Crew 297 Journalist – David Laude
The long anticipated soft landing on the surface of Mars occurred today for MDRS Crew 297. Six people with their own research projects from various scientific disciplines have come together to form this crew. Future journalist reports will focus on these projects and their progress. Sol 1 included training on MDRS systems that included water, GreenHab, comms, and EVA suits. Sim started at noon followed by the highlight of the day: certification for use of EVA suits and rovers with two EVAs to nearby Marble Ritual. Marble Ritual appears as an alien culture’s artwork, consisting of three narrow posts upon which three bowls are perched. Symbolic marbles or rocks can be found within the bowls. EVA1 was comprised of crew members: Commander Pawel Sawicki, GreenHab Officer Sean Marquez and Geologist Sarah Lamm while EVA2 consisted of crew members: Executive Officer Matthew Storch, Crew Engineer Matthew Lynch and Journalist/Engineer David Laude.
After an intense previous day of readying for touchdown and today’s Sol 1 training and certification, the crew earned a delicious formal dinner. The dinner of ceviche (consisting of shrimp, crab, cilantro, onion, tomato and avocado) was prepared by Sean and Sarah. After dinner, discussions regarding the next day’s meals flowed into a period of report writing and then finally relaxation near bed time. Tomorrow’s dawn will signal the start of our first full sol on Mars.