Category: Journalist Report

Crew 204 Journalist Report 06-FEB-2019

Title: Eat to live or live to eat?

Author: Sonal Baberwal (HSO and Crew Journalist)

Good Morning Earthlings! Have you ever lived on a salad for a month and missed all exotic food? This is exactly opposite to what we are feeling! We miss fresh salad! I wish salad could be available on Mars! But it will surely as soon as our plants grow older! Meanwhile, let’s experiment with different powders and make good food!

Another day starts with a lot of discussions on the table served with hot chocolate and experimental brunch! The day further continued with a regular routine and research everyone have been doing and short EVA performed by Commander and GreenHab Officer. Dear weather, please get well soon! Because we really miss long EVAs with rover!

It was really a great experience to 3D print the bricks with the Martian clay and help Commander, Avishek Ghosh. Who knows maybe Commander is planning to make a mini Habitat? And then he might use magnifying energy just like superheroes and magicians and make it large! I never know what exactly goes in his mind! Let me share with you, my area of interest lies in Human-Machine Interaction and Brain Waves. I wish I can make a mind-reading technology pretty soon and read what exactly goes into his mind.

Our GreenHab officer Cosmos Patil has been involved in taking care of the plants as we have been facing lack of sunlight and cold weather. I believe after returning back home definitely he is going to miss the GreenHab and would be making a kitchen garden as he has started making plants as his friends! After lunch, he goes to the GreenHab to have a walk and music with his friends!

You will find our Crew Engineer Space Bot taking readings for his reports, filling up the water tank and similar things! Sometimes it becomes difficult to know exactly where he belongs to! Sometimes you will find him sitting up the deck to fill the water and sometimes setting temperature of the Upper deck. Sometimes in the Engineering Lab and sometimes smiling and talking with the rover!

You might be thinking what exactly I do? Well let me tell you, whether it might be the crew using sanitizer on their hand after using the toilet or washing their hand with water and handwash, I observe all of them minutely and share their deep secrets with all of you every day! I help the crew whenever and wherever they need assistance. Sometimes you will find me plugging earphones and listening to music, sometimes observing this world from the little window and sometimes putting loud Bollywood music and dancing by myself!

This is Sonal Baberwal, Health and Safety Officer and Crew Journalist reporting live from the Upper deck of the habitat just before the communication with the mission support. Stay tuned for the next sunrise and our bunch of stories!

Crew 204 Journalist Report 04 FEB 2019.

Title: Are We Alone?

Author: Sonal Baberwal.

Good morning from Mars. Last night has been a noisy night as we could sense the winds trying to say us something by knocking the doors throughout the night! The feel of isolation was at its best as all we could hear was the noise of the wind which leaves us with a question, are we alone out here in the middle of nowhere? Perhaps nature won’t ever leave you alone. Another day started with looking out from the window and observing the beautiful view of the clouds and the mountains.

The day continues with yummy brunch cooked by Kunal Naik and Avishek Ghosh. We were actually discussing how much we are missing the EVAs due to unsupported weather conditions. The day had been engaged in working on the usual routines where our GreenHab officer had been working on regular care of the GreenHab.

Kunal Naik and Avishek Ghosh had been working on their projects related to the rover and the 3D printing. The day had been an ordinary day just like the others, but the best part of this ordinary day was the extra-ordinary outputs everyone had received.

Very firstly, heartiest congratulations to our baby plant from the sprouts that have grown one day old and he is observing Mars with us! All the fruitful efforts and care of our GreenHab Officer Patil (Cosmos) have turned to be worthy. The new soil compositions prepared by our commander looks promising with some reasonable or unexpected results.

The rover is finally assembled where it can crawl on the Martian terrains and capture its unforgettable moments. The commander has prepared the clay mixture which is ready to be molded into pots from this soil.

