Rover 1

Hello, everyone! You are listening to the Red Shift - your connection to your piece of the sky. I'm your host, Emma Miller!

Hello, hello, everyone! How is everyone doing this week? Hi, Jon-Jon. Hi, Tesla. Hello, Keren. How's it going, BrickBond? Hi! Hello, friends! I hope you are all having a fantastic day so far, and week, of course. That's true, a very special Shifter. Hello, CHRNV. Hello, hello. Hi, ShinyForce! Welcome, friends! Alright, I hope you all had a great week.

I am really excited about this week's Red Shift. I… I think you can probably tell. I have been so excited to share this, and I have been sitting on some really fun information for a while, so I'm very excited to be here. Hi, Tronity!

With that being said, I think I'm most excited about our sponsor message of the week, and because I'm so excited about the sponsor message, which I personally think is the best sponsor message we've ever had, we're just going to hop right into that. So… [sponsor message music starts and ends abruptly]

Just kidding. We actually don't need sound for this one.

So, the ISA sponsor of this week is actually me! Or, well, rather - it's us. It's the Red Shift. I know that that kind of sounds maybe a little bit silly because it's, you know, our own show, but hear me out, hear me out!

So the ISA has really, really loved what we're doing here this week, or, all of the weeks, and they have really loved that you all are so involved every week with what we're doing here on the Red Shift. With that being said, the reason I say that we're the sponsor this week is because we are actually helping to launch this very exciting new prototype that you guys might have heard of at this point.

We're going to get way more into that as the show goes on, but they've actually helped me to help launch it! And what that means is that I'm going to be working on creating a video to help explain how this new prototype works and how people can get involved.

Our Shifters are really at the tip of the spear in testing out the new system, and we're actually going to be playing a party game version of it together at the end of the show, which is also partially why I've been asked to help create the video and to have it here on the show. So I hope you are all very, very excited! I am personally incredibly excited because I saw the opportunity to actually test out this prototype before it released to everyone, and I just can't wait for you all to experience it as well. It's a really amazing way to truly have your second job on Mars!

With that being said, in terms of announcements - if you haven't already seen it, there is one of the most comprehensive bulletins that was posted in the past few days that basically shares all of the background information about the founding of the ISA, so if any of you have ever wondered and you don't want to do the research yourself - I know how hard it is sometimes to track down research about different groups - now you can learn all about the ISA in that bulletin that they've recently posted. Learn about our founders, and our previous missions, and the goals of each of our missions. So really fascinating stuff! It was awesome to get to read it, and I hope you all have enjoyed that. And then, of course, like I mentioned, there is a very exciting other announcement that you've maybe already seen that really ties in with what our Astronaut Letter is about, so I kind of think that it's best that we let her tell you about it.

Are you all very excited? Do you want to know who wrote the Astronaut Letter this week? I like the I'm ready GIF, Shiny, I think that's fantastic. Also, bootcopter concept, that’s… I love it, I love it.

So let's hop into our Astronaut Letter, which is, this week, from Ida Serafin. Now, I don't know about you all - I know I am personally very excited to hear from Ida directly, since I've been quite curious about hearing from her ever since our very first broadcast with Patricia's letter about the glass.

So with that being said, let's hop right in. Keep in mind, again, these are all her words, and I am just reading them for you.

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Ida’s letter

“My turn. Fine. I will make it fast and I will take some risks - this is who I am. 

My name is Ida Serafin and I used to race cars. Open Wheel racing, and also rally. I loved the speed, the wind whipping past me, the pull of inertia around the turns. I also love to understand how cars work. When you are trusting yourself to a car like that, you have to know how it operates. Most races aren’t won on the track, but in the garage with a wrench in your hand, teasing every Newton metre of torque out of your engine days before they drop the flag.

I never thought I wanted a cookie cutter life, the house with the family, kids running in the yard, a standard job. So slow. So boring. 

