Category: Journalist Report

Sol 1: Welcome to Mars!
Well, Crew 292 Mangalyatri have officially landed on Mars! Many of the Crew had a challenging journey here, while I waited for them after Crew 291’s departure back to Earth, but everyone got here safe and sound in the end. We had a big dinner to celebrate our landing and an even bigger sleep to feel refreshed before our training began this morning.
Sol 1 began with coffee, tea, and delicious banana pancakes – the perfect breakfast to fuel a big sol of training and our sim beginning.
We started our training at 0900 and kept training until about 1500 (though we did stop for a much-needed tea break and lunch break). We’ve all learned a lot of valuable skills about how to do our jobs around the Hab and how to drive, use EVA suits, and use radios. We were all feeling prepared to start sim but couldn’t resist taking lots of photos and videos and going for a big walk before we could no longer take walks without EVA suits and a strong scientific justification. Crew 292 greatly enjoyed going up to Hab Ridge and looking for fossilised oyster shells, before heading back to the Hab about 40 minutes before our sim began.
We finished off some last-minute chores like watering plants and checking our supplies before it ticked over to 1800 and we were officially living on Mars.
All that’s left to complete our first sol on Mars is a delicious and nutritious dinner, getting used to our schedule of report writing, communications, cooking, and working, and having a big sleep before beginning our EVAs tomorrow. All our Mangalyatris are feeling welcome and settled and are super excited to begin our rotation on Mars!
Until next sol,
Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri journalist)

Sol 2: Learning to Walk
Sol 2 started out a little dreary – fog covered the Henry Mountains and clouds blocked the crew from watching the sunrise. Our morning started slowly as we were all easing into life in the Hab and on Mars. As the day warmed up (albeit only slightly), we started to get ready for our first EVA on Mars.
Our first EVA consisted of Aditya, Mehnaz, Rajvi, and myself (Clare), and we drove out to the usual training ground of Marble Ritual. While we did enjoy looking at the rocks there and learning to walk and hike up hills in our suits, a few of us felt that our suits hadn’t been fitted quite right (despite the time taken to try fitting them prior to our EVA), and so we returned ten minutes early.
The others back at the Hab had cooked another delicious lunch while we were on our EVA (including bread we had put on in the morning). After this, it was time for the other crew members to start fitting their suits prior to going on their training EVA. Annalea, Bharti, and Daniel managed to fit their suits quickly, so they waited and took photos before their EVA start time. However, the weather had been closing in and it started to rain, so Mission Support advised us to postpone our second EVA.
By 1325 the weather had cleared enough that the second EVA crew was able to get ready to go on their EVA. They all quickly put on their suits and jumped in the airlock, ready for their journey to Marble Ritual. Despite a few wardrobe malfunctions, the EVA crew spotted several things worth investigating such as lichens and concretions. They even spotted some extra-Martian life (Earthling tourists) taking photos of our Hab from the designated photo point. Sadly, the rain came back, forcing the second EVA crew to return early.
Our afternoon was spent looking at the pictures we took preparing for and during our EVAs, writing reports, and listening to the quite pitter-patter of rain on the Hab roof. We also had a crew science meeting to help us all better understand each other’s projects and begin to plan our EVAs.
This evening has been greatly brightened with the harvest of sixteen(!) tomatoes that we have eaten as a pre-dinner snack. Thanks, Mehnaz, for harvesting and thanks to the previous GreenHab officer(s) for their efforts growing the tomatoes. The Mangalyatri Crew are all getting rumbly tummies with the delicious smells of dinner – thanks, Aditya and Rajvi!
Hungry for dinner and fieldwork,
Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri journalist)

