14 July 2000: Marc Boucher’s Personal Journal: Base Camp, Devon Island

Hello from the high arctic.

This is the first entry into my journal. I’ll be relaying to you my thoughts and impressions of this
incredible part of our world as well as informing you about the progress of the Flashline Mars
Arctic Research Station.

As you may be aware the last of five paradrops on Saturday, July 8 was
unsuccessful. The failure was the result of some unknown mechanical error. I’ve heard all sorts of
speculation but unless you are an expert and saw the paradrop, speculation is useless. The palette
that crashed contained parts of our crane, the habitat floors, the trailer to haul
the panels and miscellaneous items. All of the floor panels and trailer were damaged to the extent
they can’t be used. The crane was seriously damaged as well and is not usable. Plans are currently
being discussed on how we can proceed this year. All of the side and dome panels are fine. By early next
week we should have some idea as to what we can do. As soon as we decide I will relay the information to you.

No one was hurt during the drop. As well a ground team of Marines had everything coordinated and civilians
were kept a good distance away for safety. Safety was the number one priority and the Marines are to be
commended on their efforts and professionalism. This type of paradrop, with this type of load this far north
had never done before.

Our base camp truly resembles the Martian landscape. If you compared the 1976 Mars Viking probe
images to parts of this area you would swear you were on Mars. On the surface there appears to be nothing growing within
or near camp but on much closer inspection one can see miniature flowers, lichen and moss in some places, albeit
very little and spread far apart. There are many small rocks strewn everywhere and the dust is a major problem. It gets
into everything. Our computers have been coated
with a fine layer of dust which must be removed at least once a day. Several people have wondered how long it is before a
hard drive on a computer fails. It took a little longer than usual to setup our base camp as the weather hampered
efforts to send in planes with supplies. The first week was the toughest as we were packed into small tents to eat and cook.
But now we have a very large and spacious mess tent nicknamed “The Cathedral”. The lab tent where I work
is also large. We have had up to 13 laptops in here. Stephen Braham a Mars Society member who is here
representing Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC, has done a great job at getting our satellite
communications setup. We have a 384K connection to the outside world which is nearly as good as my cable modem
connection at home! The only downside is that every eight hours we have to “feed” the generator fuel to keep
the link going.

I’ve noticed that people have a hard time orienting themselves. Every now and then you here people discussing where
north is. The sun never sets this far north and the difference between noon and midnight is not really noticeable.
Most people have adjusted to the constant light and no one is reporting any serious sleeping problems.

While most people here are representing their universities or employers many are also Mars Society members. Some people
like myself are strictly volunteers having paid all our own expenses and brought our own equipment. Mars Society
members here right now include Pascal Lee, Margarita Marinova, Stephen Braham, Darlene Lim, Samson Ootoovak,
Charlie Cockell, and Kurt Micheels.

Haynes Ridge where the Flashline Station will be built provides some spectacular views. It is on Haynes Ridge and overlooks
the Haughton Crater. When I get a good day for photography I’ll create a panorama of the view for you.

The Weather

The weather has not been very cooperative this year. We had to wait a week before we could land at base
camp because of the wet and muddy runway. The winds are stronger than I expected and it is abnormally cold for
an arctic “summer”. We have also had rain, sleet an snow. All of this has slowed us down a bit.

NASA Studies

I am participating in three NASA studies while I am here. They include a Human Factors Study where I answer surveys
at specific times during the field season, a “Dog Tag” study where I am wearing an electronic ID tag that contains
my picture, medical and other data and finally for two weeks I will eat and comment on food meant for astronauts
on the International Space Station.

Updates

I will have daily updates for you from now on. And once again I want to stress that everyone here involved in the Flashline
Station project is working hard to create a plan that would see the habitat built this year. Morale is high and people
are enjoying their time here. I must also comment on the great team work I see. Without team work in this extreme
environment we would not be successful. Everyone gets along and works together. It is a pleasure to be here with these people.