MDRS 165 Journalist Report
Tomoya Mori
Sol 2
Earth date: 08/03/2016
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Bread. That block of a soft edible sponge. Something you are so used to seeing everyday in your kitchen, a nearby kiosk, or a bakery. You can toast it, put jam on it, make it into a sandwich, or eat it just as it is. It’s there when you need it. But bread on Mars. That’s different.
We came back from a long EVA at 2:15PM. We had just climbed up a gigantic steep hill while simultaneously fighting against the gravitational pull of our bulky spacesuits. All four of the EVA crew members stood still, silently waiting for our Commander to open the hatch.
As we re-entered the hab, we found ourselves surrounded by a savory aroma of pastry — as if we had accidentally opened the door of a bakery. Climbing upstairs, we found our gold. A loaf of bread. It was sitting quietly on the kitchen table. “It took almost 4 hours to make this loaf” said our HSO, also known as the private chef of crew 165. According to our Commander, our HSO had already been preparing the recipe before we even left the hab.
Who would have thought that we would be so grateful for a loaf of bread on Mars? We are all starting to appreciate the value of things we had been taking for granted back on Earth. Bread, water, fresh air, not to mention the 24/7 access to the internet. Just like the advancement of the artificial intelligence forces us to rethink about the human nature, space colonization makes us to rethink about our everyday life on Earth. We rely too much on what we are given. It’s time to create our own living environment.