1225-CommandersReport

Commander Report

Mars Log: 2014

A Martian Transformation

What a great Christmas surprise for the crew. It was a magical spectacle looking out of the port window of the Hab this morning. The landscape of the Martian surface covered in a fresh white blanket of snow. It is a Martian transformation and a magnificent and sublime vision.

Last night the crew participated in a group aromatherapy facial and relaxation session in preparation for Christmas day. We sat around the iconic dinner table after dinner and each person breathed in the aroma from a bowl of steaming water laced with drops of bergemont oil. It must be a very strange sight to see four people bent over bowls and heads covered with paper napkins. In the future Martian settlers will need to address the importance of space wellness and hygiene and develop procedures for long-duration missions for crews living in the small confinement of a Hab. For example, body odor and other noxious smells can significantly affect crew behaviors and interactions especially when living in closed quarters to one another and within a closed-looped environment. Our crew member, Michal, offered to perform “before and after” transformations on the team before the start of our return journey back to Earth tomorrow afternoon. That will be a lot of fun.

Now starts the Christmas celebrations with singing, dancing, space band and merriment. So, on behalf of Crew 145 and I we want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Ad Astra!

Susan

Commander Crew 145