Sol 3: Food, glorious food! Wind, horrible wind!
The crew had a slow morning today, thinking about our research and doing a few maintenance jobs around the Hab, various domes, and tunnels. We were all feeling a little anxious about the weather and what that would mean for the EVA we had planned for this afternoon. It wasn’t long before we decided that being in the tunnels during the high winds was both unpleasant and dangerous in the thin Martian atmosphere.
To take our mind off the possibility of the afternoon’s EVA getting postponed due to high winds, we cooked aloo sandwiches. And lots of them! It was a real team effort, with everyone taking part in the preparation, tasting, and actual cooking (and of course eating!) of these warm and comforting spiced mashed potato sandwiches. As we all ate, we discussed reality TV, what “going on a spiritual journey” means, and more serious topics of politics and religion.
By 1330 we decided to radio back to Mission Support and say that we would postpone our EVA until tomorrow, and Mission Support had recommended that we do this if the wind didn’t die down. It was just too windy to be out and about on rovers and in space suits. We’d all gotten sick of hearing the wind howling around the Hab, but not being able to see any sign of said wind when we looked outside.
So, we all settled in for an afternoon of reading and researching. Three Mangalyatris went to the Science Dome – one preparing for his forthcoming biological experiments, and the other two to look at, draw, and paint gypsum and chert as part of Annalea’s research. Our GreenHab Officer enjoyed the warmer temperatures in the GreenHab while taking care of our plants and coming to grips with her research about how different conditions affect plant germination and growth. She also harvested some radish, basil, and coriander – what a treat for dinner tonight!
Once all the day’s tasks were over, our evening became one of cooking, report writing, and continued research. All our cooking is keeping spirits up while hoping for the weather to calm down. Plus, it fuels all our important research! We’re writing and researching as our yoghurt sets, our chickpeas soak, and our paratha dough rests. After a full day of inside work, the Mangalyatri crew is looking forward to getting out on an EVA. But perhaps we are even more looking forward to a post-comms window board game or cards.
Hoping for better weather and the same quality of food,
Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri Journalist)

Back to Earth
Sol 11 began on a slightly sombre note. At 09:00, the crew held a minute’s silence to mark the anniversary of the Columbia disaster, followed by a bit of a speech by Steve about the ill-fated crew and mission. It’s a fascinating story, from both a technical and human perspective, and serves as a sobering reminder that what we’re doing here now will one day be very real for the human crews sent to Mars – which, when it happens, will be one of the most extraordinary and precarious ventures our species has ever taken.
As the last full day ‘in sim’, we planned to make full use of our time and conduct two hefty EVAs. The first went out to Candor Chasma: a deep, winding riverbed that cuts a deep channel through the rocky landscape east of the MDRS. As we climbed down and trekked much of its length, further than our crew had previously, we found ourselves surrounded by huge cliff faces of stratified rock, and discovered a wealth of interesting rock samples underfoot (including some great petrified wood fossils, and other novel things like jasper for Steve to spectrify).
The second EVA was almost cancelled on account of wet weather, but luckily the looming rain was delayed by a few hours and the team was cleared to proceed. They wanted to go to White Moon again, 4km north of the MDRS, but with the rovers’ batteries depleted more quickly by the colder weather they reached 55% charge (their point of no return) slightly north of Cowboy Corner, just over halfway to their destination. The team made the best of their remaining time by collecting additional samples from the area around the rovers (which they’d already visited during a previous EVA). At this site they found more petrified wood, concretions, endoliths growing on chert, as well as some extra parts of Clare’s ‘weird fizzy rock’ (carbonate). They also got to see a few special sights: a yardang from below, an antelope (I didn’t think they married, hurr durr), squirrels, birds, and a humanoid native lifeform on a faraway hill.
Unfortunately, these will likely be our last EVAs as said wet weather (and a hint of snow) has made conditions tomorrow unsuitable.
So… it’ll all end at midday tomorrow. After that, we do our cleaning, packing… and if time and weather allow, maybe some unencumbered hiking.
Highlights of the day: ‘Cobweb’ rocks (actually called "chicken wire gypsum"), other cool stones, the Chasma, remembering Columbia (maybe this should be a lowlight?), animals, Scott’s sugar stash.
Lowlights of the day: Steve mangling a bread loaf, biggest power loss yet, foggy visors, Clare hasn’t watched The Simpsons, someone dropped/broke multiple rock samples, EVA (mis)communications.

