1214-JournalistsReport

Crew 159 has arrived!

We are an experimental blend of Crew 158 and Crew 159— several members of the previous rotation will stay with us for the first week to ease our transition, as we are a small crew. For the first six days, we will have a rotating Commandership, beginning with Commander Nick Jewell.

We began our day with bacon, beans and eggs prepared by Crew 158 Commander Susan Jewell. Afterwards, we spent the morning reviewing procedures, making our mission schedule, and fitting EVA equipment. The crew took a quick hike up the bluffs to admire the Hab and surrounding environment from above, during which an older MDRS geocache was discovered. The weather turned blustery, and we returned to the Hab for a lunch of tuna casserole. Full of heavy carbs, we entered sim … welcome to Mars!

On Mars, it immediately began snowing.

After lunch, Astronomer Stoltz and Commander Nick Jewell did an Emergency EVA in search of an errant piece of equipment, which was successful. The crew spent the rest of the afternoon settling into our roles: learning more about procedure, beginning individual projects, selecting from a rich variety of snacks, and suffering/perpetrating vicious games (chess, Uno, and Commander Nick's prototype card game, Rolez).

We’re enjoying each other’s company, and looking forward to waking up to our first full day on Mars!