Science Report – November 4th

Crew 214 Science Report 4 November 2019
SOL: 8
Crew 214 – Expedition Boomerang Crew
Submitted by Science Officer Andrew Wheeler

Science Operations: The fifth scientific EVA for the mission saw us returning to Tank Wash #2 and collecting 28 additional samples for the micrometeorite search. This is 40% of the planned samples.

Green Hab: Following the commencement of planting within the green hab, access through the tunnel between the main hab and the green hab has been opened. The plants were watered with approximately 3.5 litres of water, with a remaining 4.5 litres remaining in the watering can. The plant soil appeared fairly moist, so it is suggested crew refrain from over watering the new plants.

Science Dome: Samples returned from the morning’s EVA have now been processed within the science dome and limited observations of material recovered through the binocular microscope have been carried out.

Closed Loop Food Waste Study: The day’s waste for Sol 8 is: 51 grams; consisting of 159 calories, 3g fat, >1g saturated fat, 199mg sodium, 42g carbohydrates, 3g fibre, 13g sugar, 6g protein. Extra food supplies were received and added to the baseline stock database.

EVA: Preparations for an EVA to White Moon at the junction between Brahe Highway and Cow Dung Road have been carried out.

EVA Suit Maintenance: Images of helmet 5 have been forwarded to CapCom detailing the partial failure, the battery to Suit 10 has been examined and it is the suit itself that is faulty.

Additional Activities: Nil.

Supplement Operations Report – November 4th

MDRS Supplemental Operations Report 4-NOV-2019

Name of person filing report: Shannon Rupert

Reason for Report: Briefing on Work Party held at MDRS from Oct 22-25, 2019

Non-nominal systems: n/a

Action taken for non-nominal systems: n/a

Generator check, note if oil and coolant added: n/a

ScienceDome AC unit, on and operational: Needs refrigerant, but otherwise is ready to go. Will contact provider.

Solar— Ran nominally and without generator backup throughout the work party

Diesel Reading – % not checked

Propane Reading – 40 % (since then it has been refilled)

Ethanol Free Gasoline – n/a gallons.

Water (director’s tank) – n/a gallons

Water (static tank) – n/a gallons. Static tank was cleaned during
the work party.

Water (GreenHab) – n/a gallons

Water (loft) – This tank still needs to be cleaned and will be cleaned during the crew changeover from Crew 214 to 215. We also need to replace the current hose with a 4-6 foot RV hose (to be ordered)

Static to Loft Pump used – yes

Water Meter: n/a

Toilet tank emptied: yes. We also filled and emptied the tank three times to flush it after the summer break.

Deimos rover used: Still not operational. We are in the process of getting a trailer to take it for repairs.

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging:

Sojourner rover used: Yes, brought back to MDRS from town. Operation nominal.

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging:

Spirit rover used: Yes, brought back to MDRS from town. Operation nominal

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging:

Opportunity rover used: Yes, brought back to MDRS from town.
Operation nominal, however brakes are weak to not working. We will change the brake fluid and bleed the brakes again (3rd time), if this does not work we will need to take it for repairs.

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging:

Curiosity rover used: Yes, brought back to MDRS from town. Operation nominal.

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging:

Notes and action taken on rovers: Rovers need their names redone. I’m thinking about painting them instead of using stickers again.

Monthly check and fill of rover batteries (first workday of the month)
Batteries were filled with 20 gallons of distilled water this summer.
They will need to be rechecked soon.

ATV’s Used: (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3). Yes, moved to their place by the Outpost for the season. The 300 was in town, and still is, as it will not start. We will need to go to town and tow it back here. One of the 350’s would not start so we need to troubleshoot
that.

Reason for use: see above

Oil Added? No, all were fine.

ATV Fuel Used: 5 Gals

# Hours the ATVs were Used: not recorded

Notes and action taken on ATVs: see above

HabCar running? If used, why, where? Yes, but needed to be jumped when we first got here. Used to haul water.

