Journalist Report
Crew 321 November 4th, 2025
Alexander Rowe
Sol 1:
The crew gathered for breakfast at 0800. Yishan made a lovely pot of oatmeal for us to share. Bananas, blueberries, strawberries, peanut butter and brown sugar were all lovely supplements to the our dishes. During breakfast and following, we had an overview of what our first EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) was going to be. Parker volunteered to be our ExO (Executive Officer) on the mission. His job was to keep track of time, keep the crew focused on the tasks and manage rover battery life. Alex volunteered to be the Coms. His tasks were to radio back to the station and update them on our location and times leaving. Dianea volunteered to be our HSO (Health and Safety Officer). She was ready to help with any health or safety issues that might arise on the EVA. Jake volunteered to be our Navigator. He had our map and directed us to where the two spots we would be stopping at. Yishan volunteered to be our team geologist. As our mission was to look for specific geological samples, Yishan’s knowledge was so helpful for us all. After breakfast, crew 321 cleaned the dishes and moved onto getting ready for our EVA.
At 0915 the crew began to change into their EVA uniforms and gather the belongings that they would be using in the field. All crew members decided to take two piece suits. These suits need other members to help put them on, as they have many components that are out of reach. Jen, our Commander, helped all of the members get into their suits. The excitement in the room was palpable, as all members got into their suits, one by one. Once the members were in their suits, many photo opportunities presented themselves. The first grouping of the crew entered the airlock at 1000 and waited for the all clear to come from inside the HAB. Once they exited, the second group followed suit.
Once the team was outdoors, we found our three rovers. We took out the rovers named Curiosity, Perseverance and Spirit. Jake and Alex took Spirit. Parker took Curiosity. Yishan and Dianea took Perseverance. We unhooked the rovers, turned them on and reported their battery life and hours used to our Commander. Spirit took the lead and Jake directed us to our first destination at the intersection of Brahe HWY on Cow Dung Road (518000, 4254750). In tandem, we drove to the first site, passing countless gorgeous mounds of this alien landscape. We came to the sign for Brahe Hwy and parked our rovers. Our first geological samples to collect were gypsum. We all searched for sparkles in the surrounding area. At first, we didn’t know if we had found the correct spot. The sun finally allowed us the opportunity to start finding samples. We quickly found that we were surrounded by pockets of beautiful gypsum, which had floated to the surface of the red-orange sands. We became quickly spread out. After 30 minutes, Parker helped bring us back together and get ready to move onto the second location. We let the HAB know that we were on our way to the second location.
Our second location was the mounds near the balancing rock, south of dry creek wash (518000, 425400). We made it to our second location at around 1115. Our second geological samples to collect were sandstone blueberries. We were to look for these in the berms by the dried riverbed and near the balancing rock. The balancing rock was breathtaking to see. We quickly found ample amounts of blueberries and collected our samples. This area was rife with diverse geology. It was so much fun to look through what was on the surrounding ground. While there, we were approached by an alien life form. We just ignored them and moved on. Parker gave us the go ahead, to head back to the HAB.
We left at 1145, to return.
We arrived back to the HAB at 1200. All crew members docked their rovers, reported their battery life and hours used and gathered for a 360 degree photo. The first group returned to the airlock and waited for pressurization to happen. The second group followed after the first. All members successfully changed out of their suits and cleaned their helmets off. They brought their samples to the upper deck for inspection. All members debriefed as a team on the upper deck. The team was elated about their experience. We problem solved ahead of our next EVA. How to keep our headsets and head coverings more secured was a topic among us all. A few crew members mused about trying the one-piece suit out tomorrow. We will see.
Our fearless Commander made us a delicious lunch of fresh bread and potato cheddar broccoli soup. We all loved and needed the sustenance after such an adventure. After eating and debriefing, the crew had time to complete work in their non-sim lives. Some exhausted from the experience in the field, needed to rest. Some took time to send videos or materials to their students.
After a much needed moment of respite, our team came back together for some experimentation in the Science Dome. Each of us took two of our gypsum samples and noted the weight of them. After this, we put one sample in a pan of continually mixed water and one in an oven. We are leaving them until tomorrow, to note their outcome.
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