The day had been really interesting in terms of the activities we have been performing. Looking forward to a new sunrise with a hope in better weather conditions to support the EVA. This is Sonal Baberwal, HSO and Crew Journalist reporting live from the upper deck of the Habitat! Stay connected to know more about the application of our results.

Title: The total detox

Author: Sonal Baberwal

Good Morning from Mars!

Have you ever spent a day without internet? If yes how was your experience?

Today had been an awesome weather! All we could hear is winds! Feels like we are all alone on Mars as the silence was roaring with the sound of he winds. It has been a cloudy day today with a shower of rains!

Today was a long day as we did not have an EVA due to unsupported weather conditions! The morning started with breakfast and the crew had been working on various things. The crew initially cleaned the upper deck and cooked lunch. This was followed by work in REM and GreenHab. Where Patil (Cosmos) had been taking care of the plants and showering them the daily necessary water as per scheduled! Kunal and Avishek had been working in the REM on the 3D printer setup and assembling and testing of the child rover.

Today we had a detox day without any availability of internet due to weather conditions. I could see sleeping beauties all around (including me) as we had no EVA and internet! This was followed by some games and watching movie which was really fun! Sometimes being away from internet is really healthy for our inner peace.

I feel blessed to be a part of this crew as this crew is not about just being professional. The crew is made up of people who take care of each other and spend quality time together enjoying every moment! Whether it might be working together in lab, or planting new seeds in GreenHab or having food together or getting prepared for the EVA. I believe every moment blessed one! Life is truly about enjoying the present moment with the people who deserve your presence!

This is Sonal Baberwal, HSO and Crew journalist reporting live from the upper deck of the Hab. Looking forward for the next day with lot of hope and enthusiasm.

Crew204 Journalist Report 02-FEB-2019

Title: Robotic Manipulation
Author: Sonal Baberwal

In today’s world, robots seem to play an important role in our day to day life but the true fact is, for future Space exploration, the robotic technology will play a crucial role for enhancing the overall performance of the respective mission. The combined efforts of human-robot interaction is the new future! Robots are not living things but perform better than living beings in terms of precision and accuracy. We have already noticed the marvels of Space Robotics in the International Space Station or Planetary exploration in our solar system like rovers on Moon and Mars.

It has been a busy day where everyone had been involved in their individual research and responsibilities. From morning the crew had been working in different labs to collaborate their work like the Science, Engineering and the GreenHab.

Kunal Naik (Space Bot) had been busy disassembling and assembling the parts of the child rover to get it ready and operational for the EVA. The rover seems to be ready to crawl on the Martian terrains.

Commander was able to set up the Arduino system for the 3D printer in the morning. He has been experimenting with different soil samples while preparing different compositions from red soil, Hab garden soil and some Martian soil along with charcoal. His objective is to investigate the capacity of various soil combination that can possibly bring life in the new soil. He had also been busy working on setting up 3D printer’s mechanical assembly for his experiments.

Cosmos Patil had been working for continuous scheduled watering on grenhab plants and the sprouts he had planted.

This was followed by the EVA. the participants of the EVA today are Cosmos Patil and Kunal Naik. The had explored the white moon. They had an amazing experience while climbing white moon. A quick test of the child rover had been done and the major purpose was to take photos from child rover but had a system failure.

Kunal Naik has been working over the troubleshooting with the help of Sipna College of Engineering and Technology, India. Tomorrow will be a new day with the hope that our rover crawls one again!

30th January, 2019.
Sol 2:

Good Morning from Mars!

The Morning had never been so fascinating when you get an opportunity to observe a completely new horizon from a tiny window. It looks like the sun has spread his arms to hug the mountains and the mountains blush and become red! This is the Crew Journalist and Health and Safety Officer(HSO) Sonal Baberwal reporting live from the lower deck of the habitat observing the beauty of nature.

Preparing and serving powdered food in breakfast, are we really on Mars or on the preparation to be on Mars? What do you think does the powdered food taste like? Well, let me tell you there is an advancement. From the time where there was no flavour in the paste food served to astronauts till the time powdered food had got a great taste.

