Month: April 2022

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EVA Report – April 29th

Crew 265 EVA Report 29-04-2022

EVA # 5

Author: Levesque

Purpose of EVA: Communications testing and road condition evaluation.

Start time: 0930

End time: 1345

Narrative: The EVA team drove along Cow Dung Road testing radio communications along the way using the project radios via the repeater on North Ridge and a simplex MDRS channel. Upon parking the rovers at the entrance to the dinosaur quarry, the team proceeded on foot down into Lith Canyon. During their trek along the canyon floor and its south rim, several communication checks were made with the Hab to test the project repeater and the MDRS radio channel. Radio contacts continued on the project radios via the repeater, but none were achieved on the simplex MDRS channel because of the terrain. It wasn’t until the team reached a high point on the south rim that contact was re-established on the MDRS channel, where line of sight communications could be obtained. After completing the testing, the team returned to the rovers and traveled back to the Hab. About a mile from the Hab, the Opportunity rover overheated and had to stop for 10 minutes before proceeding. It did so again just short of its parking space in front of the station and had to be pushed to its recharge station.

Destination: Lith Canyon

Coordinates: UTM NAD27 CONUS 0518270 4256052

EVA Participants: Levesque, Iakymov, Blanco

Road(s) and Routes per MDRS map: Cow Dung Road to Quarry Road and return.

Mode of Travel: Opportunity and Perseverance and on foot.

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Operations Report – April 29th

Crew 265 Operations Report Sol 5 29-04-2022

SOL: 5

Name of person filing report: Dave Laude/Sergii Iakymov

Non-nominal systems: Furnace. Room#2 door knob. Percy’s left rear tail light is non-functional, but the brake light is working. Upper deck clock hour hand offset and one can be confused on the hour reading.

Notes on non-nominal systems: Furnace is functional and we remain cautious over limiting to early morning only. Infrequently used now. Door knob feels like it’s about to fail. Clock hour hand has been adjusted.

ROVERS

Spirit rover used: No

Hours: 176.2

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 100

Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: Yes

Hours: 96.1

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 69

Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: No

Hours: 187.3

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 100

Currently charging: Yes

Perseverance rover used: Yes

Hours: 238.0

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 59

Currently charging: Yes

General notes and comments: Oppy overheated about 1.5Km north of MDRS on return EVA leg. A 10 minute cool down allowed it to reach within 50m of its parking place before overheating again.

Summary of Hab operations:

WATER USE:

Water (static tank): Not full. ~342 gallons.

Water (loft tank): 55 gallons

Water Meter: 158169.2 units

Static to Loft Pump used – Yes

Static tank pipe heater (on or off): Off

Static tank heater (On or off): Off

Toilet tank emptied: Yes

Summary of internet: Nominal

Summary of suits and radios: Batteries charging. Six radio batteries have now been tested. Three are very good, one fair and the others only about 60% of full new capacity (still usable, but could deplete on long EVAs). It may be that some failed suit batteries that are accumulating are a result of over-discharge that could ruin standard SLA batteries. This could happen if the suit hasn’t been charged then used or the fan is not turned off upon returning from EVA. It might be helpful if the charger doesn’t get switched off from the battery when the fan is running. The charger could then supply the current needed to run the fan. There is a class of batteries called "deep discharge" that could better handle over-discharge if that is happening.

Summary of GreenHab operations: NA

WATERUSE: N/A

Heater: N/A

Supplemental light: N/A

Harvest: None

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Not used.

Dual split: Heat or AC, On or Off

Summary of RAM operations: None

Summary of any observatory issues: NA

Summary of health and safety issues: Per HSO report all crew members are feeling good and can participate in EVA.

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: n/a

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Journalist Report – April 29th

Sol: 05
Summary Title: Sweet Emotions
Author: Sarah Treadwell, Crew Journalist

Today is Sol 05 here at the Mars Desert Research Station. It was another day with an EVA consisting of Commander Marc, Mapping Tech Benny, and Engineer Sergii. This was one of the longer and further tests of the new radio system thus far, and we are pleased to report that it is working in even the most challenging of areas.

With challenges comes rewards and for our EVA team today they certainly had that. To say the views they were treated to were stunning may be an understatement. The landscape here is dramatic and the emotions and reactions the crew returned with was that of awe and gratitude. Upon return, commander Marc removed his helmet and reported that he now could die a happy man.

Back at the station, the rest of us took turns operating as Capcom and preparing lunch. We also watched the maps and tracked the direction our EVA crew was heading. Mapping tech Isai flexed his culinary skills and made tortillas from scratch for lunch, which we made into chicken quesadillas. Needless to say, now no one is very hungry for dinner.

I’m noticing that this time is causing many of us to have time to reflect on where we currently are in our lives professionally, and where we would like to direct that going forward. It’s a familiar feeling for me and I often find that experiences like this give me some breathing room to process a wide range of ideas and emotions.

