The Expedition
CONCLUSIONS
Data analysis, media-debrief and research papers
Educational Talks
Production of TV Documentary
DESIGN & PLANNING
MAY - DEC 2019
PROTOTYPES & VALIDATION
JAN - JUN 2020
CONSTRUCTION
JUL - AUG 2020
EXPEDITION
SEP - DEC 2020
CONCLUSIONS
DEC and onward
CHALLENGES
Message archive
Messages were sent daily from the expedition site in Northern Greenland via satellite phone back to our headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.
SEPTEMBER
03 Sep
We've arrived at Moriusaq where the mission will take place. Waiting for the Hab to arrive. All is good
04 Sep
Today we explored the abandoned town of moriusaq. -2 celcius. We got the oven started in our emergency shelter. Container with HAB arriving in 3 days.
05 Sep
We surveyed the area and found a potential location for the hab! Gentle breeze makes it feel colder despite only -1C?. The sun skips the horizon.
06 Sep
Today the water started to freeze - summer is officially over. We go to bed with butterflies in our stomach. We wait for the habitat to arrive tomorrow.
07 Sep
The habitat has arrived! Incredible to see the container being dragged up on this alien beach. Huge thanks to Royal Arctic Line for getting it all the way here.
08 Sep
We pulled the habitat out and pushed it onto it's final location. It was heavy only two people. Everything is prepped for the big unfolding tomorrow.
09 Sep
Two significant events today: 1. First snow storm hit us. 2. We popped up the Habitat! We're cold but happy
10 Sep
Unpacking all the different parts in the container brings back a lot of memories from the warm sweaty days in the workshop with the team back home 🙏❤️
11 Sep
A little Arctic Fox visited the hab today. Completely white and very curious. We named it Simon. Hab deploying as planned.
12 Sep
Steadily snowing for two days now, and noticeably colder. The sleeping bag was very comfy this morning. We upped caloric intake a bit until we finish the hab.
13 Sep
Note to self: Don't leave anything important on the ground (such as steel wires for securing the hab) they will disappear under snow in minutes...
14 Sep
Our bodies are getting more tired every day from working long days in the cold. Things go slow here in the Arctic. But morale is top as we make steady progress.
15 Sep
With sore limbs and tired bodies from completing the main assembly in the freezing cold, we're resting in the emergency shelter before the final push!
16 Sep
Blessed with clear sky and no snow, work began naively. All of a sudden within minutes we had the hardest, coldest storm yet. An arctic slap in the face.
17 Sep
8 of 15 trusty Spirafix ground anchors installed. Each anchor takes up to 3 hours for us to hammer into the freezing ground.
18 Sep
Started melting ice for water. We each use 7,5 liters a day here. That's much less than the 105 liters an average person uses in DK. Not showering helps.
19 Sep
The hab is now securely fastened to the ground. Now the prospect of a violent arctic storm is almost exciting. Bring it on!
20 Sep
Beautiful day! Snowing softly, sky full of blue-grey nuances, almost purple by evening. Huge light blue icebergs the size of buildings. All shades of cold.
21 Sep
Hab is almost finished! Why is it taking so long? - We didn't manage to finish all the details in time for shipment. Fixing sh*t here is slow and hard.
22 Sep
This place keeps surprising us. We can't wait to show you in the documentary 🚀
23 Sep
-8C° today. Stepping up to warmer gloves from Ewool so our fingers don't go numb when working outside 😅
24 Sep
We are getting so very close to finishing the hab and moving in. Simon, the Arctic Fox nearby, ate our HUEL food bag that stood outside. Curius little guy
25 Sep
Installed the toilet today! A dry toilet from Backlund Ecology. We chose it because it's simple to use and install. (And because it has active smell removal).
27 Sep
Our satellite phone froze yesterday (The one we use to write these updates). Now it's working again, but for a moment we felt quite alone in our little world.
28 Sep
We just saw the Northern Lights for the first time!! Mesmerizing 🌈 Funfact: we are so far north that it's actually "Southern Lights".
29 Sep
we'd forgotten the pump for our algae reactor in DK. Now it finally came. It was a long journey by ship, planes and finally in the boat of an Inuit hunter.