By the way, did I mention about preparation? Yes, we are preparing for bringing new life here on Mars. The tiny seeds are getting prepared for germination and see the Martian world around them. Looking forward to seeing the GreenHab officer and the crew trying some experiments with the soil in hope for the leaves of the plant to rise over this soil.

And the most awaiting moment comes here. The very first EVA experience, the very first experience to wear the spacesuit. I feel the words are becoming less to describe the emotions of having this experience and getting dressed. It feels more exciting than a bride getting dressed for her wedding!

We had 2 EVAs. Wait a minute, we had only one EVA planned, so where did a sudden EVA come from? Don’t you think it’s like a fairytale that you have been invited for an EVA on a special authorization by Mission Support for a special guest and photographer Mr. Jad Davenport. The first one was performed by Kunal (Space Bot) and Avishek (carbon flight) to an opportunity to participate in the photography session. This was followed by the EVA by Patil (cosmos) and Sonal (Mars bag) to collect soil samples.

The day went busy but awesome and with a lot of exciting activities. Looking forward to the new day with new hope! Stay connected with the Crew204 and we invite you to be the part of the mission towards the destination!

Sonal Baberwal, Crew 204 Journalist

Journalist Report

Author: Sonal Baberwal

Hello from Mars!

Have you ever traveled to an unknown destiny? Yes, maybe or no! Our life is a journey to another unknown destiny in cosmos! isn’t it?

Then why not start with some small steps towards exploration? Like how we landed on Moon and this time on Mars. Crew 204 (Nix Olympica) is stepping towards future Mars settlement with following the footprint of analogue simulation organized by the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS).

The journey has never been easy! But it’s worth pursuing a simulation mission that teaches discipline with an interdisciplinary aspect. Yes, that’s what we’ve thought and found in MDRS.

Well, let’s come to the actual journey that brought us to the destiny that we’ve always been dreaming of. Yes this day was well deserved after huge efforts to reach the destination. We invite you to join our journey and to get to know about our experiences. We really miss our crews as they couldn’t make it due to diplomatic complications, however after great efforts we four could make it out of eight!

This was a really interesting journey. Like someone said, ‘One never gets the desired destination without having obstacles’. Myself, Sonal Baberwal traveled from India to France followed by San Diego, USA and an on-road journey towards Utah. Kunal traveled from Italy to New York to Salt Lake city Utah, where I met him and we left towards Grand Junction where we met Avishek who traveled from United Kingdom to Las Vegas and further Grand Junction. However, after confirmation, we all traveled from Grand Junction towards Mars Desert Research Station. Our crewmate Cosmos Patil had arrived today that made it more valuable.

The biggest challenge was to receive the lost baggage that had valuable research things like the rover. After efforts of 6 days, the bag was received at the Hollow Mountain.

The Crew had a very warm welcome by the mission support members Atalia and David and the Martian Dog Pub. What if we could take these lovely animals (dogs) with us to Mars? The day had been exciting as we had the training for the simulation.

Note: Photos will be sent through separate email.

Title: Across the Universe
Author: David Mateus

With the last days full of Latin American music it is evident that we miss our home, the green of the Colombian mountains, the taste of our fruits, the voice of our relatives and dance with the rhythm of salsa brava.

By getting involved in a trip to other worlds we do not stop being human, we will always need a hug and it will be inevitable to shed some tears from time to time. Mars teaches us that difficulties on land were only part of a training, that we always have something more to learn and that we do not advance just by ourselves.

I will never forget his great sense of humor, your ability to cook exquisite dishes with dehydrated food, your disposition in the maintenance of the habitat systems, your resistance in the EVAs, your professionalism, your companionship, your tolerance, your happiness. I hope to see you soon and to continue working for this beautiful dream. I still have a lot to do on Mars, a lot to learn and I’m happy to stay a little longer, but I’m sad that I will not be with you tomorrow enjoying the beautiful scenery on the way to Grand Junction.

