Europa

June 18, 2048

Today we got to see and use our space suits for the first time and I I was instantly taken aback by how bulky they were. I knew spacesuits were meant to be bulky but to me these looked different than the ones I had seen in the past, albeit that came from limited internet searches. Based on the perplexed faces on both Commander Hunt's and Jessica Miller's faces however, I took it that these were nothing like the space suits that they had used in the past.

That was a correct assessment. The powerful magnetic field of Jupiter regularly blasts its moons with radiation levels a thousand times more powerful than what's considered lethal for a human. It was something I was well aware of from my research into Europa and it was one of my major concerns when it came to the odds of life forming being present on Europa. Then again, we don't truly know how harmful radiation is to the process of life. Sure, it is incredibly deadly in high doses to species on Earth, but that could simply be because they evolved around low radiation levels. Even on Earth cockroaches and scorpions are able to survive high levels of radiation. For that reason. I am hopeful.

Going into this mission, the radiation was also a concern I had for my own safety. Even if the space suit was only slightly compromised the resulting radiation poisoning could be a death sentence. Even at a dose too low to kill it could result in cancer, which was dangerous enough on Earth where there were medical professionals stationed to treat it. Jesicca Miller has plenty of medical experience, working as a nurse for several years, but there would be nothing she could do at that point.

I almost began to panic when I first went into the space station. On one hand, wearing it left no doubt in my mind that the suit was well insulated from the radiation and other extreme elements of Europa. On the other hand, I could barely move in it. No wonder why they had hired a personal trainer for me.

Being stuck standing in the suit while the technicians checked the seals, I began to feel claustrophobic. The suit itself was not too tight, but the fact that I could barely move in the thing was alarming. I knew I couldn't show I was panicking though. That would be the end of my mission, so I closed my eyes and tried to breathe.

I was able to relax much more when one of the technicians assured me that this was normal and urged me to stand still. After a few more tests they cleared my suit and began to remove it. I felt so free the moment they removed the helmet. Once I was completely out, I felt like skipping around the room. Obviously, I didn't.

Once all the suits were tested and approved, we were informed that we will begin zero gravity simulated missions in the pools in a few days.