EVA Report – March 4th

Crew 263 EVA Report 04-03-2022

EVA # 15

Author: Marine Prunier

Purpose of EVA: Atmospheric Experiment Battery Change and Augmented Reality application testing with a HoloLens device.

Start time: 8:56

End time: 9:35

Narrative: EVA Participants entered the airlock at 8:56 Depressurization ended at 9:01 and the participants exited the airlock.

The EVA participants arrived at the Atmospheric Experiment location at 09:08. The 3 batteries were replaced. Marine changed the LOAC battery and Cerise changed the Purple Air Battery and Mega-Ares batteries. Mathéo took back the stored data from the two last days of MegaAres. They returned to the Hab at 9:18.

Then the AR mapping of the station started. Following the same route taken in previous EVAs, the first waypoint was successfully placed on the RAM. The pictures were successfully taken as well by Marine Prunier the astronaut wearing the HoloLens. The following waypoints were placed in the Hab, GreenHab, Science Dome and Solar Observatory. The pictures were successfully taken at every point.

Once the waypoints had been placed, the second tour of the station began. The visible waypoints were reported back to HabCom and will be analyzed.

The astronauts entered the airlock at 9:35 and pressurization began. At 9:40 they entered the Hab.

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 4250750 N, 518250 E

Participants: Cerise Cuny, Mathéo Fouchet and Marine Prunier. Nicolas Wattelle as HabCom.

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: NaN

Mode of travel: Foot

Vehicles used (If applicable): NaN

Operations Report – March 4th

Crew 263 Operations Report 04-03-2022

SOL: 11

Name of person filing report: Mathéo Fouchet

Non-nominal systems: Nothing to report

Notes on non-nominal systems: Nothing to report

ROVERS

Spirit rover used: No

Hours: 157.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: No

Hours: 169.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: No

Hours: 85.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

Perseverance rover used: No

Hours: 228.1

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

General notes and comments: Nothing to report

Summary of Hab operations:

WATER USE: 19 gallons

Water (static tank): 321 gallons

Water (loft tank): 36 gallons

Water Meter: 01562564 units

Static to Loft Pump used: Yes

Static tank pipe heater: On

Static tank heater: On

Toilet tank emptied: No

Notes: I had to change the light bulb in the rear airlock using spare ones I found in the lower deck in the Hab.

Summary of internet: Today, we received the Starlink antenna as another source of Wifi so that we can test it

Summary of suits and radios: Nothing to report

Summary of GreenHab operations: Nothing to report

Summary of ScienceDome operations:

Dual split: Off

SOC: 70% at 5:30pm, it was a cloudy day thus we tried to use the electricity only for necessary devices

Summary of RAM operations: Nothing to report

Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing to report

Summary of health and safety issues: See HSO Report

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: I changed the air filter in the RAM when our Crew arrived in the station 2 weeks ago and I think it is now time to change it but I don’t have any filters left in the RAM, would it be possible to have supplemental ones please?

Journalist Report – March 4th

Sol 11 – . – – . – – . – – . . . . . – !

Author: Nicolas Wattelle

Translate: « We made it! ». We made contact with the other Martian base (radio club in Toulouse, France)! In fact, we heard their signals but we are not sure if we were heard… The Sun has been nice to us for some days, and has charged the ionosphere enough to allow propagation!

The established protocol uses 3 modes of modulation (ways to transform our wave to send a message with it) with names that might scare some of you: FT8, CW and SSB. Here again, translate “digital mode” (only decodable with a computer), “MORSE mode”, and “voice mode”. On paper, we maximise our chances to make contact with the first one but we cannot send much information in each message, and the last one is the most uncertain but really facilitates communication. We tried two ranges of frequencies, around 21MHz and 28MHz. We don’t really know why, but today the MORSE mode has been the most efficient one, and the only one to work, and we finally heard something! Valentine and I were very excited while discovering our callsigns (KK7DAC and KK7DAE, lovely) followed by the REF 31 radio club one (F5KSE) in a message received near 9:17 am. Listen: 3 weeks ago, we took almost 13 hours travelling to MDRS from France, and now, at the speed of light, our waves took about a hundredth of a second to do the same course and deliver a message (without any intermediate, no satellite, no internet, no wire…). It is nice to see that the physics we learnt at school works effectively, in a big scale personal experiment! We hope to have the same (or even more) luck next Thursday, when we will try the contact for a last time, always using Zenith Antennes and ICOM devices.

In our propagation study we saw a very good one this morning, but the wind that appeared around noon significantly moved our antennas, and now we need to correctly set them again during an EVA… The weather cannot always be by our side…

On this subject, because of the rain probability, we could not do the geology EVA that was planned this morning. So, our day has had to be reorganised. Some of us took some rest, because here, we all have some moments of tiredness these days. Mathéo and Cerise decided to make cookies for the whole crew, which put us in a very good mood! Pictures to follow…

Yesterday, just when I finished my report, we had a strange exercise. Valentine set an emergency protocol exercise, inside the Hab. The situation was: there is a hole in the module, air is leaking out, the pressure is going low. How to react? We followed a protocol made by a middle school class in Toulouse, with which we have collaborated some months ago. No need to worry, it went (quite) well. We need to admit that during the first minute we were disorganised, but we managed to apply the protocol in time, and everyone was safe at the end. It was very interesting!

