2 August 2000: Marc Boucher’s Personal Journal: Base Camp, Devon Island
Note: Information on the current field season, as well as past seasons can be found here.
Crew:
Marc Boucher, Commander, Communications Officer
Bill Clancey, Chronicler
Darlene Lim, Biologist
Bob Nesson, Discovery Channel
Sékou Crawford (Guest)
Jeff (Guest)
The Simulation Ends
We ended the simulation yesterday. Today we spent much of the day doing electronic paperwork such as email, journals and
preparing papers. In the afternoon we bid farewell to Darlene Lim, Charlie Cockell and Dale Stokes who are all headed back
to the “earth”. We did get one newcomer into camp. Dr. Baruch Blumberg who heads up the Astrobiology Institute at NASA AMES
arrived. Dr. Blumberg is a Nobel Laureate having shared the 1976 Nobel Prize for Medicine. We have invited our VIP
to spend tomorrow night in the habitat with us.
Starting this Sunday and running through Wednesday everyone will be pulling out. Compared to a few weeks ago
when we had as many as 55 people here the camp seems deserted. We are about 30 now. That is a lot compared to the beginning
when we had 11.
It’s a good thing we are pulling out now as we would have run out of water. Our source of water is Lowell Canal
which is drying up fast. It gets fed from the snow melt off. I suppose if we needed to we could have traversed to other
sources of water which are not too far away.
Our short summer is just about over. We were fortunate to get 14 days straight of good, sunny weather to build the
habitat. When we first got here the weather was miserable. I was told that it would get nice for a stretch, but I was
skeptical.
Tomorrow may be the last day I write a journal entry from Devon Island. Our satellite communication system will be
dismantled soon and I am scheduled to fly out Sunday to Resolute.
I really appreciate the countless emails I received in support of everyone’s effort here. You can’t imagine the wonderful
effect it has had on all of us. I look forward to seeing many of you at the conference which starts next Thursday.
For daily updates on the NASA Haughton-Mars Project click here.
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