Wednesday, February 21, 2007

I'll just dive right in...

We're in the middle of nowhere, Utah, at the Mars Desert Research Station, training for an expedition to the FMARS station at the rim of Haughton Crater on Devon Island in the Canadian High Arctic, where we're going to pretend to be astronauts for four long months. Think of it as a dress rehearsal for a real manned mission to Mars, in which we can test out equipment, logistics, methods, protocols and, of course, human psychology.

I met my crewmates just a few short days ago, and am delighted - and relieved. They're all sound folk: level-headed, smart and fun. Four months in a very small (about 1000 square feet) habitat in a hostile environment, never going outside without a spacesuit, will require strong inter-personal skills and a steady personality. I hope I'm up to the standard.

We're going to Haughton Crater because it is a great Mars analog. It is dry, cold, barren of vegetation, and is an old impact crater of the kind that are common on the red planet. However, one of the ways in which it is very un-Mars-like is the large fauna - that is, polar bears. It turns out that they tend to hang out around the hab on Devon Island. Now, I like polar bears, and wish them all the best in dealing with human encroachment and climate change, but I'd rather not help them out directly as bear food. So, we're getting weapons training, just in case.

We spent the afternoon learning how to handle various kinds of firearms, and strategizing about how to avoid bears in the first instance, how to scare them off if that fails, and, as a last resort, how to shoot them. The kick from the pump-action shotgun left me with a bruised shoulder, but I do now feel like, at a pinch, I might be able to convince a polar bear to look for food elsewhere.

Then, we played with the ATVs which will serve as Mars exploration vehicles, and practiced putting out fires with extinguishers. Now we're back in the hab, listening to country music and drinking beer. It's been that kind of day.

Check out the webcams!

7 comments:

mikomikoWheee! said...

Have you a count down clock the the next shower?
Is martian beer good or do you prefer the earthly imports?

Lora said...

Whoo hoo! Fun to see the cameras and stuff. I'm really glad you're doing this, Mars Ho!
Speaking of showers...yikes!!!

Unknown said...

Hi Kim,
we miss you. Good luck.
BR

Linus Paul said...

Are you stinky?

Evgenya said...

Hey Kim!!! I'm excited for the blog. post pics if you can. Also, I'm game to join the "let's-keep-Kim-sane" committee. (will it count towards my community service at UH?)

BR, lets gather up some folks and brainstorm on how we can keep Kim's brain from storming.

e.

Kim Binsted said...

I just had my first shower! Yay! Linus Paul would probably still disapprove of my general hot-steppiness level, however.

Beer: Polygamy Porter. Why stop at one?

kveneklasen said...

Oooh, this is gonna be a great spectator sport! Love the ammo-filled, Angelina Jolie-inspired action photos. Should nudge your online dating profile into a slightly different demographic. ;o)

On a more personal note...what do you think--"Mars Veneklasen"...sort of a nice ring to it, eh? No baby yet, which is good news since we seriously don't have a name. But with a week to go (or it could be tonight, who the heck knows??) we're not too panicked. It just means everything's a contender. "Porter Veneklasen"?

We're rooting for you, Kim! K&N