Journalist Report – December 22nd

Lipi Roy, Crew 288 Journalist
12.22.2023
Sol 12

One last look at the exquisite Utah landscape, one last day of work, one last dinner together. As we return to Earth on our last day of mission, we reflect on the deeply enriching experience each one of us had…

Our final day began with another round of spam fried rice – driven by Crew demand (and the need to finish leftovers) and supplied by Hunter (Crew Geologist/ on-demand chef). Fueled by this ‘meal of the mission’, Jesus (Crew Engineer) and Hunter proceeded to go all the way to Grand Junction to rent a car (our spacecraft back to Earth) while the rest of the crew stayed back and cleaned the Hab. The successful end to the mission was celebrated with a dinner at Burger Shak (where Hunter undid his spam-fried-rice respect by not living up to the expectation of finishing leftover fries).

It feels like it was just yesterday we stepped into the Hab, excited for our first EVA. Hidden behind the shared EVAs, board games, dinners, and laughs, was a tapestry of diverse experiences, tapping into a shared purpose, and fostering a deep sense of camaraderie. As much as seeing our families and friends for the holidays (and getting human showers everyday) is enticing, I am positive we will all miss the usual sight of Baby Yoda, the Christmas-tree-card unfolding ritual during every dinner and sharing a good meal after wonderful EVAs.

With that, I officially sign off as crew journalist of crew 288. Until next time!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Journalist Report – December 20th

Lipi Roy, Crew 288 Journalist
12.20.2023
Sol 10
Gazing from the Hab Ridge, we marvel at the grandeur of nature, exquisite patterns of red, white, and purple for miles and miles and miles. Among these patterns, we spot our tiny Hab. Our eyes wide with anticipation, we await the special drone delivery from our friends. Our tiny Christmas gift!
The day began with Hunter’s (Crew Geologist) delicious spam fried rice, preparing us for another four-hour walking EVA. Flight suit, comms, EVA suit, and five minutes of depressurization later, we were ready to hike up to Hab Ridge. Treated to a diverse array of stunning landscapes, our journey led us to a lookout point where we caught sight of our Hab in the distance. Finally, it was time for the long-awaited drone experiment.
As Cesare (Commander) sent the drone to us, we successfully received secret messages and a surprise piece of Jilian’s coffee cake! This wasn’t just a proof of concept, it was a connection to our Hab, an emotion, that brought a smile to all our faces. It made us reminisce for an instant, all the great times we shared, an experience which will soon come to an end…
Jesus then took charge of the drone and skillfully captured the moments of rock sample collection and Riley’s GPR grid. Great job, Jesus! Since we are on the topic of Jesus, let me report that last night, he successfully captured the image of a calibration pattern onto the photoresist using silicon sample, a template, UV light and a photo developer. This is proof of concept to one of the many steps that would help humans build Solar Panels and semiconductor devices from regolith on Mars!
The EVA crew came back to Ryan’s amazing freshly cooked whole wheat bread (which I’m guessing was supervised by the commander because, um, sugar) which we all enjoyed with different toppings. After a relaxing afternoon of ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’, I cooked ‘Rajma’, an Indian kidney-beans curry for dinner. Hoping everyone enjoyed it!

