Journalist Report – November 25th

Sol: 12
Title: Our martian adventure is over

Author: Izabela Shopova, Crew Journalist

Our last sol greets us with a sun as bright and a window view as breathtakingly beautiful as ever. We are so lucky – Mars has been charming and endearing every day of our mission. The crew is busy, focused, working hard to catch up with our various projects and wrap up a successful mission. Last reports complete, photos uploaded and voted for, personal belongings collected and organized. After a quick lunch, we get busy with cleaning, ticking tasks off our end-of-mission checklist, making sure we leave the Hub and its facilities in perfectly good condition to make the next crew feel welcomed and at home.

And then we break the sim. Our martian adventure is over.

It was amazing, busy, productive, full of excitement, lessons learned, shared moments and inspiring experiences. It gave us a different perspective on life on Earth, taught us to count our blessings and appreciate what we often take for granted – the simple privilege of being with our loved ones, of enjoying the comforts and safety of our home environments and the accessibility of uninterrupted daily interactions with the rest of the world. We are richer with experience, knowledge and appreciation, ready for new beginnings and even greater adventures.

Now we can walk outside, take a breath without the space suits, take photos on the porch of the Hab and watch the brilliant night desert sky for as long as the freezing winter air allows us.

Over the horizon Mars is glowing red, bright and inviting.

Yes, yes, we are coming!

Journalist Report – November 24th

Sol: 11
Title: Adjourning

Author: Izabela Shopova, Crew Journalist

Life on Mars is so fast-paced, we didn’t notice how the days have passed and we are already planning our end of sim.

Sol 11 begins with another long EVA – the Commander and XO are out on an EVA together – for the first and last time. Back in the Hab we provide HabCom support, water plants, sort photos, write in our emotion study journals, clean the kitchen and make plans for our last day here.

Commander and XO return on time, tired from the long walk to the Special region, with additional rock samples and stories about the incredible views they found there. Our scheduled crew training in the afternoon is on the topic of Group development phases. After the Forming, storming, norming and performing stages, inevitably comes the adjourning phase when the crew members feel tired, the momentum of the group slows down, some individuals feel sad, others – relieved and there is a change in the air. We talk in length about the adjourning of our team, acknowledge and celebrate our achievements in this mission, talk about our future plans. To finish the sessions we all take a test on our type of business chemistry and discuss our individual traits and how to use our strengths in business interactions.

As we opted to have Thanksgiving earlier, today is all about snacking on the leftovers from yesterday’s feast, sharing thoughts on what we are grateful for and thinking of the loved ones we miss.

Thank you Mission support and Happy Thanksgiving.

Journalist Report – November 23th

Sol: 10
Title: M is for Mars, M is for Magic

Author: Izabela Shopova, Crew Journalist

We start the Sol an hour later than usual – everyone is tired after the busy day yesterday and we need to catch up on our sleep. Jennie whips up chocolate pancakes and an amazing quinoa, blueberries and coconut meal (from the space nutrition app we are testing) for breakfast.

Our daily operations meeting is short – we have two major tasks planned for sol 10 – a 4-hour-long EVA to the Special region in the morning and preparations for Thanksgiving dinner in the afternoon.

We are confident and calm as our crewmates are getting ready for the EVA, test the life support systems, enter the airlock and 8 minutes later leave the station with two of the rovers. Halfway through their EVA the weather suddenly changes, and the wind picks up – it appears that the weather forecast has changed dramatically since last night. The tunnels’ tarpaulin and the external doors start flapping and trembling, reminding us every minute of the potential danger that is brewing out there in the stark landscape. We wait anxiously for the radio to come alive again. And exhale with relief. when we finally hear the loud and clear voice of our crew biologists: “HabCom, com check”. The EVA goes well, without a hitch. The EVA crew is tired but happy and satisfied with their last EVA for the season, rich with experience and incredible photos.

Their return triggers the beginning of the long-anticipated food preparations for our Thanksgiving dinner.
And they are epic!

