Sol: 12
Title: Our martian adventure is over
Author: Izabela Shopova, Crew Journalist
Our last sol greets us with a sun as bright and a window view as breathtakingly beautiful as ever. We are so lucky – Mars has been charming and endearing every day of our mission. The crew is busy, focused, working hard to catch up with our various projects and wrap up a successful mission. Last reports complete, photos uploaded and voted for, personal belongings collected and organized. After a quick lunch, we get busy with cleaning, ticking tasks off our end-of-mission checklist, making sure we leave the Hub and its facilities in perfectly good condition to make the next crew feel welcomed and at home.
And then we break the sim. Our martian adventure is over.
It was amazing, busy, productive, full of excitement, lessons learned, shared moments and inspiring experiences. It gave us a different perspective on life on Earth, taught us to count our blessings and appreciate what we often take for granted – the simple privilege of being with our loved ones, of enjoying the comforts and safety of our home environments and the accessibility of uninterrupted daily interactions with the rest of the world. We are richer with experience, knowledge and appreciation, ready for new beginnings and even greater adventures.
Now we can walk outside, take a breath without the space suits, take photos on the porch of the Hab and watch the brilliant night desert sky for as long as the freezing winter air allows us.
Over the horizon Mars is glowing red, bright and inviting.
Yes, yes, we are coming!