Journalist Report – 10 April 2018
Author: Richard Blakeman
We started this morning on a high note as I led crew members Ashok Narayanamoorthi and Victoria Varone out on our first Martian EVA. We specifically scheduled the day’s first EVA in the morning hours to avoid the strong afternoon sun, as crew members Joe Dituri and Andreaa Radulesco reported getting a little hot during their first EVA yesterday afternoon.
This allowed us to stay out a bit longer and explore further into the area, where we documented many different geologic formations, colors, and structures. We were very excited to come across erosion that was likely caused by liquid water flow, as well as some interesting animals tracks, both of which suggest possible life on Mars.
Our second EVA took place late in the afternoon, where crew members Joe Dituri and Andreaa Radulesco began by moving our third large water tank into the RAM for cleaning, which will be continued tomorrow. They locked up the RAM and headed out to explore under an overcast, cloudy sky.
Today was also our first day conducting two EVAs where we alternated crew members to allow for the best possible use of energy and time and to allow the whole crew enough time to explore the Red Planet.
Crew morale remains outstanding as we’ve been finding many ways to occupy our time, including minor fixes and adjustments around the hab, experimenting with cooking our dehydrated supply of food, brainstorming EVAs, and playing games. We also just found the hab’s stash of movies which will supply a wonderful additional dose of entertainment for our movie-loving crew.
Blue Crew 192 will continue their adventures on Mars tomorrow.
Richard Blakeman