Sol Summary – March 4th

Crew 263 Sol Summary 04-03-2022

Sol: 11

Summary Title: HF Contact with Toulouse

Author’s name: Cerise Cuny

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: This morning Nicolas and Valentine successfully contacted Toulouse (that was simulating another Mars station). Even if they were the only ones working on the experiment, we were all absolutely ecstatic!

One of the crew members was feeling weak this morning (see HSO report). It may only be the result of consecutive bad nights of sleep.

Globally, the crew is getting a little bit more tired and tense compared to the previous weeks. Cohesion is still very good though. Mathéo and I baked cookies, it lifted the spirits up.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Rain in the morning, violent gusts of wind.

Crew Physical Status: Good.

EVA: EVA 15, nominal.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Request (n°16), EVA Report (n°15), Operations Report, Journalist Report, HSO Report.

Support Requested: No support requested.

Crew 263 Sol Summary 03Mar2022

[title Sol Summary – March 3th]

[category sol-summary]
Crew 263 Sol Summary 03-03-2022

Sol: 10

Summary Title: Depressurisation in the Hab

Author’s name: Cerise Cuny

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: This morning Léa leaded the second EVA for the LIBS experiment. This time, the team had a lot more time than two days ago and was able to reach its goals in the area of Stream bed connector. They were very aware of the constraint of the Martian conditions, carrying the EVA suits was very tiresome and painful for the shoulders. Without the suits, there is no doubt they would have been able to do more, and that is exactly why it is interesting to try out the LIBS in those SIM conditions.

For lunch, the only non-French crew member Elena did an absolutely delicious tortilla, bringing Spain on Mars. She cooked for an hour and it was absolutely worth it. She had help from Nicolas and Mathéo to flip the very heavy frying pan: it is a three people’s job.

In the afternoon, in addition to undertaking Human Factors experiments, preparing EVA Requests, writing various reports, some of us went through old pictures: a nostalgic moment, missing our families. In the end of the day, we simulated a depressurisation in the Hab and followed an emergency protocol written by children of underprivileged backgrounds of Toulouse, France. Upon our return to France, we will give them feedback, underlining which parts where relevant and explaining why some others were not. By engaging with these children we hope to inspire the next generation of Space engineers and show them the educational path to reach their dreams.

Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow, if the weather and the roads condition allow it, the EVA team will try to reach Candor Chasma to study another area of interest for its primary sulfate deposits. Valentine and Nicolas will try reaching Toulouse with the HF antenna in the morning. We hope this time if will be successful.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: A few clouds, no wind.

Crew Physical Status: Good.

EVA: EVA 14, nominal.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Request (n°15), EVA Report (n°14), Operations Report, Journalist Report, HSO Report.

Support Requested: We would be very grateful for clean kitchen cloths. Unfortunately we didn’t think to bring any laundry detergent ; if some is provided, we can hand wash them. We found two kitchen cloths tied up in a cupboard, we don’t know if they are clean or not. Astronomy Wifi: our astronomer is wondering if last evening’s requested support on the Astronomer Wifi went through or not.

EVA Report – March 3th

Crew 263 EVA 14 Report 03-03-2022

EVA # 14

Author: Léa Rouverand

Purpose of EVA: Replacing the batteries for the atmospheric experiments, Analysis of geology transition zones using a handheld LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) analyzer.

Start time: 09:00

End time: 11:27

Narrative: EVA Participants entered the airlock at 09:02. Depressurization ended at 09:07. EVA participants checked the rover batteries. The obtained information is:

Perseverance: Usage Duration – 228.1 Battery Charge – 100%

Spirit: Usage Duration – 157.2 Battery Charge – 100%

Opportunity: Usage Duration – 85.1 Battery Charge – 100%

Curiosity: Usage Duration – 169.1 Battery Charge – 100%

The EVA participants took Opportunity and Curiosity at 09:11 and drove on Entrance Road until Cow Dung Road. Batteries of the Atmospheric Experiments -LOAC, Mega-Ares, Purple Air- were replaced. The old batteries were placed on the rover trunks (09:17).

The participants drove on Cow Dung Road until Marble Ritual, as the road was muddy, the participants they stopped and parked the rovers along Cow Dung Road at 09:19. The EVA participant walked on Cow Dung Road until the junction with Stream Bed Connector (09:40).
They walked on Stream Bed Connector and reached two points of interest at 10:00 (the two points of interest were located at 519704E 4251292N and 519574E 4251279N).

