Endnotes: What Would You Miss if You Went to (Simulated) Space?

We talked with Ross Brockwell, who began a yearlong simulated Mars mission for NASA in June at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Besides friends and family, what would you miss most from your everyday life if you took part in such a mission?

I’d miss seeing the seasons change on my morning runs. There’s nothing like that first lungful of crisp air that reminds you fall is on the way!—Helen Foley (BS ’09) PASADENA, CA

Long load times for Google Street View would be the problem.—Kimberly Gleason (BS ’67) PORTLAND, OR

My cats.—Dean Gibson (BS ’67) HAYDEN, ID

Gardening, freshly harvested roses and tomatoes, and being surrounded by green leafy plants.—Martin Goldberg (BS ’78) MATAWAN, NJ

Physical access to a large library! Hard to replace that real-time access to information, serendipitous discovery, and creative contact with fellow readers.—Mark Zimmermann (PhD ’80) SILVER SPRING, MD

It is almost certain that, despite the detailed planning that goes into such a mission, I would manage to forget to pack something mundane. All of humanity will be looking on as we put the finishing touches on our habitat. We’re now taking turns staring into the blank camera lens; the other mission members have taken turns, each giving a profound statement beamed back to Earth, heard 30 minutes later. I step up. I hesitate. Then exclaim: “Oh, no! I forgot my toothbrush!”—David Cuthbert (BS ’96) BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA

It has to be rain. There is so much power and something so clean about a good hard rain shower. Makes things right somehow. And the smell of rain hitting the dry ground (petrichor) is a favorite.—Karen Tanaka (BS ’83) TOKYO, JAPAN

I would miss familiar smells: those that arise after a rainfall, those that remind me of my favorite foods, the smell of coffee, and the smell of pine forests. I would also miss some sounds: the sounds of a thunderstorm and the monsoons, or the sounds of wind chimes in a breeze. The feeling of a breeze on my skin. I would also miss people watching.—Nitu Kitchloo (BS ’93) BALTIMORE, MD

Running 9-plus miles per day outside in the Southern Nevada desert. A treadmill is just not the same, very boring. I even love to run in our extreme summer heat of 110-plus degree F temperatures.—Doug Smith (MS ’70) BOULDER CITY, NV

The quiet time in the evening sitting at a small table in the garden with a glass of red wine and a trashy mystery novel.—Larry Oliver (BS ’65) CHARLOTTE, NC

Listening to the Seattle Symphony in person, just letting the notes fill up my ears or watching ballet tell an old story without words.—CJ Beegle (BS ’82) MERCER ISLAND, WA

Raspberries for breakfast and my baby grand piano (the ukulele I could probably bring along).—Virginia Trimble (PhD ’68) IRVINE, CA