FMARS Mission Support Journalist Report
July 30, 2001

Today we welcomed back Dr. Robert Zubrin to mission support, and we received a long briefing concerning the details of FMARS crew rotations 2 and 3. Dr. Zubrin gave us details on every aspect of the missions, from technical concerns of the space suits and back packs to interpersonal issues of the crew. We asked questions and got a first-hand account of the simulated Mars missions. After the briefing the rest of us in mission support continued the discussion, relating the experiences of the crew to our own expectations of a mission to Mars. We think these experiences will be an indispensable resource when the time comes to launch the first crew to Mars.

The Mars Society Habitat exhibit at Kennedy Space Center recorded a record 2100 people visiting the habitat, with 60 people attending the live presentation. Unfortunately, we again were unable to respond quickly enough to the questions asked by the audience, mostly due to the short time allowed between the asking of the question and the end of the presentation. Dr. Pascal Lee did respond with good answers to the visitor's questions, and the folks down at KSC intend to use these questions as opportunities present themselves.

We have requested additional technical information regarding the incinolet and the space suits and backpacks. Interaction with the crew was very minimal today but we think that is an artifact of the RobotFest intense schedule (or at least that's our hope).

We are also looking into improving our communications with Nasa Ames, who receive the science data directly from the FMARS crew. We may be able to assist them with their scientific data gathering efforts and two-way communication with the Hab.

Mission Support Crew for July 30, 2001:
Brian Enke, Mission Support Director
Dewey Anderson, Engineering Officer
Lorraine Bell, CapCom
Jim Oliver, Journalist
Matt Colgan, CapCom (until 6:00pm)
Jin Rankin, Journalist (News from Earth reports for crew)