Today was the last full day of Crew 18's simulation. Tomorrow at noon we shut it down. Even though I think we could manage just fine for another 14 days, for some of the team, coming to the end is probably for the best. Even though things are still running smoothly, wrinkles are starting to appear in a couple of crewmembers' resolve.

I am not a psychologist. I took Psych 101 in college to satisfy the University of Michigan's graduation requirements. So it has been surprising to me to see how the various simulation constraints have stressed each individual differently. The reactions people have to them appear unpredictable.

Getting the crew to follow the 1 hour exercise protocol has turned into a hopeless battle here at the end, even with daily reminders. It is hard for me to know for sure but I think there are probably only about 3 of us trying to follow it now. The lack of equipment and appropriate space does make it difficult. But I am surprised by the lack of creativity in this area by the crew. Perhaps if their long-term health were truly jeopardized without it, as on Mars, they would be more devoted. But somehow I doubt it. I think this will always be a struggle, even for that first real Mars crew.

The constant 14 hour workdays have started to exact a toll as well. EVA schedules are being broken. People congregate more slowly now for our two daily meetings. Yesterday two of the crew missed one all together.

For some, the various odors wafting through the air seem to be too much. On one occasion I found a crewmember had asked one of our mutants to leave the airlock cracked after returning from their non-simulation activity, due to a particularly offensive smell emanating from the direction of the toilet. I told them to close the door. My ears were popping. But even our mutants do not seem to be completely immune from simulation stress either. Over the last few days, one has found more reasons to take quick excursions into the fresh air.

For others the bathing restriction appears to be a real hardship. Some volunteer to skip their turn and go longer than required if it looks like we are going to go over our water ration for the day. While others seem overly concerned about the issue and are always ready to volunteer exactly how many days it has been since they last bathed.

Other problem areas are of a more mundane nature and are similar to what you might experience with your family on a long camping trip or a week at the cottage. Despite repeated instructions to clean up after themselves, some interpret this to mean, "Bring your dirty dishes to the sink and stack them there." Invariably some industrious crewmember ends up washing them for the less energetic personnel.

It is hard for me to say what aspects of this experience have been toughest on me. I am sure if my wife could see me here for an hour or so she could quickly come up with a whole list of things. But I like it here. The experience is similar to being trapped in your home during a long winter blizzard. No one goes outside and if they do there is a long suit up process involved. I have always enjoyed blizzards, ever since I was a little kid.

Having to constantly remind folks of their responsibilities and the long workdays are probably the two things that I would put at the top of my stress list right now. But they are really pretty minor complaints. I think with some more planning we could get the workload down. And perhaps a better managerial style on my part would empower people to take care of their duties on their own.

The ironic twist to all of this is that the crew volunteered for this mission. And except for Petra and me, no one is getting paid to participate in this simulation. These people placed a high enough value on this experience to sacrifice vacation time or their wages to come to MDRS and be a part of it. You have to stand up and applaud that kind of commitment! Sometimes though the commitment MDRS requires to stay true to the simulation is an even greater one and not everyone is up to the challenge.

Over the last few days I have overheard Joan interviewing the members of the crew for an article he is writing. And one of his questions is would you take the long trip to Mars for real?

Based on what I have seen at MDRS, some of these people appear to be perfectly suited to a long duration space mission and would love to go. And then there are a few others who seem to be completely oblivious to the fact that their skill set and temperament would not be a good match to such a task. Perhaps they will come to this realization themselves after recollecting their experiences here at some point in the future.

This dispatch should not lessen your esteem for this great group. My intent is to provide an honest assessment of the crew. In my opinion this team is not experiencing anything different than normal Hab problems.

As I have communicated before, we are managing well. I would rate our performance here as being as good as any of the crews that have proceeded us. There have certainly been other Mars station crews who have managed worse. At least no one has broken out in a stress related rash or snuck away quietly in the middle of the night without a trace. In addition, unlike most crews, this one had to resurrect the Hab from a complete slumber to the fully functioning simulation we have running right now. This would not have happened without the hard work of each and every crewmember.

So one of my fondest wishes is that this crew comes away from their MDRS experience knowing their capabilities and shortcomings better than when they first arrived. And if they have the desire to further the work of Mars exploration in the future, I hope that these two weeks will help them better understand how to use their God-given talents in that area. I am trying to take away that personal lesson for myself. It is just one of many that the MDRS can teach you when you put as much effort into the work as this crew has.