This morning Stacy Sklar and I left a snow covered Flagstaff, Arizona on our way up to Hanksville, UT and the Mars Desert Research Station. It was a beautiful drive through northern Arizona and Southern Utah where we passed some spectacular rock formations and canyons, and luckily I had an expert in geology to answer my numerous questions about them. After meeting up with James in Hanksville, we arrived at the Hab around 16:30 and were greeted warmly by the rest of our crew- Veronica, Angelina, Madeline, Gino, and Menkes. Don was also at the hab when we arrived and left soon after with the water trailer to refill it in town.

I quickly became acquainted with the Hab with the help of Gino, Angelina, and Madeline who were sure to make me feel right at home. And I even had the unexpected pleasure of having my very own stateroom... I was expecting to sleep in the loft. Not Bad!

We had a short crew briefing about this week's activities, and as HSO (Health and Safety Officer) I became acquainted with the medical supplies and read over the medical documents. I then tagged along with Menkes on his engineering rounds and became familiar with the routine which includes watering plants in the GreenHab, and checking levels on the grey water filtration system, Wendy, and the inverter.

I am very happy to have finally made it here after several delays in my travel plans, but as we know getting to Mars is no easy task. The Hab has quickly become a comfortable second home. The surrounding landscape looks astonishingly like Mars and I can't wait to get out on my first in-sim EVA to really explore the area. I am looking forward to a great week on Mars!