Crew Photos – February 14th
Journalist Report – February 14th
Author: Maria Grulich
Title: Love, Bacon and Cookies – It’s Valentine’s Day
Today is a very special day for the crew! It’s the start of the leadership rotation and also it is Valentine’s Day!
The crew has prepared some cookies and our new commander and XO, Dave and Nathan prepared everyone a breakfast of eggs and bacon as a surprise for the crew. After watching The Martian last night, the crew is thinking on how Matt Damon solved the persistent problems with living on Mars. Now the crew is thinking how to germinate potatoes here!
Currently our most valuable resource is data. We solved the water problem by changing the way we clean dishes, so we are on one refill a day. Regarding the data, we still have to investigate the anomaly.
Today only one EVA was planned with the objective of flying the drone for the first time. The preparation went smoothly since we have fixed and inventoried the EVA suits. The crew composed of Natalia (GHO), Daniel (HSO), Veronica (ENG) and Maria (Media) stepped out at 1030 and the weather was cloudy, but stable with a slight wind. Directly after leaving the Hab, the drone was tested to see how it performs and it worked fine. After a couple of tests flights, it was decided to keep moving to a higher altitude to take pictures with the drone from there. After 10 more minutes in the weather conditions changed and it was decided to abort the EVA. It seems like the North Ridge is our curse. 3 EVAs planned there and three cancelations. The crew is still very determined to explore the North Ridge during this rotation.
After the short EVA, the crew found themselves with some free time which gave us the opportunity to exchange our Secret Cupid gifts. Every crew member brought a small gift for another crew member and it was exciting to see who picked whom and it was accompanied with heart shaped Martian cookies.
Today also gave time to start for the video project as well as the detailed categorization and analysis of the rock samples. On one of the rocks that was brought back from Candor Chasma, a skeleton was found. It is probably a skeleton from a scorpion which is a really interesting finding.
Tomorrow, there will be time for more indoor activities and outreach activities.
Ad Astra!
GreenHab Report – February 14th
GreenHab Officer: Natalia Larrea
Environmental control: Heating and Cooling w/ ambient air (8 hrs)
Shade Cloth (40%)
Average temperatures:
Low: 17.5 °C
High: 26.5°C
Hours of supplemental light: 5 Hours
Daily water usage for crops: 12 gallons
Water in Blue Tank: ~ 252.5 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops:
TIME NOTED TEMPERATURE(° C ) / HUMIDITY(%)
[AT TIME OF WATERING]
1) 09.00 AM 24.5° C / 28 %
2) 12.00 PM 25.2° C / 32 %
3) 14:40 PM 24.5° C / 38 %
4) 18:00 PM 20.6° C / 48 %
Changes to crops: New seedlings continue sprouting around the large tomato plant in the grow bed. Some plants exhibit potential nutrient deficit (see narrative below). The A. Thaliana started sprouting on the germination plate.
Narrative: Further seeds of A. Thaliana were washed and placed in germination plates using damp paper towel germinations last night (13th February). The plates were placed inside the incubator to maintain optimal environmental conditions. The A. Thaliana that was plated on Monday started sprouting as well and will be transferred to collected regolith samples tomorrow. We continued regolith characterization by investigating the pH of the sample. The samples were treated with a CaCl2-2H2O solution and de-ionized water results will be available in tomorrow’s report.
The GreenHab temperature was regulated throughout the day with the use of the heater at specific intervals of time. We conducted inventory in the GreenHab to identify which plants exhibit yellow pigmentation (i.e., possible indicator of nitrogen/nutrient deficiency in those pots). The following plants were identified as having a nutrient deficit (see attached pictures):
· Savory mix (some leaves started to turn yellow)
· Lettuce encore mix (some leaves exhibit slight yellow color)
· Lettuce leaf (some leaves started to turn yellow)
· Parsley (the plant is largely healthy, few leaves at the bottom started turning yellow).
· Fennel (the plant is largely healthy, few leaves at the bottom started turning yellow).
· Sugar snap peas (most plants turning yellow. Some drying)
· Cucumber (plants seem to be dead, as previously reported)
We prepared the plants nutrient employing the “Miracle-Gro” solution available in the GreenHab. We sprayed the solution sparingly at specific spots at the base of the affected plants. We will continue monitoring the situation to observe how plants react. It is anticipated we will repeat this process in the next two to three days.
Harvest: 2g parsley, 1g lemon basil, 1g fennel greens.
Support/supplies needed: None.
Operations Report – February 14th
SOL: 4
Name of person filing report: Verónica Triviño
Non-nominal systems: None
Notes on non-nominal systems: N/A
Generator (hours run): Turned on at 1730 (14th Feb), turned off at 1500 (14th Feb)
Solar— SOC % – Turned off Gen (14th Feb) 83%, Turned on Gen (14th Feb) 67%
Diesel Reading – 97%
Propane Reading – ~ 50%
Ethanol Free Gasoline – 10 gallons
Water (Auxillary tank) – Not in use
Water (Static tank) – around 68%, ~ 372 gallons
Auxillary to Static tank transfer – No
Gallons transferred: Not Applicable
Water in GreenHab – ~ 252.5 gallons
Water (loft) – 12 marked level
Static to Loft Pump used – yes
Water Meter: 01412244 units
Toilet tank emptied: No
Deimos rover used: No, still not functional
Hours: N/A
Beginning charge: N/A
Ending charge: N/A
Currently charging: N/A
Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR
Hours: Not Applicable
Beginning charge: Not Applicable
Ending charge: Not Applicable
Currently charging: Not Applicable
Opportunity rover used: Not Used
Hours: 50.1 hours
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 100%
Currently charging: Yes
Curiosity rover used: Not Used
Hours: 74.3 hours
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 100%
Currently charging: Yes
Spirit rover used: Not Used
Hours: 73.7
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 100%
Currently charging: Yes
Notes on rovers: N/A
ATV’s Used: N/A
Reason for use: Not used
Oil Added? N/A
ATV Fuel Used: N/A
# Hours the ATVs were Used today: None
Notes on ATVs: None
HabCar used and why, where? Yes, going to town
Crew Car used and why, where? Not used
General notes and comments: Nothing to report
Summary of internet: Around noon, D. Masaitis (CO) checked the internet data status and saw a remaining data allocation of 392 MB. 20 minutes later, the data allocation dropped to 0 MB. Upon inspection of the crew’s devices, no offending device was found. A survey of the devices connected to the internet revealed only the router and D. Masaitis’ laptop, which was being used to correspond with Mission Control. The cause of the anomaly is still unknown and we will continue to monitor the Hab network.
