Today, I heard the scariest noise I've ever heard. The crew was starting to come inside, because the wind was picking up more and some rain was coming in. I was upstairs, working as HabCom, when I heard a weird static noise. After a few seconds, I figured out that it wasn't, as I'd originally figured, the sound of the Hab shifting in the wind. It was following the huge coaxial cable that runs from the antenna on the roof to the radio base station. We were able to quickly turn the radio off, pull the coax, and get the end wrapped in electrical tape with no problems. But it was definitely scary, and not something I'd like to repeat. I now have a lot of respect for the static electricity that can build up in the air due to wind and electrical storms coming up. A lightning rod in the hab, leading to our radio equipment, is definitely not a good thing.

After that, the day was spent hunkering down in the Hab, hoping the roof didn't lift off, and trying to minimize power consumption. That was the most amazing dust storm. And apparently the weather's changing - the weather online says that we're going to get some snow. That should be interesting. Hopefully, we'll get a day or two of good weather before we leave to head back to Atlanta.

Emily Colvin
Commander, MDRS Crew 60