Journalist Report – March 4th

Crew 206 – 03/04/2019

Sol 8

Author: Benjamin Auzou, Journalist

“Marsquake”

A seism hit the station’s area in the morning. This one wasn’t a big one, about 4.6 magnitude, and nobody in the Hab felt it. However it was the biggest one in the area since 1985. We are all safe and the station is intact, our mission can continue !

What an occasion to speak about InSight mission that landed on Mars in November 2018 and which is now collecting data on Mars seismic activity. This mission is the result of the collaboration of the Unites States and Europe under the same scientific goal : listen to the heart of Mars. Between the launch and the landing of InSight, our crew and our association worked with Mid-School and High-School students on popularization of space exploration and science. We visited more than 20 schools in our French region to explain them why and how we are doing science on Mars and above all to give them the will and the desire to study Science.

Today was also a special day for our crew : Aurélien’s birthday. For the occasion in our plates : a risotto with tomatoes, a blueberries cake, a mysterious drink with blueberries and cinnamon, and more baguettes. This is the first birthday of the mission, in a few days Cerise will also celebrate her 22th birthday. What a luck to spend a birthday on an other planet !

We also began the tests in real conditions of our simulation spacesuit prototype. The EVA has been planned this afternoon because of the mud outside in the morning. Norbert was the brave of the day and worn the suit for 45 minutes. This EVA had the purpose to clarify the advantages and the issues of the spacesuit in order to improve the system. This was a success, what an achievement to finally see our SpaceSuit in its natural habitat !

Crew Photos – March 4th

Hello,

Here are the photos of the day, where you can see our new simulation space suit, our daily work in the greenhab, and Aurélien’s birthday, with a blueberry cake !

Norbert, Crew 206 Greenhab Officer

EVA Report – March 4th

Crew 206 EVA Report 04-MAR-2019
EVA #5

Author: Gaspard Thieulin

Purpose of EVA:

The main purpose of the EVA was to do the basic checks of our new ‘SUPAERO SpaceSuit’. We brought a prototype of a MDRS suit which worked on it for a year. On wednesday we worked inside the hab on the protocol for pre-EVA and post EVA manipulations. Everything was nominal. Now we wanted to try it just in front of the hab.

Here is what is planned :
– Ability to realize an EVA :
– Isolation from the outside environment
– Providing air to the astronaut
– Providing water to the astronaut
– Enabaling mobility (arms, back and neck) for the astronaut – Ability to communicate with the crew
– Providing a good vision through the helmet
– Providing radio communication
– Protecting the astronaut from the sun
– Deploying the sun protection easily

Once those points were checked, we had to try this second protocole :

– Ability to remove the fog from the helmet
– Try to seat in the rovers without moving
– Try to simulate drivng conditions

But first, the team “Red” had to quickly go to the LOAC to change the battery, and check the weather station orientation after this morning’s earthquake.

Finally, the EVA teams were also meant to fix the tarp of the corridor between the science dome and the Hab.

Start time: 14h19

End time: 15h26

Narrative: Today’s EVA was conditionnaly approved, initially for the morning. We had to ask for MS’ approval before going out. In the morning, Atila went outside and experienced a very muddy ground and refused the EVA for the morning. However, he decided to let us decide if we wanted to conduct the EVA in the afternoon. The crew decided to take a decision by 1400 for an EVA replanned on 1415.

Having this decision in our hand was a lot of responsibility, especially for the EVA leader. No matter what we would decide in the afternoon, we decided to review a bit our EVA plan and add the maximum of Safety to it . Only two crew members (team Red: Aurelien and myself as EVA leader) would go outside first, taking one final decison on the pursuing of the EVA and looking for a dry area to conduct the prototype tests. Only then they would go for engineering checks and LOAC maintenance. During this whole time, the two other crew members (team Blue: Benjamin and Norbert who would try the prototype suit) would wait in the Hab, wearing EVA suits to be able to save the others as quick as possible.

Only after team Red comes back to the Hab area, one member of team Blue would swap his EVA suit for the prototype one, and go outside to conduct the rest of the EVA.

EVA leader would still be able to cancel the EVA by any time, of course.

We began equipping ourselves at 13h30 to be able to go out at 14h15, if we decided to go out. At 1400 today we decided to take a shot at this EVA’s plan, considering the whole day had been sunny and rather “hot”. Mission support (Atila in this case) accepted our plan and decision.

We went out of the airlock at 14h19. My first step on the ground would be decisive, and we were extremly pleased to discover that the ground had almost completly dried out during the day. In fact, it was very easy to move on dry dust, and the rare muddy zones were visible enough not to represent any danger. Considering that, I decided to conduct the EVA as planned and we successfully conducting every check, changed the LOAC battery and drived back while team Blue was waiting in the hab fully suited. We parked Curiosity at 14h35 and team Blue began
depressurization while Norbert was wearing the prototype suit. They also brought back some fixations for the tarps in the prototype backpack’s storage.

We were then able to conduct every test in the EVA’s protocol, and gathered a lot of data thanks to it. We ended these tests at 15h12, and Norbert was already warning us about his stamina decreasing fast due to the weight of the prototype suit.
We still were able to fix some parts of the teared tarps with the material brought in the suit in a very limited time. The fixations we used are lighter than the previous one, and we didn’t have enough to attach every part of the tarp, so we plan on another fixing session soon. Finally, we came back in the airlock at 15h21 and the EVA successfully ended at 15h26.

