Author: jburk

Journalist Report
Ben Durkee, Crew 218 Journalist

Sol 04

It’s sol three of being trapped in the Hab. Our first sol without the puzzle to keep us
sane. The snow shows no intention of melting in time for us to be able to EVA tomorrow.
My crewmates have reported seeing a mouse-sized Martian creature in the Hab. It may very
well be a mirage. A fire alarm went off in the RAM (Repair & Assembly Module) and we
rejoiced having something interesting happen. Luckily, it was a false alarm.

Sanctuary has been found in the digital realm. The six of us rotated around playing
Super Smash Bros., abusing our four controllers with incessant button mashing. It’s
strange how much release can be derived from those random AABB button combos – but hey, I’d rather we take it all out on Jigglypuff than on each other.

However, contrary to the picture I’ve just painted, we aren’t completely aimless.
Shefali and LuzMa both have research projects that can be performed from the confines of the Hab. The rest of us have been helping out as much as we can, but one requires taking readings over long spans of time and the other is a psychological study, so they are both slow boils.

Jonathan also has big ambitions for us to reorganize the GreenHab tomorrow if we are
inhibited from EVAing. It appears the current agricultural arrangement is inefficient
and even detrimental to the growth of a few of the young plants. I’m excited because
the Save the Sprouts Initiative offers the rest of us something to occupy our hands and
minds.

The sun has decided it’s had enough of tag-teaming our retinas with the snow and has
begun to hibernate behind the Martian hills. We are winding down with our reports as the
aroma of dinner being assembled fills the air. I think we can rest easy tonight knowing
we have been the most productive we possibly can in spite of the red planet’s attempts
to keep us constricted. You can stop us from stretching our legs, but you can’t stop
science! If nothing else, we have survived another day on this alien world, once thought
unfit for human life.

Journalist Report

Ben Durkee, Crew 218 Journalist

Sol 03

White Christmars

The dulcet tones of a yuletide choir slipped under my door and roused me from my sleep at exactly 8:30 AM Mars Standard Time. White sunlight radiating off the powdered terrain outside permeated through the fog outside and met my eyes. The smell of cinnamon and

peppermint swirled ’round the Hab and lifted sleepy spirits. I can’t think of a better way to wake up on Christmars day.

We assembled our own breakfasts and dove back into the puzzle to get our cognitive gears

in motion again. During our half-focused small talk, we learned that our fearless leader, Cesare, was a member of the very choir that woke us up. We learn something incredible about one another every sol. Once we had finished eating and had puzzled the sleep from our eyes, we began our holiday festivities. Cesare, our operatic Martian Santa Claus, had gotten all of us Xmas candy and individual gifts that revealed themselves to be adorable snowman fridge magnets.

As if that wasn’t charming enough, he went into his quarters and came back out with a handful of Christmas cards for us that he had stealthily collected back on Earth. There were so many lovely greetings from writers all around the world, including a card from the entire Class 9EW of the Queen’s School in Chester, UK. It seemed that for a moment the mist from outside had somehow gotten in my eyes.

Once our first round of festivities concluded, it was time for some Habitat maintenance. It appeared that the snow had found a few leaks in the tunnels between our buildings and collected on the floor. Myself, Cesare, and Pat held our breaths and set off to sweep the tunnels clean and locate the leaks. We had the tunnels spick and span (and safe to traverse) in no time.

Or so we thought. In reality, by the time we were done it was time to begin preparing Christmars lunch! While we were working in the tunnels, Jonathan, Shefali, and LuzMa

were collecting a very plentiful harvest in the GreenHab. While they took the mass of the greens, we prepared some spaghetti, mashed potatoes, and assorted feast necessities. The GreenHabbers returned with their bounty and turned it into a delicious fresh salad that tasted like summer. A nice culinary reminder of home!

We invited some friendly Martian visitors (the Assistant Program Directors) for our Christmars banquet. If there’s anyone who deserves to join in our festivities, it’s the folks who make all of this possible! It was an incredible meal that had all of us on the border of going comatose; for the first time, the worries of the hostile Martian landscape melted away.

We saw our guests out the airlock, and returned to the puzzle whilst tagging each other in and out for Hab chores. By sunset, we were all gathered around the table as Jonathan theatrically placed the final piece. We were awash with relief as we had finally vanquished our collective nemesis… until we realized we had to delicately flip the whole thing over to sign our crew number on the back. We bounced a lot of (frankly ridiculous) ideas off of one another until Pat took charge and finessed the entire cardboard mass over without unseating a single piece. I may be on Mars experiencing a one-in-a-million interplanetary adventure, but that takes the cake for the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.

Signing our crew as the 5th of 218 crews to complete the puzzle felt like a monumental accomplishment. Watching Cesare draw the Purdue “Block P” was akin to how I imagine it felt to watch Julius Caesar lead his army across the Rubicon River. Satisfied and exhausted from our arduous accomplishment, we began drafting our reports to CAPCOM.

So here I sit now, buoyant from a perfect White Christmars on the red planet, documenting this day so I may never forget it. Thank you to everyone who wrote us a card and Happy Holidays to all reading this from Earth!