3 hours later the Hub is filled with mouthwatering flavors, cozy warmth, and Thanksgiving homemade magic, while our American crewmates are playing hosts and setting up an amazingly beautiful table with Thanksgiving napkins, paper plates, tablecloth, orange cutlery (all of which were delivered and stored secretly in the Commander’s room before the beginning of the sim) and a multitude of irresistible traditional dishes. Each one more tempting and better looking than the last.

Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole with … wait for it! … marshmallows!, cranberry sauce (disguised like slices of beetroot), sweet corn, turkey, actual cranberries, green beans casserole with cream of mushroom soup and crunchy onion rings on top, Did I mention marshmallows?

If anyone thought that this was all of the food on our table, they know nothing about Thanksgiving. There is always desert! Even on Mars.

And, no, it’s not the marshmallows (they were just a side dish for the turkey, kind of veggies). Just before the opening of the comms window, a sumptuous, crunchy, juicy, full of flavor, decadence and temptation apple pie emerged from the oven.

On Thanksgiving Mars is magic.

Journalist Report – November 22th

Sol: 9
Title: Trouble on Mars

Author: Izabela Shopova, Crew Journalist

Sol 9 begins with an early EVA. Just before 9AM we are all downstairs helping the SHO and Crew Scientist to suit up. They are going on a walking exploratory EVA, but we have to troubleshoot some radio problems first. Jas appears to have a personal magnetic field – all radio sets stop working once she puts them on. By the time everything is tested and we are confident that comms work well, it’s almost 9:30AM. The day is clear and the EVA is going well until a distress call comes – Elizabeth reports that Jas has twisted her ankle on the steep slope and can’t walk back. Emergency response is initiated immediately – our crew engineer and crew biologist suit up, take two of the rovers, a first aid kit, a warm blanket, and some improvised materials to serve as a splinter if necessary. Commander and crew journalist stayed back in Hab for comms support. Luckily the injury occurred not too far from Hab where the EVA crew was within comms range. Everyone managed to get back in the airlock on time, just a couple of minutes later than the planned end of the EVA. When the patient is finally safe in the Hab, the truth is revealed – it was only a rescue exercise. We all exhale deeply with relief and cheer up. Jas walks around triumphantly and the crew gets into a lively debriefing session over lunch. Phew! This one went well.
.
Afternoon EVA was not as dramatic. The 3 crewmates tested successfully the mechanical arm Pleiades Atlas, discovered a desert oasis, a silently screaming rock, took amazing photos, and returned back to the Hab a few minutes earlier than planned The rest of the afternoon was quiet and productive – we all sat at our laptops and did as much work as possible while the sunset was setting the Martian rocks on fire and our crew engineer fixed the leaking sink again.

After the early dinner, we had a presentation on the benefits and the process of making yogurt. The main planning topic tonight was Thanksgiving – what will we cook, how will we celebrate, and how to fit the laborious preparations into our busy schedules.

Life on Mars is never boring.

Journalist Report – November 21th

Sol: 8
Title: Just Another Martian Monday
Author: Izabela Shopova, Crew Journalist
The weekend is over and our second week on Mars begins fast-paced and busy. We get up at 7, skip breakfast (we all feel that the social isolation and the challenges of our new environment have made us crave, cook and eat too much food) and start our morning operations meeting – what have we achieved so far, what are our goals for the rest of the mission and what are we doing today. The meeting is followed by another informative and inspiring to tears training session with Commander Jennie – this time on the topic of crisis response. We all spend some time filling in our various emotions study forms, yogurt evaluation questions, journals and calendars, before jumping straight into a VR First Aid training session – our challenge today is to practice immobilizing and securing a broken finger with whatever materials we have at hand in the Hab. It is only 10 AM and we are so deep into our working routine – watering plants, testing astronauts’ diet app, collecting feedback, adding info to our daily reports, planning dinner meals, doing dishes, studying and uploading photos.

