My Little Pony: My Little Pony The Martian

AMICITAS Mission Three – Mission Day 248

ARES 3 solar day 245

[08:01] JPL: Good morning everyone. At least I wanted to say hello to you all, but I really don't have any good news to tell you. The only thing that can be said is that according to satellite observations, the current maximum internal wind speed of the dust storm is 6 kilometers per hour. The dust storm on Sol had wind speeds of eighty kilometers an hour two days before it hit you, so maybe it won't be so bad this time.

But the situation is not promising in any other way. The dust storm is currently located on the Arabian Platform, heading directly towards you in a west-northwest direction at a speed of thirty-five to forty kilometers per hour. Arrive in the residential area around some time after sunset tomorrow evening.

And guess what? Our satellites also detected strong thunderstorm activity within the dust storm clouds. This phenomenon is extremely rare, and this is the first time a thunderstorm of this magnitude has occurred in our records.

You must all go into the cave to escape the dust storm. The mineral crystals in the soil above and in the cave's interior walls should protect you from any form of electrical discharge. If possible, we also hope that you can bring the Friendship engine to the cave for preservation. Security is highest there.

Of course, there is still a lot of preparation to be done before you go underground and become a coward. We're going to have you take as many antenna array components as you can and attach them with exposed wires to those mounting bases on the outer skin of the Friendship. After this is completed, check the electrical system grounding of the habitation module to ensure that all system components are still connected to the wiring of the habitation module. Every part of the electrical system relies on this grounding to avoid damage associated with the build-up of static electricity. Finally, make sure that the movable guards on all windows of Rover 1 are tightly closed.

In addition to these, you have to cut open an inflatable tent, bring the base into the cave, and connect several solar panels there to the ground wire of the battery. There should be some spare tungsten wire discharge brushes in your pile of repair materials; cover the base of the inflatable tent as completely as possible. In this way we should be able to ensure that all electronic equipment in the cave is grounded.

When personnel evacuate the habitation module, please turn off the power to all equipment according to the original Solar Day 31 checklist. Do not deflate the habitat, just make sure all electronic devices are turned off. At the same time, please cut off the power supply line from the habitation module to the pathfinder. Pathfinder comes with an anti-static grounding system, but the equipment you build to power it runs the risk of causing a short circuit - whether the discharge directly hits the power supply line or the habitation module, it may cause heavy losses. After the dust storm passes, we will establish a communication connection by sending and receiving Morse code via the Friendship's own radio.

The final request is that when you evacuate, please park the No. 2 rover as close to the hillside as possible to the northwest of Area E to take shelter from the wind. Remember to close all window guards before hiking cross-country to the farm. This is the best way to protect the No. 2 rover other than digging a hole, and we feel that putting it in a hole will only make it bury faster and deeper.

Good luck and take care everyone.

[08:34] Watney: It’s a lot of work, but we’ll do our best. The cave airlock should be wide enough to allow the engines to pass through - barely - but no matter what, I guess I'll have to find a way to use magic to squeeze them in. I do have a question: why not deflate the habitat? Wouldn't this increase the risk of leaks in dust storms?

[09:02] JPL: The checklist on Sol 31 mentions deflating the habitation module only to avoid the threat of the rare possibility of a leak in the habitation module when the MAV takes off, not to protect the habitation cabin for future use. In our current situation, deflating the habitat would only make it easier for the canvas to be blown into the air and damaged. Doing so also means you have to shovel away any accumulated dust from the canvas before re-inflating the habitat, and the weight of the sand is likely to damage the plastic support structure. If you want the habitation module to survive the storm intact, maintaining internal pressure is the best way.

[09:31] Watney: Got it. Now it's time to go out and make preparations. You can send a power-off command to Pathfinder so that I can cut off the power when the EVA ends. I will send you a signal after the dust storm passes.

[09:59] JPL: Sending power-off command. Good luck to you, Mark, and good luck to everyone.