Month: April 2018

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Sol 6 Summary Report – April 28th

Sol 6

Summary Title: Stopping to Smell the Roses

Author: Eric Shear, CGA

Mission Status: Perfectly nominal… for now.

Sol Activity Summary: This morning we did a series of short outreach videos per the astronomer’s suggestion. For lunch, we feasted on (yet) another delicious Martian lunch of quinoa and curry chicken courtesy of our commander’s mean cooking skills. The afternoon was spent on ongoing science experiments, finishing the MDRS sign, building the new red wagon for the Greenhouse, and usual Hab operations. Our crew astronomer managed to catch a small prominence on the sun’s limb during his observations this morning. The remainder of the day was spent planning out our remaining EVAs. We now have a week’s worth of EVA destinations for both away teams.

Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow, we will execute the first two EVAs of the new week. In the morning, the American team will head to Zubrin’s Rock and explore White Rock Canyon. Team Canada will follow up at Toothy Ridge in the afternoon.

Anomalies in work:

None

Weather: Cloudy skies in AM and PM. Extremely hot.

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: None

Reports filed:

Astronomy Report

GreenHab Report

Reports to be filed:

EVA Report

EVA Request

Science Report

Journalist Report

Photo & Photo of the Day Report

Operations Report

Support Requested:

None

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Astronomy Report – April 28th

Astronomy Report

Name: Eric Shear

Crew: 193
Date: April 28, 2018

Sky Conditions: Sunny with clouds

Wind Conditions: No wind earlier in morning, windy around noon

Observation 1 Start Time: 0945

Observation 1 End Time: 1015

Observation 2 Start Time: 1145

Observation 2 End Time: 1200

Summary:

Observation 1: The solar flare and filament from yesterday were no longer visible with the camera. No sunspots could be seen with the eye, and the camera could not discriminate any from the granules.

Observation 2: I got a heads-up from Peter Detterline about a prominence on the Sun’s southeast side. It was not visible in the eyepiece at first, but after playing with the tuners it came into view. I attached the Skyris camera, brought the feature into focus, and took a capture.

Photos were taken with the Skyris camera and the best images processed in Autostakkert, Registax, Photoshop, and PowerPoint to colorize and bring out contrast. The results are attached.

Objects Viewed: Sun

Problems Encountered: Winds during second observation were such that I could not open the lower shutter without it shaking too much, so I kept it closed. The sun was high enough in the sky by then that I could observe it with just the upper shutter retracted.

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GreenHab Report – April 28th

GreenHab Report

Name: Shawna Pandya

Date: 28Apr2018

Environmental control: Ambient with door open

Shade cloth: on

Fan: Used today

Average temperatures: 39.0℃

Low: 15.5℃

High: 52.2℃

Hours of supplemental light: None

Changes to crops: Less yellow with additional watering

Daily water usage for crops: 10 Gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops: Twice: Once at 0900 and again at 1700

Morning research observations: None

Changes to research plants: No.

Aquaponics: None

Narrative: Picked a few tomatoes. Assembled red wagon – the latest ‘Mars Rover’!

Support/supplies needed: None

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Astronomy Report – April 27th

Astronomy Report
Name: Eric Shear
Crew: 193
Date: April 27, 2018

Sky Conditions: Clear

Wind Conditions: None

Observation Start Time: 1016

Observation End Time: 1100

Summary:

EMERGENCY:

One solar flare was discovered today, aimed right at us. It is a whitish spot next to a filament, as shown in the photo attached.

No sunspots or prominences could be spotted with the Skyris camera, despite using the tuners.

Photos were taken with the Skyris camera and the best image processed in Autostakkert, Registax, Photoshop, and PowerPoint to colorize and bring out contrast. The result is attached.

Objects Viewed: Sun

Problems Encountered: None

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Science Report – April 27th

Science Report for 27 April 2018
Crew 193 – PHEnOM Gold Crew
Submitted by XO/Science Officer Doug Campbell

1. Emergency EVAC EVA: No locations were scouted during the EVA today. Emergency triage procedures were practiced so that a crew member might be safely transported to an evacuation location in the event of an incident.

2. Sunspot and Solar Flare Monitoring: Our CGA continued his task of monitoring the sun for sunspot activity. He found a solar flare in the direction of our planet and immediately alerted mission control to the danger.

3. Shortwave Texting on EVA’s: Hand signal communication was used during the emergency EVA practice today. Further practice is needed to achieve a smooth process.