– Alexander Tobal, Crew 291

The Sun Sets on Mars
Well this is it. We’ve now passed the end of sim. Theoretically we could all sprint out of the airlock without suits and frolic across the hillsides, but Commandrew’s advised us that the bentonite clay outside is too waterlogged and swollen for that. Or maybe he just wants to preserve our remaining dignity.
It’s been a bit of a strange (but satisfying) day. With no EVAs on the scope, members of the crew spent their last morning as proper Martians finishing off experiments in the science dome (like testing the reactivity of powdered concretion), doing some preliminary cleaning, or just chilling/warming in the kitchen. We had some good convos and laughs around the table, as always, discussing everything from Hawking radiation and space elevators to sunsets, duck feet and TV shows. The Greenhab decided to bequeath us some parting gifts: five tomatoes, three peas and a cucumber. A few of us also trudged through the mud to get some picturesque photos of the landscape, and when it got dark, did some stargazing under the northern hemisphere sky.
I think this is the point where I give a formal shout out to the fine folks of Crew 291, who are genuinely all fun, easygoing, considerate people. Maybe we’re all steadily succumbing to cabin fever… but there have been so many hysterical moments between us, and we’ve become fast friends in a very short span of time. Everyone brings something interesting to the table. Everyone pulls their weight. We’ve succeeded and failed as a team. Somehow, there’s been no bad blood whatsoever between us… which I didn’t expect, being thrown into a living situation with five other strangers (and one toilet between us). These people are passionate about – and very skilled at – what they do, and it’s been inspiring to document them fulfilling their professional and personal goals at the MDRS.
What have I learned from this experience? There’s the obvious stuff, about how a habitat is run and the kind of day-to-day tasks that life on Mars might one day entail. Then there are the less obvious things. The geology lessons, realising the unseen ways (and innate beauty) with which the landscapes around us tell their ancient stories – from the mightiest chasms to the most mundane pebbles underfoot. Or how profoundly the simplest things, like food, can uplift crew culture, morale and cohesion. The way a great crew can make the challenges trivial.
So there you have it. Our last report from the MDRS. Tomorrow we leave the MDRS and journey all the way back to Australia. I’d like to thank everyone who got involved in this expedition, including the directors of Mars Society Australia. While we’re all looking forward to returning home (more than ready to see some Terran green and blue), I think I speak for all of us in saying that this has been an unforgettable experience that will stay front-of-mind for a very long time. It’s not every day you get to be Martian.
And thanks to you, readers, for following and supporting us. If you’d like to reach out to the crew about our activities and experiences at the MDRS, please contact Mars Society Australia.
Farewell from Andrew Wheeler (Commandrew), Steve Hobbs, Rob Hunt, Clare Fletcher, Scott Dorrington, and Alexander Tobal!
Highlights of the day: Steve’s landscape photography (reportedly “the best sunset he’s seen in thirty years, in either hemisphere”), pasta, send-off harvest, stargazing, Clare is a LotR/fantasy fan (finally, something to get her out of the lowlights), Commandrew "doesn’t think any of us need putting down".
Lowlights of the day: Rob used buttermilk again as a milk substitute (in fruit porridge), Steve’s clay-caked boots, Clare "didn’t have any thoughts today" (ah well, back into the lowlights), crew got rained on through the ‘tornado-proof’ hab roof, more extraterrestrials checking us out.

– Alexander Tobal, Crew 291

Staring at the Sun
Yesterday (Sol 7) marked the half-way point of our rotation. Aside from one easy EVA in the early-morning, and a jigsaw puzzle that tested our wits more than it probably should have (barely managed to complete it and sign the back), we all pretty much had the day off, and Andrew submitted his commander’s report in lieu of a journalist’s report.
That’s not to say it was all sunshine and rainbows – we had a few illnesses as well. Happy to say that as of writing this on Sol 8, everyone’s pretty much back to normal.
Today involved a pair of great EVAs. The first pitted Steve’s rover against the ‘Mars 500’ racetrack – i.e. a custom course designed to test how quickly the rover could traverse a set course while sampling terrain. Steve tried several runs – one involved driving blindly and being guided by Scott (something that might be necessary in an actual Martian environment), the next involved driving the rover directly (which understandably streamlined and sped up proceedings), and the last involved Steve driving the rover while collecting samples en route. He also did a human test to compare results (again, the human clocked in more impressive speeds). During this EVA, while not helping Steve, Scott also experimented some more with his angular measurements, using his theodolite app and new protractor techniques.
The second EVA explored the area west of Tharsis Montes (about 4km due north of the MDRS), in search of gypsum (the ‘drinkable rock’ that can be heated to yield water) and petrified wood. We found plenty of the former, not so much of the latter, and got some incredible views of Skyline Rim (the dried-up streambeds we were navigating were pretty spectacular as well). In practice, the search for gypsum felt almost a little too gamey – if it glinted in the sun, we picked it up. We also discovered some endolithic colonies (microbes that live beneath rocks) in the process, partially by accident.
Following Rob’s previous stint setting up the observatory’s telescope and studying the sun, today he managed to take a cool photo of the sun’s surface.
The crew also passed another cool milestone today… our first self-grown tomatoes! Scott came back from the Greenhab bearing gifts, aka the most ‘tomatoey’ tomatoes we’ve ever had. Hats off to Crew 290 for laying the groundwork – we hope to do the same for Crew 292.
Highlights of the day/yesterday: Rob’s pic of the sun, jigsaw sleuthing, tomatoes, hot beverages with dairy milk, Greenhab now has a bee.
Lowlights of the day: Illness, burned fritters, the saltiest chips imaginable.
– Alexander Tobal, Crew 291

