Author: jburk

Martian Eats
With all the EVA’s this crew has been completing, the amount of calories we’re consuming is monstrous. To satisfy our appetite we’ve been cooking lots of different foods. The Mars Home Cooking recipe book created by crews 110B, 128A and 128B has provided tasty inspiration for dinner. On Sols 1 and 2 we followed their chicken fried rice and Martian Marinara recipes, making appropriate modifications so that both the meat eaters and vegetarians in our crew could enjoy. While we were able to bring some fresh food with us to Mars, the bulk of our meals utilize the large selection of freeze-dried fruits, vegetables, and protein in our crew pantry. While these items cook quite well – the biggest challenge has been accounting for the time it will take to re-hydrate our dinner before cooking it. Outside of dinner one of our co-commanders has been baking to boost crew morale. Her cookies on Sol 1 and Funfetti cupcakes today were a major highlight for the crew.

Crew 311 Journalist Report 19Feb2025
SOL 2: “Why do astronauts have laundry problems? Because they are always in space!”
Author – Isolde Louzier-Ricalens

10:06AM: Second day at the station. This day seems more usual; no extravehicular activity is planned. The crew focuses on assembling various experiments that need to be installed throughout the station, and each member attends to their daily tasks. Quentin, Robin, and I assembled and tested the atmospheric instruments. We were very efficient and plan to install them outside tomorrow. Meanwhile, Célyan and Somaya are setting up the Orbital Architecture experiment, which will track our position within the station. Meddi organized the greenhouse to set up Micropouss’, an experiment in collaboration with the startup Neopouss’, which allows us to grow microgreens that will enhance our meals. So far, we have only eaten meals prepared from lyophilized ingredients or long-lasting ones. These plants will have a significant impact on our well-being.

4:18PM: Finally, we got to taste the products from the greenhouse! At lunch, Meddi brought us a little surprise: small tomatoes and radishes collected in the GreenHab. The evening promises to be delicious as well, since Somaya prepared the dough for Moroccan bread that we are eager to cook and taste tonight! The afternoon was productive: our progress on the atmospheric instruments allowed Robin and me to set up AMAIA’s servers, the AI assistant of Spaceship FR. Everything is not yet perfect, but this standalone AI, meaning it works without the internet, could be very useful! However, its humor is unique… The title of the report bears witness to that. In parallel, Erin works on the crew schedules, and Quentin is already developing his first photos of the sun taken in the observatory!

5:27PM: I finished my first cognitive assessment in the HAB, our main habitat. It was pretty difficult to focus among the very animated crew members around. While some of them have already set up the lights or LättaLL experiment in the core habitat, Somaya has cooked her little breads. They are delicious!