Sol 14 – Halfway through
“The boys would hike far out into the Martian country. They carried odorous paper bags into which from time to time upon the long walk they would insert their noses to inhale the rich smell of the ham and mayonnaised pickles.”
– Chapter 14 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
With the sun shining this bright and taking advantage of our rest day, we could almost have gone out for a picnic EVA! Today, we took a break from our daily routine to clean the station, sleep in a little, and take it slow to recharge our batteries. We took time to tell jokes and play a guessing game after lunch, before everyone returned to their activities. On a sidenote, Alice and I had been waiting for this moment for a few days: halfway through the mission, we washed our hair! We came back to the Upper Deck delightfully light-headed, and with smiles on our faces.
The atmosphere was more studious and quieter than last week: some played chess, finished a jigsaw puzzle, cooked, or started preparing for week 3 of the mission. Quentin and I worked for most of the day on the mid-rotation video, which we are anxious to share tonight!
It’s hard to believe that we are already halfway through our mission. Having spent so much time preparing and seeing it go by so quickly is a bit nerve-racking. We have all had different ways of experiencing the MDRS for the past two weeks, and it’s been very interesting to discuss our outlooks for the next two!