Lipi Roy, Crew 288 Journalist
12.16.2023
Sol 06
Driving through the vast expanse of the red desert on our way back, we spot our tiny habitat from miles away. We wonder what it would feel like as a Martian to finally get the sight of their safe abode, while on a perilous mission…
The crew woke up to a spectacular Martian sunrise and to the tunes of ‘The Moon is calling‘. Then, with the help of our crew engineer (and potato expert) Jesus, I quicky whipped up an assortment of fried potato crisps and mushroom-chicken-spam-scrambled eggs. In case you’re wondering about the variety of ingredients, it was all a courtesy of our commander, whose “precise calculations” yesterday resulted in more leftovers than dinner itself.
Ready for the day, Cesare (commander), Riley (XO), Hunter (Crew Geologist), and I commenced on our bumpy drive to Compass rock for some GPR measurements and sample collection. It was a nice learning experience to see how easily the GPR data could be collected using Riley’s magic tool; though I am not sure how much our today’s GPR dragger (Hunter) would agree with that. We then went on to collect rock samples from the area to make the day worthwhile for the crew geologist. In case the mission control is wondering why we request 4.5-hour EVAs every day, it is to factor in the time spent by our geologist getting distracted by rocks. I do hope he is proud of me for correctly identifying petrified wood today!
The EVA crew came back to Jilian’s (HSO) delicious pasta and Ryan’s (GHO) amazing cornbread. It seems Ryan has moved on from following recipes exactly and following his instinct. Great going, Ryan! As a cherry on top to the spectacular day, Jesus (crew engineer) surprised us by reviving the Baby Yoda. Thank you, Jesus! Seems like the crew that stayed behind has been equally productive!
The evening saw some interesting conversations with Ryan trying to prove why Harry Potter is overrated. But seems like he was singled out six to one. Sorry, Ryan. You may be right, but we are too attached to it to agree with you! For dinner, Jesus prepared yummy Spanish rice and fried veggies, which we all had with a side of report writing.
The crew is now waiting eagerly for today’s movie night and a relaxing Sunday!