Month: April 2019

Operations Report 9-APR-2019

SOL: n/a

Name of person filing report: Shannon Rupert

Non-nominal systems: Power system

Notes on non-nominal systems: On the evening of April 7th, there was a 3 second complete power loss. This is very unusual, but as I had not been able to get the charging indicator light to go on, I assumed the generator had failed and decided to just deal with it in the
morning. In the morning, I found the generator still running. I turned it off and the entire power system went offline. I checked and the generator, charge controllers and batteries. All were nominal. I could not restart the power system. The control center was non responsive. I went to do some research on what could be causing this, and after about an hour, the power system suddenly went on. The inverter light was solid and indicating. The power system ran fine for the rest of the day and I turned the generator on at about 9 pm and the charging light was solid and indicating, also nominal. No idea what happened. This power system had a mind of its own.

I have also confirmed that the solar power is not making it into the power system. The SOC slowly goes down throughout the day, while the charge controllers read PO5, meaning they are overcharged. So that power is not getting to the batteries. Conclusion: We are collecting power each day for nothing. We are running on battery and generator power only. I still haven’t figured out what is wrong.

Generator (hours run): Off at 7 am, on from 10:00 am to 11:00 for testing.

Generator alternator was replaced, oil and oil filter changed, air filter changed. I did not do the radiator as I don’t really know how to do that. I will change the fuel filter at a later date as the winds got very high so I stopped working on the generator. It is running beautifully tonight.

Solar— SOC 82 % at 8 pm.
Diesel Reading – 48 %
Propane Reading – 50 %
Ethanol Free Gasoline – 0 gallons.

Water (auxillary tank) – 0 gallons
Water (static tank) – 75 gallons
Auxillary to Static tank transfer– no

Gallons transferred: No

Water in GreenHab – unknown gallons. Used 15 gallons today to water.
Water (loft) – Static to Loft Pump used – no
Water Meter: not read
Toilet tank emptied: no

Deimos rover used: Still non-operational
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR, no
Hours: 50.7
Beginning charge: 100
Ending charge: 100
Currently charging: yes

Spirit rover used: Yes, to park it in the correct place
Hours: 86.5
Beginning charge: 100
Ending charge: 100
Currently charging: yes

Opportunity rover used: No
Hours: 56.4
Beginning charge: 100
Ending charge: 100
Currently charging: yes

Curiosity rover used: Yes, to park it in the correct place
Hours: 88.8
Beginning charge: 100
Ending charge: 100
Currently charging: yes

Notes on rovers: A reminder to all that rovers are to be used for sim purposes only. Crews are not allowed to drive them when out of sim.

Sojourner’s brake is loose but still operational.

ATV’s Used: (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3)
Reason for use: None were used.
Oil Added? No
ATV Fuel Used: 0 Gals.
# Hours the ATVs were Used today:0

Notes on ATVs: nothing to report

HabCar used and why, where? No, too windy to get water. Shovel and jumper cables were replaced as required by Health and Safety checklist.

CrewCar used and why, where? Off-site

General notes and comments: Extreme winds today. I noticed some of the tunnel tarps were not tied down properly yesterday but I did not get to them before the wind. They will need to be repaired once the winds die. There is also a lot of MOOP along the tunnel. It will be picked up once the wind dies.

Summary of internet: Nothing to report

Summary of suits and radios: Nothing to report

Summary of Hab operations: Doors were blown open today. The front airlock door jumped the 4×4 barrier and broke the railing on the east side of the front porch. It could not be closed in the high winds and so is open tonight with the inner airlock door locked.

Summary of GreenHab operations: So I’m not happy. The GreenHab has a plethora of old crew experiments that were not cleaned up or removed but simply left in place. Part of this was because when they were checked out, crews weren’t told to remove them, but most of it was because the crews didn’t take the GreenHab or the position of GreenHab Officer seriously. The Handbook and briefing make it very clear that crews are to take all their materials with them when they leave, unless they ask Mission Support and are given permission to leave them. I should not have to guess where a crew collected regolith so I
can return it to the proper area. This is to be done by the crews before they leave. This will be the second time this season that I have had to go into the GreenHab and work for days to get it back into sim shape. On a real mission to Mars, what is in that GreenHab will be
the most precious of resources. We aren’t doing well in this department.

