Author: jburk

7-Dec-2018

Journalist Report:

It has brought me so much joy to be a part of this successful mission.
I will miss the uplifting team dynamics of this international crew.
There were countless times when I was reminded that the power of our
diverse team was more than the sum of its individual members.
Embarking on EVAs always comes with a risk and team members
continuously helped one other climb geographical features and cross
slippery areas. Even though each of us entered this mission with our
own research projects, neat interdisciplinary projects were formed
during the mission. A study investigating the strength of concrete
built from Earth sand versus Martian soil and a study examining the
heat transfer of the habitat using an infrared camera morphed into a
proposal to study the heat transfer properties of concrete built from
Earth sand versus Martian soil. Sharing our ideas and resources has
made this mission a success.

Today, we continued answering questions from school children from
Qatar. It was endearing to be asked by an eager student if there is a
school on Mars. While some questions were light-hearted, others were
more philosophical and we returned to discussions on the ethics of
terraforming another planet and how or whether resource management and
human rights could be improved today on Earth and one day on other
planets. As we prepare to conclude our mission, I cannot help but feel
inspired and impressed by the example of international collaboration
and volunteer efforts here at MDRS. Indeed, the MDRS represents
successful teamwork at a larger level than Crew 200. Thank you for
welcoming the seven of us crew members to be a part of this mission.

Lindsay Rutter

06-DEC-2018

Shannon told us at the beginning of the mission to notice the moment
where we felt like we were truly living on Mars. For me, I experienced
this moment. On EVA, as I followed behind my strong fellow crew
members across the snowy red hills around the MDRS, I took a deep
breath inside my spacesuit helmet. We were returning to the Hab after
a difficult hike through the hills to collect soil samples. One crew
member helped another across a small stream. As we helped each other
trek across the landscape indicating the best places to step and
lending a hand when needed, I truly felt a part of a crew on Mars.

Meanwhile, while the women of the crew went on EVA, the men were in
the Hab continuing their experiments in the lab and in the kitchen.
Lunch was fantastic (the first bread we’ve had since the mission
began). And dinner was superb! We had baked tuna melt. Although, it
was more like baked tuna crisp since we forgot to rehydrate the cheese
before putting it in the oven. Delicious all the same – we ate every
bite of the huge pan. Thanks to our Crew Astronomer (it’s been cloudy
out so now he is the Crew Chef).

Today we also had guests. We answered all their questions and showed
them around the Hab.
Oakley Jennings-Fast