2022-2023 Field Season (#22)

Crew #: 335
Position: Crew Journalist
Report prepared by: Matteo Calore
Date: 29APR2026
Sol: 10

Report title: Driven by Mystery

Today we woke up as usual between 7 and 8. The day began in a dynamic way, with many discussions about the development of our projects. Afterwards, the film crew continued conducting interviews with the other crew members.
The interviews went very well, offering many interesting insights into personal lives and the motivations that brought us here, as well as what draws people toward space science and the mystery that surrounds the universe.
We often hear that one of the main motivations behind the study of the cosmos is the desire to understand how things work. The mystery of existence—why we are here, what makes everything what it is, and what keeps us moving and alive—remains largely unsolved. Yet it is precisely this mystery that drives many of us to search, to travel, to study, and to go to places we have never been before.

In the afternoon, we continued working on our projects. As we are approaching the end of our simulation, we are mostly wrapping things up, trying to understand what might still be missing and what can still be done.
The evening light was particularly beautiful, as was the view of the desert from our habitat. The gradual transitions of color across the clay hills—from red to white, to violet, to beige—and the scattered rocks that populate them make this experience truly unique.

Journalist Report

Crew #: 335

Position: Crew Journalist

Report Prepared by: Matteo Calore

Date: 28APR2026

Sol: 9

Report Title: Finding Our Rhythm

Today was a dynamic and demanding day. Some crew members went out for a long EVA to Green Mars View. The extended rover drive offered particularly striking and varied landscapes, ranging from clay-dense hills to stretches of desert sand punctuated by flowers of extraordinary beauty—vivid in color and twisted in form.

These flowers have an almost animal-like presence, and it feels remarkable that they can emerge with such strength from a terrain where water seems absent. It is astonishing how nature adapts to such different environments, continuously transforming and re-emerging in forms that are both diverse and somehow familiar.

The canyon at Green Mars View opens onto the valley where the Devil River flows. We found ourselves wondering how this river came to be given such a name. Despite its harsh surroundings, it carries life through the aridity, and in that sense, it seems to have little that is truly demonic.

While part of the crew was on EVA, the others continued working on their projects at the station. Charlotte transformed collected soil into clay and is now creating unique objects to be fired in the Science Dome’s microwave kiln. Kat continues her observations of the stars.

The day continued with interviews and various activities, and concluded with a generous meal, eagerly consumed by the crew of this small spaceship.