Journalist's Report:
12/4/2012
Written by Dan Wilcox
For every EVA, there are plans and reports, comprehensive work involved with making sure the time spent out on the Martian soil is utilized effectively and safely. When it takes 5 minutes to pressurize the Habitat’s airlock, you can’t just run back home when you’ve forgotten something and “be right back”. One mistake can be catastrophic, so everything is checked and double checked.
But don’t get me wrong, we don’t sit in our tin can all day deliberating and monitoring. We’ve been training and practicing together the last 2 years before the 6 month voyage from the Earth to Mars. We know the maintenance, checklists, and procedures in our sleep. This is our life and we’re prepared for it.
Today, using satellite maps from various robotic Martian orbiters, Paula and I identified several suitable beds for future roads. We’ve planned two EVAs for next Sol in order to both scout the terrain and possible road areas as well as identify sites for future exploration. Sometimes it’s best to get your feet dirty and turn over a rock now and then. Armed with this data, we’ll be better able to plan future EVAs.
As there were no planned EVAs today, things might seem slow, yet our tin can was bubbling with activity. There were systems to monitor, tomorrow’s EVA to plan, rover upgrades, and the general administrative paperwork for the folks back in Mission Support. They, like all of planet Earth want to know what we’re up to and the 20 minute delay for radio transmission doesn’t make it any easier.
As the first crew on Mars, we are scouts and explorers. There is power in mapping, in saying “here is something” and “this is this place”. We’ve been logging our progress using MPS (Mars Positioning System) and I’ve been compiling a map of our exploration. With each EVA, our tracks extend ever outward from the Hab as the knowledge and experience of the human race expands with every step.