Journalist report sol 9
Your Journalist writes with the most tired fingers of the fortnight, since today was about reaching literal heights and views. Everything started, though, with a nearly-successful mouse catch; we heard the trap close around midnight, but the little guy slipped it before our Engineer could secure the doors. (This afternoon the Engineer obviously fashioned latches to solve this issue, from RAM supplies.) After hearing this news, the crew had some breakfast conversation, and the Millennial EVA Crew then left for a hike-heavy EVA up to Hab Ridge to view the campus from above. This perspective made the Journalist somewhat emotional. Everyone agreed it was the sweatiest EVA despite mild temperatures.
Lunch and dinner prep came before the second EVA, which was more intrepid. The Commander, HSO, and Journalist took rovers to reach a strategic area for launching the HSO’s drone. With the Monolith’s location triangulated, the EVA crew wanted to get the device as close as possible to the formation, which required: driving farther on Copernicus Highway than most had been before, walking up jagged streambeds to reach an elevated ridge, and cresting it to get the best signal for the drone. The Monolith still hid behind a layer of plateau; after much practice, however, the HSO piloted the drone three times toward the formation and captured video and photographs of the thing. It remains lair-like, and sits closer to a river and green vegetation than expected, which makes it seem to preside over an accidental kingdom. The crew soaked up the videos at the dinner table after the EVA before eating burritos near-silently—exhausted, stunned by the highest number of Monolith pixels ever recorded (we think), and filled with beans.