Author: jburk

As we prepare for breakfast, we decide on which Rovers we would like
to take on today’s EVA. I look out the window. The rovers are gone. I
suppose the robots are using them…

So change of plans. We have to do a walking EVA. Well, THEY do. It’s
my turn to do HabCom!I’ve been looking forward to this. Not because I
don’t like to walk around in a clunky spacesuit (I’d be on the wrong
planet if I did), but because I can get a different perspective as an
observer and director. I get Antoine and Lindsay set up with their
gloves and comms, squirming around their ECLSS backpacks. I allow them
to enter the airlock and begin depressurization. I look above through
the window to see them walk down the balcony and off to Phobos Peak.

It’s a rather boring HabCom. All of the places the team went to had at
least comprehend-able connection, though I suppose it is good to know
where we still have great coverage. I’m happy with my team, conducting
another successful mission.

The day is spreading by, the days are moving faster. Is tomorrow
Thursday? Is it really that close? I think of my home, my parents
eager to see me for Christmas. My friends who are done with finals and
can finally hang out. I feel the crisp chill of a Texas winter. It was
a distant thought only a few days ago, but now it’s nearly tangible.

I wonder if I will ever be here again. If this moment on the dusty
planet will be my last.
Even more pressing, I wonder if my work here will make a difference.

“You are clear to enter the airlock”

An abrupt wind storm sweeps the region. The tunnels that connect the
secure building are shaking. Antoine goes out to fix it. Realizing the
severity, he calls for help. Lindsay starts to put on her coat. Do I
go? Should I stay? What if the tunnel rips apart and I’m the only one
alive? I end up following them after a few minutes. The wind is strong
and rattling the whole structure. We make the decision to come back
inside, it’d be better to wait the storm than be so vulnerable.

Mars is not safe. There are people back home depending on our sense of
precaution and protocol to come back home. Moments like these make me
think of the real scenario, if I can make the calls to make sure that
happens.

Sometimes, I hope Mars will be boring.

Makiah Eustice

Crew 200 Journalist Report 11-DEC-2018

*In spoken word format*

Where would I be if I chose education over learning?
I would have arose this morning, on Earth.
I would’ve taken the exam that kept me on Earth, yesterday.
Because all things considered, at the end of the day,
I am here for school.
A professor will rule a grade that affects my career.
My research on Mars doesn’t get graded at the end of year.
The rules say I’m a student before an engineer.

Well, this isolation does something at MDRS, especially for the
engineering mind.
Where the problem is undefined.
The method is up to you,
but the solution is experience and time.

At the end of the day,
when you take your course books offline,
your education is now experiential
Your learning has boundless potential

Heat Transfer lessons leap off binded textbooks
As Antoine finds nooks in the Hab to refine his model.
Computer Science lab is now carried
by Lindsay’s work to meet the need
of a report reading software.
Everyday, we code through another layer.

I’m on EVA, my phone on display to the GPS received from 16 of 23 satellites
I learned about in a lecture in class. I might
lose signal with the Hab Com, but we have protocol,
procedures, to anticipate all
scenarios so we can come home safe.
We did. Not a minute too soon or too late.

Do I have my priorities straight?
Would it have been better to wait until I graduate?
Or until I have Dr. in front of my name,
Where a professor would have respect for me same?
When the difference between Mars and Earth
is only a final examination,
I will choose learning over education.

Makiah Eustice

Crew 200 Journalist Report 10-DEC-2018

On the last day of our nominal mission, we filmed a video that introduced the habitat and its surrounding buildings. We filmed it using Italian, Chinese, French, Japanese, German, and English, with each crew member hosting a part of it. We had to “rehearse” it beforehand to film it in one continuous shot. It was a memorable way to finish our mission, highlight the diverse nature of our team, and illuminate that MDRS is for the global public. We strive to continue demonstrating these values during our extended mission.

Today marks the first simulation date for our reduced three-member crew. Roles that four members impeccably served during the nominal mission are now vacant. We need to be fast-learning jacks and jills of all trades, even more so now than we did before. With the sudden departure of crew members who were culinarily inclined, something as simple as cooking could prove dismal. Thankfully, we have not resorted to eating habitat mice! We tap into skills acquired from the full crew and our creative juices to concoct delicious meals derived from dehydrated ingredients.

We were given the special opportunity to plan and perform the first EVA with a three-member crew, which we achieved today. We applied a communication protocol where we recorded QSA and QRK codes every minute and GPS coordinates every four minutes. Throughout the week, we aim to map the strength and readability of radio communication for areas surrounding the habitat. We will also develop a risk analysis matrix for three-member EVAs based on our experiences. We are motivated to contribute fresh knowledge in the area of reduced crew EVAs for the benefit of MDRS and beyond.

Tonight we celebrate our successful EVA with spaghetti and pesto, garnished with basil leaves from the GreenHab. We will also harvest the GreenHab to make a small and hearty salad. Admittedly sprinkled with water gnats, also courtesy of the GreenHab. Thank you to CapCom and others back on Earth for supporting us on this three-person mission. We will not let you down!