The one hour of scheduled break before lunch comes as a relief. It is just what we all need to wind down after a busy morning. The lucky 3 crewmates who have taken over the responsibilities for our Paros can cuddle the adorable balls of fur. The rest of us who no longer have access to the cute robots are trying to keep busy and pretend we don’t envy them.

The afternoon was all about the planned 2-and-a-half-hour EVA. 3 of our crew members went on an EVA to the Sea of Shells with ‘Cury’ and ‘Oppy’. Back at the Hab we had two long hours after they went out of comms range, waiting anxiously to hear the familiar call signal again. Meanwhile, the crew engineer Judy worked on preparing the mechanical arm Pleiades anchor for a carry capacity test tomorrow.

The sunset found us debriefing over cups of hot chocolate, the EVA crew still buzzing with the energy and excitement of their experience in the field. More reports and assessments writing, photo uploading, Paro cuddling, studying, planning, ‘combat showers’ and food preparation filled in our time till dinner.

Pizza, oven-baked chips and a fresh salad – we are eating better than some kings!

And we have new pillows! Everyone on Mars is happy tonight.

Thank you Mission support.

Journalist Report – November 20th

Sol: 7
Title: Martian Sunday
Author: Izabela Shopova, Crew Journalist
We made it through our first week on Mars. And celebrated Sunday with a very relaxed plan for the day. Well, relaxed by the crazy standards of Mars. Our crew engineer Judi repaired the leaking sink in the kitchen with the help of the XO, Caitie, the crew biologist watered the plants and planted new seeds in the GreenHab, we all did house chores and wrote in our journals.

In the afternoon we did another EVA – this time without our faithful companions – the rovers. Instead of riding them on the road, we took off on foot and explored the area around the Hab, looking for hydrous minerals in the dried river beds and on top of the ridge. We found so many seashells, a whole martian sea of sea shells, crunching under our feet, piling up on the side of the hill. The sunset light made the canyons below look like a multi-layered cinnamon and strawberry cake.

Back in the safety of the Hab we were uploading photos after the EVA , when crew biologist Caitie went to the GreenHub to water the plants, but when we called her on the radio she didn’t respond. Jennie and I went to check on her and found our crew biologist lying on the ground. We immediately initiated an emergency response by calling Hab on the radio and assessing the unconscious crew member. Long story – short: Catie was assessed and brought to safety inside the Hab when the rest of the crew finally revealed that it was all just an emergency response simulation that they had planned in secrecy. They all played their roles with gusto and conviction, so it was a great relief to find out that Caitie was well. HSO provided us with glowing feedback for our appropriate response and we had a quick overview of the first aid protocol before dinner.

Sunday also marked the end of my time with Paro. At dinner we took our last photo together. From this evening Jennie will be spending time with him and I won’t be allowed to cuddle him anymore. Next week will be a tough one.

Journalist Report – November 19th

Sol 6

Author: Izabela Shopova

Title: Saturday on Mars

Saturday. Our first weekend on Mars. After the eventful EVA yesterday the crew has planned an early morning EVA for today to take advantage of the sunrise light. We all got up at 7, had a quick coffee and climbed down the stairs to assist the 3 crew members who were going out on an EVA. The sun was shining bright and clear through the porthole, but we could feel the morning chill in the air. Radio comms and life support systems were checked and the crew stepped into the airlock.

The EVA went according to plan, with no surprises and emergencies today. The rovers performed very well and our crew biologist Caitie was excited about the five different types of lichens she found on the rocks. The good thing about an early EVA is that when it is over and the debriefing is done, it’s not even lunchtime yet. We allowed ourselves the luxury of planning a break to relax and to catch up on all the other projects we are working on. Every day here feels as if every minute of our time is filled with writing journals, responses to surveys, daily health checks, reports and plans. And for the lucky 3 of us who have a Paro assigned (an adorable artificial intelligence therapeutic robotic baby seal) – we also manage to squeeze a few minutes of cuddling with our Paros.