CrewCar running, If used why, where? Yes, used to transport crew and supplies back and forth to town and Grand Junction. A sensor went out, and one of the volunteers was able to replace it. The check engine light is still on though, as they could not get it to turn off by disconnecting the battery.

Campus wide inspection, if action taken, what and why? Vegetation was removed from around the Hab.

Evidence of rodents, where and action taken: Hab and both trailers showed signs of rodent (packrat) occupation. Two packrats were relocated to Cowboy Corner, one from the intern trailer, the other from the Hab.

Summary of internet: Hab and Astronomy accounts nominal but business account isn’t working. Suspect router damage. There is supposed to be a technician here today (although they were scheduled for last week, so I’m not going to hold my breath).

Summary of suits and radios: Suits were delivered by NorCal on October 25 and they are in beautiful shape. The prototype suit has been fitted with a video camera and will be used for Mars VR work. This gives us 6 two piece suits, which are located on new cabinets in
the EVA room and 4 one piece suits, which are located on the lower deck in the main room. One of the two piece suits has been fitted with a 3D printed neck ring, which is about 1/3 the weight of the traditional neck rings. NorCal is interested in seeing how it holds
up. The two piece suits have also been fitted with new fans, with adjustable air flow. The fans are new in the one piece suits as well, but not adjustable.

Radios were not checked during the work party, but Crew 214 has found them to be in poor shape. Once internet is restored we will get an accounting of them and order what we need.

Summary of Hab operations: The front porch was repaired. The static water tank was cleaned. The wall heater downstairs was removed. The lower deck was refitted with IKEA cabinetry. While not the cubbies for the suits we were hoping for, it fills the lower deck and is
functional. They also gave us a new bench for the bathroom. The painting did not get done before the installation so that will happen during the May work party. The upper deck received a completely new kitchen. The stove was not installed as it was electric. We will go
pick up a new gas stove from IKEA when they get it. The countertop, which is quartz, was measured and ordered and should arrive soon. A new two basin sink was installed on the temporary counter and new plumbing was installed, so both cold and hot water are running and there is no more leak in the drain. The kitchen also has a new microwave and refrigerator and it several feet longer than the old one. In addition, the upper deck has new chairs for the table and two new chairs that replaced the loungers. Unfortunately the two leather
chairs are not functional as loungers so we will be replacing them with some kind of lounger that fits in the new space. We will try to use the old loveseat pieces but the parts for those were disposed of during the refit, so we may not be able to do so. Lights, chargers and
additional mattresses were put into the staterooms. The old blue mattresses were removed. Water heater still needs to be removed and replaced with a new unit. Some new kitchen ware was ordered as some was deemed no longer in good enough condition for use.

Summary of director’s house operations: Nothing to report.

Summary of GreenHab operations: IKEA refitted the GreenHab with some cabinets and a couple of new benches and gave us some planters. The benches need to be coated with a water seal and the cabinets are metal, so care must be taken not to corrode them. I will make up a diagram of the new space soon.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Nothing was done in the ScienceDome. We attempted to put in the center island, but parts were missing (it was nice to know that even IKEA can have missing parts!) so this refit is on hold until the May work party. A new heating/ac
units was mounted on the power wall over the summer, but is still not fully operational. It was installed to cool the batteries in summer, but can also be used as a heater if needed.

Summary of RAM operations: Nothing to report. David is working on a plan to fix the low amp breakers than trip with the rovers.

Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing to report. Peter needed David and Atila’s help to calibrate the focus on the robotic scope but all is well now.

Summary of health and safety issues: Fire extinguishers need their annual inspection

List and summary of projects: see above. Also, the new intern trailer was moved into a space next to mine in August. We are working to get all systems functional on the trailer before the bad weather hits. Water system has required small repairs and the propane will be
installed this Thursday. The best thing about this trailer (other than it is a four season trailer) is that its solar system also has an inverter so it is currently operating under it’s own generated power. This was a surprise for me as my solar only operates the 12V system
and not the 110 power. I may have to move! Just kidding.