Whatever I do, I always want to go faster, do more. I was racing. I won my share, and winning I like very much. But at the end of the day, why? You do two hundred laps around a track just to end up in the same place. I wanted to do more than go fast. I wanted it to matter. 

My mother was a pilot. We talked one night, she pointed at the moon and the stars and said, “You want somewhere to go?” Genius.

I fought my way into the European Space Agency, but they weren’t the right team for me. They wanted a standard ESA astronaut, they didn’t want Ida. I don’t have to be a star, but I have to be myself. They wanted an astronaut who would do maintenance work on Luna Station. Adan Luzuriga called me up and said, How would you like to go hang gliding off a mountain three times the size of Everest? That’s when I knew I had found the right team.

And those of you listening to this show, starting this week you and I can be on the same team. You are the pit crew for the races I will be running every day until Mission 4 arrives.

But before I talk about that, we need a quick pit stop. If we are to be a team, then we need to trust one another, and that means no secrets. 

There was a certain man, another astronaut. We shared training, we shared our dreams… we shared a bed. Then I was chosen for Mission 3 and he was not. Twenty-six months between launch windows: I mean, you talk about long distance relationships, it’s hard to make it work across 60 million kilometers.

To be honest, I didn’t think it would be hard. I thought I would be so busy, with a new world to explore. But after the first few months, I was shocked by how much I missed him. That sounds bad, doesn’t it? So surprised. I was always the one other people missed! Ida, here and gone in a flash! Well, life makes fools of us all, sooner or later.

I started counting down those twenty six months, week by week, day by day. And then, disaster - he didn’t make the cut for Mission 4. I couldn’t believe it. We talked. It would be at least another year or two. I said the right things. I said I was doing well on Mars. I said I wasn’t lonely at all. I said if he needed to get on with his life, I would understand. 

Then one of the other astronauts got injured. My man was back on Mission 4! I can’t tell you how that felt! Listen, it was like some days this week, when after months of cold it gets above freezing and you can actually feel the warmth of the sun on your face. Here on Mars, the pressure is so low that the melting point of water and the boiling point is almost the same, so you see these stains spread across the ground and then the regolith starts to boil like a pot of red soup as all the ice bubbles underneath and steams away. That’s how my heart felt when I heard Gareth was coming after all. Like the Sun was on it and everything that had turned to ice inside me was boiling away.

Now that little house I said I never wanted? I wanted it with him. Those kids running in the yard? Now I thought I would a hundred times rather curl up in a hab with him and a child than go hang-gliding off Olympus Mons. 

I never used to pay much attention to Patricia when she talked about the colony on Mars. I thought I would be here for a while, then on to Titan to explore, or Enceladus. But now, I started to see it as she did - more homes in the caves, perhaps. Greenhouses. Schools. One day she said, With Gareth coming, you might be the first mother on Mars.

It hit me like a punch in the chest. Of all the races to win, I had never thought of that one. You must understand, you cannot grow up in Italy without spending a lot of time in church - to see the Madonna and Child in paintings and frescoes and stained glass. A bit of a hellraiser all my life… could it really be my destiny to be the Madonna of Mars, to be the mother of a new world?

I helped Patrizia with her sheet of glass. The next morning when we went out, CO2 vapor had sublimated and frosted the glass. We played this game, to say what we saw like figures in the clouds. And that’s what I saw - the Anunciazone, the angel coming to Mary to tell her destiny: that she would bear a child, one whose coming would change the world.

I told you - sooner or later life makes fools of us all. And no greater fool that morning than Ida Serafin. I had made a mistake - a true ISA mistake, transplanetary, a screw up the size of the solar system.

Two months before, when my man was off Mission 4, remember, I had told him to get on with this life? But he wasn’t supposed to DO IT, of course! Why would he ever want to share a laugh or a meal with someone who adored him, or a bed, when instead he could pine for his glamorous girlfriend 60 million kilometers away who said she was fine, who said she didn’t miss him at all?

