For every outdoor mission, the crew was required to wear the space suits. They’d been sewn by a Denver costumemaker. Each was canvas, badly frayed, and had a button-up fly. The uniform included a backpack that was basically a Tupperware container. It contained a fan that blew air into the stifling bubble helmet.
The purpose of the suits was to test astronaut mobility. Besides, the canvas kept Palaia warm. They enjoyed only three or four sunny days. When they got there, the temperature was minus 15°C. It got up to about 7°C.
Ask Palaia how six people got along for a month in a tube, and he’ll tell you that gypsum is hydrated calcium sulfate. He’s scientific, not one for idle gossip. Mostly, it seems, he and his mates worked. It took two weeks to make the tube livable. They generally kept at it every day from 9:30am to midnight, working around bad weather.
They also had to practice a polar bear drill. It consisted of gathering behind the guy with the shotgun, stripping off space suits, and running as fast as possible. That may or may not be necessary on Mars.
As soon as Palaia’s tired crew returned from Devon Island, a study committee appointed by US President Barack Obama issued a gloomy report on NASA’s manned spaceflight program. Basically, it said, the money isn’t there, even to send someone to the moon.
Palaia says private enterprise will do it if the government can’t. “Look what we’re accomplishing with a bunch of volunteers.” One way or another, he’s going where no man has gone before.
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