Summary of suits and radios: Nothing to report.
Summary of Hab operations: Nothing to report
Summary of Green Hab operations: Nothing to report
Summary of Science Dome operations: Nothing to report
Summary of RAM operations: Nothing to report
Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing to report.
Summary of health and safety issues: Nothing to report
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: Temperature in the upper deck of the Hab rose during the morning, at some points getting close to reaching 27 deg C, even though the heater in the lower deck was set by the engineer to slightly below the "ideal" middle setting of "3" (which usually gives the Hab a temperature of 21 – 23 deg C). The assistant director recommended turning the heater off and on again. After turning the heater off, the engineer and commander struggled to turn it back on again. As of writing this report, it is currently still off, however the temperature in the upper deck is a comfortable 23.8 deg C.
EVA Report – February 14th
EVA #07
Author: N. Hadland, Executive Officer
Purpose of EVA: Terrain familiarization and sample collection
Start time: 1030
End time: 1115
Narrative: The crew left the Hab at approximately 10:35 and headed North towards North Ridge. In a clear space about 200m North of the robotic observatory they tested their drone “Parrot Mambo No. 5” for the first time. It succeeded in taking off with its ribbon attachments below but was noticeably perturbed in its flight by the winds so it landed and the ribbons were removed. The ribbon’s purpose is part of a proof of concept experiment to see whether a hovering drone with colorful ribbon below can be used as a beacon or lighthouse for nearby lost EVA crews. The drone took off a second time without this attachment and flew to an appreciable height of approximately 10m before the wind began blowing the drone too strongly and it was landed to prevent damage to the equipment. It was then put on charge on a portable power bank and the crew set off North again along Path 1103. Approximately 300m from the base of North Ridge in a hilly area the drone was flown again to take photographs of the crew below with the vertical camera. 4 photos were taken, some of which successfully show the crew below with good resolution. Before the crew began their approach to the North Ridge ascent on Path 1103 at approximately 1055, COMMS Officer H. Blackburn called in to notify the crew that the incidental weather they had been monitoring had reached the Hab and precipitation would likely reach the EVA team in under 10 minutes. For safety, the EVA was stopped and the crew returned to the Hab before the rain made the ground unsuitable for exploration. Effective monitoring of the environmental conditions at the Hab and clear communication with the EVA team ensured this was a productive and safe short EVA. The EVA team returned to the airlock at 1110 without incident.
Destination: Pooh’s Corner, North Ridge
Coordinates: 0518800/4250900 (Pooh’s Corner), 0518600/4251500 (North Ridge)
Participants: Natalia Larrea (GHO), Daniel Robson (HSO), Maria Grulich (MEDIA) Veronica Trivino (ENG)
Roads and routes per MDRS Map: North along Cow Dung Road (0110), through Pooh’s Corner, and then northwest to North Ridge
Mode of Travel: Walking
Sol Summary – February 14th
Sol: 4
Summary Title: Nothing Says Love Like Bacon!
Author’s name: Dave Masaitis
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary: Crew 205 awoke to overcast skies and the smell of bacon and eggs, as the Commander and Executive Officer cooked a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast prepared from homemade bread. Unfortunately, the only sunny things today were the egg yolks. The EVA team for EVA #07 left on schedule, but was recalled 45 minutes later as weather began to turn inclement. The EVA crew was in the airlock before any unsafe ground conditions occured, but they only completed the UAV test flight, and did not make it to the North Ridge. The rest of the crew helped the EVA team clean and store their EVA suits, before everyone headed upstairs for lunch. While having lunch, the crew engaged in a "Secret Valentine" gift exchange and then used the afternoon to catch up on scientific analysis of samples collected over the week’s EVAs so far. Towards the evening, the crew gathered in the upstairs common area of the Hab to prepare reports for the communications window, share stories, and discuss what would be prepared for dinner. After the communications window, the crew will eat chicken and rice casserole, discuss tomorrow’s priorities of work, and then play some card games before bed.
Look Ahead Plan: Due to today’s ongoing inclement weather, the ground tomorrow will be too saturated to make EVAs practical. Instead, the crew will remain at the Hab to focus on refining research, improving ongoing investigations, and drafting procedural documents to improve the workflow of future crews. The inability to conduct EVAs can be frustrating, but having multiple crew members with culinary skills makes being stuck at the Hab much more palatible. Tomorrow will also see another rotation of Commander and Executive Officer, so a new day will bring new leadership.
Anomalies in work: EVA# 07 terminated early due to weather
Weather: Cloudy all day long, rain started after 1100 hrs, with consistent rain all afternoon and into the evening
Crew Physical Status: Nominal
EVA:
EVA#07: 0518800/4250900 (Pooh’s Corner), 0518600/4251500 (North Ridge, not reached)
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA report, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
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