Journalist's Report
February 18, 2008
Private Ham

This morning all the members of Expedition Epsilon (Zahra and Phillip
having arrived via special transit vehicle late last night, after
traversing long miles of empty desert road and seeing a herd of deer, a
hare, and what was probably a coyote) sat down to eat together,
preparing to begin learning their first lessons about living on Mars.
The day started with a heartfelt expression of appreciation by the crew
for Guy’s stylish kimono sleepwear, and then continued to a breakfast
of granola with blueberries.

The day’s second activity was a briefing and introduction to the Hab
and the GreenHab from the Don, the legendary proprietor of the
Whispering Sands Motel and the local contact for MDRS crews. The Don
welcomed the crew, gave a tour of the engineering area and the
GreenHab, and headed off into the sunrise to continue doing good deeds.

Next, the crew engaged in an out-of-sim EVA, touring the local area and
receiving a lightning-speed introduction to the basics of geology from
the razor-sharp mind of Cass, the resident expert in geology. Many
things were learned, many questions were asked and answered, and the
discussion continued all the way back to the Hab, where a comment about
plate tectonics on Jupiter’s moon Io led to a discussion of why we
suspect that water still flows on Mars (it leaves traces of evaporite
mineral when it sublimates away after breaking through to the surface).
Upon their return to the Hab, the crew discovered that the diesel
generator had run out of fuel, and rapidly began turning off
unnecessary equipment in order to conserve power, while Chris and
Aravind fired up the backup generator.

During lunch, Expedition Epsilon discovered the benefits of being an
international crew, when Aravind shared a tin of delicious
hazelnut-filled chocolates that he brought from Germany. Afterwards,
the crew dispersed to continue training and working, with Cass, Chris,
and Aravind refilling the Hab’s water tank, Randy training Zahra on EVA
suit maintenance, and Guy working on a crucial midterm report.
The crew will sit down for supper together soon, and Cass has promised
to explain even more about geology – although Randy and Cass both have
also told the crew that they will be permitted to watch Firefly if they
continue to behave in the approved non-mutinous fashion.