Sol Summary – April 26th

Crew 265 Sol Summary Report 04/26/22
Sol: 2
Summary Title: First full Sol on Mars
Author’s Name: Marc Levesque, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Crew 265 began its first full day on Mars with a full course of project activities during two EVAs. During the morning, the crew set up a radio repeater on North Ridge to begin testing its capabilities for the communications project. The climb up North Ridge was steep in sections, but the team was able to reach the site despite carrying several pieces of heavy equipment.

The entire EVA took only two hours to accomplish the task, well under the amount of time planned. The repeater was then operational for the afternoon EVA that tested radio communications with the Hab to the east in Candor Chasma. Prior to that, the EVA team also ascended The Peanut to conduct a mapping project objective to determine mapping datum accuracy. Despite some issues with the project radios, results so far from using the repeater are encouraging.

Look Ahead Plan: One EVA is planned for tomorrow to test the radio repeater at Kissing Camel Ridge and Zubrin’s Head. The Smart Home energy project will also commence at the Hab, while the Social Media project will continue there as well.

Anomalies in work: None

Crew Physical Status: Good.

EVA: None

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

Journalist Report – April 26th

Crew 265 Journalist Report, April 26, 2022

Sol: 02

Summary Title: A Walk to Remember.

Author: Sarah Treadwell, Crew Journalist

After another restless night’s sleep for this crew journalist, I awoke to the comforting smell of coffee brewing and the bustling of my fellow crew members preparing their breakfasts.

The day was off to a strong start, as our Commander Marc, Engineer Sergii, and Mapping Technicians Benny and Isai were scheduled for the very first EVA. This one was an important one, as they planned to hike to a nearby ridge to set up a new radio transmitter. This is a crucial first stage in our overall mission, which is to improve the communications systems for the station.

The energy was high as they left, with myself and Executive Officer Dave staying behind to act as CapCom (or as we call it, HabCom). However, upon return, the look of pure exhaustion was evident on their faces. Shortly after removing his helmet, Commander Marc exclaimed, “That was one of the hardest EVAs I’ve ever been on.”

The climb, while also carrying equipment, was strenuous and pushed all involved to their limits. The question soon became, was this first EVA worth the effort? Will the new transmitter access radio dead zones that the previous system has not? This question was soon to be answered with EVA number 2, consisting of myself, Executive Office Dave, and a, fairly exhausted, but still willing to go Engineer Sergii.

After we traveled around to different distant points, it seems clear that there is much promise for this new system, but some hiccups to work out. I personally enjoyed seeing the various rock formations and obvious evidence of water erosion in the canyon we walked around in. Further fine-tuning and testing of the radios will continue through the duration of the mission.

As we returned to the station and gathered back together for dinner, subtle reminders of home permeated our conversation. Some of us are still working on degrees and have studies to attend to and we talked about recent exams. We pondered how our choices have led us down paths we never expected while wondering how different our lives could have been having we picked a different route.

It’s a funny thing, wondering how much of our fates really are in our control. I have found that opportunities sometimes come when you least expect them and that other thing slips past us for the best. Our time here together at MDRS will certainly be a moment stamped in time. Hopefully, that will be a memorable part in the stories of our lives that we write.

“We as humans evolved as creatures who could learn to adapt to any situation, no matter how harsh. We will meet many setbacks on the way to Mars. However, we can persevere.” – Alex Mather, winner of the Name the Robot Essay contest to name the Mars 2020 Rover (Perseverance).

Operations Report – April 26th

Crew 265 Operations Report Sol 2 26-04-2022

SOL:2

Name of person filing report: Dave Laude/Sergii Iakymov

Non-nominal systems: Furnace, suit #8

Notes on non-nominal systems: Furnace is functional and we remain cautious over its limiting to early morning only. The suit has blown a fuse during our mission while on the table.

ROVERS

Spirit rover used: Yes

Hours: 173.6

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 86%

Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: No

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: No

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging: Yes

Perseverance rover used: Yes

Hours: 235.7

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 68

Currently charging: Yes

General notes and comments:
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE:

Water (static tank): Not full. ~445 gallons.