Destination: Hab area and LOAC / weather station.

Coordinates: 518500/425700 (LOAC and Weather Station) ; 518150/4250750 (Hab)

EVA Participants: Benjamin Auzou (COMMS), Gaspard Thieulin (ENG, Eva Leader), Aurélien Mure (XO), Norbert Pouzin (GHO, prototype Suit)

Roads and routs per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road

Mode of travel: Walking and Rover (for carrying our heavy battery)

Vehicles used : Curiosity

Operations Report – March 4th

Crew 206 Operations Report 04 – MAR – 2019

SOL: 8

Name of person filing report: Gaspard Thieulin

Non-nominal systems: Generator

Notes on non-nominal systems: Radiator hoses and
alternator need replacement on generator. A contractor has
been arranged to make these repairs within a few days.

Generator (hours run): 18,2 hours

Solar— SOC % – Turned off Gen : 100%, Turned on Gen : 74%

Diesel Reading – 70%

Propane Reading – 81%

Ethanol Free Gasoline – 7 gallons

Water (Auxillary tank) – Not in use

Water (Static tank) – 440 gallons

Water differential (static tank) – 12 gallons

Gallons transferred: Not Applicable

Water in GreenHab – 250 gallons

Static to Loft Pump used – Yes

Water Meter: 0141653,6 gallons

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: 53,0 hours

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: Used

Hours: 77,3 hours

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 97%

Currently charging: Yes

Spirit rover used: Not Used

Hours: 78,4 hours

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

Notes on rovers: Nothing to report.

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

Hab Car used and why, where? Not used.

Staff Crew Car used and why, where? Off Campus

General notes and comments: Nothing to report.

Summary of internet: Still issues today. We’re beginning
to investigate local devices, I’ll keep working on it with
BDM CapCom.

Summary of suits and radios: Nothing to report.

Summary of Hab operations: We re-attached some tarps on the connector between the green hab and the science dome. It still needs some work, as the fixations we used may break fast and not all points are attached.

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: Nothing more to report. [end]

Greenhab Report – March 4th

Crew 206 Green Hab Report – 04-MAR-2019

GreenHab Officer: Norbert Pouzin

Environmental control: Heating and Cooling w/ ambient air (8 hrs)

Shade Cloth (40%)

Average temperatures:

Low: 17.3°C

High: 36.5°C

Hours of supplemental light: 0 Hours

Daily water usage for crops: 4.65 gallons

Water in Blue Tank: 249.55 gallons

Crops watered at 0830 hours (2 gallons) and 1830 hours (2.65 gallons):

TIME NOTED TEMPERATURE(° C ) / HUMIDITY(%)

1) 08.30 AM 24.4° C / 31 %
2) 12.00 AM 26.1° C / 22 %
3) 16.00 PM 24.8° C / 0 %
4) 18.30 PM 18.5° C / 25 %

Changes to crops: None.

Narrative:
This morning, we harvested some mixed green salad and radishes for Aurélien’s birthday. We also prick out the 8 radishes pots of my experiment, to allow the best radishes to grow;

In the afternoon I performed my experiment in the greenhab, placing each pot in the growtent, with UV light and specific music for 6 minutes. However, the UV lamp found in the science dome doesn’t seem to be powerfull enough, I think it won’t be good for the experiment.

Other problem we faced today : the heater thermometer is placed on the cooling fan’s metal side. When it is hot, we put on the fan, so the heater thermometer decreases a lot more than the greenhab, and its temperature reaches 15° while it’s 25° in the greenhab, so the heater turns on.
Today, both the fan and the heater were turned on, although the temperature was high (31°C). We should re-monitor the heater thermometer.

Harvest: 89 g of mixed green salad, 1 g of watercress and 35 g of radishes.

Support/supplies needed: None.

Sol Summary – March 4th

Crew 206 March 4th 2019
Sol 8

Summary Title : Executive Birthday

Author : Jeremy Auclair

Mission Status : All nominal

Sol Activity Summary : At 07:00 am everyone got out of bed easily and with energy. The 3 of us that recorded our workout scores (as planned, the 3 others will record their scores tomorrow) beat last week’s scores. The ground was too humid to go on EVA, so we had to change a few activities on the planning. The EVA was moved to the afternoon, and the TELEOP session was moved to tomorrow. In the morning we weren’t sure that we would be able to go on EVA. In the morning we worked on our expriments and prepared a nice lunch for Aurélien’s Birthday (our executive officer). Around 14:00, the afternoon EVA was approved, and Gaspard, the EVA leader, took the first step outside on a dry ground. The EVA team managed to do everything that was planned on the request. We made some bread in the afternoon. We also learned that they had been a earthquake between 10 am and 11 am, but no one noticed anything. The crew is still feeling well and motivated, but the routine has definitely settled.

Look ahead plan : Tomorrow will be a usual day, we hope to make some progress on TELEOP.

Anomalies in work : None

Weather : Partly sunny in the morning, sunny in the afternoon

Crew physical status : Fine

EVA : LOAC maintenance and simulated space suit in the afternoon

Reports to be filed : GreenHab, Journalist, Operation, EVA Report, EVA Request

Support Requested : Our Astronomer would really like some sun and a clear sky.

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