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