Journalist Report
Nicole Chan, Crew 290 Journalist
01.17.2024
Sol 10
Today took a pretty unexpected turn. The crew had originally scheduled an EVA at 1000 to Skyline Rim for Madelyn (Melon), Ben (Funk), and Anna (Roots) to visit the site and collect soil samples to further our Project MADMEN science goals. A few hours before, Melon and Anja (Freebee) watched the weather forecast closely and started noticing snow and thick clouds on the horizon. After consulting with mission support, Melon decided to watch the weather up until 0945 before making the final decision of whether to go ahead with the EVA or not. We were worried that unfavorable weather conditions would have a more significant impact on the walking EVA. As the gray clouds rolled in and the generator turned off in the daytime, our Hab went into low power mode to conserve energy. In the end, due to low visibility at the planned EVA destination, our commander decided that it was unsafe to perform the EVA and postponed it for Sol 11.
With a sudden open gap in our schedule, Freebee offered the idea that we should play Fishbowl. Similar to Charades, the game had several rounds of guessing certain words in teams, where we’re allowed to verbally describe the phrase, then limit our hints to a single word, and lastly only use our body language. As the rounds went on, the teams found creative ways to speed through each word, which generated lots of laughs amongst the crew. Team 1, which included Melon, Freebee, and Funk, won the game. Freebee, our leading social activities planner in the crew, suggested that we cool down and relax with some yoga. To this, the crew cleared the upper Hab area to create a makeshift yoga studio (moved the furniture to the side to create a large central area). We relaxed our muscles in different stretches and yoga poses, noticing that we felt more centered afterwards. The yoga session soon turned into a workout routine led by Anna (Roots) which required outstanding flexibility and got us feeling more active. We even started to take turns doing handstands, trust falls, and cheerleading routines. We all had a great time sharing stories and moving our bodies in interesting ways. Before we knew it, it was time for lunch. It was a tasty leftover from last night’s taco bowls. (I couldn’t stop myself from getting seconds!)
Some of our crew (Rebecca aka Chopper, Freebee, and Roots) then headed to the ScienceDome to perform the routine pH measurements of the soil samples in different reagents. With so many different measurements, the crew also began inputting the data onto a spreadsheet for post-mission analysis. We’ll be finishing up the daily measurements in the next few days and hopefully collect samples from another interesting site before the mission ends. As Funk is cooking up some Jambalaya for dinner, the ScienceDome crew begins to head back for our nightly family dinner. To wrap up the day, we look forward to another stargazing session on such a clear night.
Photo of the Day: 290-01_17_2024 fishbowl.jpg