That night he called me from the ship. Said he had to talk to me. Said there was something I deserved to know. There was another woman. A friend - my friend! I introduced them! I won’t say her name. 

We talked. After, I put on a spacesuit, I had to leave the camp. My heart was rotten ice, boiling and steaming, but no longer in a good way. I came to where the glass was and I saw that Madonna in the frost and - well, if you were listening to that episode of the Red Shift, you know what happened next.

Patricia knows I broke the glass. On good days now she will share with me her herbs. More days than she will share them with Alves. One day, I will help her again to make her glass greenhouse here as repayment.

I tell you this story because there should be no secrets between a driver and her crew, and starting this week, you are my crew.

And finally we are in the home straight and I can tell you what the ISA wants me to say.

I trained at NVL, of course, helping build rovers and buggies. Then I took them to Red Sand One. I have all the test speed records and always will because they said I raced them too hard and made us build them slower and safer. 

Here on Mars, I service the rovers and I drive them, too. We have been out looking for ore and ice, taking samples, running them back to base. It is very time consuming. But the ISA has found a way for you to help.

If we could use your minds, all working from earth, to help scan the surface with remotes, then someone like me could be vastly more efficient. We always are in need of more resources, always on the verge of running low. If instead of searching for ice and ore, I was only driving to where you had already found it, how much more efficient it would be? You could be the pit crew, the surveyors. 

I say, “Why not?” If they think it is worth a shot, if they think it will be a new way for us to gather and explore, let’s do it. I am not a traditional type of person, not a “this is how it has been done and it is how it should always be done.” I want to see what is new and push the boundaries.

So I have been working for months with the developers of the software and technology back on Earth so that you and I can become a team. This has become my special project. The goal was to make it work before the arrival of Mission 4. Because I tell you bluntly, we are behind schedule. If this doesn’t work, we won’t have enough rocket fuel manufactured by the time Mission 4 arrives to send the ship home, and the whole project will be delayed.

Developing this project has not been easy. Lots of failures. But now, yes, we have something! It works. You and I, we are about to be a team. With your help, we can take this from a base that survives to a colony that thrives. 

And now there is no more time for me to write - it’s back into the rover. But now I have a pit crew of thousands! With you behind me, what race can we not win? There is a planet to explore - there is a world to win, so come drive with me soon. Ciao!

***

How amazing is that? Everyone, I'm so excited to share it with you! I'm so excited that you guys all got to hear from Ida herself. I got a chance to take one of these drives with Ida, like I mentioned. I've been working with the ISA’s development side and the developer that I had been working with got me into the prototype program and I had a chance to experience all of this firsthand, which was unbelievably cool. And what a great experience. And you all are going to be able to experience that very soon as well!

It really feels so amazing, honestly, to be able to make a tangible impact in the lives of our astronauts in the colony. What a cool way for us to help make sure that they are able to survive and, like Ida said, to thrive. These are our people, and so being able to support them feels great! Plus, if you don't think too hard about it, it does feel like a game and I really love winning games, so I got a little bit competitive, I would say, with my experience, and I kind of, maybe, got told by the developers to maybe focus a little bit more…

With that being said, the activity that we're going to be playing as soon as we get back, like I mentioned, is basically a party game version of what the actual prototype technology is, which is very exciting. We're going to be playing that right after we take our quick break for a weather report, since we don't have a sponsor message to share right now. We already did that.

So I'll be right back after the weather… I mean, I share the weather, but we'll be back to the game after the weather.

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Weather report

Temperatures remain warm for Mars, with lows of -90 degrees Celsius to highs of 5 degrees Celsius. Pressure is up somewhat to 700 Pascal, with winds from five to 25 meters/second, or 20 to 90 kilometers/hour from 210 degrees east of north. Atmospheric capacity is about 0.75.

***

Alright. Are you all excited to experience our game? I hope you're all very excited. I know I'm very excited!

So I'm going to take a little bit of time to kind of explain how the game is going to work, and then we're going to… and then we're going to move on to actually playing the game.

