“Step by Step, Cable by Cable”
After a late night pushing through MDRS research, wrapping up abstracts, and chipping away at Ph.D. dissertations, Crew 305 rose this morning at around 7:45 AM. Spruha started the day by making eggs for everyone—a simple but welcome breakfast—before returning to the challenge of wiring up the rover for its first EVA test. When we hit a snag with the Raspberry Pi (no proper cables on hand), Monish stepped in to help. He quickly pivoted to installing ROS on Spruha’s desktop, ensuring the Pi’s software configuration could move forward without delay.
Meanwhile, Rashi balanced her COMMS duties with some kitchen creativity, putting together a veggie side dish to accompany leftover spaghetti for lunch. Out on EVA 07, Ian, Hunter, and Peter ventured to Kissing Camel to collect stream measurements and soil samples. They returned around 1:00 PM, and we all shared a midday meal before getting on with the rest of the day’s tasks.
Peter set up his experiment on the lower deck for a round of cognitive tests, and everyone took turns tackling the challenges. Upstairs, Spruha and Monish pressed on with the rover’s wiring until and got it done by 5:00 PM. With that done, Peter introduced two more team puzzles as part of his human factors research. This time, we felt good about our performance and the cooperative energy in the Hab.
As a break from the day’s more serious work, we turned to Peter’s VR headset—a tool for his research that has also become a source of group entertainment. Beat Saber sessions, set to a soundtrack of Britney Spears hits, have been a surprising hit and a way to unwind. Tonight, Hunter, Monish, and Rashi took their turns in VR, taking a moment to laugh and reconnect.
By early evening, Ian had assembled a Tuna Spinach Pasta that provided a comforting, hearty dinner. At 7:00 PM, we gathered together, and dove into writing our reports. The day may have started with a few technical hiccups, but problem-solving and teamwork carried us through—step by step, cable by cable.