Journalist Report – December 18th

Lipi Roy, Crew 288 Journalist
12.18.2023
Sol 08
In a quest to simulate life on Mars, analog astronauts face the absence of fresh food, adding another layer of challenge to the isolation simulation. But guess what? crew 288 knows how to turn lemons into lemonade! Using just shelf stable food and microgreens from the Greenhab, we (Riley) managed just perfect burgers tonight!
The crew woke up to a beautiful crimson sunrise and enjoyed a filling oatmeal breakfast by Ryan. I can’t speak for desserts, but oatmeal breakfasts are totally his thing!
Filled to the brim, Hunter (Geo), Jesus (Eng), Ryan (GHO) and Jilian (HSO) went on their first ‘unsupervised’ EVA, since the command deck was not involved. Did the command deck make a good choice trusting Hunter as the EVA lead? Well, the crew enjoyed beautiful landscapes of Candor Chasma, collected interesting rock samples, and made it well in time (almost too well). So, I guess it would be a yes? But I’ll let Cesare and Riley answer that one.
Back at the Hab, Riley (with Cesare’s help) prepared cute little buns for upcoming burgers. But since they were supposed to be for dinner, you can guess the biggest challenge that the hungry, just-returned EVA crew faced! But they did get to enjoy Cesare’s ramen, and hot showers, so hopefully that made up for the previous torture…
In the evening, thanks to Ryan (and me of course, because I helped Ryan), a fresh harvest of kale, lettuce, arugula, and red cabbage was used in the scrumptious burger/salad dinner, a courtesy of our XO, Riley. It’s a multi-talented crew out here!
Let’s just call it a day because I want to enjoy the strawberry shortcake that Cesare and Ryan have prepared. I’m skeptical, (cus’ Ryan and sugar remember?) but I’m too addicted to sweets now to leave it.

Journalist Report – December 19th

Lipi Roy, Crew 288 Journalist
12.19.2023
Sol 09
Ever wonder what first astronauts actually ate during Space Missions? Our Commander, today, surprised us with tubed space food which was consumed by Russian Cosmonauts in the past. As we tried the ‘slops’ of French fries, chicken nuggets, and Texas burger, we realized it was far less delightful than even the canned food we have here…
The crew woke up to another beautiful Martian sunrise and enjoyed Cesare’s delicious crepes for breakfast. Ready for another geology EVA, Riley (XO), Hunter (Crew Geologist), Ryan (GHO), and I proceeded towards the Brahe Highway. As our Crew Geologist soaked in the geologically exquisite landscape (and wrote what looked like a love letter to rocks in his small notebook), I and Ryan helped Riley collect 3D GPR data in the 100ft x 100ft grid. Followed by what was sample collection, rock distraction, sample collection, rock distraction turned sample collection, we began our journey back.
Meanwhile, at the Science Dome, Jesus, our crew engineer, had been busy trying to anneal silicon for his research. He tried heating it at 2500C with moisture, in an oven. Hopefully, he doesn’t get any surprises from the ‘science’ oven as Ryan got from his.
It was wonderful to come back to a savory garlic and herb bread wonderfully prepared by our Commander! We then tried out the tubed space food, which then required Jilian’s coffee cake to get over. (But in all honesty, the chicken nugget slop wasn’t too bad. I can FEEL Jilian disagreeing).
For dinner, we had Riley’s and Hunter’s amazing tacos for Taco Tuesday! Rice and meat garnished with corn , onion, salsa, tomato, cheese, and fresh cilantro from the Greenhab – can you see a better end to the day?

Journalist Report – December 16th

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!

Journalist Report – December 17th

Lipi Roy, Crew 288 Journalist
12.17.2023
Sol 07
Boardgames, delicacies, and naps. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect Sunday? Crew 288 took time off from work today to relax and recharge (and eat…a lot!). After all, as Isaac Mizrahi said, “the more relaxed you can get, the better you’ll do”.
The day began on a ‘sweet’ note with Jilian’s (HSO) and Riley’s (XO) banana muffins. Yum! The muffins were a perfect combination to go with the strategic boardgame, ‘Trails’, which occupied most of mine, Ryan’s (GHO), and Jesus’s(ENG) morning. Meanwhile, Riley and Jilian found their peace in reading, as Hunter graded assignments and could only dream of relaxing. In the meantime, our Commander, Cesare, prepared a scrumptious baked Ziti for lunch, making the day even better!
Having said that, it was no less a day of learning! I learnt the process of ‘hand pollination’ from Ryan as he let me pollinate the cucumber plants, while our XO and Crew Engineer soaked up ‘drone flying’ wisdom from Cesare.
Afternoon naps ended with a cutthroat competition in ‘Bananagrams’. Actually, not really. It’s barely a competition when Riley is playing. At least let somebody else win for once, Riley!
The evening was bound to be eventful as Ryan took the lead on baking once again. It so happens to be that Ryan and ‘sugar’ just don’t go well together. But in all honesty, it wasn’t too bad. We can work with sugar ‘dip’ instead of sugar ‘frosting’! But thanks to him, we enjoyed a group activity of carving out ‘Mars’ and ‘Christmas’ themed cookies! Thanks, Ryan, for taking the initiative!
As we enjoy the sugar cookies with the sugar/chocolate dip, we await a fun night of stargazing!

