Alison Gibson
Commander Report
21 Dec 2016 – Sol 3

Mission Support,

We’ve been on Mars for 3 sols now, and are forming a strong crew
dynamic. Everyone is doing their best to ensure a productive and
successful mission. Three of us went on an EVA today (Connor, Anselm,
and myself) out to the Dinosaur Quarry to explore the area and get
comfortable on the rovers while suited up. It’s been a cold and cloudy
day, so the ride out and back was frigid. On our way out to the
quarry, we set our pack rat (Bernie) free in the middle of the Martian
desert. After returning, we all ate lunch together and discussed our
plans for baking holiday treats this weekend.

We are generally staying warm and hydrated; although, while the
facility issues have been addressed, we are disappointed with the
internet access. Many of us were relying on internet access to
complete tasks during our mission, and I personally need wi-fi to
complete my research project. We cannot receive email or even navigate
to a page on a browser about 90% of the time. This has made evening
communications with CapComm, Mission Support, and Shannon Rupert very
difficult. We also cannot track our package of mission patches or
flight suits without the internet. Due to access settings put in place
by the previous Crew Commander, we cannot utilize the other two
routers at all. We’ve been monitoring our bandwidth, have turned off
all Bluetooth devices, taken turns using our computers, and reset the
router numerous times. Nothing has helped. This issue is causing
seriously impediments to our mission goals, and we hope there is a way
to resolve it with the help of Mission Support.

A Sol Summary, Engineering Report, HSO Report, Science Report, and
photos will follow. There is also an EVA Request for Sol 4.

Thank you for the weather report and your support.

Respectfully submitted,

Alison Gibson
Commander, MDRS Crew 171