All unharvested crops past their harvest time were removed. All experimental pots were emptied. Some new seeds were planted (lettuce and oregano). All plants were sprayed for bugs. More sticky paper is needed. GreenHab will still require another day of cleaning.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Still need to know who left the biohazard containers and what is in them. (see Health and Safety)

Summary of RAM operations: Used one of the new alternators, an oil filter and an air filter for the generator. Only one gallon of T4 oil remaining. Less than one gallon of coolant remaining.

Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing to report

Summary of health and safety issues: Does anyone know who left the regulated medical waste at MDRS? There are two small yellow biohazard containers out by the generator that should have been removed by the crew who generated them. As this is regulated waste, I need to know what is in it and how to dispose of it. Who left it? Please follow up with this, everyone. Thank you.

I would also like reassurances from the crew who had the experiment in the GreenHab with radishes that had people names as the labels that there was no urine or fecal matter or any other human waste (or other animal waste) in the soil. Those pots were very rotten and smelled horrible. Please follow up on this everyone and let me know. Thank you.

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:

Are the two pumps on the ground working or not working?

Why are there two batteries in the EVA room and what are they for?

See Health and Safety Summary.

Operations Report 7-APR-2019

SOL: n/a

Name of person filing report: Shannon Rupert

Non-nominal systems: generator

Notes on non-nominal systems: generator needs maintenance and replacement of alternator. I plan to change the oil and replace the alternator tomorrow. That will leave only the coolant flush and hose replacement, which I don’t quite know how to do.

Generator (hours run): Off at 8 am, not sure when it was turned on last evening

Solar— 85 SOC % (Before generator is run at night). Turned generator on at 8 pm. Neither charger nor inverter shows as operational. That is consistent with my gradual loss of power throughout the day. I should have seen 100% until late in the afternoon, instead we were down to 95 by noon. So I will investigate this further in the morning.

Diesel Reading – 48 %

Propane Reading – 50 %

Ethanol Free Gasoline – 0 gallons.

Water (auxillary tank) – 0 gallons

Water (static tank) – 75 gallons

Auxillary to Static tank transfer– no

Gallons transferred: No

Water in GreenHab – unknown gallons

Water (loft) – Static to Loft Pump used – no

Water Meter: not read

Toilet tank emptied: no, It should be done, but there is not enough water. In addition, there is no digester that I can find in the Hab. I will pick up some tomorrow.

Deimos rover used: Still non-operational

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging:

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR, yes

Hours: 50.7

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 85

Currently charging: yes

Spirit rover used: No

Hours: 86.5

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 100

Currently charging: yes, but parked in the wrong place

Opportunity rover used: No

Hours: 56.4

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 100

Currently charging: yes

Curiosity rover used: No

Hours: 88.8

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 100

Currently charging: yes, but parked in the wrong place

Notes on rovers: All four rovers require cleaning. Crew 208 reported that the mud was there when they arrived. I will work on getting them cleaned up this week. They should have been cleaned during checkout. Sojourner is also very muddy.

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

Reason for use: None were used.

Oil Added? No

ATV Fuel Used: 0 Gals. A couple of gas cans have a small amount of gas in them but I don’t know if it is ethanol free so I will just get more gas

# Hours the ATVs were Used today:0

Notes on ATVs: Two of the ATVs (Honda and 350.2) are absolutely filthy. Two (300 and 350.1) are fine. 350.3 is parked next to Sojourner. Is something wrong with it?

HabCar used and why, where? No, although I will need to get water with it tomorrow. It is also very muddy. There is also no shovel or jumper cables in it.

CrewCar used and why, where? The crew took it back to Grand Junction today. It was very dirty with clumped mud. David got most of it off but it needs to be given a good cleaning. Julielynn noted that when they originally picked it up it was not filled with gas. We should remind crews to read instructions in the Handbook before using the car.

General notes and comments: This report contains my assessment of the current state of the campus. It is not meant to criticize anyone, just to let everyone know my judgement on the state of systems.

Overall the campus is in very good shape. Some things have been neglected, and will need attention. There is, as usual, a collection of strange clutter and things out of place. My favorite is the four by four post underneath the stairs with some other junk. Like, why?

The damaged cattle panels and the rock pile remain from the beginning of the season. I will be able to move the rock pile, but will need help with the panels.

There are two pumps on the ground by my house. Are they working or broken?

It was a lovely day so I opened all the doors and aired all the buildings. We should have one more nice calm warm day before it gets cold and windy again.

