Day 178
Mood:  bright
It was Leonid's birthday last week. We're also at maximum velocity and are coasting our way to Earth. As we continue toward Earth, we're also condcuting some assorted science research that we now have more time for. Of course the most notable of this research is the study of some of the Mars rock samples aboard. And even Keith isn't as busy as he used to be. The ship's technical problems so far are less than they were when we were on the way to Mars.

Day 140
Mood:  chatty
Last night we had to spend a couple of hours in the ship's command center which also doubles as a radiation shelter due to increase solar activity. Though we are on board a cheap spacehip, the radiatiuon shielding here seems to be pretty good. We even have a "deflector shiled" system to deflect charged particles from the sun. Yup! I always wanted to say this: Activate the deflector shields!

Day 133

The Deimos probe is still working. Certain experts on Earth said the repairs we made on the probe wouldn't last a day, while other insisted that we'd never get it to work again. Whaterver! Also, Leonid is spending more time in the gravity mode sections of the ship than the rest of us to help his broken arm heal. So far, Melody says that his arm is healing at a fast rate than expected, but problably not as fast as it would if Leon were on Earth. that, of course, is mainly because gravity on the ICSE is approxiamtely equal to that of Mars. We briefly thought about generating Earth gravity on the ICSE, but we knew that wouldn't be entirely practical since everyone on the ship is still used to Mars gravity. But then we could gradually increase the rate of spin on ICSE so that we can slowly adjust to Earth gravity. But we didn't want to risk damaging the ship's structural integrity.

Day 129
Mood:  chillin'
We're at an almost perfect time here on the ICSE. We haven't had a technical problem since the MEM broke down on Mars. We're still getting telemetry from the Phobos probe at Deimos and the probes we sent to Mars. And of course we are still on course for Earth. Because the fuel processing part of the mission went so well, we have extra fuel for initiating artifical gravity rotation. And as long as the control-moment gyros function properly, we'll have gravity for the entire trip to Earth. Also, Melody and Taira continued studying some of the Martian samples on board. As for simulation training, these days it's not as extensive as before. The sims primarily involve practice runs for our aerocapture with Earth. Going through aerocapture was definitely scary the first time, but I don't think I'll be as scared when we do it the second time. I guess it's because even if aerocapture at Earth fails, at least we'll have finished 99 percent of the mission.

Day 123
Mood:  party time!
After we began the launch back to Earth, we partied like it was 2099. The complications and stress of interplanetary travel were completely gone for us at that point in time. I think I can say that going back to Earth will very likely be the easiest part of the mission. Even so, I stll think landing on Mars was the high-point of my life -- at least so far.

120
Mood:  energetic
Tiara and I were on Mars a little longer than planned today. As Keith advised us from the ICSE on how to repair the MEM's ignition system, Melody and Sumire loaded up the backup MEM that was still docked with the ICSE with extra food and supplies in case the MEM couldn't be repaired in time. But after a few hours of work, we got the MEM to launch. Meanwhile, the extra food and supplies that were put on board the backup MEM were brought back on board the ICSE. less than three hours later, Tiaria and I and the Martian samples we brought boarded the ICSE. From there, we remotely landed both MEMs onto the surface of Phobos so they can be used for future Mars missions and to save weight for our trip back to Earth.

Yes! we almost didn't make it. But things worked out anyway.

Day 119
Mood:  vegas lucky
Yup! Today's the day we officially become a multi-planet species. The launch of the MEM worked quite well. and after the three-hour flight from Phobos to the Martian surface, we finally did it. Taira Singh and I became the first humans to set foot on Mars. Kick ass!

My first words on the Red Planet: "I love this place!" And Taira loved it too. All our surface activies were done on time and on schedule. (Is that reduntant?) Planting the ICSA flag, collecting rock and soil smaples, all that good stuff was effectively accomplished. After three hours on Mars, we prepared to leave. Unforunately, a malfunction in the ignition system might end up keeping Taira and I on Mars longer than we planned.

Day 117
Mood:  energetic
The Phobos probe made it to Deimos right on time. While certain other crew members study the Deimos data, Taira and I are rapidly preparing for the Mars landing Wednesday.

Day 115
Mood:  a-ok
Another good news, bad news deal here. The good news is that we got the Phobos probe working. The bad news is that Leonid broke his arm while trying to dislodge the probe from Phobosian surface. But despite that letdown, Melody was able to set Leonid broken arm with little difficulty. Later on, the Phobos probe was launched to Deimos where it will enter orbit tomorrow. Meanwhile, I have to prepare for Wednesday when I take Leonid's place on the Mars landing part of the mission.

Day 113
Mood:  chillin'
Did I mention that Keith and Sumire found a piece of the Mars Observer on Phobos? Well, they did. Meanwhile, Leonid and Taira spent much of the day in one of the MEMs prepping for the Mars landing next week.