HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) is a scientific programme of missions where a team simulates life as if on Mars. The missions take place in an isolated dome on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano on the island of Hawaii. Kate Greene participated in the first mission in 2013, where the main scientific goal was culinary aspects and food’s psychological impact whilst isolated. Greene talks about her four months on “Mars” but also much more… loneliness, boredom, communication, the concept of time, the life that she left on “Earth” during those months. It’s a beautiful book of reflections on life in general and who we are in this big, infinite universe. Enriching.
“A vessel is a repository or a transport system. It is a ship that ferries people and cargo over oceans; it is a tube that moves blood, sap, or water; it’s a structure built on solid ground. A vessel is a body that holds an ethereal spirit or, as a womb, another body within it. It is a container, a shelter, a shell, a home or destination, a space that creates a sense of security, insecurity, or, possibly, adventure. It can be emptied and refilled, closed and opened. A vessel is defined by its boundaries, the shape that’s formed when interior and exterior coincide.”
Listened to as an audiobook