Commander's Report

March 1, 2008

Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto



Commander's Report

01 March 2008

Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto

Coming home...for the last time.

We arrived on Mars at roughly 1300 hrs. The Family Living Analysis on
Mars Expedition Crew (F.L.A.M.E.) then went out to conduct some
photogeology of the region along with some glory shots of our favorite
places on Mars to send back to our family and friends back on Earth.

Today was partly cloudy but warm in the sun. The low-rolling Morrison
Formation, Cretaceous in age, which was once dominated long ago with
fluvial mudstone and sandstone also known as "paleo-channels" was a
welcoming sight. As the martian sun settled in the horizon the reddish
brown and purple hues of the Formation created a picturesque scene that
can really only be appreciated in person.

We were able to go out scouting with our Local Support, Don Foutz
(always a pleasure to see him and his family), and we went out scouting
while waiting for Crew 67 to come back from their final EVA. When they
came we exchanged greetings and introductions and quickly went into the
MDRS. As we started to get settled in, we had a spaghetti dinner
graciously made by Crew 67. We all cleaned up and prepared for an
early night.

Tomorrow we will say goodbye to Crew 67 and bid them a safe voyage
home. We will then prepare the MDRS for our rotation. As the martian
wind blew without fail outside the Mars Desert Research Station, the
F.L.A.M.E. Crew drifted softly into a martian dream world filled with
the new adventures of a world so harsh yet so majestic.