Log Book for January 29, 2011
Commander's Report
Donna Viola Reporting
After several months of anticipation and planning, the six alumni of
the 2010 NASA Ames Academy were reunited in Grand Junction, CO.
After
picking up the rental car and running a few errands, the team was off
to MDRS, excited to embark on their two-week journey to "Mars"!
Throughout the drive, the team admired the scenery, snapping photos as
the miles rolled past. Finally, we arrived in Hanksville, picked up
some of our food from the Bull Mountain Market, and set off down Cow
Dung Road.
Before we knew it, civilization disappeared and we rounded
a corner to see the Hab appear before us. The Romanian crew welcomed
us, and after a round of introductions, proceeded to show us all
around our new home. After lunch, prepared by the scientists of Crew
98, we completed the crew changeover tasks and took the obligatory
photos as the Romanians handed over the Hab to our crew of American
students. We then watched our Romanian friends ride off back towards
Earth, and found ourselves alone at the Hab, wondering, "What next?"
We took some time to settle into our staterooms and catch up on emails
while the engineers went on their rounds for the first time.
Afterwards, we took a trip into Hanksville to retrieve the rest of our
food and to enjoy our last meal on "Earth" - complete with some of
Stan's famous milkshakes!
Finally, we returned to the Hab - and were
awestruck at our first views of the night sky! Though the pictures
from Crew 98 were spectacular, there's nothing like seeing the real
thing with your own eyes! Tonight, we will finish the inventory of our
food supplies and discuss our plans for the next two weeks, and will
most likely finish off the night with some stargazing.