Crew 222 Journalist Report 19Feb2020
Author: Marie Bochard, Crew Journalist
Sol 3
Title: Explorers
Mars is truly a beautiful planet. This morning was our first exploration-focused EVA. The group left for North Ridge, and came across stunning sights. The red sand meets yellow stones, dark hills are intercut by lighter sediments, it seems every step brings a new landscape to our eyes. It feels like we are so far from Earth, and we are! Even with spacesuits on, we all wished to have explored the surroundings of the Hab for hours on end.
Today we take a tour of the GreenHab with Bleuenn, our GreenHab officer. She is responsible for watering, planting and harvesting all the plants that we have. The GreenHab is our own little piece of Earth, a reminder of the green and blue planet that we left. Having this greenery is extremely important to us. Everything around us is hostile and infertile, whereas home grows in the soil of the GreenHab. It plays a big part in cheering us up: seeing plants grow and eating fresh food is very good for the morale. Back home, we are all used to eating fresh fruits and vegetables at every meal, especially since some of us are vegetarians, and the dehydrated food we have doesn’t have the same texture as food back on Earth. Flowers can also help with the isolation, as they can bring the smell of home to the Hab. All in all, the GreenHab is not just a habitat for vegetation, it also helps keep everyone in good mental shape!
We ended the day with a group cohesion activity. Nicolas spread cards on the table with qualities on them, and we each chose a couple that represented us. The goal was to explain how these qualities defined us, using examples from our experience. This was a very enriching experience as we got to know more of everyone, and being able to open up to the crew is important to be fully integrated. It was a great way to end the day, we are all feeling good and ready for tomorrow