Research Log 2

The facility is positioned at the edge of a small canyon that sits above the only source of water found on planet. An underground waterway. I am up early because the alien sun rose hastily over the opposite edge of the canyon. My bedroom was flooded with bright yellow light. The research facility has an extraordinary design, ideal for the observation of all the natural planetary cycles.

I have finished organizing and testing my equipment.  I have filled my water supply for a short journey, suited up, and am about to explore the canyon bottom.  

The vacuum seal on my home airlock has just equalized. I have returned from my first expedition. Time seemed to slip away and I ended up pushing my water supply to its limit. Here are my first notes from the field.

Field notes:

Note 1:

The desert does not bury the dead. There is some highly adapted life that hangs on the edge of survival but death seems to linger in the air here. A hollowed out dried lizard carcass stares up at me from its final resting place. With no indications of a violent death the well preserved creature must have simply died of thirst. My mouth is dry and my water is running low but there is a strange energy in this place that has excited me.

A storm appears to be coming in. A traveler stopped on the road to warn me I may get wet. I thought of heading back but decided rain sounds nice.  

Note 2:

There is a surprising amount of human activity. The few that live on this dusty planet are mostly sustained by off world supply drops. Some have learned to utilize the planets limited resources but it seems rare. The abundance of human waste products drifting about creates an overall sense of disregard for the planets ecosystem. Without intervention the accumulating burden will inevitably break the delicate balance that exists here between life and death. A cycle that has been well documented on many other planets.

The stars have been up for many hours. I feel unable to sleep. The prospects of exploring this planet has excited me and I feel my research is starting to gain some traction.

-RMJ signing of