Journalist Report – January 2nd

Sol: 1
Author: Kenny Pritchard, Crew Journalist
Title: Hab Sweet Hab
Due to one of those pesky Martian dust storms delaying our entry into simulation, Crew 272 has spent today and yesterday (or should I say yester-sol?) making preparations for the mission. We’ve set up our lodgings, prepared our first meals, and the on-site Mission Support team is leading us through the necessary training! It looks like the beginning of a very rocky relationship with dehydrated food for us.
In the morning, crew Health & Safety Officer Megan led us through a routine of stretches to keep us limber for the sol’s activities. We’ve been lucky to get some glimpses into the awesome beauty of the Martian landscape here, but even luckier to experience the crew’s earnest attempts at Crow Pose and various other exercises. In the midst of a replenishing biscuits-and-gravy breakfast prepared by crew Engineer Mason, a slight oven storage mishap necessitated crew Geologist Adriana to try her hand at emergency tortilla amputation. The surgery was a success with only minimal loss of plastic-infused tissue.
A busy afternoon brought us a training session and our first test drive in the MDRS EVA suits. The whole crew partook in a lengthy-but-productive photoshoot, after which crew GreenHab Officer Madelyn was able to set up seeds for germination to begin her research into plant performance. Mason and crew Commander Kshitij took our drone (named Garud) for a sunset flight around the Hab, capturing some awe-inspiring shots of the flaming red ridges and sun-soaked mesas that surrounded us. Tonight, Adriana will don her chef’s hat to share with the crew her world-famous enchiladas (in fact the only enchiladas in this world). If all is well tomorrow, the dust storm will clear up, and the real mission will begin!

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