This experience has certainly for me highlighted how spotlight our emotions can be here as there is no place to completely bury them. We are all surrounded by people whom we haven’t ever met in person before arriving. Personally, I started this mission with some pretty low moments and now came back up with some pretty high moments. It’s unusual to have so much vulnerability without much rapport, which really is a challenge that really any randomly selected collaborative group must overcome.

Humans are undeniably sloppy, emotional, and prone to making mistakes. But we are also cognitive, intelligent, and inquisitive. All the puzzle pieces that make us who we are don’t have to be perfect. We simply must strive to do our best, help others, and enjoy our brief blip of moment of being alive.

“The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”

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Supplemental Operations Report – April 27th

Supplemental Operations Report 27 April 2022

Name of person filing report: Shannon Rupert

Reason for Report: Routine

Non-nominal systems: HabCar rear window fell out. The hinges broke and no one reported it.

Action taken for non-nominal systems: I removed the window completely. It will need new hinges to remount the window.

Generator: Still being manually run at night

ScienceDome Dual Split: Off

Solar—Charge controllers off at night

Solar— Nominal

Notes on power system: Nothing to report

Propane Reading, station tank – 75 %

Propane Reading, director tank— 82 %

Propane Reading, intern tank— 70 %

Propane Reading, generator—82 %

Ethanol Free Gasoline – 0 gallons.

Water (Outpost tank) – 500 gallons

Sojourner rover used: yes

Hours: 168.8

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 88, now 100

Currently charging: yes

Notes on rovers: Nothing to report

ATV’s Used: (Honda, 350.1, 350.2, 300): none

Reason for use: n/a

Oil Added? No.

ATV Fuel Used: 0 gallons

# Hours the ATVs were Used: 0 hours

Notes on ATVs: Nothing to report

HabCar used and why, where? Yes, to town for garbage and water. I was extremely disappointed to discover that the rear window hinges had broken and no one told me. I saw that it was broken but had no idea as to when so I drove with it broken and the window fell out. It did not break as it was being held in place by one of the side rods. I was able to get it inside and drove back to the station and popped the other rod out with a crowbar. I will need to order new hinges and then the window can be remounted, but until then the back window will be missing. I stored it in the RAM.

CrewCar used and why, where? The noise I was hearing from the front of the car continues as well as the occasional loss of power steering. I ordered power steering fluid, even though when I had the car serviced they reported all fluids nominal. I’ll see if that helps, if not we will need to take it in to see what is wrong either during the Work Party this spring or next fall.

Luna used and why, where? Yes, to town, but now parked until I can look at the tire pressure.

Campus-wide inspection, if action taken, what and why? Nothing to report

General notes and comments: Nothing to report

Summary of general operations: Nothing to report

Summary of internet: Nothing to report

Summary of suits and radios: Nothing to report

Summary of Hab operations: Nothing to report

Summary of Outpost operations: I opened the box with the new pump to find it was a resold return. Since you can use a submersible pump in all kinds of water, I did not open it up but rather opted to return it. I can’t risk contamination of our drinking water again. This means that I still don’t have a way to get water out of the storage tank and so made an emergency trip to town for water I could pump into my trailer from the HabCar tank. I ordered another pump.

I removed the fence on the east side of the yard so that the propane truck can make it. Propane was delivered today and now that I know how much space he will need, I will rebuild the fence. This will also allow us to park a vehicle closer to the trailer, which will be helpful at times.

Summary of GreenHab operations: Nothing to report

Summary of ScienceDome 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

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Operations Report – April 27th

Crew 265 Operations Report Sol 3 27-04-2022

SOL:3

Name of person filing report: Dave Laude/Sergii Iakymov

Non-nominal systems: Furnace, Suit #8. Percy’s left rear tail light is non-functional, but the brake light is working.

Notes on non-nominal systems: Furnace is functional and we remain cautious over limiting to early morning only. Infrequently used now. Suit #8 has blown a fuse during our mission while on the table.

ROVERS
Spirit rover used: Yes

Hours: 174.3
Beginning charge: 100
Ending charge: 100!
Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: No
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:

Curiosity rover used: No
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:

Perseverance rover used: Yes
Hours: 236.5
Beginning charge: 100
Ending charge: 89
Currently charging: Yes

General notes and comments:

Summary of Hab operations:

WATER USE:
Water (static tank): Not full. ~410 gallons.
Water (loft tank): 30 gallons
Water Meter: 158117.6 units

Static to Loft Pump used – Yes
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): Off
Static tank heater (On or off): Off
Toilet tank emptied: Yes

Summary of internet: Nominal

Summary of suits and radios: Batteries charging.
Suite #8 has been repaired (blown fuse has been replaced; loose wires soldered and isolated with electrical tape ). Additionally, we discovered a loose charging port in the same suite. After some adjustments and repairs the suit is functional again. The receiving connectors on the suit were slightly expanded open by repetitive insertions and removals of the charger plug making the charging dependent upon adjusting the plug to just the correct position for proper contact. Now just plug in and charge without fussing with it, for now. There are two other one-piece suits that require attention that we plan to get at soon.

