Twenty-Fifth Entry

March 7^th, 2037

0300

Dear Space Diary.

I can’t sleep.

Maybe it’s the adrenaline from yesterday’s successful launch; maybe it’s the sadness of knowing I’m such a long way from home. Or maybe it’s that the ship landed off centre yesterday, and so I’m currently attempting to sleep while angled 45 degrees downward pressed up against the side of my chair and the window.

Yeah it’s probably that. Never thought I’d say I missed zero gravity, but it had its advantages.

The problem with the adrenaline rush is there’s not really much to expend it on. I feel like I ought to be doing something, and there’s only so much Minesweeper you can play before it can no longer really be fairly classified as “doing something”.

Maybe this was NASA’s plan to get me to explore all along. Coercion by boredom.

I should try and get some sleep.

0500

Not happening.

0930

First message from NASA today. It’s Pyjama day there, apparently.

Oh, look at that, they sent me pictures.

1033

NASA have once again sent through some suggested research goals.

Sigh.

1100

Ok, NASA, you win. I’ll do your bloody research.

At least it’ll give me something to do.

1300

NASA have taken some time out from their badminton tournament to forward me the results of their atmospheric and planetary analysis.

There is, happily, oxygen in the atmosphere. Enough to breathe.

Unfortunately, there is also lead. That’s less breathable.

It is only found in minute amounts, but it is there and will definitely cause some harm if breathed in over the long term. For about more than an hour or so.

Final Analysis: Mildly lethal.

Mildly.

I of course was not given a space suit or oxygen mask of any kind, since they assumed I wouldn’t actually be going outside at any point.

Sigh.

They’ve given me five different tasks they want me to complete. When that’s done, they’ll send me more. Repeat.

First order of business, though, is turning this ship the right way up. The rightmost engine is buried in the rubble and won’t fire correctly unless I can dig it out and point the ship upwards.

Fortunately (if you can call any of this fortunate), Splat has gravity about 1/2 that of Earth. So I might actually have some luck just pushing it.

And if I come across any high jump competitions, I’m a sure thing.