The 204 crew receives the immaculate RAM and science dome, a greener Greenhab, an observatory where our remote astronomer followed the most amazing images and a cozy main Hab where for two weeks our laughers were heard. We hope you have an excellent stay in this that was our home and be aware of the great responsibility that remains in your hands.

Title: “A Commander comes back down to Earth, and knows…”

Author: Oscar Ojeda

And just like this, the mission comes to an end. I can sound repetitive, but I can’t be happier with the crew that got here, thanks to their personal path. Each one of them with their personal and professional inputs made better each minute of this Sols, Hermes with his energy and comments, Freddy with his disposition and abilities, David with his madness and enthusiasm, Yael with her tenderness and discipline, Liza with her spot-on comments and passion, and Santiago with those photos of the sky that left us amazed. I just hope to have been up to it as a Commander.

How is it like to be on Mars? Demanding, and a lot… Physicaly, mentaly, emotionaly, and I would even dare to say, spiritualy. Being in a desert in the middle of nowhere is at the same time an inspiring and overwhelming sensation. Just hearing the voices of the 6 crewmembers for two weeks, just eating dehydrated food, at the same time that you perform physically demanding tasks as the EVAs are, it’s not easy… things fail often, a small problem can become quickly into a crisis, people get stressed, tired, bored… but it just takes a look out of the window, remember where we are, remember the people we love, who we left behind… and all that vanishes, and a great wave of enthusiasm to keep going comes, and to fight for the success of the mission and, of course, for our dreams.

What do I miss being here? It’s curious… the simplest things. A fried egg, given that there’s only powdered egg (yes, powdered “Egg”), a tree, wind, a hot shower, hopefully a long one, fresh fruit, and of course, my cat Spock (And everyone who I love and love me back, or, how Matt Bellamy would say “The people who care if I live or die”).

What won’t I miss? The fast pace of life, the hyperconnectivity, the bad news, maybe traffic, just that in the life that awaits me back on Earth there’s not much traffic, among other things.

And yes, it’s going to be a wonderful memory. And I hope, the beginning of many new and good things. Every second was worth it. And just like life, sometimes the sense of them is that they have an end.

And the stars look very different today…

Per Aspera Ad Astra

Titulo: “A Commander comes back down to Earth, and knows…”

Autor: Oscar Ojeda

Y así, de repente, la misión llega a su fin. Puedo sonar repetitivo, pero no puedo estar más felíz con la tripulación que llegó hasta acá, gracias al camino personal de cada uno. Cada uno de ellos con sus aportes personales y profesionales hizo mejor cada minuto de estos Soles, Hermes con su energía y sus comentarios, Freddy con su disposición y sus habilidades, David con su locura y entusiasmo, Yael con su ternura y disciplina, Liza con sus apuntes y su pasión, y Santiago con esas fotos del cielo que nos dejaban con la boca abierta. Yo solo espero haber estado a la altura como Comandante.

¿Cómo es estar en Marte? Demandante, y mucho… fisica, mental, emocional, y, me atrevería a decir, hasta espiritualmente. El estar en un desierto en medio de la nada es al mismo tiempo una sensación inspiradora y sobrecogedora, el solo oir por dos semanas las voces de los 6 tripulantes, el solo comer comida deshidratada, al tiempo que realizas una actividad física fuerte, como lo son los EVA, es fuerte… las cosas fallan a menudo, un pequeño problema se puede convertir rápidamente en una crisis, las personas se estresan, se cansan, se aburren… pero basta mirar por la ventana, recordar donde estamos, recordar a las personas que queremos, que dejamos atrás… y todo eso desaparece y viene una ola de ganas de seguir adelante y de luchar por el éxito de la misión y, por supuesto, por nuestros sueños.