30 Sep
We are happy to say that the habitat is finally alive. Electronics are working well, heating and toilet too, not much left. It's a beauty here in the Arctic.
OCTOBER
01 Oct
Moving into the hab tomorrow. 1.5 years of hard work and it's finally happening.
02 Oct
Guess where we are writing from - Inside the f**king habitat. It's officially "day: 1" of the simulation 🚀
03 Oct
Moon analogue Day 2. Karl didn't leave the hab at all. Everything appears to be working. We're focusing on getting on track with research and documentation.
04 Oct
We are getting the hang of living in this tiny space, little by little. We are adapting. Oh and Technology has not been with us today, lots of challenges.
06 Oct
Today we got a tiny bit of snow.. Not much else. Guess monotony is starting to set in.
07 Oct
Of the many pleasant moments during a day in the LUNARK habitat, one of the best is 9pm where we eat a savory powder mixed with water. Huel Tomato and Herbs!
08 Oct
One week has passed inside the habitat. So far so good. We are experiencing the first small storm inside the hab. Right now. Good luck falling asleep to us.
09 Oct
Messy surroundings are a symptom of low morale. So today we gave the hab a much needed deep clean.
10 Oct
We have tried to send the first picture home today. Very compressed. Using our satellite phone as modem. Did it get through? You will know before we do.' note='We got the pic and we'll share it tomorrow! -Simon
11 Oct
Had our second day off on the mission today. Nice to chill a bit in the hab. We still had to do maintenance and ≈1 hour each of surveys of course.
12 Oct
It snowed a lot yesterday and on top of that Seb got sick (he's doing better now). One man down means double the work so we didn't manage to send an update until now.
14 Oct
Karl has been a champ taking care of all tasks while I (Seb) have been recovering. I am out of bed now and feeling much better. Best, Seb.
16 Oct
We left DK 52 days ago. Strange to think about... Now there's "only" 49 days left and we haven't even been properly bored yet!
16 Oct
We have 15 days left of sunlight. The days are getting shorter incredibly fast. It's hard to imagine this place in total darkness for a month
17 Oct
It's Friday and we had our first party in the hab! Vodka on ice, disco, and the best snacks. Thanks Simon and Ellie 🤗
18 Oct
Our craftbot 3D printer is up and running. We are printing a part for our ventilation unit. Today we have been prepping for a longer "spacewalk" tomorrow.
19 Oct
We're experiencing some windy nights. Nothing threatening, but it feels eerie to fall asleep feeling the howling winds sending vibrations through the hab.
20 Oct
We have 10 days left of sunlight. We are trying to make the best of it. It's odd. After that we wont see sunlight again until we reach Denmark in December.
21 Oct
Seb slipped and nearly fell down while working on the top of the habitat today. Here, even a small accident is no joke. Who's gonna help?
22 Oct
Today is to all of you who have supported us: our kickstarter backers who's names we look at everyday, and all the volunteers building day & night. Thank you.
23 Oct
Went on a long spacewalk up a nearby mountain. Our surroundings are so beautiful. But also barren and vast. It made us feel happy and small.
24 Oct
It's Friday. Today, we decided to get drunk.
25 Oct
Had a slow day on top of last night's party. Which btw was great. Everyone was dancing and the neighbors didn't even complain about the music
26 Oct
The Hab is working well keeping us warm and safe. On average It's a cozy 22 degrees inside. We feel healthy. Our bodies are adapting to this tiny way of living.
27 Oct
Five days until the sun sets for good. We know it's coming but still feel a sense of denial that it's even possible for the sun to just disappear. Wtf sun?
28 Oct
Woke up to a freezing Hab. Never has the bed felt more comfy. The heater ran out of fuel during night. Cold way to start the day. We refueled. It's warm again
29 Oct
Today we each opened a carepackages from our families. Words cannot describe how moved and grateful we are. We miss you very much.
30 Oct
We try to squeeze every bit of light out of the day. Tomorrow is the last day the Sun comes above the horizon. But the days have never been more beautiful.
31 Oct
Finally, the sun set for the last time this season. We're entering the dark period of the mission. It's both scary and exciting!