So the first thing that we're going to do is I'm going to share with you an image, and that image is going to be the image that you all are going to able to look at. The way that this is going to work is going to be similar to a game somewhat like Battleship, maybe. So I can see the full map. You are only going to get to see a small portion of the map, or rather a blank map, so that you'll not be able to see where you're going, and using the emotes that are going to get put onto a message that Stephanie will share - thank you, Stephanie - you're going to tell me which direction we're going to move in.

Any turn you have, you can move two spaces in whatever one direction you're going in, and you are looking for particular objectives on the map itself. Like I said, you can't see them, but I can, and you will be able to share your decision making process with us here. So let me pull up the map and get it to you all.

So here's what the map looks like, there's our map. “Where video?” We don't have any video yet. We'll be posting very soon.

So Stephanie will show you what the direction is going to look like. But for the game, for the purposes of our game today, we're going to be using the image and you guys are going to be able to work through the image in order to find where you need to go.

So one more time, you’re going to, when I ask you to answer and tell us which direction, you're going to click on the numbers that Stephanie has laid out and tell me which direction to go. Every time you click a direction, you'll head two tiles in that space and then I will give you an idea of what is generally surrounding you so you can make a decision if you want to move in whatever your next direction is towards the objectives. There are also some bonuses that you can potentially get that will increase your score. And of course, all of this translates into XP.

So, for every resource that you find, which are your objectives, you're going to get one point, which will translate into XP. If you get two, you get what is the equivalent of two points, and then if you find a bonus - certain bonuses will do certain things - one of the bonuses will actually give you a half point and one of them will just allow you additional moves in the turn. Hopefully all of this is making sense with you all. Let me share with you also one other document….

Let me see. Give me 1 second... You just need to share our little viewfinder.

I'm just pulling it up… Right… here.

So this is our map of the viewpoints, so what each one of those numbers that Stephanie has shared means. On top of all of those things that I've already described, the last thing that's important, and I will make sure that I flag these to you all when you're deciding which direction you're going to go is, there are some hazards. The hazards will potentially cost you turns. They will potentially limit the amount of movement that you can do. So I will make sure that you know that there are things in the general vicinity of where you're going.

Everyone ready? I want to see those emotes. Let's see those emotes saying we're ready. I think we're ready to do it. Alright. [laugh] I like the GIFs. Perfect! Allright!

So as I said, you've all seen the map, that initial map. We'll also be updating with updated map so that you can keep tabs on where you are, so that you know where you've been. So, looking at that initial map, if you have that up, you are currently six spaces away from one of the nearest resources. Actually, two of the nearest resources. You are five away from one of the nearest resources. And you are seven away from one of the nearest resources. You are also within two tiles of a hazard. And that's all I'll tell you for now.

So you can make the decision which direction you want to go in. This is your first move of ten., so make sure that you pick the correct move. It'll be in either direction 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, based on that little image that we shared.

Alright, I will give you just a second to make the decision…

Alright. It looks like 6 is very quickly pulling ahead. Alright, we're going to move two spaces to what is the northwest. So we're going to move two spaces to the northwest.

Alright, you are now… You are four tiles away from the nearest objective. You have moved… You are about six tiles away from the second closest objective and you are now… nine tiles away from the final one. So you are definitely closer to two objectives.

Hi, Fearbone, how's it going? Perfect.

So where would we like to go next? Oh, I should also note - Janoots, thank you for calling that out - the map, though it is a beautiful image of the surface of Mars, don't let it fool you too much. The locations of these objectives are not related to the actual image. We're just using it as our game board! 

Alright, so for our second move, what are we feeling? Hi, Fearbone. It looks like 5 is very rapidly pulling ahead, so I think we're going to go in the direction of 5, which is going to be due west. So we're going to move two spaces due west. Let me move you over two spaces.

Alright, you are now within two spaces of one of the objectives. You are four spaces away from another objective. And you are three spaces away from a bonus and three spaces from a hazard.

