5:22 PM: It’s another day at the MDRS, our tenth. Sometimes it takes a moment to realize where you are and what you’re doing. To realize that we are on an analog mission in the middle of the magnificent desert of Utah, USA, even though half of us have never ventured much farther than the bordering countries of France. To realize that we are completing the end of a year of preparation, a year of hard work alongside our studies, a year of seeking experiences, sponsors, outreach, projects, and selections. To realize that we are seven excited individuals willing to lock ourselves in a tin can with six teammates we didn’t choose, and no shower for a month. To realize that another Martian day has begun, and during this day, which seems ordinary on the surface, we conduct experiments like Orbital Architecture, Twins2, AMAIA, HUMANISE, LOAC, megaARES, Photogrammetry, Micropouss’,
TimePecept, LättaLL, UCF, SUPAEROMOON, CoreData… a dozen experiments for the tenth sol.

This morning, Somaya and I searched for beacons in the Candor Chasma canyon using our map drawn the day before, alongside Meddi who analyzed our performance as part of the photogrammetry experiment. On our way back, we admired the landscape, which was magnificent, reminding us of the extraordinary environment we’ve been immersed in for the past ten days.

The crew is very dynamic right now; Robin started the first 3D prints of the SUPAEROMOON (a club from ISAE-SUPAERO) rover this morning, which we will assemble in the coming days. He and I tested AMAIA, our assistant AI, thoroughly this afternoon.

Erin continues to manage our schedules expertly and modeled a small box to store all the necessary materials for retrieving data from atmospheric instruments during EVAs. Indeed, we must handle a USB key and a tiny micro-SD card with bulky ski gloves that we wear during these outings. This operation requires precision, so much so that we perform part of it using tweezers, and meticulous storage is essential.