Author: jburk

Crew 223 Journalist Report 05Mar2020
Author: Clément Plagne, Crew Journalist
Sol 4
Title: A matter of time
It’s sol 4 already! We’re just about a third of the way through our stay
in the station, which is honestly really hard to imagine. We’ve
experienced a lot already. The team has already changed from how it was
when we started, and we’ve grown as a unit more and more each day. Our
bodies are a bit leaner, bruised for a few of them, but feel stronger
and healthier – the all-American fast-food based diet we had before
arriving here is long gone. They’re also a whole lot dirtier. While no
one’s complained about smells, the days inside an enclosed, dusty
environment have taken a toll on us, and we’re all overdue for a shower.

Yeah, we sure have done a lot already. It’s hopeless to think we’ll
explore everywhere around us and do all the science we want, but we’ve
done a fair bit. Still, it feels like all those days have gone by like a
flash. Time goes by differently in the station. Saying “It’s sol 4!”
sounds fine to all of us, but “It’s Thursday!” just feels weird. Very
easily, you get into a rhythm. 7am wake up time, timed sports session,
breakfast, EVA Prep, check, check, check, 5 minutes of airlock
depressurisation, and on with the procedures. Everyone knows what
they’re doing every single minute of their morning. It’s doing work of
course, but also a lot of waiting for lunch. Lunch, as well as the
afternoon, is a lot freer. Where EVA mornings have us all focused on one
task, afternoons are for our own work. You get to take time to think.

When you’re in here, the rest of the world just stops to exist, and so
does everything with it. The days become simpler. No more social media,
no more advertisements on walks outside, no more commute to work.
Without distractions, you finally get to take time. Time for science,
time for ourselves and others. And, as things get the chance of going
slow and smooth, paradoxically, they go by without realising, and you
end up busy writing reports over a day you thought started instants
before. It’s a pleasure being so efficient and living so simply.

We’re only a third of the way through, but I’m already afraid it’ll be
over before I realise it. I’m enjoying every second of it while it lasts.

Crew 223 Journalist Report 04Mar2020
Author: Clément Plagne, Crew Journalist
Sol 3
Title: The Commander’s Day

Today, our commander was busy. He was not lucky enough to go on EVA today, being instead stuck inside the Hab on HabCom duty. He’s helped out everywhere, from assisting the harvest in the GreenHab to lending a hand in the RAM to troubleshoot the recent spacesuit issues. Also, he’s the one tasked with doing the dishes after dinner tonight. It’s also his birthday. For the second year in a row now, Aurélien got a year older inside the station. Being away from family, home, and, to be quite fair, the whole world on a day like this is never easy, especially with a full
day’s worth of work to do. We’re great company, there’s no doubting it, but I don’t think any one of us is pretentious enough to think that’s sufficient. Besides, for what it’s worth, he’s been telling us he’s beginning to forget what birthdays outside the MDRS are like. Still, we do our best to make this a great day for him, starting with our EVA, that went very smoothly for everyone involved. For once, no spacesuit trouble to report, besides the fact that we had to use the slightly less comfortable ones, and were glad to lay down by the end of it.

The next step to a good day, as always for us, is a lovely meal. Our birthday boy himself, 23 years young now, took part in the making of some fantastic pizzas, tested and approved by all. Marion baked an absolutely wonderful banana bread – in what was possibly the toughest moment of the mission so far, we took the decision of waiting a bit before eating the leftovers. Sometimes I feel like all I’m talking about is food. When things get unusual or tough, you get back to the fundamentals: sleeping and eating. Both are going well for all, a great sign that the rest also works.

We actually ended up having some time before getting back to work to sit down at the table and play a little game of bluff and strategy. The dynamics of the team really is beginning to show, and we had some great fun playing (no one must tell Aurélien that we let him win). For the
third day running, Marion, our Crew Scientist, has had us run an experiment on communication in foreign languages. One person has the instruction for a LEGO build, and the other must construct the object from the pieces without either one seeing the other, with limited time. All teams are making great progress, going from Frankensteinesque monstrosities to things that actually begin to resemble the actual object! To add to that, our Health and Safety Officer Blandine has also continued with team building and relaxation exercises, and it’s once again been a lovely moment together and a great time to talk about how life is going so far in the station.

We’ve got a couple other things planned for Aurélien later on tonight, but we can’t spoil the surprises, so it’ll have to stay secret!