Questions, concerns, supplies needed and requests: We need some general replacement supplies and I will be ordering them soon. We currently have the flatbed trailer loaded with materials needing to go to the dump. I will need to find a way to get it there.

Sol Summary Report Nov 3rd

Sol:7

Summary Title: Day of Rest

Author’s name: Guy Murphy

Mission Status: Active.

Sol Activity Summary: Today was the crew’s first scheduled day off work since arriving on Mars. No EVA’s were consequently scheduled. Apart from some leisure activities, the crew caught up on Hab cleaning, washing and also prepared food for the following day. 3 cooked meals were prepared and consumed today.

Look Ahead Plan: The crew will return to its normal work program tomorrow, with a long morning EVA planned to continue the search for micro-meteorites.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Clear skies, no precipitation. Below freezing overnight.

Crew Physical Status: All in good health.

EVA: No EVA’s scheduled.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalists Report, Science Report, Operations Reports, Photos.

Support Requested: No further support requested.

Operations Report Nov 3rd

Crew 214 Operations Report 3-11-2019

SOL: 7

Name of person filing report: Andrew Wheeler

Non-nominal systems: Opportunity, Suit 10

Notes on non-nominal systems: Opportunity brakes do not work, Suit 10 is not charging, Suit 5 helmet is coming apart

Generator: run

Hours run: 11h 40m

From what time last night: 1900

To what time this morning: 0740

List any additional daytime hours when the generator was run: N/A

Solar— SOC % (Before generator is run at night): 94%

Diesel Reading – 65%

Station Propane Reading – 83%

Ethanol Free Gasoline: N/A

Water (loft tank): 47 gallons

Water Meter: 1455453 units

Water (static tank): 246 gallons

Static to Loft Pump used – yes

Water in Green Hab: 225 gallons

Water in Science Dome: 0 gallons

Toilet tank emptied: no

Deimos rover used: not at hab

Hours: –

Beginning charge: –

Ending charge: –

Currently charging: –

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR

Hours: –

Beginning charge: –

Ending charge: –

Currently charging: –

Spirit rover used: no

Hours: (before EVA): 107.0

Beginning charge: (Before EVA): 100%

Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging): 100%

Currently charging: yes

Opportunity rover used: no

Hours: 65.5

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Curiosity rover used: no

Hours: 113.4

Beginning charge: (Before EVA) : 100%

Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before charging): 100%

Currently charging: yes

Notes on rovers: no

ATV’s Used: (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3): no

Reason for use: N/A

Oil Added? no

ATV Fuel Used: 0 Gals

# Hours the ATVs were used today: 0

Notes on ATVs: Assigned to the director

HabCar used and why, where? N/A

CrewCar used and why, where? N/A

General notes and comments: N/A

Summary of internet: Functional

Summary of suits and radios: 4 radios not functional, Suit 10 not charging, need 6 extra batteries, Suit 5 helmet is coming apart

Summary of Hab operations: All systems nominal

Summary of GreenHab operations: Watering and fertilization of the soil commenced and 14 plants were planted.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: All systems nominal.

Summary of RAM operations: Not used

Summary of any observatory issues: N/A

Summary of health and safety issues: All crew healthy

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: Still need batteries for 6 radios, suit 5 helmet needs minor fix.

Journalist Report Nov 3rd

Journalist Report Nov 3

Journalist: Sandy Dance

Crew 214 Sol 7 Journalist Report

by Sandy Dance

Today is our well earned day off, so I was determined to have a good sleep in. However, I slept until the window became light, check the time, and lo, its still before 7am, our usual wakeup time. I had forgotten about last night being the end of daylight saving time, so I got my extra hours sleep, and stayed on time!

