back just to pick up some batteries.
The toilet is still unusable. Today we found an icicle of frozen human waste underneath the hab. A poopsicle, if you will.
After lunch the crew took a hike through the desert. It’s amazing just how remote this place is. We stood still long enough to appreciate the unsettling silence. 160 million years ago, this desert was completely underwater. Now all of those eons are visible in alternating sandy- and red-colored layers stacked up in the geological formations of the desert, and a surprising variety of rocks. We have a textbook here of Utah’s geology, and I want to read through a lot of it tonight … I was so frustrated by how little I knew! We also found some fossilized oyster shells.
I spent some time setting up the bio lab downstairs in the hab. We have some basic implements and chemicals, along with two microscopes and a brand new autoclave. The light was broken on the stereo scope, so I’ve jury-rigged a table lamp to do the trick.
Again and again I’ve been blown away by the talent and resourcefulness of my crewmates.
Merry Christmas from Mars, everyone! Sorry for the long posts … I’ll try to put up some pictures soon.
Merry Christmas, Zena!
Wow, what a cool Christmas gift for me to read about the adventures of my little sister at MDRS. You are amazing!
We’re having a nice time here at the Smiths’ house. Luke got a violin (aka vi-o-flynn) among other things. He heard the clip-clop and the jingle bells of the reindeers on the roof, and that’s how he knew Santa came.
Liam has a wicked fever, but it’s a lot better now and he’s pretty much a happy camper.
We love you and we miss you very much, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Read up on your geology, that’s what I like to hear! Merry Christmas Zena!
-shae
To quote the opening line of one of my favorite poems: Cavafy, “Ithaka.”
“When you start on your journey to Ithaka,
then pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge. …”
Keep on travellin’
Merry Christmas.
lotsaluv,a.l.