Commander Report
Crew 158 Susan Jewell
SOL 5 - Logdate: 0012042015
Failure is not an option...or is it ?
Human relationships has all its challenges, rewards and failures. How to ensure a higher probability of success and for mission success? Who knows there is no magic formula just that fact that if all the players in the team are willing to attain success and completion of the mission and finds new ways and strategies to ensure success that is all we can expect or ask for. The ultimate reward is the journey itself and the experiences we have along the way... There is no magic bullet or a perfect strategy. Commandership has its moments of glory and triumphs but being a leader can also at times be a very lonely place filled with doubts and frustration and decisions to make to balance between priorities to ensure mission completion and crew health and well being. In my experiences as a veteran analog astronaut, increasing the probability of mission success appears to works with individuals not only possessing a certain “je nai cest quoi” and joie de vivre quality – but more importantly possessing a deeper understanding of the “Humanness” of life and the ability to have empathy, sympathy and compassion for others, such individuals are interconnected with a strong sense of Self and degree of maturity, inner wisdom, openness and willingness to collaborate and advocate the “Band of Brothers” mentality...individuals who can be selfless and altruistic- characteristics that are innate in all Beings but rarely seen except in certain situations like living in isolation and confinement in extreme dangerous hostile environments…like Mars!. It is only those with the courage and Humanity to demonstrate vulnerability and unafraid to accept one’s fragility and human imperfections and able to throw out the “egocentric Self” and adapt quickly to the “Selfless Whole” that can successfully become the “perfect” crew MIX and mission success.
I believe every mission is a success if all the players are participating in the process 100% and have tried their best during the journey.
Crew 158 is an extra-ordinary team as individuals I respect and love very dearly as friends, family and as human beings It has been quite fascinating to see this natural seamless transitioning and coalescing of the separate individuals into “One” functioning living breathing organism of five members. As they say you can’t stick a square peg into a round hole so the Crew Mix must naturally evolve to “fit”…this a seamless transition of the physical, physiology and psychology merging into one ebbing and flowing of energies attaining harmony and balance. Not an easy thing to do and every moment this flux and dynamics changes!
So the question we must ask ourselves is how do we find the right crew mix to start the journey of Mankind’s journey to plant the seeds on a New World? In my mind, the answer is not so complicated as we might think it to be. I believe to build a new Martian civilization is not so much just looking and selecting the obvious traits to become an astronaut by dissecting the Anatomy of the Body and Anatomy of the Mind... We must dive deeper into understanding the Anatomy of Love… the invisible “gel” that bonds Humanity and Crews.
So, Crew 158 is now in its SOL 5 and moving forward towards mid-mission with this as one of our main goals and with the hope to achieved this in than two weeks.
As Mr Spock would say…”fascinating Captain”.
Live Long and Prosper. LLAP
Commander Jewell