4. GPS Route Measurements: No measurements today, as the EVA was at the hab location.

5. Waterless dish cleaning: Samples were taken from a dirty dish and a dirty dish that had been put under the UV light. There are minimal signs of bacterial growth from the first set of samples. It may take a couple more days to see signs of growth. Both sets of samples are now in the incubator in the hab.

6. The MAG (Maximum Absorbency Garment) utilization study: No progress today. Possible that the continuation of this study from Crew 192 will be scrapped.

7. Spacesuit Helmet Fogging: Neither crew experienced fogging of the masks today. Both crews used a defogging spray and non-scratch cloth on the masks prior to their EVAs today.

8. Crew Comfort, Health and Safety on EVA: Measurements of the crew’s weight, blood pressure, SpO2 and pulse were taken before and after the EVA. Analysis will be done as the mission continues.

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Journalist Report – April 27th

Journalist Report – Earth-Date 27APR2018 / Mars Sol 5
Author: Doug Campbell

It’s been a tale of two Sols over the last 48 hours for MDRS Crew 193. Sol 4 was packed with two extensive exploration EVAs, a delicious meal and a hard fought battle at the card table.

On Sol 4, Team Canada (EVA Team 1) left the vast expanses of the Martian desert to explore the moon. The soft, powdery, grey dirt enabled the team to travel vast distances and climb tall mountains with the ease of Alan Shepard hitting a golf ball in 1/6 gravity. They walked over 9 kilometres (5.5 miles for our imperial friends) and documented the unique landscape with their strong photographic skills. EVA Team 2 explored deep into Candor Chasma and marveled at the beauty of the valley. Unfortunately, due to a framing error, the breathtaking pictures that were anticipated did not turn out.

In the evening, the crew astronomer/geologist introduced his colleagues to a card game called “Shanghai”. The rest of the crew is figuring out the rules as they play, but they are beginning to wonder if the astronomer is trying to hustle them for extra dessert rations!

Sol 5 was supposed to be a relaxing day for crew bonding and skill building. However, things to not always go as planned! The day began with training on emergency triage procedures. This would enable the crew to care for their colleagues should an accident occur on an EVA. The newly learned techniques were then practiced during an EVA outside of the hab.

Two teams practiced triaging patients and moving unconscious astronauts into safer positions when they are trapped in an EVA vehicle. Unexpectedly, these skills were put into immediate real usage as one crew member reported they were feeling dizzy during the EVA. The other crew members responded immediately and brought the crew member safely inside the hab for treatment. We are happy to report the crew member is doing well and that the training their teammates received this morning enabled them to act quickly and decisively to avoid further issues.

The afternoon was spent recuperating, working on projects and furthering our research. It was not exactly the day the crew had planned; however, it showed the strength and adaptability of the crew to deal with issues as they arise.

A quiet evening of eating good food and watching a movie is anticipated. Perhaps the cards will also be broken out again…

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Greenhab Report – April 27th

Name: Anima Patil-Sabale
Date: 27 Apr 2018

Environmental control: Ambient with door open but only for few hours in the afternoon
Shade cloth: on
Fan: not used today

Average temperatures: 34.8 ℃
Low: 15.5℃
High: 50.2℃

Hours of supplemental light: None

Changes to crops: None

Daily water usage for crops: 11 Gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops: Twice: 10:15am and 5:15pm

Morning research observations: None

Changes to research plants: No.

Aquaponics: None

Narrative: None

Support/supplies needed: None

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Operations Report – April 27th

SOL: 4

Name of person filing report: David Attig

Non-nominal systems: A couple sim suit chargers, and soldering iron.

Notes on non-nominal systems: A sim-suit charging cable broke yesterday, due to having cold solder joints. I attempted to repair, but the soldering Iron broke after heating briefly.

Generator (hours run): 9:30 pm to 9:00 am.

Solar— SOC 22 % (Before generator is run at night)

Diesel – 70 %

Propane – 60 psi.

ATV Fuel (Ethanol free gasoline) – 5 gallons.

Water (trailer) – 550 gallons.

Water (static) – 250 gallons

Trailer to Static Pump used – no

Water (loft) – Static to Loft Pump used – yes

Water Meter: 134192.9

Toilet tank emptied: no
Date last emptied: April 26

ATV’s (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3): Yes, 300

ATV Oil Checked?: No

ATV Oil Added?: No

ATV Fuel Used: 0.01 Gallons

# Hours the ATVs were Used today: 0.1

Notes on ATVs: 350.2 is out of service, due to a previous issue.