Water (loft tank): 25 gallons

Water Meter: 158080.8units
Static to Loft Pump used – No

Static tank pipe heater (on or off): Off

Static tank heater (On or off): Off

Toilet tank emptied: No
Summary of internet: Nominal

Summary of suits and radios: Batteries charging.

Suite #8 has a blown fuse and loose wires. One of the suit chargers has a loose wire as well. Both will be repaired, but the source of the blown fuse is a mystery at the moment. We have a bag of spares.

Two suit batteries labeled as bad were tested and had low capacity at 2.5-3.5 A-hr. Two unlabeled and non-boxed batteries were tested at 2.9-4.7 A-hr. There are more unlabeled that I assume are deficient and not planning to test, but can test them if needed. I am now testing a boxed and apparently new battery.

EVA Report – April 26th

Crew 265 EVA Report 04/26/22

EVA # 1

Author: Levesque

Purpose of EVA: To set up a radio repeater on North Ridge.

Start time: 0830
End time: 1030

Narrative: The team proceeded on foot to the base of the North Ridge, where it began a steep climb to attain the ridge. Despite the steepness in a couple of sections and the heavy equipment, the team made good time. At the deployment site, the crew then set up the mast, antenna, and repeater before checking and securing all components. A final check was made to ensure the repeater was working before returning to the Hab.

Destination: North Ridge
Coordinates: UTM NAD27 CONUS 0518428 4251615
Participants: Levesque, Iakymov, Blanco, and Licea
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: North from the Hab
Mode of travel: On foot

EVA Report – April 26th

Crew 265 EVA Report 26-04-2022

EVA # 2

Author: Laude

Purpose of EVA: To capture comparison coordinates, check road conditions, and test repeater operation.

Start time: 13:30

End time: 17:05

Narrative: We had a timely start and made some comm checks along the way to The Peanut. The Peanut is actually a ridge about 8M in height, 20M in-depth, and 100M in width and somewhat resembling a peanut on its side. Coordinates were recorded in 3 systems of coordinates for later comparison. We then returned to the rovers and drove to where Lowell Rd 1104 should intercept Galileo Rd 1104 and stopped. Galileo road conditions were mostly smooth with a few rougher spots requiring a crawl.

Laude walked the area to find the best access to Lowell Rd as there has been little traffic to make a noticeable trail at that point. Finding a probable route, we drove to what was obviously Lowell Rd and went some 2KM all the while logging GPS coordinates. Lowell road conditions were similar to Galileo’s except narrower.

A semi-skilled or better rover driver would be able to drive these roads. At that point, Percy (one passenger) was down to 74% SOC while Spirit (two) was 94% and so we doubled back to find easy access into Candor Chasm on foot. We entered the Chasm and traveled ~1.5KM testing radio comms and logging data as we went. There were blocks of conglomerate rock composed of pebbles and coarse sand particles indicating water flow in the distant past. Also, the stratigraphy of the walls indicated water flow. No other signs of liquid water were apparent. After completion, we traveled back to the hab. The EVA was completely successful and rewarding.

Destination: The Peanut and Candor Chasm

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): UTM NAD27 CONUS 0519598 4252491 (The Peanut); 0520347 4251078 (Candor Chasm entrance)

Participants: EVA Commander Laude, Iakymov, Treadwell

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road to Galileo Road to Lowell Road if accessible and return

Mode of travel: Spirit and Perseverance and on foot

Journalist Report – April 26th

Crew 265 Journalist Report, April 26, 2022

Sol: 02

Summary Title: A Walk to Remember.

Author: Sarah Treadwell, Crew Journalist

After another restless night’s sleep for this crew journalist, I awoke to the comforting smell of coffee brewing and the bustling of my fellow crew members preparing their breakfasts.