In the afternoon we exercised, took some quiet time to read, write in our diaries and study. Jennie’s inspirational presentation about the importance of being authentic as women in our professional and personal life sparked an interesting discussion in the hour before the VR First Aid Training session. This time we improvised by immobilising a broken ankle. And this afternoon it was finally my turn to have a quick, rather cold ‘combat shower’ as Commander Jennie calls it. We have all had a shower by now and are looking forward to our next scheduled date with hygiene.

The weekend appears to make us crave homemade food. I have noticed that the limitations of our food supplies have forced us to get really creative in the kitchen. We are taking turns to cook and surprise our crewmates with yet another amazing meal, turning our rigorously scheduled meal times into opportunities for having fun, bonding, and bringing in a bit of home comfort in our busy martian routine. So far in the first week of the mission, we had pasta and pancakes, vegetable soups and stir fry, homemade yogurt and freshly baked bread, moon pies and fruit yogurt, mac&cheese and omelets, fresh salad with microgreens harvested from the GreenHab and even a Cincinnati Chilli – a secret family recipe. Elizabeth and I have conspired for days, planning our shepherd’s pie for tonight’s dinner, so we got busy and whipped up a big dish of messy, cheesy, homemade deliciousness.

And we have big plans for Thanksgiving!

Thank you Mission Support.

Journalist Report – November 18th

Sol: 5
Title: Mars hits back
Author: Izabela Shopova, Crew Journalist
Another gold and blood sunrise. Mars is trying so hard to win our hearts over. The alien landscape with its breathtaking beauty is slowly getting under our skin, just as the martian dust is making itself at home in our nostrils, ears and hair.

The crew slept well for the whole night – we are finally getting over the jetlag and the adrenalin rush of the first days, and adjusting to our martian home away from home.

Today is the 8th day since we all left our respective homes and hit the road. We have been away from family and loved ones for a full week now and we are starting to feel it. Last night the conversations revolved around our personal life. Photos of partners, family and pets were shared, and funny stories were told. Mars is starting to feel real now.

We appear to have established some routines of our own. Like a family, we always gather around the table for breakfast, even if not everyone eats. SHO checks how everyone feels, we chat for a bit and then we go over our plans for the day, confirming everyone’s responsibilities, who is cooking, who goes on EVA and what other projects we need to work on. Dinner is another time when we get together and once again enjoy a shared meal and a lively conversation, as we discuss the lessons learned and our plans for the next day.

Our morning EVA was going really well today, we felt calm and confident, following our procedures, ticking EVA objectives on the way and generally enjoying the feeling that our crew works like a well-oiled machine when suddenly a disaster struck. Mars hit back. “Opportunity” overheated and stopped, flashing an angry, bright red light on its dashboard.

The incident happened while we were out of radio contact with the Hub, so after two unsuccessful attempts to restart the engine we decided to abandon the rover on the road and return to the Hab early, prioritizing the crew’s health and safety over the vehicle recovery.

“Opportunity was rescued by the outpost team a bit later and upon reconsidering our options and possible responses to the emergency situation, we all agreed that abandoning the rover while we still had time to make additional rescue attempts was probably an error. And potentially a costly one on Mars. The Red Planet taught us another valuable lesson. The crew spent the afternoon reconstructing and studying the details of the EVA, considering the different options and the lessons learned, as well as planning objectives for the rest of the mission. Out here, on the Red Planet, we learn something new and valuable everyday. Mars tests and challenges us, helping us to learn and grow.

Today was no exception.

Journalist Report – May 4th

Crew 265 Journalist Report, May 4, 2022

Sol: 10

Summary Title: The End is Nigh…

Author: Sarah Treadwell, Crew Journalist

Sol 10. Two EVAs today, with myself and Executive Officer Dave in the morning and Engineer Sergii and Mapping Texas Twins Benny and Isai in the afternoon. We all sense the end of the mission drawing close, with one final EVA set for tomorrow. Overall, our mission seems to have been a success, but I will certainly let our crew commander do a final briefing on that.

