Crew 216 Commander Report 30-NOV-2019
Sol: 6
Summary Title: Turning Point
Author: Marc Levesque
Crew 216 reached the halfway point for its mission with a sense of enjoyment and appreciation for the time spent so far at MDRS, but also a sense of sadness that there is only another week left. This morning provided an opportunity for some, especially me, to take a time out from the all the activity and reflect upon what the crew has accomplished so far and what still needs to be done in the remaining days. I knew coming into the mission that time would fly, and although some of the crew felt the first few days dragged, all now feel that the pace is accelerating towards our departure from the Red Planet. On today’s EVA we scouted for a route to a potential repeater site but were unable to reach the summit of North Ridge. In continuing our reconnaissance for possible routes, we traversed a landscape that made us truly feel like we were on Mars, something that made up for not reaching our objective. This evening I shared with the crew my very positive feelings about how well they have been doing, keeping the Hab clean and tidy, getting along with each other, and generally helping everyone with their projects. I feel deep gratitude for having been selected as commander of these talented, friendly, and bright individuals.