Where should we go next? “It’s almost–” It does kind of feel like that very, very old Minesweeper game. You know, I'm amazed that you still find that on computers. It’s, like, the 2030s. You'd think they would… I don't know. Maybe it's time for a reboot… Thank you, April.

Alright, let's see. It looks like 5 has pulled ahead again. Alright, so we're going to move five spaces over. That will put us… Alright, two spaces away. We are now… we are two spaces from an objective… in both directions. Well, in two directions, not both directions. Two directions. We are one space away from a hazard, and we are now five away from the nearest bonus. Which direction would you all like to go? 

You think six is where the hazard is? Maybe… Maybe not. You’ll have to find out. Hmm… [laugh] 

Alright, it looks like 4 is the direction that we want to move in. “I do not fear this” [laugh]

Alright, well… There.. So you've gone down 4, and you've actually, because you've hit something, it only moves you one space. So, you have landed on a glacier.

Now let me tell you a little bit about this hazard because now you've landed on it. So don't worry too much because like all of our astronauts on Mars, we do have to adapt, live, thrive. So a glacier actually tells you that fuel is nearby, and it also helps tell you exactly the direction that you need to go in, but it does cost you a turn.

So, you’re now one space away from the fuel and you are, and I can just tell you this, you are currently located to the northeast of where the fuel is. So you lose one turn but you do know exactly where it is and you can grab it. Now that you've gone over this hazard, it won't be a hazard for you anymore. So you lose one turn, but! So you are currently northeast of where you need to go if you want to get your fuel. It looks like you guys have figured out which direction to go in. 

So you all have picked 4 and you are correct. So you have landed on the fuel! Congratulations! So now you are on the fuel. That puts you at, now, your… So technically that is registered as your 6th turn because you have lost one turn. It's very exciting! Congrats! 

Alright, so! Now it's time for our 7th move. “If we go backwards…” So. No. So, if you go backwards now that you've triggered the hazard, you can go ahead and go over top of it and you’ll just… You've already experienced the hazard, I'm not going to make you do it again.

So currently in the location that you are, you are located where the fuel is. You are currently four spaces away from the next resource, so you can go in any direction that you want in order to get to your next resource. The hazard of the glacier is gone, so you don't have to worry about the hazard of the glacier. You are also seven spaces away from a bonus, if you choose to go that way. So go ahead and pick on Stephanie's message which direction you want to go in. And one more time, as a reminder, you can go backwards if you so choose and you will not be docked a point, or a move, again.

Alright, let's see, let's see. Ooh, it's pretty even. Alright, I'm seeing ones... It looks like 1 is kind of pulling ahead… Alright, I’ll give it… Alright, I see 1 pulling ahead, so we're going to add two spaces back up in the direction of like, past the glacier. You are now two spaces away from the next resource. 

So now, which direction do you want to go for your 8th move? You are two spaces away from the next resource. You've already collected fuel, you're getting quite close.

What are we thinking? Alright, 3 looks like it's kind of pulling ahead… 4 also looks like it's pulling ahead. You just came from 4, so keep in mind, if you click 4, you're going right back in the direction that you were on.

Yes, let me…

MC, would you mind sharing the map again just to show where they are? You guys have technically already been on the spot that you're sitting on right now in a previous run, before you hit the glacier.

Perfect. So you are one spot right above where the glacier is. Beautiful.

Alright, so it looks like the winner right now is 6. “Let’s chill here a while” [laugh] Alright, you move two spaces number 6. You are now still two spaces from the objective, moving into your 9th move.

So you were two away before, you're two away now. Where would you like to go next? Oh, 2 is a very, very quick winner. Fearbone, to answer your question, every move until you are within one space is two spaces. So if you were, let's say one space away from an objective, your next move would just be one space so that you don't get too far away, but a standard move is two.

