Journalist's Report

February 19, 2008

Cassandra Marion



After a cold night with the furnace on low, Crew 67 woke up to another
power outage. Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs and bacon which
resulted in mixed reviews. This morning the crew completed many
important tasks. We taught Zahra how to do a hand stand and helped each
other choose call signs. There’s a toss up between Blondie and Korben
Dallas but only time will tell which suits Phillip best. Other great
titles include Googly, Biobabe, Lox, Whisky, Kim (for Kimono) and Fam.
On a more serious note, the propane truck paid a refill visit and the
whole crew completed their individual ATV training. Star pupil; call
sign Princess would rather rodeo than race. Climbing steep hills in
the obstacle course was no problem for her but when it came to the open
road; she never made it past second gear.

The Green Hab was especially cared for today as the engineering crew
cleaned up the decaying parts of the water plants and pumped clean
water into the system to dilute the grey water in an attempt to
revitalize the system. Hopefully that wonderful decaying odor will
disappear by bedtime.

We successfully completed our first EVA in full simulation to the
top of Radio Ridge. The crew was mildly impressed by the ancient
oyster beds when compared to the Martian landscape; it truly makes you
feel you are the first to have landed on the red planet. The simulated
astronaut suits added an extra umph to the locale. The crew enjoyed
learning and bonding in the experience as they each suffered among a
series of nose and cheek itches, sneezes, fogged face plates and
bladder control. Commander Shelaga presented himself as the EVA’s
special feature when he tagged along completely outfitted in green.
The crew haven’t decided whether he was a green Martian or a G.I. Joe.


When we returned to the Hab the power was on. We have a fabulous
sweet and sour pork rice to look forward to for dinner followed by a
captivating tale of Biobabe’s research. With luck, we can squeeze in
some time for a crew cuddle, movie and freeze dried peas snack.