Journlist's Report
November 10, 2014
Dario Parastesh
LIFE ON MARS…
Hey from Crew 142…this is November the 10th 2014. We start with coming back to yesterday when the crew had spent the after dinner repeating the famous “Cards against humanity”. Such a lot of laughs were heard up to the Earth!!
However, as the next day (today) was going to provide a ordeal day, we all felt asleep very soon. So, today morning we all woke up at 7.00 a.m. since an early EVA was scheduled on our agenda. As I had been instructed to be monitoring the CapCom place, my day started quite fastly. That’s because I had a quick breakfast together with Vincent while Digby and Christiane were preparing to go outside in their suits. What a great wake up!!
At 7.30 a.m. I was ready to assist with the basic EVA operations such as suiting up, Airlock entering, and depressurizing. In few moments crew members were in the Airlock room and I was sitting at my location, giving opening to the operational activities. I’m on Mars…this is my job now.
The morning was mostly spent writing the communications between the HAB and the EVA crew. Furthermore, Cyprien and Carmel were to engage in a short trip to Hanksville in order to collect the helmets and radios Earth wholehearted gift. To be realistic, the helmets were found just in front of the HAB door like a most wonderful Christmas present while the radios came to Hanksville in the late afternoon. Nevertheless, thanks Earth!! We can survive better…just a little bit.
I haven’t seen Mr. Jingle yet today, where the damn it has hidden…
However, as just me and Vincent were inside the HAB, I decided to help him watering some Martian regolith and soil, proceeding in becoming a real biologist!! And Vincent appreciated the help, your welcome Vincent…it’s just my job, I mean, helping people, not at all be a biologist.
So, the helmets were at home and the EVA crewmembers decided that it was the time to try them. So, after a 1 hour and half fitting the suits to the helmets, the members went outside and completed the job, showing how a real Martian astronauts work. The came back at 4.00 p.m., I’m sure they were pretending to work…
The after lunch time represented the peak of the day as Vincent brought me to GreenHab and pointed out the increasing growth the plants were manifesting. I just stared…I had never seen how food can be grown on Mars. What can I suggest to do? Just come and see because here the seed of life sprout.
The following hours have been spent thinking about the query, how life can be generated on Mars? Can we really do it? Even now we’re spending our time writing reports, the mind goes to those plants which are from Earth, because they could be the next residents of Mars…