Get a lode of this
EVA 1 went out to the area near Marble Ritual, just east of the MDRS, where Steve tested his rover’s mobility in a more ‘natural’ setting across irregular terrain typical of the Martian landscape. He also experimented with the maximum inclines and declines it could traverse (most of the time we found the rover was limited by wheel traction rather than power) and conducted some further tests with its integrated spectrometer, including a panorama and additional material spectrification samples. Clare spent the time doing ‘exogeoconservation’ work – i.e., recreating past conservation imagery to assess geomorphological changes of the terrain over time (several decades in this instance). Somewhere along the line, we stumbled upon some sought-after petrified wood samples.
EVA 2 went out a lot further… i.e., as far as the rovers could physically take them along Cow Dung Road before they hit 55% battery charge (the designated point of no return). They walked the rest of the way to “White Moon”, about 4km due north of the hab and west of Tharsis Montes, where they searched for more gypsum deposits. They found plenty. There was initially some intent to scout for evaporite deposits as well, but that was abandoned in favour of gypsum recovery. Scott also dipped his toes into ‘celestial navigation’ – i.e., using his theodolite app to get bearings of terrain features relative to the sun, for future reference.
Rob spent more time in the observatory. Although the sun was a little fuzzier today, he managed to fully process an image (and troubleshoot the process).
As for the food component of this report: today’s menu consisted of garlic-cheese scones (pronounced ‘skonn’ thanks), cornbread, jambalaya (I only learned about this today and can’t provide much additional context, but can confirm it was a rice-meat meal that tasted great), and a salad, containing (among other things) a self-grown radish and delicately dressed by Clare’s proprietary/improvised secret sauce.
Highlights of the day: Gypsum motherlode, petrified wood, a radish (and soon, cucumber) from the Greenhab, Martian antelopes.
Lowlights of the day: Multiple power outages, misidentified anhydrites (by someone several decades ago), another UWO (the third in as many days), Clare hasn’t watched Aliens, Terminator 1/2, Contact, The Thing (1984) or Jurassic Park.
– Alexander Tobal, Crew 291

Breaking out the Bubbles
Sol 10 was a fairly relaxed day. There was reduced focus on EVAs… with the crew having collected most of the samples they needed during earlier EVAs, today was more about processing what we already had.
For Andrew and Clare, this involved preparing their gypsum samples for water extraction. The samples first needed to be washed, to remove any lingering dirt and other contaminants, and then ground in a mortar and pestle. The resulting powder was then heated. This experiment, although small, yielded the amount of water expected and was generally a success.
At every step of the way, Steve also took the opportunity to spectrify the gypsum – in its dirty state, its clean state, its powdered state, and its anhydrite state (post-water extraction). This went really well, although the spectral readings of the powdered gypsum weren’t fully consistent with Steve’s previous readings of similar samples, possibly implying slight differences in chemical composition between them. The more excitable of us have named this strange new form of gypsum “Stevenite”.
Andrew and Clare also reacted their carbonate samples (or specifically, the clay matrices within the samples) with ascetic acid (vinegar) to extract carbon dioxide, resulting in some very visible effervescence. Meanwhile Rob spent some more valuable time in the observatory.
As the crew’s engineering officer, Scott alternated between spacesuit maintenance (several of the suits were having battery issues) and Greenhab duties. Apparently we have two cucumbers in the ‘soon-to-be-eaten’ pipeline, as well as a surprise new fledgling cucumber from one of the more feeble plants. We didn’t necessarily have high expectations of the cucumber plants given that they had a rough time prior to our rotation with heating issues, so as far as we’re concerned this is all a bonus – clearly they’re enjoying the steady warmth. If we don’t eat them, they’ll make a good welcome present for Crew 292.
Speaking of warmth, in half a week we’ll be flying back into an Australian summer. Alas, our time at the MDRS is steadily drawing to a close. We only have one more full day ‘in sim’ before the end of our rotation – as of 12:00 local time on 2 February, we’re free men and woman (or at least, able to leave the hab without gearing up and depressurising in the airlock). The plan is to make tomorrow count with several large EVAs.
Highlights of the day: Water from rock, discovering Stevenite, discovering dehydrated chicken, Scotty to Engineering, Rob’s epic ‘hunza’ pie, cucumber surprise, discussing volcanoes/space disasters/conspiracies, Clare’s ‘weird rock’ fizzed (in vinegar).
Lowlights of the day: Self-dissembling plant-beds, Clare apparently hates puns and the news as well, and also hasn’t watched any Futurama or Star Wars/Trek (and calls the Force “psychic powers”), spherical trigonometry.
– Alexander Tobal, Crew 291

