We had a packed great day! The day started with a small planning meeting and a big Sunday brunch. Larry revealed to us his excellent culinary skills and is now our de facto chef. Two SpaceRef.com webcams were also installed inside the FMARS Hab this morning (with help from “Portable Trish”, Steve’s sidekick who came up from the HMP Base Camp ; her name comes from her handheld transceiver call sign).
July 28th, 2001
Dispatch from Mars Society Arctic Expedition – Robert Zubrin – July 28, 2001
We accomplished a lot this summer. In our first Mars mission simulation we demonstrated in dramatic fashion the overwhelming value of human explorers on Mars. To me, this whole project has been an incredible experience. People have been talking about establishing a simulated human Mars exploration base for at least 20 years; we finally made it happen.
July 28th, 2001
FMARS Daily Narrative Report – Pascal Lee – July 28, 2001
The Phase 4 crew entered the FMARS Hab this afternoon at 1 pm local time. The crew is composed of Dr Carol Stoker of NASA Ames Research Center, Dr. Larry Lemke of NASA Ames, Dr Peter Smith of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona, Dr Steve Braham of Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC, LtCol John Blitch of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and myself (Pascal Lee of the SETI Institute, based at NASA Ames). Phase 4 will run from July 28 through August 1st, 2001.
July 27th, 2001
Dispatch from Mars Society Arctic Expedition – Robert Zubrin – July 27, 2001
The weather is getting worse. The forecast for today was rain, sleet, and fog, with snow possible tomorrow. Most of my crew needs to be on the 737 that will leave Resolute for Yellowknife Saturday afternoon – the next flight out is Wednesday. So all plans for a telerobot deployment EVA to the cliff across Devo Rock canyon were cancelled. Instead our program was to do our work today in the station with most of our bags packed, holding ourselves in readiness for rapid pullout to Resolute on the next Twin Otter flight, as it might prove impossible to get one on Saturday.
July 26th, 2001
The Mars Society – Internet Task Force
The Mars Society is looking for active members to volunteer 2-3 hours a week and who have experience in maintaining web sites. Skills desired
July 26th, 2001
Dispatch from Mars Society Arctic Expedition – Robert Zubrin – July 26, 2001
I looked out the porthole window this morning and saw white fog, and nothing but white fog, as far as the eye could see, which was not far. We were socked in. This forced a change of plan. We had intended to perform an EVA to deploy telerobots into the canyon 7 km to the north that Charles, Cathrine, and I had scouted yesterday.
July 25th, 2001
Dispatch from Mars Society Arctic Expedition – Robert Zubrin – July 25, 2001
Our numbers were strengthened today by a new crew member, Lt. Col. John Blitch. John was brought into the crew to replace Steve Braham, whose continued participation in the simulation has been made impossible by his burden of responsibilities for the Haughton Mars Project (HMP) communication system. John, a US Army robotics expert, was (and is) scheduled for participation in the fourth crew rotation, which begins Saturday.
July 24th, 2001
Dispatch from Mars Society Arctic Expedition – Robert Zubrin – July 24, 2001
Our plan for today had been for a major motorized EVA to the northeast, but when we awoke it was raining and blowing hard. So our plans changed. Today we would work inside. In a way, the bad weather this morning was a blessing, because we had a lot of inside work to catch up on.
July 23rd, 2001
Dispatch from Mars Society Arctic Expedition – Robert Zubrin – July 23, 2001
Our EVA today almost went perfectly. The day was splendid, and the team consisting of Cathrine, Brent, Charles, and yours truly managed to get suited up and out the lock in just over an hour – a big advance over 5 days ago, when the same crew took 3 hours to get 3 people prepared.
July 22nd, 2001
Dispatch from Mars Society Arctic Expedition – Robert Zubrin – July 22, 2001
After yesterdays’ rough EVA I thought it best to take it easy today. In any case it was Sunday, and so we rested. Instead of going EVA, we spent the day doing lab work in the station, repairing spacesuit gear, doing planning and other light activity.