Commander's Report

March 1, 2008

Randall Shelaga



Day 13 of Boot Camp started a little later today. We got up at a
leisurely time 08:15, starting off with a mixed breakfast of oatmeal,
granola and blueberries. Visions of real eggs, fruit and juice danced
in our collective thoughts. Will it be Motel food or some major 7x24
chain for our first non freeze dried breakfast?

The morning was filled with last day activities, the Mission Summary
report inputs were completed by the crew members, and the process of
editing began. A little cut here, a phrase change there, some words
for a conclusion, and we had the finished product. Two weeks of our
lives as strangers, crew and hopefully friends summarised in less than
2000 words (eat your hearts out verbose ExDeltans).

We were like people selling their home, we had to clean and polish the
place we had become comfortable in, for its new owners (crew). It was
good for us, but what about the next crew? We worked the Hab top to
bottom, pausing for extra cleaning whenever we thought it was needed.
Quickly, things came to order. We were ready for our field trip to
Capitol Reef National Park. Not quite yet! We had to have lunch, so
the crew sat down to one of the more tolerable lunches Spaghetti with
Meat Sauce, some corn and some peas. Lunch was quickly finished, and
we hit the road for the park.

One cannot visit this area without going to at least some of the State
and National Parks, where the true beauty is preserved. We were
attempting to add one more National Park to our list. First things
first, we go to the Visitors Centre to plan our route and check out all
the neat "geonerd" stuff, topo maps, books, and t-shirts reading "Utah
Rocks". Fully briefed (sounds reminiscent of an EVA), we depart down
the 10 mile scenic route, for some of the most awe-inspiring sights of
our rotation. Our time was ticking away, we had to return to the
Station to greet the next rotation: Cdr Veronica Zabala-Aliberto and
her crew. We made it to the head of the trail and after a short stroll
turned around.

As we drove back the skies loomed menacingly above us. Hopefully, the
weather will hold out, so we can launch from the surface of analogue
Mars for our return to earth tomorrow.

Arriving at the Hab we were greeted by Crew 68 waiting outside their
pressurised rover accompanied by Don. Quickly their mission supplies
were transferred to the Hab and the incoming crew started to organise
themselves.

Tomorrow, we conduct the handover, giving our home of the last two
weeks to the new owners Crew 68, take a few pictures, laugh and then
prepare for our return to Earth (Salt Lake City).

Our time as a crew is drawing to an end, but our time as co-explorers
of analogue Mars will be locked in our memories for a long time.

The combined crews will soon sit down for a meal of spaghetti and some
fresh baked bread. My crew will pack in preparation for our last
morning on analogue Mars.

Until tomorrow!

Ut Mars per erudio!