LMAH Mission IV Blog Post – Stefan Tomović

My name is Stefan Tomović, and I am one of the three crew members that are a part of Mission IV. I am currently an undergrad at UND. My major is Electrical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. I hail from a small town named Cold Spring, which is in central Minnesota. My tasks throughout the mission are to maintain the electrical systems and monitor the plants. Along with the tasks we have experiments that we have to complete throughout the day. These experiments range from psychological questionnaires, to BioMed polygraph tests. During my downtime I will be designing, building and testing electrical systems that can be implemented in the habitats. I am very excited to be a part of this mission and I am very interested to see what comes of it.

Mission IV will be a test for me personally, to see how I react to being inside a closed environment for 14 days. It will be more a mental exercise than anything else. I believe the mind controls everything in your life, and if you can control your mind you are able to control your universe. To keep my mind clear and focused I will try to focus on three core items: sleep, working out, and diet.

Sleep, I will be trying to go to bed at a and waking up at a regular time. So far, I have done a good job of maintaining this sleep cycle. Sleep is important for the mind, because if it does not rest it can lead to some of the following symptoms: lack of alertness, quality of life, and impaired memory. All three of these symptoms can have negative consequences for the mission. For me to stay sane, and the mission to succeed it is important that a strict sleep cycle is kept.

My daily routine will include the completion of daily tasks and experiments. I will also work out daily. Working out is very important for the mind, as it is a stress reliever. It reduces stress in the brain and can boost the body’s ability to deal with existing mental tension. It also will help prevent cognitive decline, alleviate anxieties and sharpen memory amongst many other things. These positive side effects of working out will result in better completion of daily tasks and help with overall mission success.

The last item is diet. Without proper fuel the body and mind will shut down. However, this “fuel” must be balanced. A balanced diet is foundation for good health. A healthy diet includes consuming high-quality proteins, carbohydrates, heart-healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and water in the foods I eat. Eating in this manner helps me maintain my body’s everyday functions, promotes optimal body weight and can assist in disease prevention.

Combining all three of these aspects successfully will help with the progression of daily life within the modules. It will help keep me healthy and sane. It will also allow me to exert maximum effort in my daily tasks and routines. Increasing the results and success of the mission.

I will be writing more posts throughout the duration of the mission. Each post will focus on something specific from the mission. If you would like to read about anything that relates to the mission please let me know. I will be writing these, and I would rather write about something you all would want to read.

Thank you for reading!

-Stefan Tomović