Commander's Report

February 28, 2008

Randall Shelaga



Day 11 of Boot Camp started off slightly cloudy but still nice. Today would be our last full day of Sim. Our last day would be the day to ensure we gather all the necessary data for our studies and start getting things in order for the next crew.

Breakfast consisted of:
a) Scrambled eggs and ham
b) Granola with blueberries
Well actually, the lesser of the two evils ... granola with blueberries. Hopefully tomorrow we can throw some pancakes in the pan and start to re-acquaint ourselves with fresh food before our return to civilisation.

The scientists took advantage of this last day to collect more samples and data. "Biobabe" led an EVA down Brahe Highway and Copernicus Highway to get those last elusive samples, while "Kim" ran "Fam" and "Googly" through his GPS Precision Study treasure hunt, like a couple of mice in a maze. Now that we are done, the suits are hung awaiting the next crew.

Tomorrow after breakfast, we will head off for another of our geology field trips, this time to Goblin Valley National Park and Arches National Park to take a look at just a bit more of the beauty of this area. The geology is a wonder, as you quickly realise how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things. Here we can learn a lot about the past of our planet, and at MDRS we are working towards our future on the red planet.

Also tomorrow the second of our crew returns home, "Kim" (Guy de Carufel, our GPS expert takes the bus out of Green River to Salt Lake City and home. Our crew is slowly shrinking, and Sunday, after we handover the Station, we will all pack into our van for the big city.

Meanwhile, tonight we are still here and have work to complete, reports to write and stories to exchange about our adventures here on analogue Mars. As a surprise, we plan on having brownies to mark "Kim’s last night with us.

Until tomorrow!

Ut Mars per erudio!

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