MDRS 164 Journalist Report 26/02/2016
Sol 6. Another beautiful day in the Hab. Morning EVA was dedicated to
the exploration of the vicinity of the station. As a Marsonaut, I
realized that my only regret is that there is no air in Mars
atmosphere. The ATVs we will used on the red planet will need electric
engines. Silent electric engines. The best part of today’s EVA was
driving our ATVs along the roads around the Hab, feeling the roar of
our engines and the wind around us as we were surrounded by the
majestic and millenium-old mesas of Valles Marineris. It felt like «
Easy Rider » on Mars. Hearing nothing but the small buzz of an
electric engine probably won’t be as fun as burning dead dinosaurs to
produce cinetical energy and being as noisy as possible. The « Space
Cowboys » spirit will disappear in front of technological progress.
Serious reparation job was undertaken once back in the Hab. NorCal’s
batteries, backpack n°1, loft tank pump’s filter : we are getting
everything ready for getting back to work on Monday.
Lack of inspiration ? I prefer calling it tiredness after a week full
of exploration and scientific experimentations, and feeling that we
all need a good rest evening, during which we will trade our
screwdrivers and multimeters for a book or a movie. But I swear I’ll
be back, fresh and rested, as soon as tomorrow. Per Ardua, Ad Astra !
Camille Gontier, Crew Journalist MDRS 164