Month: January 2022

Journal Report Sol 5 – 22Jan2022

Maria Paula Bustos Moreno – Crew Geologist/ Green-Hab Officer Crew 226

DAY 04 OF SIMULATION

Dear Martian Diary,

Being far away from home has never been easy, I miss my hometown Bogotá, and my new home in Berlin (where I currently live). Those gigantic green mountains and rivers, everything full of life. What is the thing I miss the most? My private space. I’ve always loved to be alone, sit down in my room, listen to music, look through the window, and meditate about how grateful I am to be alive at this moment of human history, at which dreaming about becoming an astronaut is not unrealistic anymore. As I was telling you, I was not able to find this lonely place in the hab and I shared this concern with my crew members who told me that the place I was looking for was the science dom. The science dom? Of course! How could I not think about it before? Thank you Crew Scientist Felipe for the advice, here I go …..

I am heading to the Science Dom… These tunnels are cold, it is a complete experience to walk on them, the cold air, the rocks on my feet and the view, this view from the corner of the hab….” the camera shutter makes a sound”. Wow, look at this picture! It’s impossible to resist not taking a picture from here every day.

I just arrived in the Science Dom, this place is breathtaking, I come close to the rectangular window in front of the desk, and this view… The view from this window is making me feel an electric shock that comes out of my heart and flows to the rest of my body, suddenly my heart starts beating faster. “Boom, boom, boom”. I could stare here for hours looking at those red and brownish sedimentary rocks. Which forms of past life could have lived there some millions of years ago? It’s still a mystery… Can you imagine the first E-U-R-E-K-A! of the first scientist or group of scientists who discover the first sign of past life on Mars? I hope we unveil this enigma very soon.

Undoubtedly the science Dom was the place I was looking for. The smell of wet rock here makes this place such a perfect environment to study, to reflect, and have the boost of energy I was looking forward to having. …” Maria, Maria, are you there?” – the radio makes some noises

“Yes, here I am! Do you need something?” – I answer

“Can you please bring some Cilantro, Pepper, Onion, and Lettuce?” – Felipe asks

I’m the Green-hab officer of the crew. I take care of harvesting everything that we need, I spend an hour every morning in the hab, watering the plants, cropping, singing, and telling sweet words to them.

“Sure! Give me some minutes, I’ll be right there with the veggies” – I answer Felipe

“By the way, that sounds like you are preparing some tacos?” – I ask him in a very excited manner

I love tacos, I used to eat them a lot on Earth.

“You got it! Come with the veggies and let’s enjoy our Tacos lunch.” – He replies

The green-hab is our most “Earth-like” place here in the station. It’s so hot, that I feel I am in the middle of the Amazonas Rainforest as soon as I cross the door. Everything smells wet and fresh around here, my favorite plants are the cherry tomatoes. They are so sweet and grow very fast, I harvest them every day. I am starving and can’t wait to eat tacos!

“…Und egal was kommt, wer geht und bleibt, ich weiss. Du hältst mit mir Schritt..” – a german song wakes me up from a short sleep I took after lunch.

I take my headphones off. I still feel the delicious flavors of the lunch we cooked in my mouth: pico de gallo, ají, and chili with meat. Was the best Mexican lunch on Mars… obviously because it’s the only one hahaha.

I forgot to tell you that last night we had our first dance night in the hab. We listened to Colombian music for hours and danced like we were at a real party, it was very funny. Carlos is the funniest one around here, his dance moves were from another planet, we all laughed so much. What I love the most about this crew is that no one judges anyone, each one has its own personality and I feel we complement each other very well.

Well, it’s getting late here and I have some tasks to do. See you tomorrow again!

Journalist Report Sol 4 21Jan2022Yael Méndez- Commander Crew 226

Life on Mars has many details to take into account, thus a mistake can cost us our lives. That’s a thought the Crew came up with on Night of the Sol 3. Sol 4 began with a Crew full of energy to continue, it has been the best mission of their lives so far. Every single experience is an opportunity to learn from, every single decision is a new challenge. We had a snowfall in the morning and it was necessary to clear the tunnels to prevent accidents from happening.

Today has been a day where the Crew has gotten closer, the communication is getting better and the atmosphere is very similar to a home. Here we all care about the well-being of the other, seeking to create the best environment for everyone.

Cooking has been a great activity to maintain positive energy. Also, the time of making our meals has allowed us to enjoy a good conversation, to get to know each other more and to laugh. Today we prepared the best choclo arepa on Mars, based on corn and cheese. The crew has already adapted really well to the routines of the station. Everyone already knows their responsibilities and the importance of fulfilling them.

The teamwork has been really top class and I couldn’t be happier as a commander. We really are a good match for Mars.