The EVA participants stayed about an hour in this area, they proceeded on sketches, pictures and taking LIBS measurements. A drone was launched to take pictures of the study outcrops and to identify the entrance to Candor Chasma (area of interest for future geology studies).

At 11:00, the participants left the points of interest. At 11:21 they reached the rovers parked on Cow Dung Road

At 11:25, the participants arrived at the Hab:

Opportunity: Usage Duration – 85.2 Battery Charge – 97%

Curiosity: Usage Duration – 169.2 Battery Charge – 97%

They entered Airlock and at 11:27, the pressurization was over at 11:32.

Destination: Zone F -final point of interest reached located on the Stream Bed Connector road at 519704E 4251292N

Participants: Léa Rouverand (EVA leader), Nicolas Wattelle, Mathéo Fouchet, Valentine Bourgois. HabCom was Cerise Cuny.

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Entrance Road, Cow Dung Road

Mode of travel: Rover on Entrance Road and Cow Dung Road till Marble ritual, foot on Cow Dung Road and on Stream Bed Connector.

Crew 263 Journalist Report 03Mar2022

[title Journalist Report – March 3th]

[category journalist-report]


Sol 10 – On the field

Author: Nicolas WATTELLE

I had the chance to be part of today’s EVA, and it was deeply interesting living it from the inside. Actually, it might be one of the first thing human would do on Mars: deepen the knowledge of Martian geology, to go further than the work current rovers are doing. Of course, they are efficient and provide a great analysis, but a human action would very probably be more precise and more efficient. Firstly, because you are not constrained by the remote control of a device millions of miles away… And in such a specific field as geology, one of the greatest advantages of being a human in flesh on Mars is the ability to adapt, and see what machines can not see. This experiment is thus focused on the operational aspect of conducting such a study in a hazardous context like the EVA one.

Léa was leading the operations, Mathéo, Valentine and I were here in support and sometimes operator. We headed to Stream Bed Connector (a little further than the first geology session). Marine and Léa had chosen this place to record data on a geological era transition, between two times named Cretacean and Jurassic. Here we are in the middle of a tectonic plate, which means that the transition is well conserved, and so is easily observable: a perfect terrain for training! There are many analysable outcrops here, on their bottom we can find the oldest layers, on their top the earliest ones.

And what strikes me the most was the almost constantly questioning that had ben running in the crew made of 4 martionauts. Should we go there? Should we go that far? Should we take altitude to have a greater view on the outcrop, despite the fact that our suits make our moves sometimes uncertain and energetically costly? Should we take that risk to provide a potential “ground-breaking” data?

This is where simulation is teaching us many things, and very useful for the future aerospace engineer we might become. The first rule here, is always to place SAFETY before science, before comfort, before anything else… Be aware: we are on Mars and a tiny deviance on Earth may be a huge problem here! And after more than a week journey in the MDRS I can assure you that we learned many things, and our precautions before leaving the airlock have been multiplicated since the moment we entered. As an example, one of our nightmares is the loss of communication. Several times, we had to shorten EVAs because of a headset that slightly moved out of our ear and complicated the communication: grey tape has become our best friend. On the field, precautions are pervasive even if it creates frustration for some of us (I acknowledge being part of these ones), but this is the game, you have to play by the rules! We are on Mars, try to survive before playing space cadets!

Each time we come back in the airlock, no matter if the EVA went well or not, we have new ideas to facilitate the next outing, and this is why I like it, why we are here.

For the rest of the day, the crew was mainly focused on human factor experiments. It is not always a pleasure, but we keep up doing it!

Operations Report – March 4th

Crew 263 Operations Report 03-03-2022

SOL: 10

Name of person filing report: Mathéo Fouchet

Non-nominal systems: Nothing to report

Notes on non-nominal systems: Nothing to report

ROVERS

Spirit rover used: No

Hours: 157.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: Yes

Hours: 169.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 97%

Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: Yes

Hours: 85.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 97%

Currently charging: Yes

Perseverance rover used: No

Hours: 228.8

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

General notes and comments: Nothing to report

Summary of Hab operations:

WATER USE: 21 gallons

Water (static tank): 340 gallons

Water (loft tank): 34 gallons

Water Meter: 01562353 units

Static to Loft Pump used: Yes

Static tank pipe heater: On

Static tank heater: On

Toilet tank emptied: No

Summary of internet: Nothing to report

Summary of suits and radios: I am currently trying to troubleshoot what could probably go wrong with the suit #10 battery thanks to Scott and Shannon’s advice. After charging the battery using the alligator charger, the battery voltage went to 13.6V but I can clearly see the voltage dropping down at a rate of approximately 0.01V per second.

Summary of GreenHab operations: Nothing to report

Summary of ScienceDome operations:

Dual split: Off

SOC: 100% at 5:55pm

Summary of RAM operations: Nothing to report

Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing to report

Summary of health and safety issues: See HSO Report

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: Nothing to report

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