DAY 93

Three months on this planet and I want to get the hell out of here. Why did I ever think this was a good idea. One might say that it is one’s dream to visit a foreign planet. No sir. Not at all. I would not wish that upon anyone.

The Artemis spacecraft had entered into orbit a couple of hours ago. I was looking forward to this very day, and now the last place I wanted to be was here, on Mars. Approximately thirty-three million miles (fifty-four million kilometres) away from Earth. From home.

As the spaceship approached the surface, I could only marvel at the planet’s strikingly red colour.

The ship landed with a loud thud. I wore my space gear, and headed for the airlock.

I didn’t know If I could do it. The lifeless outside was not at all inviting. Up close, the surface was more of a butterscotch colour rather than scarlet, seen from afar.

I opened the airlock, and took my first step on the rocky ground. I could almost convince myself it was a dream. The whole experience felt surreal. Perhaps mankind was destined for this. The thought of colonizing Mars didn’t seem so fantastical after all.

DAY 117

Space can be very lonely. I felt isolated. I felt trapped.

DAY 133

The darkness of space surrounded me, stars scattered across the unknown, giving glimpses of light in the black void.

Only until I left Earth, did I feel so small. Like one of many trees in a forest. Like a speck of sand in the desert.

DAY 178

“Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles

I'm feeling very still

And I think my spaceship knows which way to go”

~David Bowie

Space Oddity