The main road (Cow Dung) is in really poor condition and is in worse shape than when I left in January. Only raised vehicles can safely travel it and all rover travel should be done in MAX mode until it is improved. I’ve had no luck getting the county to maintain it. I will contact the BLM for assistance in this request. I also will suggest we ask the county again for maintenance before the URC or people won’t be able to get here.

Summary of internet: My internet had 0 bytes remaining for the next two weeks. 10 GB were added this afternoon. Thanks, Bernard.

Summary of suits and radios: Nothing done today

Summary of Hab operations: The upper deck is ok. It needs a complete cleaning. The kitchen cabinets are dirty and there is still junk on the kitchen shelves (Atila!). The lower deck is dirty under the stairs, like no one has cleaned it in several crews. There are no jumper cables in the EVA room and it is dirty. There are two batteries in the EVA room and I don’t know what they are for and why they are in there.

Summary of GreenHab operations: Both the heater and the fan were on this morning. I turned the fan off and the heater down to 10 degrees C. The GreenHab is neat and tidy, but there are a lot of pots from crew projects and failed crops that have not been taken care of. I will take care of this in the next few days. The GreenHab
Coordinator, David Murray, will be here next week and he can decide what and if we should continue planting for the rest of the season. The germination tent is also in the GreenHab and was not returned to the ScienceDome after crew use as it should have been. It’s light but awkward and I will need help to move it.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: The Science Dome is in relatively good shape. One table is missing and there is trash that needs to be removed. General organization and clean up must be done. The floor is not clean. There are some unknown samples in biohazard bins out by the generator and I don’t know what they are.

Summary of RAM operations: Cluttered and messy. I will remove the extra materials and clean it up. On the south side of the building, the paint is peeling off above and on the side near the roll up door. My guess is this is due to the ice build up and then melt we had so much this winter

Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing done today.

Summary of health and safety issues: Nothing to report

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: Please confirm that this report has been posted on the website. It is important that we retain these data.

Operations Report 7-APR-2019

SOL: n/a

Name of person filing report: Shannon Rupert

Non-nominal systems: generator

Notes on non-nominal systems: generator needs maintenance and replacement of alternator. I plan to change the oil and replace the alternator tomorrow. That will leave only the coolant flush and hose replacement, which I don’t quite know how to do.

Generator (hours run): Off at 8 am, not sure when it was turned on last evening

Solar— 85 SOC % (Before generator is run at night). Turned generator on at 8 pm. Neither charger nor inverter shows as operational. That is consistent with my gradual loss of power throughout the day. I should have seen 100% until late in the afternoon, instead we were down to 95 by noon. So I will investigate this further in the morning.

Diesel Reading – 48 %

Propane Reading – 50 %

Ethanol Free Gasoline – 0 gallons.

Water (auxillary tank) – 0 gallons

Water (static tank) – 75 gallons

Auxillary to Static tank transfer– no

Gallons transferred: No

Water in GreenHab – unknown gallons

Water (loft) – Static to Loft Pump used – no

Water Meter: not read

Toilet tank emptied: no, It should be done, but there is not enough water. In addition, there is no digester that I can find in the Hab. I will pick up some tomorrow.

Deimos rover used: Still non-operational

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging:

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR, yes

Hours: 50.7

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 85

Currently charging: yes

Spirit rover used: No

Hours: 86.5

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 100

Currently charging: yes, but parked in the wrong place

Opportunity rover used: No

Hours: 56.4

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 100

Currently charging: yes

Curiosity rover used: No

Hours: 88.8

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 100

Currently charging: yes, but parked in the wrong place

Notes on rovers: All four rovers require cleaning. Crew 209 reported that the mud was there when they arrived. I will work on getting them cleaned up this week. They should have been cleaned during checkout. Sojourner is also very muddy.

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

Reason for use: None were used.

Oil Added? No

ATV Fuel Used: 0 Gals. A couple of gas cans have a small amount of gas in them but I don’t know if it is ethanol free so I will just get more gas

# Hours the ATVs were Used today:0

Notes on ATVs: Two of the ATVs (Honda and 350.2) are absolutely filthy. Two (300 and 350.1) are fine. 350.3 is parked next to Sojourner. Is something wrong with it?

HabCar used and why, where? No, although I will need to get water with it tomorrow. It is also very muddy. There is also no shovel or jumper cables in it.

CrewCar used and why, where? The crew took it back to Grand Junction today. It was very dirty with clumped mud. David got most of it off but it needs to be given a good cleaning. Julielynn noted that when they originally picked it up it was not filled with gas. We should remind crews to read instructions in the Handbook before using the car.

