Category: Journalist Report

Report title: Journalist Report
Crew #: 333
Position: Crew Journalist
Report prepared by: Joanna Galloway
Date: 03-04-2026
Sol: 5

Journalist Report Title: Sol 5

The weather finally calmed down today therefore everyone was able to go out in EVA. Joanna, Antoine and Matias were up first, after a hefty bowl of oatmeal they made their way to sea of shells to continue Antoine’s experience. Being worried about the batteries of the rovers, they didn’t go all the way to Sea of Shells but they still got to appreciate some beautiful views along the way. Marie, Matthias and Zahraa used their morning to work on some homework and to set up their experiments.

Lunch was minestrone soup ‘à la martienne’ but before we could attack it, we had to do an emergency EVA to repair the pressurised tunnels that led to the RAM. The wind must’ve made it collapse. Matias and Antoine were there for the rescue, repairing the issues, this took quite some time as the job was much bigger than we initially thought. They first thought they could seal the hole but quickly found out that the tarp will have to be completely replaced. Lunch was eating quickly to get the second team ready for their afternoon EVA.

Marie, Matthias and Zahraa completed Antoine’s experience before heading to Sea of Shells. Quite a surreal site to see on Mars. They climbed multiple hills to take in the beautiful scenery from the highest point. The rest of the team back at the station, cleaned the Hab and passed the time by playing games. They also enjoyed an interview of the Artemis Crew who are currently in space.

When the Crew was reunited, we made the most of the time by writing the reports and planning the next few days. For dinner we are having chicken curry prepared by Zahraa and Matthias. Tonight will be an evening playing mime games and an early night to prepare for tomorrow’s big day.

Report title: Journalist Report
Crew #: 333
Position: Crew Journalist
Report prepared by: Joanna Galloway
Date: 04-04-2026
Sol: 6

Journalist Report Title (if applicable): Sol 6

Marie, Joanna and Antoine went out at 9.30am to scout the terrain at Somerville Overview. Once they laid eyes on the rolling landscape, they couldn’t contain their excitement. The terrain never felt so Martian, they could see the desert go on for miles and miles. It was impressive. After a short journey back to the station, they were greeted by rice and chicken salad, not an unknown dish to this crew during this journey. Zahraa and Matthias had been working on their experiments while Matias made lunch. The devastating news finally came out, it seemed like our greenhab had been devastated by some sort of martian rodent.

After lunch, it was time for Joanna and Matias to teach Antoine some boxing defensive moves before the boys had to head back out into EVA. They completed the first EVA by foot since our arrival by going to North Ridge and kept going to Kissing Camel Ridge West. It was a beautiful sight, like most of the views around here. They got to see the station from an above view which showed just how small we are compared to the vast martian views. They decided to get some cardio in and run the way back to the station. A feat considering the heavy equipment on them. They came back feeling pretty proud of themselves. Their EVA finished earlier than expected which allowed them to take a breath before preparing dinner.

Joanna and Marie alternated between cycling and pilates while Zahraa rested. Matthias was still working on his experiment in the greenhab and trying to recuperate what he could from the ravaged legumes. Since tomorrow is our day off, we are planning a movie night with burgers and fries which we are all very excited about!

Report title: Journalist Report

Crew #: 333

Position: Crew Journalist

Report prepared by: Joanna Galloway

Date: 05-04-2026

Sol: 7

Journalist Report Title (if applicable):

Today was a rest day for the Arsia Crew, after a week of doing EVA’s, it was a nice change of pace. We enjoyed a slow morning, eating pancakes and chatting. After checking on the greenhab, we discovered that we managed to trap the space mouse which had destroyed our crops. It so happened to be Easter today so Joanna had organised for the Crew an easter egg hunt in the Hab. Matias found the most eggs but was nice enough to share it with the rest of the team. The girls finally had time to try and wash their hair while still trying to limit their water use, it was a fun sight to see while some other team members of the Crew did some Cardio on the static bike. For lunch we had couscous which we ate with pleasure. Digestion knocked us out so we all went for a nap, we’re also still adapting to the time difference between earth and mars so it was good to catch up on some lost sleep. We still had plenty of time in the afternoon to make cupcakes and play a little uno. We also took the opportunity to do some crew pictures in the afternoon which turned out perfectly. Not much to report in the station today, we have installed a nice routine and are happy in our little cocoon. A day to breathe has been nice and we’re excited to explore more of Mars tomorrow with our EVA’s. Tonight’s plan is to eat a pasta bake and watch a movie to end our relaxed Sunday on a high note.

