2022-2023 Field Season (#22)

Sol: 12

Author’s name: Helen Eifert, Crew Geologist

Title: Bob’s Burgers

Often in confined environments, groups find some type of unifying inside joke. It’s usually some reference that comes up during the time together that gets funnier the more time spent together. I’m going to use a reference to call this the “hi bob” tendency. In a TV series called “For All Mankind,” an astronaut crew of three spends three months on the moon. Throughout their isolation, they start greeting each other with “hi bob.” An inside joke that spawned from only having access to three episodes of the Bob Newhart show on station. We weren’t in short supply of movie references with the likes of Marc Levesque as commander; and luckily, MDRS had much more than 3 episodes available. We had quite a few movie nights as a result. One of which was Galaxy Quest, a parody of the Star Trek franchise. Shortly after, we found our own “hi bob” in a rendition of the thermian alien’s way of clapping. Visual provided below.

Crew 271 completed a successful mission to Mars, conducting important work, exciting research, and truly enjoying each other’s company. Despite the risk of throwing that all to the wind, this evening we made an ill advised attempt to beat the space snake game, Space Escape. I am happy to report that with the addition Guariniello, we did indeed manage to escape the scary snakes! Perfect timing as we “touched down” on Earth this morning, concluding our simulation on Mars. We had one last stroll up to North Ridge this morning, still continuing Levesque’s radio communication work beyond our formal mission close. With most of our gear packed and the station nearly cleaned and ready for departure, we enjoyed one final meal together at Stan’s (not Bob’s) Burger Shack in the nearest town of Hanksville, UT. One more sleep in home sweet hab and these six astronauts will head their separate ways.

A big thermian round of applause for MDRS Crew 271, the International Mars Analog Research Simulation (IMARS) mission, and our mission support on the ground. Eifert signing off, Happy New Year and Ad Ares.

Sol: 6
Author: Kenny Pritchard, Crew Journalist
Title: Candor Chasma 3: The Return of Candor Chasma
A clear sky last evening allowed us the opportunity to stargaze from the Musk Observatory in MDRS, affording bright glimpses of twittering constellations through the thin, dry Martian atmosphere. The views were incredible, save for the full spectrum of stars being obscured by light pollution from the full-phase Martian moons. We’re hoping for another go towards the end of our rotation! This morning, Adriana made the crew oatmeal, and Kshitij continued (trying) to teach me Bollywood dance moves.
For the EVA of the sol, Megan, Adriana, Arly, and Mason made a return journey to Candor Chasma. It started off with some communication issues that had to be fixed before departure – even slightly sub nominal equipment is plenty enough reason to take precautions in this harsh environment. We’re starting to run out of good dad-jokes to pass the 5-minute required suit prebreath and depressurization time spent idly in the airlock, so if you’re reading this, please send ideas via the appropriate channels. We’re begging you, spare us from more of our sorry attempts. After those communication problems were fixed, the crew set out for their destination. They took the same route as our previous EVA but traversed deeper and more deliberately into Candor Chasma. Mason had another chance to show off his piloting skills, flying his drone through the canyon like Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing down the Death Star’s meridian trench, only with more video navigation and fewer proton torpedoes. This EVA was geology-heavy, to say the least – each crew member collected a small hoard of interesting rocks and minerals, and Adriana hauled in a behemoth of a petrified wood sample, citing an emotional attachment she’d developed to it on the way back.
A mostly uneventful sol at the Hab, Madelyn continued to treat her plants against the high temperatures the GreenHab is experiencing. Kshitij and I were excited to flip the script on Arly and remind her to start her cognitive performance tests immediately upon her return from EVA. Ha! The joke’s on us, I’m pretty sure she achieved her best scores yet. One notable detail is that this sol marks the crew’s first showers since arriving at MDRS. We’ve been subsisting on wet wipes and dry shampoo thus far, but our recent efforts to conserve water supply have earned us this luxury. Finally, I can take off this clothespin I’ve been pinching my nose shut with! Madelyn will take the lead on bread and quinoa power bowls for dinner to restore the crew’s spent energy. Tomorrow, we rest!