Journalist Report
Nicole Chan, Crew 290 Journalist
01.19.2024
Sol 12
The morning started with whisking noises in the kitchen outside our rooms. The crew began to get ready one by one, curious about what’s cooking. Turns out Ben (Funk) is making dalgona coffee by whisking instant coffee with water and sugar to make a layer of foam on top of the traditional cup of coffee. With some ice, the drink felt like such a delicacy after being on Mars for two weeks. The crew all enjoyed this special treat coupled with new apple and cinnamon pancakes made by Anja (Freebee). What a great way to start the day!
Today was our last full day at MDRS and also the day we will be “breaking sim.” The crew looked forward to hiking the hills around the station without the weight of the spacesuit. So, in the afternoon, the crew, along with REMI, headed out to the surrounding area to take in the sights and the fresh air. It was great to be able to see the station and the red-striped hills without having a layer of helmet in front of our faces. Suffice to say that it was a long-awaited break from our usual Martian routine. As the sun sets, the crew gathers in the upper Hab to contemplate dinner plans and assign station checkout tasks. Since we’re scheduled to leave the station around 1000 tomorrow, most of the checkout and packing tasks will need to be completed before the end of Sol 12.
Currently, Freebee is cooking up our last dinner on Mars with a variety of entrees including some red-sauce pasta with a side of leftover chicken pot pie from last night. Our recent evening conversations have centered around the kinds of Earth food we have been missing the most, with fresh fruit being the most popular by far. (So we were excited to have a taste of Funk’s harvest of tomatoes from the GreenHab today. It exceeded our expectations!) As we get to work tonight, we reminisce about our time here on Mars, from the first time setting foot in the station to the first time suiting up for EVAs. We’re all so grateful to be here and have learned a lot about what it takes to be a Martian during the past two weeks.
Photo of the Day: 290-01_19_2024 enjoying the walk.jpg