March 4th, 2019
Sol 8: Marsquake
An earthquake hit the station’s area in the morning. This one wasn’t a big one, about 4.6 magnitude, and nobody in the Hab felt it. However it was the biggest one in the area since 1985. We are all safe and the station is intact, our mission can continue !
What an occasion to speak about the InSight probe that landed on Mars in November 2018 and that is now collecting data on seismic activity on Mars. This mission is the result of the collaboration between the United States and Europe under the same scientific goal : listening to the heart of Mars. Between the launch and the landing of InSight, our crew and our association worked with middle and high school students on popularization of space exploration and science. We visited more than 20 schools in our French region to explain to them why and how we are doing science on Mars and above all to give them the will and the desire to study science.
Today was also a special day for our crew : it was Aurélien’s birthday. For the occasion in our plates : a risotto with tomatoes, a blueberry cake, a mysterious drink with blueberries and cinnamon, and more baguettes. This is the first birthday of the mission, in a few days Cerise will also celebrate her 22th birthday. How lucky it is to spend a birthday on an other planet!
We also began the tests in real conditions of our simulation spacesuit prototype. The EVA had been planned for this afternoon because of the mud outside in the morning. Norbert was the brave man the day and wore the suit for 45 minutes. This EVA had the purpose of clarifying the advantages and the issues of the spacesuit in order to improve the system. This was a success, what an achievement to finally see our SpaceSuit in its natural habitat !
Author : Benjamin Auzou, Journalist