Report title: Journalist Report
Crew #: 333
Position: Crew Journalist
Report prepared by: Joanna Galloway
Date: 06-04-2026
Sol: 8

Journalist Report Title (if applicable): Small Outings

Today was a big day for Joanna’s experiment. She took out first Matthias, Marie and Zahraa to collect data with a tap strap near Cowboy Corner. All the gestes were perfectly recorded. Marie stayed at the station to be cap com. This outing was quickly completed and the Crew was able to make it back to the station for about half ten. This allowed alot of time for the Crew to get together and plan our last few days at the station, to make sure we’d be able to go to all the correct spots for the different experiments. Once we had a good overview of the coming days, we had time to do an inventory of the food that we have left to finish off our week and plan our upcoming meals. For lunch we had some soup with some bread which Matthias had made today. Joanna headed back out with Antoine and Matias to Cowboy corner to finish off her experiment. Unfortunately, her tap strap stopped working and she wasn’t able to collect all the data of Antoine’s gestures. So they had to come back to the Station without having completed everything. The rest of the afternoon was more rest for the Crew, we seem to be still very jet lagged and not sleeping very well. Matias passed the time by tidying the cables and making them more manageable in the long run. The vibes picked back up around half five when Matthias and Zahraa started preparing dinner: tuna and mashed potatoes. An odd combination but on mars, a delicacy! The tunes were playing in the kitchen while Marie was doing a face mask to rehydrate her face after being in the harsh martian weather for a little over a week now. Matthias had spent the most of his day working in the greenhab and checking his seeds to see if there was any germination. After dinner, the crew had time for a board game before heading for an early night.

Report title: Journalist Report
Crew #: 333
Position: Crew Journalist
Report prepared by: Joanna Galloway
Date: 07-04-2026
Sol: 9

Journalist Report Title (if applicable): Solving problems on mars

I think if we’re gonna remember anything from our time on Mars it will be our pancake mornings which is now a staple. We had a few mic issues this morning when the first team was gearing up which took us some time to figure it out but we managed to fix it. Marie, Zahraa, Antoine and Matthias were heading for Green Mars View to find a new site for Antoine’s experience. This left Matias and Joanna back at the hab to do a general clean up. The Crew had a while to drive to and from so they came back to the station around 12pm, amazed by what they had seen! Lunch was already served: an omelet prepared by Matias. It was eaten up quickly by the team. It’s crazy that after almost two weeks confined together, we still have lots to discuss within our group. The second EVA left around 2pm, unfortunately, the rovers used this morning weren’t able to charge during lunch so Joanna was forced to return to the hab as there were not enough places in the last rover. Issues like this really truly show the character of the team and how well we’re able to cooperate under pressure. Matias and Antoine went to Candor Chasma to find another terrain for Antoine’s experiment. The heat was intense this afternoon but they made their way through it and found the perfect place. Back in the hab, everyone rested after their tiring EVA. The Crew came back early enough which allowed for the team to have a meeting to make sure everyone was coping well with the confined living space and make sure there were no issues. Afterwards, Matthias took the time to do his sport and the others started on their reports. As the end of our time on Mars is slowly rearing its head, we decided to go all out tonight and loaded nachos for our amuse bouche followed by a tasty dish of pasta with tomato sauce. We will also finish off the cookies that Zahraa prepared for us for dessert!

Report title: Journalist Report
Crew #: 333
Position: Crew Journalist
Report prepared by: Joanna Galloway
Date: 08-04-2026
Sol: 10

Journalist Report Title (if applicable): Experiments and adventures

Today was a busy day, after some nice chocolate chip pancakes. Matias, Antoine and Joanna went out to Green Mars view to do Antoine’s experience. The name describes the place well, not only is it green but the views were magnificent. The crew then headed to Special Region to try out Matias’s resonating loop which allows to amplify the radio calls. They were hopeful to maybe find a fossil where there are plenty, but there was nothing to be found except a canyon which they were able to observe from a view point. Back at the hab, Marie sorted through our pictures and did her sport, Matthias who tended to the Greenhab also helped Zahraa make samosa for the Crew’s lunch. It was delicious! We had a long wait between both EVA’s to allow time for the rovers to charge, so we had a slow lunch then filmed the presentation of all our experiments here on Mars. By 3.30pm the second EVA was gearing up: Antoine, Joanna, Matthias and Marie went out to see another terrain for Antoine’s experience: Candor Chasma while Zahraa and Matias stayed back at the station to work and read more literature on their experiments. The EVA was beautiful but very hot, the Crew was happy to come back to some nice cool water. As our time here at the MDRS is slowly coming to an end, we are having burgers tonight to the joy of the whole Crew. Luckily, Zahraa is an expert bread maker so she can whip up some delicious burger buns! The Crew is very happy but we are feeling tired so we will have an early night tonight, so that we’re ready for our last few EVA’s tomorrow.

