Simulator Area

The Simulator Stairwell and Junkyard with Anthony Xing in the foreground in May 2006.

The Simulator Area in room E016 at 440 Albert near the Junkyard was located behind the Interlock and next to the external access to the Power Box of the Hawking II. The simulator area also had a dedicated door opening onto Bay Street from which Simulators could enter without having to pass through Mission Control. During the Mission, the Simulator Area would be partitioned off from the Planetary surface by use of Paintings and from the Storage Modules by use of room dividers.

Equipment

Simulator Equipment consisted of a large table constructed by Kevan Adlard, which bore several computers and monitors. The table was noteworthy for being the only table at the OCESS with a sliding keyboard tray.

Mr. Adlard also developed a camera switching system using light switches, giving the Simulators their own dedicated CCTV system.

Mr. Adlard installed a whiteboard, which was used for planning disasters, and posting the schedule of events that Simulators were planning to instigate.

Noise Pollution

The location of the simulator area directly next to the main control room of the habitat meant that astronauts were often able to hear the simulators if they forgot to maintain complete silence. These noises often prompted speculation on the existence of Hab Gnomes, though that term was incorrectly used at the time.

Notably, noise pollution from the simulator area caused Stefan De Young to go insane, claiming that he could hear martians speaking in his head during the 2004-05 mission. His antics were captured on video by Songyan Cai and published as the Chronicles of the Insane Astronaut. No copies of this video remain.