Journalist Report – December 13th

Lipi Roy, Crew 288 Journalist
12.13.2023
Sol 03

“The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.” Today, in what marked our first actual EVA, our crew tried to play a small part in understanding what lies beyond this cradle.
The crew woke up to the refreshing beats of ‘Captain Fantastic by Elton John’ and a breakfast of freshly cooked biscuits and creamy mashed potatoes – a courtesy of our commander. Excited for the first major mission, we listened intently to Hunter (Crew Geologist) and Riley (XO) as they explained how geological sampling and GPR acquisition is done.
Following the debrief, we bade goodbye to Hunter, Riley, Jilian (HSO), and Ryan (GHO) who commenced their four-and-a-half hour-long EVA to Watney Road. The data that they collect would be extremely useful in the geological mapping of the area, in hopes of proving that these techniques could be used by future Martian astronauts. Doesn’t it feel great to be a part of something much larger than yourself?
Back at the Hab, we were up to another adventure of freshly preparing bread and mayo from scratch. Free time demands creativity! Our commander also cooked spaghetti and tuna-based tomato sauce to support our crew who would come back exhausted from the EVA. We continued our hab adventure in the solar observatory, where we learnt about setting up the telescope and focusing on the Sun, thanks to our commander. Sadly, the clouds disrupted our session in-between, but I’m positive Cesare won’t say no to another class!
The evening paced down, as the successful EVA crew relaxed a bit (except for Ryan who relaxed a lot). I prepared a protein-rich chickpea curry in hopes of rejuvenating them; I hope they liked it as much as they said they did!

Journalist Report – December 14th

Lipi Roy, Crew 288 Journalist
12.14.2023
Sol 04
Four days of EVAs, stargazing, harvesting, and cooking later, I can positively confirm for the entirety of my crew – never again will we ever underestimate the power of a hot shower.
The day began with the tunes of ‘Star Man’ and Riley’s (XO) wonderful pancakes. Filled to the brim with Nutella, syrup, and peanut butter, and energized with Hunter’s (Crew Geologist) crash course of Stretching 101, we were ready for today’s geology EVA.
With an aim to collect volcanic rock samples, Hunter, Cesare (commander), Jesus (crew engineer), and I headed off to the exquisite Barainca Butte; a place whose geological richness would be enough to pique the interest of any geologist. Now, our Hunter isn’t just any geologist, so you can imagine what would have happened! Just kidding, he led the EVA well, often sharing his geology wisdom with us.
“Spot, mark, take ‘before’ photo, take sample, take ‘after’ photo, and repeat” – sounded so simple when Hunter explained it, but add an EVA suit, gloves, and time constraint – and this becomes nothing less than a challenge. Four-and-a-half hours of that later, we came back to a wonderful lunch Riley had decided to surprise us with. Thanks Riley!
It was also supposed to be a delicious carrot-cake afternoon, right Ryan? His ‘switching off the oven lights’ to surprise us, didn’t quite go in his favor because when he unraveled the finished product, it seemed to be less of a cake and more of an overflowing burnt-sugar carrot sauce . A few more minutes of that, and I could have collected another volcanic rock sample from that lava. Cesare and Jilian (HSO) decided to see the silver lining and attempted to eat the sauce. Well, it was a masterpiece in its own unique, slightly burnt, way.
Don’t worry Ryan. These things happen. And as Cesare said – ‘if never make any mistakes, you’ve never tried anything new’! Anyhow, we appreciate the thought behind it; and you did manage to redeem yourself at dinner with a yummy Pad-Thai and with an actual carrot cake.
The biggest highlight still was the hot shower the whole crew was allowed to get today. I understand the importance of water conservation in a mission like this, but I swear, I will never again look at a shower in the same way again.