Summary of GreenHab operations: NA

WATER USE: gallons

Heater: On or Off

Supplemental light: On or Off

Harvest:

Summary of ScienceDome operations: NA

Dual split: Heat or AC, On or Off

Summary of RAM operations: Used soldering iron, solder and tape to repair suit #8.

Summary of any observatory issues: NA

Summary of health and safety issues: Per HSO report one person is prohibited from EVA due to high blood pressure and another is being monitored for bp and heart rate a few times a day.

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: (note trash pickup)

Getting hot in hab upper deck. What is the status of the swamp cooler water supply and any idea how much water it could consume?

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EVA Report – April 27th

Crew 265 EVA Report 27Apr2022

EVA # 3

Author: Levesque

Purpose of EVA: Conduct communications testing to the south of the Hab.

Start time: 0930
End time: 1145

Narrative: The team proceeded south from the Hab on Spirit and Perseverance to Kissing Camel Ridge, where it conducted its first radio check. From there, the crew split into two teams on foot, with two members proceeding on the south side of the West Ridge, and two headings on the south side of the East Ridge. While on foot, the teams conducted radio checks on both the repeater frequency and on a Hab frequency to test the ability of both to contact the Hab. GPS locations of these checks were captured by the HabCom in a log for later mapping. Both teams then returned to their rovers and continued south to Zubrin’s Head as the final check of the communications test before returning to the Hab.

Destination: Kissing Camel Ridge East and West and Zubrin’s Head

Coordinates: UTM NAD27 CONUS 0518292 4249252 (Kissing Camel Ridge); 519533 4248058 (Zubrin’s Head)

Participants: Levesque, Laude, Blanco, Licea

Road(s) and Routes per MDRS map: Cow Dung Road and return

Mode of Travel: Spirit and Perseverance and on foot

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Sol Summary – April 27th

Crew 265 Sol Summary Report 27Apr2022

Sol: 3

Summary Title: All projects underway

Author’s Name: Marc Levesque, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Crew 265 commenced all of its major projects today. Communications testing was conducted to the south of the Hab via Rovers and on foot at Kissing Camel Ridge East and West and Zubrin’s Head. The mapping project compiled the results of its datum check at The Peanut and submitted the results to the Station Director. The Smart Home optimization project installed devices and set up a Smart Home Server. The Social Media project started videotaping interviews with some crew members. Additionally, GIS training was provided to the mapping technicians, and battery analyzing was continued by the Crew Engineers.

Look Ahead Plan: One EVA is planned for tomorrow to continue communications testing and road condition mapping. Energy monitoring, crew interviews, and battery analysis will also continue.

Anomalies in work: None

Crew Physical Status: Good.

EVA: EVA# 3 was accomplished.

Reports to be filed:

Sol Summary
Operations Report
HSO Report
Crew Journalist
EVA Request
EVA Reports
Pictures and Picture of the Day

Support Requested: None

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Journalist Report – April 27th

Crew 265 Journalist Report, April 27, 2022

Sol: 03

Summary Title: Breaking Bread.

Author: Sarah Treadwell, Crew Journalist

It is Sol 3 here at the Mars Desert Research Station. The days seem to pass slowly, yet quickly in a paradoxical way. Today’s day was filled with a lot of work on projects, largely independent of each other. The balance of personalities of our crew continues to compliment each other; with punctuated moments of interaction and stretches of solitude.

After reviewing maps for strategic areas to venture to, the day started with an EVA continuing to test different distance points for the new radio system. I acted again as Capcom, which is a role I enjoy filling. This likely comes as no surprise to those who know me, as I love to talk. During this time, Engineer Sergii worked on his project, which was installing smart lights within the habitat.

I began conducting interviews with my fellow crewmates in the beautiful science dome. I am by nature a people person and I’m always interested in hearing others’ stories. What I love about being a science communicator is connecting an audience to the minds behind the science. Though we are not a scientific-based mission, there are humans behind the work being done here and I’m inspired to see what motivates this crew.

Commander Marc seems pleased with the progress being made on the radio project and continues to map out future locations for testing. The EVA crew arrived back at the hab today just in time for lunch and for high winds to move in. As we settle into the evening, the wind continues to howl outside the habitat, reminding us what a sanctuary we get to share here to keep us safe from the elements.

Tonight, we made our most complex meal so far: Spaghetti with a meat and veggie sauce sided with homemade garlic bread and brownies for dessert. There was much excitement to gather together and share this meal, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all and accompanied by robust conversations.

It made me reflect on this time-honored tradition; the gathering together around food. Historically, on Earth, the hearth has long been the central point for human activity. According to archeologists, the oldest one ever discovered dates back to 300,000 years ago. Hearths haven’t merely served as a point for cooking food: it has been a place for humans to come together and share stories, past history, and impart wisdom. This is a place where thoughts and ideas are stirred together, while also fulfilling the biological needs of nourishment and warmth.

Today, though we may be explorers in the cosmic ocean, we are not that different from the humans who crossed the oceans to explore the Earth before us. Whether we gather around an ancient hearth, or at a table inside a Mars habitat, it will always be our shared humanity that connects us, no matter where we may roam.

“Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars.” – Carl Sagan

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