¿Qué extraño estando acá? es curioso… las cosas mas sencillas. Un huevo frito, ya que acá solo hay huevo en polvo (si, “huevo” en polvo), un árbol, el viento, una ducha caliente, ojala larga, fruta fresca, y por supuesto a mi gato Spock (y a todos los que quiero y me quieren, o como lo diria Matt Bellamy, “toda la gente que se preocupa si vivo o muero”).

¿Qué no extraño? el acelere de la vida, la hiperconectividad, las malas noticias, el tráfico quizá, solo que en la vida que me espera en la Tierra tampoco es que haya mucho tráfico, entre otras cosas.

Y si, va a ser un recuerdo maravilloso. Y espero, el comienzo de muchas cosas nuevas y buenas. Cada segundo valió la pena. Y así como la vida, a veces el sentido de las cosas es que tienen fin.

Y las estrellas se ven muy direrentes hoy…

Per Aspera Ad Astra

Tittle: The Great Journey.

Author:Hermes Bolivar.

Sun number 12 of the mission, The Sun rises and each of the crew are available to their daily tasks and at the same time begins the expectation of their return to Earth, in each of us rolls the uncertainty of our return, everything that awaits in our lives, return to the routines of work and research, to cities full of people, with their daily problems.

Mars has offered us a hostile environment, but in turn unimaginable landscapes and a tranquility that has no price, that is what undoubtedly those crew members who left today to their extra vehicular activity thought. This type of environments that are increasingly less frequent on Earth stimulate our imagination and makes us reflect on how small we are in this vast and mysterious universe. It also makes us understand that this new world is just a small step through this great journey that we have started from our origin as a species.

Meanwhile, today I had to stay at the station, taking care of its maintenance and research projects. Some of them without problems, others of them that still require our attention. In the GreenHab, my job, the plants with their green color and their variety of aromas remind me of those mountainous fields of the Colombian Andes from which I come and miss.

Only a few days after returning to Earth, there are many lessons that I have from this place. I have understood that before this adventure comes to its conclusion, the experience we have had here is like the seed of one of the many plants that I have sown in the GreenHab, and that from this, the generation that will start the Great journey through the cosmos shall come.

Journalist report

Titulo: El Gran Viaje.

Autor: Hermes Bolívar

Sol numero 12 de misión, Amanece y cada uno de los tripulantes se disponen a sus quehaceres diarios y al mismo tiempo comienza la expectativa de su vuelta a la tierra, en cada uno de nosotros rueda la incertidumbre de su regreso, de todo lo que nos espera en nuestras vidas, volver a las rutinas del trabajo y de la investigación, a las ciudades llenas de personas, con sus problemas cotidianos.

Marte nos ha ofrecido un ambiente hostil, pero a su vez paisajes inimaginables y una tranquilidad que no tiene precio, eso es lo que sin duda pensaron aquellos tripulantes que salieron el día de hoy a su actividad extra vehicular. Este tipo de ambientes que cada vez son menos frecuentes en la tierra estimulan nuestra imaginación y hace que reflexionemos acerca de lo pequeños que somos en este basto y misterioso universo. También nos hace entender, que este nuevo mundo es apenas un pequeño paso a través de este gran viaje que hemos iniciado desde nuestro origen como especie.

Mientras tanto, hoy yo tuve que quedarme en la estación ocupándome de su mantenimiento y de los proyectos de investigación. Algunos de ellos sin inconvenientes, otros de ellos que aun requieren de nuestra atención. En el GreenHab, mi puesto de trabajo, las plantas con su color verde y su variedad de aromas me hacen recordar aquellos campos montañosos de los andes colombianos de los cuales vengo y extraño.

A solo pocos días de regresar a la tierra, son muchas las lecciones que me quedan de este lugar. He comprendido que antes de que esta aventura llegue a su conclusión, la experiencia que hemos tenido aquí es como la semilla de una de las muchas plantas que he sembrado en el GreenHab, y que de esta, germinara la generación que dará el inicio al gran viaje a través del cosmos.