Australia Day
Sol 5 began with another interesting convo over breakfast – this time about human lung capacity and blood oxygen saturation, and whether/how a human could feasibly survive atmospheric depressurisation on Mars – at least, long enough to reach and operate an airlock. Somehow this led into a genealogy discussion about family trees, our ancestors, and their connections to Australia. Very fitting, given that today was Australia Day.
For international readers: Australia Day is the country’s official national holiday, observed by all its states and territories, and is one of the biggest events in the Australian calendar. The date of 26 January marks the anniversary of the British First Fleet’s landing near modern-day Sydney in 1788. While this specific date means different things to different Australians and has become somewhat controversial, for most it means a day off to come together and celebrate in solidarity. It’s also a day around which many citizenship and award ceremonies take place.
To commemorate the occasion, today was light-on with EVAs. We only conducted one, to Cowboy Corner again – but it was a doozy, pitting humans against Steve’s rover to compare their spectral capture and traversal capabilities. Humans won (the battle at least, maybe not the war). The team also took the opportunity for a flag-planting ceremony with the crew’s mascots.
Meanwhile, back at the hab, Commandrew was busy making improvised ‘lamingtons’ while dressed in his patriotic red, green and blue (see Pascal Lee’s Flag of Mars). Somehow they turned out great. We also baked more bread – at one point having three different loaves on the go – and improvised some ‘pseudo-snaggas’ that turned out… not-so-great.
Highlights of the day: None of the crew have known convict ancestors, Clare’s Scottish (Murray) side once owned a castle (Blair Atholl) with its own private army, Andrew’s eligibility to wear four different tartans, Rob’s Boer War family heirloom.
Lowlights of the day: Clare’s other side is a family of doppelgangers and she literally has no imagination (that’s not a joke), bread addiction, what happens on EVA stays on EVA.

– Alexander Tobal, Crew 291

Mining and Dining
Milk rationing is now in effect. In practice, this meant experimentation with some pretty egregious alternatives – i.e., Scott and Clare eating strawberry frosted flakes with ‘Orange Delight’ cordial… and Rob using diluted buttermilk pancake mix in lieu of actual milk.
We also experimented with dehydrated potato slices in the hopes of creating a super-chip (crisp). There’s potential there. Potential that wasn’t realised today, but potential. By the end of the day we also got a couple of pizzas up and running, which rounded off things in a special way.
You’ve probably noticed that I talk a lot about food. I suppose this is meaningful in a way that might not initially be apparent – i.e., that food will be incredibly important to crew morale over long-term expeditions to Mars, just as it has been to us. There’s something to be said for the joy of recreating a staple meal (or creating a new one) in a restrictive environment where many other luxuries might be unavailable, and especially in growing your own. It brings people together, provides an outlet for creativity and experimentation, and serves as a daily (for some, hourly) motivator.
We conducted two EVAs today, both of which involved a drive out to mineral sites for reconnaissance purposes. Scott also (successfully) used both opportunities to experiment with a theodolite app to help measure angles between geographical features, as well as conventional analogue measurements.
EVA 1 travelled south to Kissing Camels Ridge (another name that never gets old) and found some great samples (as well as ‘weird things in the dakota’… Clare’s words, no further explanation given). From there the team also got a great view of Skyline Ridge.
EVA 2 travelled further north-east to Candor Chasma and found some good samples of their own, as well as some other curiosities: a fossil bed (fossilised worm burrows and more ‘Devil’s Toenails’), lots of cow dung, plus a watering hole (possibly two?) with surrounding hoof-prints. They also found unexpected salt deposits.
Back at the station, Rob got to spend six hours in the station’s observatory studying the sun.
We also had a UFO incursion – i.e., a car drove directly through the station and then encountered our EVA team on the road. Luckily they came in peace.
Highlights of the day: Pizza, EVA 2 returning early, surprise salt, accidentally fossil discovery.
Lowlights of the day: Pre-diabetic improvised breakfasts, EVA 1 returning late and losing a marker pen to Mars, dodgy Greenhab thermometers, UFO incursions are escalating.

– Alexander Tobal, Crew 291.