MDRS 167A
Journalist Report 03 Apr 2016
Sol 01
The McLennan Community College Lonestar Highlander’s MDRS Crew 167A bid the Belgian MDRS Crew 166 farewell and a safe journey home. Shannon Rupert provided an orientation briefing and the Highlanders subsequently entered sim at 0934 local time. The Belgian crew kindly saved some left over pizza which enabled the Highlanders to prepare for the first Extravehicular Activity (EVA) mission. This series of Orientation EVAs was focused on familiarizing the crew with the EVA suits, entry/exit procedures, surface vehicle operations, and GPS land navigation.
EVA 1 consisted of Andreas, Beechner, and Overman and left late morning returning in the early afternoon. Remaining crew members stayed to clean the Hab and prepare for upcoming microbiology experiments.
The crew a late lunch of chicken tortilla soup on their return.
Afterwards, EVA 2 consisting of Sansom, Clayton, and Stanford left midafternoon and returned later in the afternoon.
During these EVAs, crew members observed:
• Ancient sand dunes
• Caprock erosion from wind and water (mass wasting)
• A mushroom shaped hoodoo
• A creek bed exhibiting signs of efflorescence
• A field of gypsum bordering a substantial quantity of bivalve fossils
Freshly baked bread has been made and the crew intends to enjoy a pasta dinner this evening. Crew members are settling into their assigned duties and performing those functions as required. Spirits are high and crew members are looking forward to starting their research projects.
Clark Overman, Crew Journalist, MDRS 167A