| NOTHING IS BEYOND OUR REACH By The Space Engineers Today we arrived at the biosphere where we are staying for the next month on Mars. It was set up on a previous mission and prepared for us. Our crew members consist of Mathew, commander and pilot, Alyssa, astronaut and expert on volcanoes, and Rachel, co-pilot. In addition, Patricia and Patrick are engineers and organizers at NASA, Kayla is an astronaut and geologist, Emily is an astronaut and medical doctor and Cody is a geologist for California Tech. Our mission is to collect soil and rocks to determine if there was life on Mars and to learn more about the history of this fantastic planet! Our focus is to test the very versatile Hercules Multipurpose Tool (Hercules MPT). Our colony is located a few miles outside Valles Marineris and was selected because of the layered sedimentary rocks on the crater which resembles the landscapes from Earth. The layers record the history of Mars. It is not far from the Opportunity landing in 2004. The location was a good choice because of its proximity to the Equator � giving us the use of solar power energy for all our equipment and life support. �Finally, we have arrived after seven months of travel,� Matthew announced after a perfect landing. �I am so glad you all followed my directions on keeping fit in zero gravity,� Dr. Emily commented. Patricia, who seemed to organize most of the activities, suggested that we unpack the gear. �Make sure you put the spacesuits by the door once everything is inside the biosphere we will call home for the next 30 days,� she remarked. Cody added, �I�ll take care of removing the �buggymobile� from the lander and placing it safely in the enclosed area next to the biosphere. You never know when we will get a dust storm.� We settled into our new home, setting up equipment, working on staying fit and mapping out our exploration plan. We explored right around the biosphere first, using the Hercules MPT to collect samples, break up larger rocks and test temperature at different times during the Martian day. This Collection Scoop works while in the Buggy or when the astronaut is walking around. The Hercules MPT can use its �pick tool� to break off small rocks from larger ones. Another team was being assembled to travel closer to Valles Marineris to collect samples. We wanted to see about the layers of rock and their age. Matthew, Kayla and Rachel continued to explore nearby. �Matthew, let me fix your helmet for you,� exclaimed Kayla. �It�s one of those things you have to do carefully to survive this harsh environment.� Rachel, returning to the biosphere, noted in her journal that the landscape appeared very red compared to Earth due to the iron. Cody and Alyssa set off for the first trip to Valles Marineris in the Buggy. As Alyssa and Cody make their way to the volcano, they notice an area where ancient lakes were once located. They stop and collect rock and mineral samples with the Hercules MPT. This has really helped to make this trip a success with its ability to grab and hold onto samples and store them in the sample box. They continue driving towards Valles Marineris, noting areas where there was once volcanic activity. Alyssa is excited about actually seeing these areas close up. Unfortunately, she begins to complain about how hungry she is. �Could there possibly be a McDonald�s or Wal-mart nearby,� she wonders out loud. Cody laughs and hands her a Mars Bar instead. Cody says, �Pretend it is a Big Mac!� After a tiring but exhilarating day of collecting lots of sample rocks from Valles Marineris, Cody and Alyssa return to join the rest of the crew back at camp. The selection and amount of rocks collected by Alyssa and Cody thrilled the other astronauts. They are convinced a lot will be learned about Mars� history and maybe a clue will show itself in one of their rocks about whether life existed or not once on Mars. Kayla and Patricia celebrate by leading everyone in a Victory Dance! |
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| Look closely at this photo!!!! |