Personal Blog — Akane Kobayashi
Sol 196 / 15 July 2040
Alpha Base, Mars
Title: Just Call Me Akane
This will be a short post — not about data, or wind patterns, or crater geology. Just about something I’ve been thinking about since we got here.
From the moment I arrived in the space program, I’ve been called “Dr Kobayashi.” In meetings, simulations, even in my EVA logs. It’s respectful, professional, and... safe. A title is a shield. It tells people what you’ve earned and keeps them at a distance.
But something changed when I stepped onto Mars.
Out here, names feel different. We use them more. We say them over the comms, we write them in the logbook, we sign them on inventory sheets. There's only six of us, and no one else for millions of miles. In this kind of environment, formality feels unnecessary — maybe even artificial.
So, I’ve started asking people to call me Akane.
It’s not because I’m less proud of my work. I’ve earned my doctorate. I’ve earned my place here. But I’m beginning to understand that who we are to each other matters more than what we’ve done. Especially here.
Akane is the name my parents gave me. It means “deep red” — like a sunset, or like the dust that’s in every corner of this base. It feels right.
Yesterday, Nikolay and I visited two unnamed craters. We got to name them. We could have picked numbers, or coordinates. Instead, we named them after the birthplaces of our crew. Because even on Mars, we carry home with us. I think names should reflect that.
So if you’re reading this back on Earth:
You can still call me Dr Kobayashi.
But if you’d like, just call me Akane.
We’re all learning how to be human out here.
— Akane