LOG ENTRY: SOL 194 (May 23, 2036)
I average a hole every 3.5 minutes. That includes the occasional breather to let the drill cool off.
I learned this by spending all damn day drilling. After 8 hours of dull, physically intense work, I had 137 holes to show for it.
It turned out to be easy to deal with places I couldn’t reach. I didn’t need to modify a landing strut after all. I just had to get something to stand on. I used a geological sample container (also known as “a box”).
Before I was in contact with NASA, I would have worked more than 8 hours. I can stay out for 10 before even dipping in to “emergency” air. But NASA’s got a lot of Nervous Nellies who don’t want me out longer than spec.
With today’s work, I’m about 1⁄4 of the way through the whole cut. At least, 1⁄4 of the way through the drilling. Then I’ll have 759 little chunks to chisel out. And I’m not sure how well carbon composite is going to take to that. But NASA’ll do it a thousand times back on Earth and tell me the best way to get it done.
Anyway, at this rate, it’ll take 4 more days of (boring-ass) work to finish the drilling.
I’ve actually exhausted Lewis’s supply of shitty ’70’s TV. And I’ve read all of Johanssen’s mystery books.
I rifled through other crewmates’ stuff to find entertainment. But all of Vogel’s stuff is in German, Beck brought nothing but medical journals, and Martinez didn’t bring anything.
I’m got really bored, so I decided to pick a theme song!
Something appropriate. And naturally, it should be something from Lewis’s godawful ’70’s collection. It wouldn’t be right any other way.
There are plenty of great candidates: Life on Mars by David Bowie, Rocket Man by Elton John, Alone Again (Naturally) by Gilbert O’Sullivan.
But I settled on Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees.
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