Journalist Report – December 15th

Lipi Roy, Crew 288 Journalist
12.15.2023
Sol 05
With Hunter’s spam fried rice for breakfast, my potato parathas for lunch, and Cesare’s pizzas for dinner, seems like this crew has found their salvation in isolation. In a long, four-hour walking-EVA, it is important to be fed well – before AND after!
Today, Cesare (Commander), Hunter (Geologist), Jilian (HSO), and Jesus(Crew Engineer) walked up to Skyline Rim to collect more geology samples. In the vast expanse of the red planet, the group walked up to Hab Ridge first, where we could spot their tiny faces from the commander’s window. A friendly wave to our friends; awaiting their safe return. We could intermittently hear them play ’20 questions’ to spice up the walk. Great idea, crew!
We welcomed them back with another round of kitchen experiments (which, thankfully, did not go wrong this time). Everyone seemed to enjoy the Indian parathas I made; hope they helped satisfy the exhausted astronauts.
The best part would still be the assortment of four pizzas by our commander – basil/mushroom, meat lover’s, pineapple/spam, and Nutella. Topped up with freshly harvested herbs from the Greenhab (thanks to our GHO, Ryan), what more could someone ask for?

Journalist Report – December 11th

Lipi Roy, Crew 288 Journalist
12.11.2023
Sol 01? Or in-transit?

12 Noon @ Upper Deck – The crew is eagerly waiting to ‘arrive on Mars’, when we get the message from our commander, Cesare, that an unfortunate situation has occurred! A rescue mission will have to be executed, even before we begin sim!
The day started at 7:30 AM, as the crew woke up to a hearty Apollo-13 theme song played by our commander. After our first night, we realized Cesare wasn’t kidding when he said that the staterooms got really hot! In any case, I will try out Riley’s hack of keeping the door slightly ajar to let the cool air in.
For breakfast, Jesus prepared a delicious assortment of fried potatoes and eggs, which we all enjoyed with hot sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese (We have apparently concluded that parmesan cheese can be topped over anything). With our stomachs filled, we dressed up in our flight suits (for the first time, yay!) to say ‘thank you’ to our sponsors. Umm, 17 sponsors didn’t feel so good when we had to take the same picture those many times! (Just kidding, we love you, our sponsors! Thank you for making this happen for us!)
Following the photoshoot, we went to explore the nearby hill, except Cesare who stayed back to test the drone. Little did we know that a simple drone test could result in a 4-hour long rescue mission!
As we got back from our 15-minute exploration, Cesare informed us that he had lost communication with the drone, and it did not automatically come back as he expected it to. So, he had to go with Sergii, up to somewhere west of Amazonia Planitia to bring back the drone. Everything was still on schedule, as planned, up till then. Until, at about noon, we realized our day would be very different from what we expected it to be. We were informed that while bringing back the drone, the Hab-car was heavily stuck in a ditch! Sergii and Cesare had to walk for 45 minutes, all the way back to the Hab to bring back help. Together with Sergii’s tools and added experience of Crew Engineer and GHO turned rescuers, our crew showed exemplary teamwork and problem-solving skills as they got the car out of the ditch!
As thrilled as everyone was to achieve this, it was already past 3 PM when they returned, and this meant we still couldn’t arrive on Mars today. I like to call this day ‘in-transit’. We still have tomorrow! The day paced slower after that, mostly with me and Jilian (HSO) helping Ryan (GHO) in the Green Hab. It was a wonderful (and a first for me) experience to harvest microgreens. We got a few grams each of kale, cilantro, red cabbage, arugula, and parsley which will probably be a part of much-awaited tomorrow’s meal.
In the evening, we enjoy a wonderful stew cooked by Hunter (Crew Geologist) and the sight of baby Yoda as we decide which movie to watch tonight. Stay tuned for our adventures as we finally enter simulation tomorrow!

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