One of the interesting things about living like an astronaut has been the media blitz. There's a scene in The Right Stuff in which Ed Harris, playing John Glenn, tells the other Mercury 7 astronauts that, whether they like it or not, they are public figures. And whether we like it or not, we are somewhat public figures because of the excitement that a notion such as going to another planet causes.

Of course, our efforts at MDRS are not to the same extent as the original astronauts in the early days of the space program, but embarking on a mission such as going to Mars excites people for whatever reason - science, exploration, theology, philosophy - and both TV stations and newspapers are interested in covering it.

The enlightening aspect of the coverage for all of us has been what each form of media wants from us: photographers want you as you are, TV crews want you as you should be, and newspapers just want to know it all.

Additionally, interacting with the media has been one of the many activities about which we would not have learned without actually experiencing the astronaut life. It has been exciting for some, terrifying for others and uneasy for yet more, but the public image aspect of an astronaut is something that we who are interested in such work do not consider at first; yet it is still a component of the profession. Either way, after our rotation at the MDRS, we'll be more prepared for Mars ... or Hollywood.

Jason Sherwin, PAO
MDRS Crew 47