Commander Report – December 20th

Sol 5

Today the crew performed their activities satisfactorily. Humor and fun is becoming more present, as well as fatigue and lack of time in the routines that we must cover daily.

According to our previous schedule, we are a little behind with the work of our projects because of some technical programs with programming and electronics, but I trust that the most intelligent men of Mars will be able to solve it.

Today I received bad news from Earth, but a hug and the words of friendship from my dear crew members made me feel much better.

Our chef has managed to surprise us daily and keep us nourished, although hunger is always present. Mars is difficult, but being with this crew everything is better. Good work Crew 201

Journalist Report – December 20th

The Martian Chronicles

[SOL 5] – Traveling through the unknown roads.

Throughout history, explorers have used different tools to venture into the unknown. Tools like a compass and a sextant were part of adventures of a lifetime that lead us to places we never imagined. History however tries to hide the small setbacks that explorers had in their adventures. Especially those in where they have to step back and ask… wait, what’s next?

MDRS Crew 201 – MEx-1

Life in the station is going at the speed of light, there are far too many life sustaining activities that are so demanding that keep us busy 24/7. Experiments are moving a little slower than originally intended but moving nonetheless. We will be more than thrilled to see them coming up in the next few days and you guys, will be the first ones to know.

Greenhab is working on its first research. The soil samples from yesterday’s EVA were weighted, divided and combined in different amounts to harvest (I am looking at you Mark Watney). We are ready to know whether we can use this Martian soil to harvest some of our food for future crews that will come to visit us. We think this is the very first step to terraform Mars… or not. The experiment is the first step towards a greener Mars.

At the RAM the 3D printer is having major testing milestones and calibration. We will soon begin using the equipment to print our tools and support the rest of our mission. Our engineers are now working in cables, drivers, plastic and in no time the main communication subsystem of the rovers will be go.

The road to adventure sometimes takes us to places that are not easy to find. Today, our EVA traveled to a rarely traveled path and had a hard time finding its way up the hill. Once there, surprise surprise, a beautiful scenery packed with red martian ridges. No time to explore today, we need to find a suitable location for the antenna that, will in due time change the analog habitat into a smart habitat packed with sensors and asset tracking. In the way back home, we found another forgotten road, a faster way back home. Are we the first ones in year to walk this way? What new roads will cross our path?

MEx-1 continuará informando.

Walter A. Calles & Genaro Grajeda, MDRS Crew 201 Co-Journalists

Greenhab Report – December 20th

Crew 201 GreenHab Report – 20-DEC-2018

Greenhab Officer:
Walter Calles

Environmental Control:
Heating
Cooling w/ ambient air (5hrs)

40% Shade Cloth on

Average Temperatures:
High: 37.4°C
Low: 23.1°C

Hours of Supplemental Light:
5

Daily Water Usage of Crops:
8 gallons

Water in Blue Tank (lbs):
65%

Times of Watering for Crops:
1210

Changes to crops:
Tomatoes growing slow, but showing progress.
Baby greens keep growing ok on one flat. The other one, not so good.
Carrots and fennel are growing really slow.

Narrative:
First soil mixes with martian samples + growing ground for research. Tomorrow, raddishes will be seeded on the samples and the experiment will start.
Total ground sample: 234g
Soil samples & quantity:
Control: 100% ground (200g)
Sample Type 1: 10,20,30,40 & 50%
Sample Type 2: 10,20%
Sample Type 3: 10,20%
Soil samples will be categorized tomorrow on science dome.

Harvest:
Cilantro: 15.3g
Basil: 8g
Oregano: 1.7g
Sage: 6g
Parsley: 7.5g

Support/Supplies Needed:
Carrots and fennel growing very slow. Any suggestions or input about this?

EVA Report – December 20th

EVA #5

Author: Genaro Grajeda

Purpose of EVA: Site Survey for Very Small Aperture Terminal installation

Start time: 11:10 hrs

End time: 13:15 hrs

Narrative: A small road survey location was performed to find road 1103 in order to hike to find Hab Ridge Road. EVA team walked toward Old Repeater Point expecting to find a repeater station; however a fantastic view of factory view was found. A small walk was performed in order to find a suitable location at top of the ridge overlooking the habitat where a VSAT will be installed for a theoretical updated Radio Access Network that could service a SmartHAB and possible real life asset tracking network.

Destination: Hab Ridge South Zone

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 425090N 518000W

Participants: Genaro Grajeda and Federico Martínez

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Road 1103, Hab Ridge Road.

Mode of travel: Walking

Sol Summary – December 20th

Sol 5:

Summary Title: Los caminos de la vida…

Author’s name: Carlos Mariscal, XO

Mission Status: All activities are being done, crew members are doing their activities as expected, both in the hab (maintenance) and their projects. The experiments are having some delays due to technical obstacles such as internet and unexpected maintenance.

Sol Activity Summary: It is always good to take a compass and a map to every EVA; roads can be difficult to find. Our commander learned to cook today!

Look Ahead Plan: The original plan for tomorrow was to have an EVA, but the members will stay in the hab to have more progress on their experiment related activities instead.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Sunny, calm winds

Crew Physical Status: The crew is physically ok, but we are kind of tired, some crew members are taking afternoon naps. Perhaps because of the EVAs.

EVA: Hab Ridge Road

Reports to be file:

– EVA report

– Commander report

– Greenhab report

– Operations report

– Journal report

Support Requested: Please someone send Tacos! Besides that, none.

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