Alright, 2 is the clear, clear winner. So we're going to go two spaces, which is two spaces over to the east. And sure enough, you have found your ore. Congratulations! That is really impressive. You guys did a great job! Mozzie, it's a party game that's based on the prototype experience that the ISA is putting out.

You all did it!I'm so proud of you. Well done! Now, technically… You do technically have one more turn, if you want to go one more turn. There's still a bonus that's quite close. There's a bonus that's three spaces away. So you could if you wanted to…. If you guess this right first… Nothing is reachable. If you guess this right, you will be so close to the bonus that… You'd have to get this first one correct. If you are able to guess this first direction correctly, then I will give you that extra one space. You can move the three [laugh] I'm benevolent. I can let you try it. But you have to pick the right direction. If you move in any direction, that is not the exact direction that you must go, it won't count. I know, Tronity, I feel you. I'm sweating for you.

It's all in, it’s all in.

So this bonus would add a half point to your score. So you've gotten two objectives. This would get you… an extra half point.

Alright, let's see. So it looks like... It looks like 3 is pulling ahead. Is that your final answer? ]laugh] It's all… It’s all coming down to this moment. Is 3 your final answer?

No, it's not your final answer? “I like one.” “I would go with six.” Hmm…

“Not three,” not three. “I like one,” alright [laugh] Alright, I'm going to give you… Oh, now 2 is pulling ahead. We think 2? “Three is no good.” “Three back to nothing.” “I got nervous,” I'm sorry! I feel you, Tronity. “Can I phone a friend?” Who would you phone? Would you phone me? “This is such a dilemma,” it is such a dilemma!

Okay, I'm calling it. You have 10 seconds. 9…8…7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1... Alright, you all have moved two directions to the east and you are one space from your bonus, which means that you did pick the right move, so you all get your extra .5 because you did find it [laugh] You're lucky I'm benevolent. You all were just so close! So congratulations, you all did a great job!

Now, of course the actual prototype is not going to let you have a little bit of an extra push in that way, but I hope this kind of gave you an idea of what it will be like. Congratulations, you all did a phenomenal job working together, communicating with one another. It also won't have any hazards, that's true, so you really won't have to worry about running into glaciers while you are helping with the prototype. They put you in a pretty safe spot.

Teamwork does make the dream work, one hundred percent! I love that! Go team! All of your GIF usage is incredible.

Well, thank you all so much for doing this. I also just want to say - hi, BrightEyes, it's nice to see you again in chat. Hello, hello.

So with all of that being said, I hope you had so much fun. Maybe we'll get a chance to do something again like this soon, and if not, then you all are going to get an opportunity to experience the less-party game version of this prototype while you are helping the ISA and helping our drivers like, well, specifically Ida, which is fantastic!

I had actually so much fun working with Ida this past few weeks and getting an opportunity to do all of this behind the scenes. I've been so excited to share this all with all of you, so I really can't wait to see it all come to fruition and see you all get a chance to experience it.

This point in the broadcast right at the end, we were interrupted with a message from Alex in the #ISA-comms channel that we have open. Alex shared the following message and I'll just read it to you all who weren't there with us live.

Alex said:

“Shifters. Was listening to show while watching Ida’s readouts. She’s out like every day, testing remote survey system. Only screen just went black. 

No telemetry from rover.

Sent a screamer. Mithi and MC2 are working the problem.

Ida is two hours from base. Last readout on suit said 95 minutes oxygen. 

If rover was in accident, if there is cockpit breach, or suit breach - Well, you know what John says. Mars is always trying to kill us.

Update: Mithi has Korey running our fastest drone out to last known position. Should be in area maybe 35 minutes.

Will update here when I can. You are part of the team.”

Now, we are here, on Earth, 60 million kilometers away as they try to find a way to save one of our astronauts, who will run out of oxygen before the rescuers can reach her.

Here on Earth, we’re waiting, and hoping there is something that we can do to help.

With that being said, I will be making sure that we update in our #ISA-comms channels, and I will see you all next week for the next episode of the Red Shift.

Hopefully with good news.

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