General notes and comments: This report contains my assessment of the current state of the campus. It is not meant to criticize anyone, just to let everyone know my judgement on the state of systems.

Overall the campus is in very good shape. Some things have been neglected, and will need attention. There is, as usual, a collection of strange clutter and things out of place. My favorite is the four by four post underneath the stairs with some other junk. Like, why?

The damaged cattle panels and the rock pile remain from the beginning of the season. I will be able to move the rock pile, but will need help with the panels.

There are two pumps on the ground by my house. Are they working or broken?

It was a lovely day so I opened all the doors and aired all the buildings. We should have one more nice calm warm day before it gets cold and windy again.

The main road (Cow Dung) is in really poor condition and is in worse shape than when I left in January. Only raised vehicles can safely travel it and all rover travel should be done in MAX mode until it is improved. I’ve had no luck getting the county to maintain it. I will contact the BLM for assistance in this request. I also will suggest we ask the county again for maintenance before the URC or people won’t be able to get here.

Summary of internet: My internet had 0 bytes remaining for the next two weeks. 10 GB were added this afternoon. Thanks, Bernard.

Summary of suits and radios: Nothing done today

Summary of Hab operations: The upper deck is ok. It needs a complete cleaning. The kitchen cabinets are dirty and there is still junk on the kitchen shelves (Atila!). The lower deck is dirty under the stairs, like no one has cleaned it in several crews. There are no jumper cables in the EVA room and it is dirty. There are two batteries in the EVA room and I don’t know what they are for and why they are in there.

Summary of GreenHab operations: Both the heater and the fan were on this morning. I turned the fan off and the heater down to 10 degrees C. The GreenHab is neat and tidy, but there are a lot of pots from crew projects and failed crops that have not been taken care of. I will take care of this in the next few days. The GreenHab
Coordinator, David Murray, will be here next week and he can decide what and if we should continue planting for the rest of the season. The germination tent is also in the GreenHab and was not returned to the ScienceDome after crew use as it should have been. It’s light but awkward and I will need help to move it.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: The Science Dome is in relatively good shape. One table is missing and there is trash that needs to be removed. General organization and clean up must be done. The floor is not clean. There are some unknown samples in biohazard bins out by the generator and I don’t know what they are.

Summary of RAM operations: Cluttered and messy. I will remove the extra materials and clean it up. On the south side of the building, the paint is peeling off above and on the side near the roll up door. My guess is this is due to the ice build up and then melt we had so much this winter

Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing done today.

Summary of health and safety issues: Nothing to report

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: Please confirm that this report has been posted on the website. It is important that we retain these data.

Crew 208 Operations Report 05-APR-2019

SOL: 8

Name of person filing report: Amanda Manget

Non-nominal systems: Generator

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

Generator (hours run): 12

Solar – SOC 92% @ 1900 (before David turned on the generator for the night)

Diesel Reading – 44%

Propane Reading – 50%

Ethanol Free Gasoline – 2 gallons

Water (auxiliary tank) – 0 gallons (Note: Not in Use)

Water (static tank) – 110.64

Auxiliary to Static tank transfer – No

Gallons transferred: 0

Water in GreenHab – 194 gallons

Static to Loft Pump used – Yes

Water Meter: 0142475.3 gallons @ 1900

Toilet tank emptied: Yes

Deimos rover used: No, not functional

Hours: N/A

Beginning charge: N/A

Ending charge: N/A

Currently charging: N/A

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR

Hours: N/A

Beginning charge: N/A

Ending charge: N/A

Currently charging: N/A

Spirit rover used: No

Hours: 86

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: No

Hours: 56.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: Yes

Hours: 87.9

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 77%

Currently charging: Yes

Notes on rovers:

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

Reason for use:

Oil Added? No
ATV Fuel Used: 0 Gals

# Hours the ATVs were Used today: 0

Notes on ATVs: None

HabCar used and why, where? Not Used

CrewCar used and why, where? Not Used

CrewCar odometer reading: 175109 miles

General notes and comments: Nothing to report

Summary of internet: Nothing to report

Summary of suits and radios: EV suits normal, all batteries read > 12.5 volts

Summary of Hab operations: Checked SOC of the electrical system as follows:

0700 SOC 100%, generator turned off by David

1400 SOC 96%, generator off

1900 SOC 92%, generator off

Summary of GreenHab operations: Nothing to report

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Nothing to report

Summary of RAMM operations: Nothing to report

Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing to report

Summary of health and safety issues: None