Today was the first day of our true analogue research. Everything previously accomplished by all the crewmembers in their personal lives was really preparation for a day like today. The upper deck was filled with some of the best talent around including the FMARS 2007 crew, Science Advisory Group (SAG), and Engineering Team (ET) members.

The first question to answer is, what is our current rotation at MDRS up to? FMARS? Our group of seven (plus one alternate) was selected by the Mars Society to be the crew of a four-month Mars simulation at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS), located on the Haughton Impact Crater on Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada. The two weeks we are spending at MDRS right now are being used to prepare us for the summer at FMARS (May 1 - August 31, 2007) by reviewing all the crew projects with the SAG and ET on site, including Geology, Biology, Human Factors, and Engineering related projects. We will complete our two-weeks with a Wilderness Safety Course.

The day began with a large breakfast and crew handover with Mars Society Canada's Expedition Three (Crew 57). After reviewing the general plan for the week, the crew headed out with the SAG and ET to Lith Canyon as a group-bonding activity. The geologists had to stop every few feet in the hike to analyze the surroundings, which was very insightful for seeing how knowledgeable our group is, and how capable they are at relaying information to the crew. This time was very valuable for the crew and support staff to have informal discussions and get to know each other. A late lunch followed and we jumped right into the crew projects and safety of FMARS. A brief generator issue in the middle of our meeting caused the engineers to hook up a few cars as a backup power source to recharge and stabilize the habitat batteries. To carry out our objectives in the Arctic, the top five priorities in hierarchical order will be safety, simulation, science, public outreach, and then comfort. Our top three dangers that we will face in the Arctic include the ATVs (so we have to make sure we are driving safely), the mud (as the snow melts), and the polar bears (grrrrr!). The overall goal for the mission is to use as many Mars parameters as possible to make the simulation as realistic as possible.

Our meetings continued on into the night as the SAG members are only here for a few days, and we have a lot of preparation work to do. There are only two short months that separate us from endless summer nights north of the Arctic Circle. Preparation is key to mission success. The amount of work that has already been put into the FMARS 2007 mission has given the crew confidence that this unique experience is well underway for success.