Sol: 5
Summary Title: Exploring the Unexplored
Author’s name: Jin Sia
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary:
Jin prepared a breakfast of omelettes loaded with vegetables and
cheese with a side of sauteed potato slices. Then, it was time for
Dave and Inga to begin preparing for their EVA.
Today at 0900, Dave and Inga departed on Crew 228’s first exploration
EVA. They drove south in the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers to
explore the dried-out river delta located to the west of Robert’s Rock
Garden, which is underexplored, by recommendation of Dr. Rupert. They
planned an ambitious EVA; they aimed to find interesting sites for
future exploration, test the digital elevation model of the area,
record material for outreach, study group interaction, test a
makeshift suit sunshade, and most importantly, retrieve vital granola
supplies from Dave’s personal supply spacecraft. While they were
unable to scale the escarpment, several valuable lessons were learned
about EVA protocol and about the difficulty of the local landscape.
After they returned from their EVA at 1300 with the all-important
granola, the crew had leftovers for a late lunch. Lindsay conducted
mid-term check-ins with each of the crew to see how the mission was
going for them. Jin began putting together some health and safety
recommendations in preparation for the end of the simulation.
Then, Lindsay began work on her genomic analysis of the samples
collected from the Jotunheim structure on Sol 4, although she had to
do so without a micro-centrifuge due to a missing power cable. Dave
the Wizard and Jin brainstormed alternate ways to power the
centrifuge. Inga prepared tomato soup for dinner with pasta, chicken,
and leftover vegetables.
Overall, it was a busy and productive day for Crew 228.
Look Ahead Plan:
Lindsay will continue her work analyzing the Jotunheim samples. Jin
will continue refining his GIS map and virtually scouting out future
EVA targets. Inga will film outreach videos for the Lithuanian media.
Dave will assist Inga and set aside some time for a crew discussion
about how Martian society would be different from the one they left
behind on Earth. Jin and Dave, together, will also do operational
checks on all the radios to identify and isolate defective units and
batteries.
Anomalies in work: None to report.
Weather: Hot and sunny, with a high of 85 F during the EVA.
Crew Physical Status: All crew nominal.
EVA: EVA #4, conducted by Dave and Inga, to the dried-up river delta.
Reports to be filed: EVA #4 report, science report, journalist report,
operations report, photo report
Support Requested: None.