• Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Sol 11 (1.1.11)  1:16 AM NST
• Earth Date/Time:  13 January 2016  2:00 PM PST

The ESS Queen Elizabeth II will depart Earth orbit in exactly six weeks. Currently the 28 crew members are in orbit preparing both the ESS QE II and the ESS Carl Sagan for departure.

In the next few weeks the crew will be stocking the ship with the more perishable items, perform final tests on ship systems, and conduct training aboard both ships.

Our emergency codes are not to prepare for battle, but to save lives

Part of the training will be drills in the event of a crisis. Each crew member is assigned areas of responsibilities in an emergency. In some situations the crew members will be required to seal up the compartment they are in and shelter-in-place; however, some situations will require all crew members to take action to resolve the crisis as quickly as possible.

Among the emergency codes are:

Code Command – All Command Staff are to report in to the Command Module and/or move to that section. All other staff is to stand by for further instructions. (Normally for a crisis requiring an immediate decision from the Command Staff regarding an imminent threat to ship or crew.)

Code Alert – All crew members report to assigned stations, secure the area and await further instructions. Code Alert is also the call to prepare to abandon the ship.

Code Med (Location) – Medical staff to identified area.

Code Tag – All team members call or report to their Director or Commander immediately.

Code Air (Location) – Pressure leak within the ship or habitat or other environmental threat that may endanger the crew and/or ship. Each member to seal doors, report, and await instructions.

Code Fire (Location) – A fire or threat of fire exists. A crew members are trained to take specific actions based on the location of the fire.

Code Green – A threat to the Botanical section of the ship or habitat. Usually this would be a computer generated alert when sensors indicate a severe problem.