FMARS Sponsors	HSO & Biology Summary - August 3, 2005 Tiffany Vora Reporting My experience as a crewmember of FMARS-10, Team Greenleaf, was remarkably challenging, and as always with a simulated Mars rotation, extremely educational. I am proud of the work we accomplished individually and as a team; I believe we left the Hab a better place than we found it. As Health and Safety Officer (HSO) I made a full inventory of the medical and first aid supplies in the Hab, including the location, amount, and state of each item. Expired medications were identified, inventoried, and destroyed. Rudimentary first aid training was conducted in Resolute Bay to give the team a set of basic first aid skills and the confidence to use them. We were unable to do all the emergency rescue simulations that I had planned, but the one we did conduct highlighted fundamental strengths and weaknesses of a basic rescue using the technology existing at FMARS. Likewise, my work as a biologist once again showed me the challenges inherent in conducting high-quality science under simulation conditions. I set up nine 1 meter by 1 meter transect squares to count the organisms in a given space. These transects served to highlight the low biodiversity of the area, but reveal the changing nature of the ecosystems over the course of the growing season. On a personal note, I was stunned to observe the simultaneous fragility and robustness of these ecosystems. Each of these species has evolved over time to their current successful states in response to stimuli unique to the harsh polar environment. I find myself possessed of renewed hope when I think of the biological prospects of Mars, and our future as a species there. Return to Daily Index Page
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