1112-JournalistsReport

Journalist Report

11/12/2014

Dario Parastesh

MARTIAN ULTRAMARATHONS

Good morning...it's November the 12th. Today has been so cold here in MDRS. Warm wishes from Earth could help a little bit. Most

of us woke up at 7.00 a.m., and today I was the crew cooker, so I prepared the breakfast. What else to start with ham, eggs, and

Hashbrown potatoes? Maybe with some tortillas? That's it...breakfast ready guys!! They probably appreciated that as 4 folks of our

crew were going to deal with an arduous EVA. Again, I was the HABCom (now officially). After the dishes were cleaned, I got ready

for my work. Guys were in the prep room since 9.00 a.m. hoping the materials required for the long planned trip. 9.35 a.m. marked

the entering in the Airlock room. As the same procedure which for the previous EVA was respected was to attend the 5 minutes

decompressurinzing until exiting outside, the team waited for that in a professional way. Just a small snag was encountered since

the crew asked for a repressurizing and few moments later a new repressurizing. Then they stepped away. Which the purpose

today? Quite easy, moving out to selected waypoints and then repeat it 3-4 times. Whaaaaat?? Are you guys crazy? With the helmets

and the suits? Instead, this is necessary, as our FMARS Sea-Ice project foresee a long harsh walk. People are expecting a lot from us,

we're just rewarding them. Our heroes began likely as tough as an an ultramarathon circuit by passing three major points starting

from the HAB (obviously) I reassume here:

- 12 S / E 0518078 : N 4251880

- 12 S / E 0518919 : N 4252397

- 12 S / E 0519418 : N 4250111

And me, supporting for any request, timing peace and keeping tracks records. But the morning was not just HABCom, since Vincent

was in the GreenHab taking care of our precious fastly growing radishes and chards (someone grow faster than others but don't

care about that). We were all busy as every day spent on Mars, while Vincent and I looked for any sprouting. Vincent was so careful

in reporting and explaining me how plants attempt in finding their way to life that I stared for a while, marveling at the beauty of

nature, so plain and complex in a magnificent alter-ego. Great, and thanks Vincent for that moment of sheer human beauty.

Meanwhile, the EVA crew was on its way to complete their ultramarathon...uhm uhm...not properly since they got the first whole

circuit at almost 3.00 p.m., probably not the fastest peace expected, however it's a start. Fine guys!!

Meantime, Vincent and I were preparing some boiling water given the cold weather scouring us today, so having some tea ready to

administer to the fellows...

They went back to the HAB at 4.40 p.m. and we were surprisingly glad to see they were just as healthy as a runner at its

ultramathon's first kilometer. Well, it was not an ultramarathon regarding the length, anyway they showed us bringing a backpack

and a suit does not change so long things as the will to overtake situations and catch up the final goal push you to whatever you

want, even running an ultramarathon on Mars...