Journalist Report 16 May 2017

Prepared by Janet Biggs, Crew Co-Journalist and Artist in Residence

Images by Janet Biggs, Crew Co-Journalist and Artist in Residence

Sol 3

Our EVA is planned for late afternoon so we got to sleep in!!!  We didn’t actually sleep in that late, but just knowing we could was a wonderful luxury. 

Speaking of EVAs, let me describe the process of getting out the door on Mars.  It starts with figuring out what to wear under your suit … light enough to keep cool (not really possible on Mars, but a goal) and heavy enough to keep the suits from scratching.  Our suits are bright orange with lots of pockets … handy for holding radios, lens caps, and rock samples.  Once you have the suit on and zipped up, you take a radio and headset, check that they work, and secure the headset with a bandanna or headband (also helps keep hair out of your face … no pushing hair out of your face or scratching your nose inside a helmet).  Next is the air circulating backpack.  Someone helps you into the backpack, which weighs about 30 pounds, and brings the helmet ring down over your head.  Once strapped into the backpack, a helmet is placed over your head and locked into place on the ring.  Two hoses from the backpack are screwed into the helmet to circulate air.  Gloves on and you’re ready to go.  Into the airlock for simulated pressurization (in our sim, pressurization is achieved in one minute) and then out the hatch door and you’re walking on Mars!