Log entry sol 599

I should have known this was coming. Stupid fucking Congress and their damned investigations. Why do I have a feeling some of them would rather leave me here to die? Trust me, I know how many millions this is costing, all unbudgeted: extra money spent to send me a probe to keep me alive, extra money to keep an additional mission control room running, and even more expenditures/expenses that I can't even think of right now. Should they be spending it? Probably not. Don't get me wrong. I don't want to die here, not if I can avoid it, but it's a hell of a lot of money just to save one small, insignificant, lowly, relatively unknown botanist. I may not be the best one to argue why they should spend the money to rescue me. They should probably ask my mom. On second thought, she might come across the table swinging at some Congressperson, so maybe not. I need to think about how to best present my testimony. I don't want to piss them off. I can't afford to be my sarcastic self with Congress. Some of them would cut me off to teach me a lesson. Maybe not directly, because they wouldn't want that out there for the voting public to see, but I wouldn't put it past them to sneak a provision into some ultra-popular bill. They may even still rescue me but cut NASA funding elsewhere, essentially ending our Mars program. I don't want that to happen. That means I have to behave and be diplomatic, something I don't know that I'm very good at.

To members of the Senate Space and Science Committee members:

I understand you would like a detailed rundown of what happened on the day I was left here on Mars. I suggest you start with my personal logs from Sols seven and eight, as they have been transmitted back to NASA. I give permission for them to be read into the record, either by each committee member or aloud in a session. They will give the most accurate report of the events from my perspective. Any report I would provide now would simply be a repeat of that time. I do ask that you remember my state of mind at the time of recording those logs, as they are not the level of professionalism expected from an astronaut. If you have any further questions about that event I will do my best to answer them.

As for what has happened since I was left here on Mars, I reiterate my stranding was through no fault of my crew. NASA and I have accomplished quite a bit.:

I was able to cultivate, plant, and grow potatoes to extend my food supply, demonstrating that it is possible. Additionally, according to the University of Chicago, I colonized Mars. As colonizing Mars is a long-term goal of NASA and the United States among other countries and private companies.

I was also able to plant and grow green beans.

I retrieved a previous piece of NASA/JPL equipment, Pathfinder, replaced parts, and returned it to working condition showing that if we land near expended rovers we could utilize them in future missions.

I was able to return the Sojourner rover to working condition.

I have completed more science than all three Ares missions combined.

I have completed more science than the entirety of the Apollo program utilizing techniques honed since that time through all of the space programs to date.

I have taken apart and cleaned the water reclaimer more than once, extending its lifespan beyond what was previously expected.

I was able to utilize solar cells and other equipment to identify the direction of the sandstorm headed to Acidalia Planitia that would have left me without power as well as use the data I acquired to determine the best place to evacuate to

I traveled cross-planet to a previous landing site and have been able to utilize it to live in, proving the lifespan of said equipment is also longer than expected.

Members of NASA and JPL have begun plans to modify the MAV to allow seven astronauts to return from the surface. This will allow for larger teams to land and leave in the future.

SatCon proved the capability of our satellites by altering their orbits to be able to track my movements.

I understand there is a concern about the amount of money spent to rescue one lost astronaut. However, when it is weighed against the science I have been able to complete, and will continue to complete, as well as everything that we've learned about the resiliency of our equipment, I believe it justifies the expenses. We will be able to establish a full Mars colony sooner than projected due to my experience here. I would love to have evacuated with my crew. I would love to have been discovered alive sooner with the possibility of rescue earlier. Overall this mission has become an incredibly important one for all space associations in all countries. So I humbly and selfishly request you stop this witch hunt and let NASA get back to doing what they do best as I would like to return to Earth.

Log entry Sol 599 (2)

I hope that's ok. I was told to send it directly to the committee instead of back to Annie. I can't believe she agreed with that, but I'll do as I was told.

"Commander Lewis," Sam said. "It is my understanding that you have something you would like to say before we end the hearing."

"Yes, thank you, Senator," Lewis replied.

"Like he didn't write it," Rick muttered to Chris, receiving a glare in return.

"Ladies and Gentleman of the Space and Science Committee, we have spent a week now reviewing every detail of the Ares III mission and its aftermath. No one has asked the question that I know is on your minds: would we do it all over again knowing what we know now? On behalf of my crew, all six of us, I can wholeheartedly say yes. Space travel is difficult, it's always been difficult. In the words of President Kennedy, 'We do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard.' What happened to Mark is due to a failure of imagination. Yes, that has been a problem before in NASA's history. We don't know what we don't know. We try everything we can to plan and anticipate every possible angle of every mission. It's why we spend so much time in the simulators. Our simulation team is amazing in what they do. There were many days when my crew ended a sim session and simply shook our heads because what we had experienced in the simulator could never feasibly happen, or so we naively thought. That is life, Senators, in all of life, in everything you do you can never foresee or predict everything, every possible outcome. We all live knowing we don't know what we don't know. However, every astronaut to ever put on a space suit and strap themselves into a seat on a rocket knows we are putting our lives on the line. We know simply by going to space, be it a trip to the ISS2, the moon, or Mars, we are risking death. We accept that risk. You notice nowhere in Mark's statement did he ask you to spend the money to bring him home. He stated that he wants to return home, but he didn't ask you to pay for it or even to continue paying for our Mars mission even as he pointed out everything we've learned. I, however, will. Mars is our future. It is a stepping stone to furthering our understanding of life and the universe. It is a stepping stone to moving further out into the solar system and the galaxy, a necessity if humankind is to survive beyond the death of our sun."

As Lewis paused for a breath, Sam and Will exchanged a glance with the latter raising an eyebrow clearly saying she completely rewrote what we sent her, and it's better than what we wrote.

"There are those in our country and our government that would rather not have allocated the money for the supply probe sent to Mark. I ask those people which crime has Mark committed. Which crime? I am asking only because if we had not sent the probe, we would essentially be sentencing a man to death by starvation due to a lack of foresight on the part of his superiors and an unpredictable previously unbelievable storm left him alone on a deserted planet. How is that fair? How much has this country spent over the years to recover our military members that were held as prisoners of war, or our citizens held in foreign jails? Is Mark so different? Is his situation? Perhaps yes," Melissa acknowledged, "and perhaps no. Yes, he accepted and willingly went on this mission knowing death was an option. That doesn't mean we should leave him there to die. He has shown resilience and determination. He is a model to be held up for others to follow. He, almost completely alone, has set us nearly a decade forward in our exploration plans. I will reiterate his words. Stop this witch hunt, and let us get back to work."