Deimos rover used: No
Hours: 124.8
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: N/A %
Currently charging: No

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR
Hours: Unknown
Beginning charge: N/A
Ending charge: N/A
Currently charging: N/A

Spirit rover used: No
Hours: 35.0
Beginning charge: 100 %
Ending charge: N/A %
Currently charging: No

Opportunity rover used: Yes
Hours: 34.2
Beginning charge: 100 %
Ending charge: 96 %
Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: No
Hours: 29.8
Beginning charge: 100 %
Ending charge: N/A %
Currently charging: Yes

Hab Car used?: No
Where was Hab Car used?: N/A
Why was Hab Car used?: N/A

General notes and comments: Eric made progress troubleshooting the beartooth devices by communicating with the manufacturer. The issue has not been resolved yet. Last night we waited too long to turn on the generator, SoC had dropped to 22%. This morning, it was only 26% after the generator running all night. It appears that the generator is not charging the batteries at all. SoC returned to 100% after a few hours of full sunlight. Mission Control (Shannon) is investigating further.

Summary of internet: We’re out, same as normal.
Summary of suits and radios: One piece suits nominal, still work to do on two piece suits. I changed some settings on radios we use during EVA (whisper function) to make the microphone more sensitive. Recieved new radios, opened one set. They are ready to use on EVAs. Demoted some older EVA radios to science dome, retired one radio from science dome and one from the green hab (both radios have issues).

Summary of Hab operations: Started sorting tools in toolbox, and radios/chargers. Went out and checked water tank, confirmed we are half way through it.

Summary of GreenHab operations: Heavily watered (8+ gallons) in morning at request of mission control.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Dishwasher experiment proceeding, more samples taken today.

Summary of RAM operations: New radios retrieved from RAM airlock.

Summary of health and safety issues: During a local EVA to practice medical emergencies, we had one crewmember suffer from heat exhaustion. EVA was cut short, crewmember is feeling better.

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: We would like some small cardboard boxes for organizing the HAB. They would also be good for moving material and supplies during EVAs (such as to/from RAM).
We would like some hang-tags or white cloth (gaffing?) tape to mark things as we organize the HAB.
Also, we would like some small paintbrushes (for detail work on sign), wet-wipes, and paper towels.

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EVA Report – April 27th

EVA 10

EVA Gold Crew Members – Gold000 (CO Patil-Sabale) / Gold 003 (CE Attig) /
Gold004 (HSO Pandya)

EVA Objectives – Summary

  1. Medical Skills, Triage, Decision-Making and Evacuation on EVA – Completed
  2. EVA Comfort, Well-Being, Safety and Optimization Study / Raw data here
  3. Visor Fogging Study – Data collected / Raw data here

Issues/Mitigation

  • Was very hot out, kept EVA short (70-80min), stayed at base, checked in with crew members frequently

ATVs/Rovers Used

  • Opportunity – 100% start; moved 15 ft for medical skill simulation; 96% end after testing after EVA 11
  • ATV 300 – Moved 15ft for medical skills simulation

Safety Measures & Preparation

  • Sunscreen/Sun protection – Yes/Medical Exemptions for UV eye-protection provided
  • Adequate hydration – No
  • Adequate protection – Flightsuit/footwear/visor/glove precautions – Yes

Sol 5 Crew 193 EVA 10&11 Summary
Earth-Date 27APR2018

EVA 11

EVA Gold Crew Members – Gold001 (XO Campbell) / Gold 004 (HSO Pandya) /
Gold005 (CGA Shear)

EVA Objectives – Summary

  1. Medical Skills, Triage, Decision-Making and Evacuation on EVA – Completed
  2. EVA Comfort, Well-Being, Safety and Optimization Study / Raw data here
  3. Visor Fogging Study – Data collected / Raw data here

Issues/Mitigation

  • Preemptively cut short due to heat exhaustion in one crew member, after about 50min

ATVs/Rovers Used

  • Opportunity – 100% start; moved 15 ft for medical skill simulation; 96% end after testing after EVA 11
  • ATV 300 – Moved 15ft for medical skills simulation

Safety Measures & Preparation

  • Sunscreen/Sun protection – Yes/Medical Exemptions for UV eye-protection provided
  • Adequate hydration – No
  • Adequate protection – Flightsuit/footwear/visor/glove precautions – Yes
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