Report title: Journalist Report
Crew #: 333
Position: Crew Journalist
Report prepared by: Joanna Galloway
Date: 09-04-2026
Sol: 11

Journalist Report Title (if applicable):
Today was our last full day on Mars, tomorrow at noon we will be off back to earth so we wanted to make the most of the day! Today everyone went out to Kissing Camel Ridge to finish off Antoine’s experience observing a new terrain. The first team: Matthias, Joanna, Marie and Antoine, they climbed up on one of the hills and really soaked in the view of the martian planet for one last time. It was a truly breathtaking experience, we will not be quick to forget it. Joanna also had everyone pass with the tap strap to perform her experiment. Once they headed back to the station, we took crew pictures to capture the finale few moments of our lives at the MDRS. We had some quinoa for lunch then the afternoon flew by, everyone started packing and cleaning up the station to make sure it will be left in perfect condition for the next crew visiting mars. The afternoon EVA: Matias, Zahraa and Antoine left around 4pm, Joanna was supposed to accompany them to get the last of her measures, unfortunately her devices stopped working and she could no longer get them to turn on. The crew made the most of their outing before returning to the base. Most people had finished cleaning up their rooms and habs, the crew can now have a nice last evening. For dinner, it will be chickpea curry with naan bread then a night full of games.

Report title: Journalist Report
Crew #: 333
Position: Crew Journalist
Report prepared by: Joanna Galloway
Date: 10-04-2026
Sol: 12

Journalist Report Title (if applicable):
This morning we were woken up together at 8am to celebrate the end of the sim, we had our famous chocolate chip pancakes then we started the big clean of the station which has been our home for the past 2 weeks. Taking down our belgian flag that we had flown proudly in the living space was a bittersweet moment. We are ending this experience but we will forever cherish the memories of the martian views and the fun evenings we spent together. We hope the next crew enjoys it’s stay as much we did!

Crew #: 335

Position: Crew Journalist

Report prepared by: Matteo Calore

Date: 21-04-2026

Sol: 1

First Day on Mars: Entering New Worlds

Today was our first day on Mars. We woke up around 6:30, and Charlotte made pancakes, which we happily devoured. Then we prepared for the EVA. Kat wasn’t feeling very well, so Elisa took her place for the first EVA to Marble Ritual between 10 and 11. Afterwards, Dave and Charlotte carried out the second EVA to Marble Ritual.

After a quick lunch of mashed potatoes and mushrooms prepared by Matteo, Dave, Elisa, and Matteo went out to film and work on photographic projects, while Kat and Charlotte stayed at the Hab to work and write. This evening Charlotte prepared a lentil and potato stew for dinner, which was very good, and everyone is now busy writing reports and planning the next days.

Arriving on Mars is an interesting experience. Despite months of online calls, we are only now beginning to really get to know one another, and to learn how to communicate our different needs. While some have known each other for a long time, others have only just met and come from very different worlds. We are slowly learning how to enter one another’s worlds.

Everyone is a bit tired and some feel sick. We are still adjusting from our different journeys, still partly carrying the baggage we brought from Earth, and trying to understand how this world works. It is a completely new reality. The desert around us is astonishing, although it also feels as if we are never really going outside, since we bring the Hab with us even when we go out, in our suits.

Journalist Report

Crew #: 335

Position: Crew Journalist

Report prepared by: Matteo Calore

Date: 21APR2026

Sol: 2

SECOND DAY ON MARS: CLAY LANDSCAPE

It’s difficult to have a continuous night of sleep on Mars. One way or another, we woke up repeatedly during the night, but our second day on Mars was definitely easier than the first. Slowly, we are getting used to this new world and to living together.

The day began with fresh bread made by Charlotte, in the light of dawn. It is always a spectacle to see the protrusions of stone and clay ignite with color in the soft morning light. The desert, filtered through the light of the portholes, feels both near and distant at the same time.

We started the morning by talking about how humanity began to develop the technologies that now shape the structure of our modern societies. Some of us argued that climate played a fundamental role. After that, we turned to our individual tasks. Kat and Dave tried to fly the drone, while in the afternoon Lot began to collect clay to make the first objects for our Martian community using the resources of the territory.

It was particularly interesting to feel this contact with the desert, and to begin to see and think about what it means to start a new society from scratch, even beginning with tools. What type of tool will we create on Mars? Will we have new deities?