We entered full simulation mode tonight. After enjoying another excellent dinner, the crew took the traditional final pre-sim walk around the hab, including half an hour of stargazing from the ridge near the Musk Observatory. The clouds broke just at the right time for us to enjoy the amazing desert sky, with the Milky Way clearly visible and several shooting stars promising us good luck for our mission.

But the cold wind soon drove us back to the warmth of the hab. We said good-bye to Joe, the Washington Times photographer who had been with us for part of the day, and sealed the outer airlock hatch behind us at 2130h. From now on and for the next ten days, with the sole exception of safety-critical functions, we will leave the station only in our EVA suits, and execute an ambitious program of real exploration and discovery on simulated Mars.

Spirits were better than ever tonight, with us breaking out into seemingly uncontrollable laughter as we were recording a video birthday message to Meryl's dad and my wife (Happy Birthday, Oscar and Jen!). I am looking forward to an exciting MDRS mission experience with this wonderful crew.

Signing off for today,

Jan Osburg
Commander, MDRS Crew 47