This morning Dave and I attempted to summit nearby Phobos Peak. Unfortunately, there was no easy way to ascend as the ground was far too loose. After we went as high as we could go, we took some time to just sit and really soak in the environment around us. Those who know me well know that I can cry at a drop of a dime; however, today felt quite different. There was more of a sense of reverence that I carried with me, rather than overwhelming emotion.

The other EVA crew did some comms checking in a different direction from the station than we have normally been wandering. The radios seemed to perform well. They returned for us to all enjoy an early dinner and we parted ways into our sequestered quiet spaces to do homework and reports.

Generally, I think we all are just tired and ready to return to our normal lives… and even more importantly, return to non-dehydrated food. Personally, I am extremely excited about this and have been fantasizing about what to eat when we are done.

Something I want to coyly touch on that I will talk about more once I get home is one of my biggest mental challenges I have had while here. I think everyone can understand how not being able to call or video chat with our loved ones can be a challenge. While here I missed my daughter losing her first tooth, my boyfriend’s birthday, and my son getting to experience very sweet firsts at his preschool. While not ideal, these are all things that any astronaut or explorer has to accept they may miss when taking on a mission.

Something I did not anticipate though was receiving really, really big news and dealing with that in this environment where I couldn’t use my usual coping techniques to deal with my myriad of emotions. Normally I go for walks, drive to loud music, call my closest loved ones, and go to a restaurant to check out for an evening in a situation like this. None of those were options here.

This is something I will need time to reflect on because this is an important part of what we do here and what I also came to do, which is to look at the psychological and sociological effects of our time here.

But I will process that later… because all I can think about right now is having a burger and Coke. And so to end this, a quote for my son, whom we nickname Moo:

“Fix your little problem and light this candle” – Alan Shepherd

Crew 265 Journalist Report May 3rd

Crew 265 Journalist Report, May 3, 2022

Sol: 09

Summary Title: Where the winds may blow…

Author: Sarah Treadwell, Crew Journalist

It is Sol 9 and our time here is rapidly coming to an end. We have two and a half Sol’s left and I think I can officially say that the crew is running a bit low on energy. We have done a lot of EVA’s and the terrain, in combination with today’s windy and cool weather, has seemed to really have an effect. I think it can be compared to somewhat of a “senior slide” feeling and I expect everyone to head to bed early today.

I want to solidly brag here and say that if we could add “excellent at making meals from dehydrated food” on our CV’s and that it would carry some merit, most of us here should do so. Lunch was prepared by Engineer Sergii of a hearty soup, while multi-tasking as Capcom, and I prepared dinner of Shepherd’s pie. Executive Officer Dave was also station bound, taking a relax day as well as doing his best to stay warm in his multitude of layers.

Our fearless Commander Marc and mapping tech Texas Twins Benny and Isai ventured out on another EVA and had the fortune of visiting some stunning areas with spectacular sedimentary rock formations. As a geography and paleontology fan, I am very jealous of these time capsules they got to observe. Rocks truly are the keepers of great secrets.

The hab is quite chilly today as I type and the wind rattles the frames of the structure once again. Mission fatigue is obviously setting in. Today we discussed over dinner what our mentality would have to be if we were on a longer mission. Would our personalities start to clash? Would we need more projects? Would there be enough space for us to find escape from each other? Obviously these are all hypotheticals.

Truly, the mental game may be one of the biggest challenges to this entire experience. You have to find purpose, first and foremost. I suppose this really applies to life in general. I have also learned you must find your own temporary internal systems of support, as you cannot just quickly make a video chat to see a familiar loving face for encouragement. This probably doesn’t affect others as it does as much to me, which is another thing I’m going to spend some time post mission reflecting on.

However, I truly hope that when I walk away from this research station, I have learned just a little more about myself. They say with age comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes experience. Experiences like these aren’t something that many have an opportunity to participate in and there is much to be gleaned from it. I have been honored to have gotten to know my crewmates over this past week and a half. I hope they too have gained something from this adventure and themselves.

“For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.”

― Carl Sagan, Contact

Copyright © The Mars Society. All rights reserved. | Main Site