"What was really needed was a fundamental change in our attitude toward life. We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us."
Frankl: Expectation

I have definitely noticed a change in the F.L.A.M.E. Crew's attitude that of Human Exploration. One Crew Member stated that they had a totally different expectation before coming to the MDRS. It was much harder than they thought it would be. Another Crew Member stated that the time went by too quickly. That there is still so much to do and not enough time to do it in. Our days are long with all the tasks we have to complete before heading home but our nights are even longer with all of our reports we have to write for Mission Support.

Today we had Wilderness Training for the F.L.A.M.E. Crew as well as starting to archive all of our data and imagery of the past two weeks. Tomorrow will probably we the busiest day we have had since we first got here. We will have close to 20 people in the Hab for our Saint Patrick's Day celebration. It has become our tradition for the Family Living Analysis on Mars Expedition Crew to celebrate this holiday during our rotations. It brings a sense of "reminding" of what we left behind and what to look forward to when we return.

There have been times unto which things did not go as they should have. Certain protocols were not met by Crew Members, not enough work given to the F.L.A.M.E. students from their educators back on Earth, and not that many transmissions (e-mails) from our family, friends and educators. Then again, those that we did receive we barely had time to respond to as well due to our busy schedules. Then again, they know exactly what we signed up for...they already know the dedication we must exhibit to complete the mission no matter what the outcome may be. They will, no doubt be there waiting for our arrival unto which they can breathe a sigh of relief. Especially those close to the F.L.A.M.E. students.

Tomorrow night will be our last transmission from the Mars Desert Research Station. We have tried, to the best of our ability, to depict to all at Mission Support and back on Earth the events that have transpired during our stay. No words nor pictures can ever describe the feeling of watching a martian sunset or going on an EVA and finding new areas of scientific interest. Our goal is to the Moon, Mars and Beyond. We have a long way to go before the Vision can become a reality. We hope that you will become a catalyst to making that Vision come true in the very near future!

Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto
Commander, MDRS Crew 59