So really, not much to say about today. We took things easy, lazed around, washed ourselves, our clothes, the floor (sound a bit workaholic here!). But its interesting how therapeutic an unstructured day is, running at a different pace. Moreover, the hab is a benign space, easy to let time slip by within, especially with the staterooms providing personal space.

Tomorrow we are back into the fray, with a long EVA scheduled for the micrometeorite experiment. And now we have only 5 full days left, so we will have to schedule our activities carefully to use them well.

Science Report Nov 3rd

Crew 214 Science Report 3 November 2019

SOL: 7

Crew 214 – Expedition Boomerang Crew

Submitted by Science Officer Andrew Wheeler

Science Operations: No activity during programmed day off other than the closed loop food waste study, where daily tallies continued and end-of-rotation preparations commenced.

Closed Loop Food Waste Study: The day’s waste for Sol 7 is: 45 grams; consisting of 164 calories, 5g fat, 4g saturated fat, 159mg sodium, 21g carbohydrates, 2g fibre, 1g sugar, 24g protein.

Additional Activities: Nil.

Operations Report – November 2nd

Crew 214 Operations Report 02-11-2019

SOL: 6

Name of person filing report: David Mateus

Non-nominal systems: Opportunity, suit 10

Notes on non-nominal systems: Oppy brakes do not work, Suit 10 is not charging

Generator: run

Hours run: 14:30

From what time last night: 18:30

To what time this morning: 09:00

List any additional daytime hours when the generator was run: none

Solar— SOC % (Before generator is run at night): 91%

Diesel Reading –70%

Station Propane Reading – 83 %

Ethanol Free Gasoline – N/A

Water (loft tank): 50 gallons

Water Meter: 1455280 units

Water (static tank) – 263 gallons

Static to Loft Pump used – Yes

Water in GreenHab – 150 gallons

Water in ScienceDome: 0 gallons

Toilet tank emptied: no

Deimos rover used: It is not in the hab

Hours: –

Beginning charge: –

Ending charge: –

Currently charging: No

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR

Hours: –

Beginning charge: –

Ending charge: –

Currently charging: –

Spirit rover used: No

Hours: (before EVA): 106.6 h

Beginning charge: (Before EVA): 100%

Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging):100%

Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: No

Hours: 65.5 h

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: Yes

Hours: 113,4

Beginning charge: (Before EVA): 100%

Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging):65%

Currently charging: Yes

Notes on rovers: No

ATV’s Used: (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3) No

Reason for use: None

Oil Added? No

ATV Fuel Used: 0 Gals

# Hours the ATVs were Used today: 0

Notes on ATVs: Assigned to the director

HabCar used and why, where? Used by assistant directors to go to town

CrewCar used and why, where? No used

General notes and comments: None

Summary of internet: functional

Summary of suits and radios: Helmet 5 needs minor fix.

Summary of Hab operations: All systems are nominal

Summary of GreenHab operations: No used

Summary of ScienceDome operations: All systems are nominal

Summary of RAM operations: No used

Summary of any observatory issues: No used

Summary of health and safety issues: All the crew are healthy

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:

EVA Report – November 2nd

Crew 214 EVA Report 02-11-2019
EVA # 6
Author: Andrew Wheeler
Purpose of EVA: Geological Sampling
Start time: 1400
End time: 1600
Narrative: The fourth EVA for science saw us returning to the Tank Wash location #2 at 518477E 4253767N where we continued sampling the 1m x 1m plots) for micrometeorites. The success of the magnet in attracting particles from the surface is both encouraging and satisfying. In the time allotted, 10 samples were collected.
On the return to the hab, a revisit to the line of sight from the Cactus Road #1 location at 519570E 4251974N allowed the next crew member to operate the heliograph. This was successfully accomplished and observed and recorded at the hab.
Destination: Drove from the hab along Cow Dung Road to Tank Wash and then returned to Galileo Road and the junction it has with Cactus Road.
Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 518477E 4253767N
Participants: Andrew Wheeler, Guy Murphy
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road to Tank Wash
Mode of travel: Curiosity Rover

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