MDRS 166
Journalist Report 24/03/2016
Sol 5.
Finally, yesterday night was clear!
Me, as the Crew Astronomer, and Mathieu came out to the Musk Observatory. We wanted to start our spectroscopy experiment. Unfortunately, we had had wrong information about the telescope and the adaptation piece don’t fit. We were very disappointed.
So we tried the telescope to see some object of the sky. I go out, in the safety circle to take some pictures. The nearly full moon light too much and I couldn’t capture a lot of stars.
The others join us and we show the Jupiter and the Orion Nebula.
Sleep late this morning, we get up at nine. Pancake breakfast. The coffee drinker are afraid of a shortage, so they started to drink tea. There will have less for me…
We made too much food yesterday, so we ate the leftovers. We took ourselves ready for the EVA. Mathieu couldn’t start the red ATV which had stayed on all night long and had no more battery.
I attached my camera as I could. I think we passed a lot of time driving and I was not really useful. I prefer walking EVA. The Alert Beacon works well. Arthur who had the receptor could hear them several times.
It’s sometimes difficult to drive this machines when the road is not flat. The speed made us feel a little wind and it was pleasant. This was a sunny day, and our spacesuits are not thin.
Mathieu is filing down the adaptation piece for the spectroscope, and it’ noisy…
The generator is down, and the emergency one is not working very well. We lost internet access several times during the CapCom yesterday and it continue today. Hope it work better in the future.
“To the starry sky, Bubble hung herself
And it’s on the Milky Way, that Miss decided to live
Thus in the sky, and for millions of years
Madam the Earth has observed this illuminated bubble
Every evening, when the night starts to fall
Miss Bubble keeps an eye on us until the Sun calls her out.
(Oh Moon! eh! Moon! This is the Sun speaking oh)”
(translated from Tryo’s song)
Nadine Traufler, Crew Journalist MDRS 166