NOVEMBER
01 Nov
We celebrated Halloween and our first day of darkness - by dressing up in hat and wig, watching a horror-film, and eating rationed candy from last care package.
02 Nov
Testing some new colours on our circadian lights. We're both the lab rats and the researchers in this experiment. It creates some bias, but also opportunities!
03 Nov
Not much happened today. It's dark and getting colder, but we keep morale high inside our toasty little pod.
04 Nov
We're spending more time together in the hab. To make it work we pair activities by space requirements. When one works out, the other sits in his sleeping pod.
05 Nov
Temperatures are falling fast now, without sunlight. Today we had -21 C, but the windchill effect is -28 C. One month left, it will only get colder.
06 Nov
It's so cold now that the bottom of the hab is freezing. Which is where the toilet tank sits. When Seb found out he looked at me and said: Urine big trouble.
07 Nov
Marius from the SAGA team became a dad recently! Our love goes out to you today. What else are we missing? Oh and today's update: Still very cold here
08 Nov
We're going through the hab looking for cold spots and adding extra Armaflex insulation where we can. The inside-outside temperature difference is now 50C!
09 Nov
We just opened the carepackages from both our girlfriends. We got enough love to make it through the last 3 weeks and more. Frederikke & Ariana we miss you
10 Nov
We've now spent 40 days in the habitat. Crazy.
11 Nov
Today we woke up to the most beautiful artificial sunrise inside the habitat. Rich & saturated colors from our large circadian LED panels.
12 Nov
We were thrilled to receive a package by helicopter today! A satellite controlled LEGO Rover. Thanks denMACH, ESA, LEGO, and the students at Kornmarksskolen!
13 Nov
Today we had our warmest day in a very long time at -9 C. We were almost sweating in the hab, just almost. Tomorrow we are back at the more normal -21 C
14 Nov
We've gotten so used to our Huel diet that we feel it's necessary to keep eating it for a while post-mission while we get used to "normal" food again.
15 Nov
We can feel the entire habitat vibrating from a storm outside. The weird thing is how normal this seems by now. Karl's a bit under the weather.
16 Nov
Still stormy and Karl is feeling better. Nothing much besides that.
17 Nov
The Lego rover named Hugin, which was airdropped to us by a helicopter a few days back, made it's first journey outside today - we hope you received the data
18 Nov
We're not only physically confined here. We're also informationally confined. The list of things we want to look up but can't, Is getting overwhelmingly long.
19 Nov
With just two weeks left we are slowly adjusting to the realization that this journey is coming to an end. It feels like we have been here forever.
20 Nov
Today we've lived in the habitat for 50 days and We've gotten quite used to it by now. Who knows... Maybe we'll just stay another 50?
21 Nov
We havn't seen real sunlight in three weeks now. Denmark in winter has never seemed as exotic as it does now. The days are flowing together. Not long left.
22 Nov
We've started to use the habitat's giant floodlights when going on EVAs in the dark. Their bright beams extend >80m outwards. It's a magnificent sight!
23 Nov
As Architects we think a lot about what makes a home, a home. One thing that's clear now more than ever: it's the people
24 Nov
We've been here for such a long time that the outside world seems like a dream. A good dream that we long to return to
25 Nov
Every day we look at the list of engraved names of all the backers of LUNARK. We cannot wait to share the results soon. You made a dream come true. Thank you.
26 Nov
We have not taken a real shower in three months. The list of things we are looking forward to is long.
27 Nov
We are so ready to come home now.. A week left before we hit the ground in Denmark.
28 Nov
LUNARK is concrete evidence that a two-person crew in a small habitat can carry out an extended mission in Moon-like conditions. An exciting future awaits!
29 Nov
We are wrapping up and packing down. This expedition is coming to an end. It feels like we have been here an eternity. In a few days we can share pics & videos.
30 Nov
We are going home!!! We almost can't believe it. The Helicopter is scheduled to land in 8 hours. Everything is packed. Let's hope the weather stays clear.
DECEMBER
01 Dec
We are now safe in Thule Air Base! What a paradise. We are clean and fresh from the shower, well fed and ecstatic to talk with people again! What a day.