The day was off to a strong start, as our Commander Marc, Engineer Sergii, and Mapping Technicians Benny and Isai were scheduled for the very first EVA. This one was an important one, as they planned to hike to a nearby ridge to set up a new radio transmitter. This is a crucial first stage in our overall mission, which is to improve the communications systems for the station.

The energy was high as they left, with myself and Executive Officer Dave staying behind to act as CapCom (or as we call it, HabCom). However, upon return, the look of pure exhaustion was evident on their faces. Shortly after removing his helmet, Commander Marc exclaimed, “That was one of the hardest EVAs I’ve ever been on.”

The climb, while also carrying equipment, was strenuous and pushed all involved to their limits. The question soon became, was this first EVA worth the effort? Will the new transmitter access radio dead zones that the previous system has? This question was soon to be answered with EVA number 2, consisting of myself, Executive Office Dave, and a, fairly exhausted, but still willing to go Engineer Sergii.

After we traveled around to different distant points, it seems clear that there is much promise for this new system, but some hiccups to work out. I personally enjoyed seeing the various rock formations and obvious evidence of water erosion in the canyon we walked around in. Further fine-tuning and testing of the radios will continue through the duration of the mission.

As we returned to the station and gathered back together for dinner, subtle reminders of home permeated our conversation. Some of us are still working on degrees and have studies to attend to and we talked about recent exams. We pondered how our choices have led us down paths we never expected while wondering how different our lives could have been had we picked a different route.

It’s a funny thing, wondering how much of our fates really are in our control. I have found that opportunities sometimes come when you least expect it and that other things slip past us for the best. Our time here together at MDRS will certainly be a moment stamped in time. Hopefully, that will be a memorable part of the stories of our lives that we write.

“We as humans evolved as creatures who could learn to adapt to any situation, no matter how harsh. We will meet many setbacks on the way to Mars. However, we can persevere.” – Alex Mather, winner of the Name the Robot Essay contest to name the Mars 2020 Rover (Perseverance).

Operations Report – April 25th

Crew 265 Operations Report Sol 1 25-04-2022

SOL: 1

Name of person filing report: Dave Laude/Sergii Iakymov

Non-nominal systems: Furnace. Curiosity Rover.

Notes on non-nominal systems: Furnace this morning worked properly. The stuck electrical contact seems to have come unstuck on the pressure sensor for now.

Curiosity rover ended with 90% charge after a short drive while others for the same drive were 96-98%. Started at 100%. Driver insisted the data is correct.

ROVERS

Spirit rover used: Yes

Hours: 173.1

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 98

Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: Yes

Hours: Not recorded

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 96

Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: Yes

Hours: 186.0

Beginning charge: 100

Ending charge: 90

Currently charging: Yes

Perseverance rover used: No

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging:

General notes and comments:

Summary of Hab operations: Trained crew on EVA suits, radios and rovers then sim began at noon. Some food supplies were absent. Requested more.

WATER USE:

Water (static tank): Not full. ~445 gallons.

Water (loft tank): 55 gallons

Water Meter: 01580472 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. Test of EVA suits (1-6, 8, 9) battery capacity by running fans for 3 hour 40 minutes has shown all to be in good condition by dropping in open circuit voltage to 12.58-12.93V. The remaining two one-piece suits were not on charge when we arrived and have battery voltages ~3V. Will investigate soon.

Summary of GreenHab operations: Not used, nothing to report

WATER USE: N/A

Heater: OFF

Supplemental light: OFF

Harvest: N/A

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Not used, nothing to report

Dual split: Heat or AC, Off

Summary of RAM operations: Tools used for furnace work. DMMs used for battery checks.

Summary of any observatory issues: Won’t be using, nothing to report

Summary of health and safety issues: See HSO Report

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: one bag of burnable is ready for pick up in the engineering airlock.

Water (static tank): Not full. ~435 gallons.

Mission Plan – April 25th

Crew 265 – Mars Society

Crew Commander/Cartographer: Marc Levesque (United States)

Executive Officer/Crew Engineer: David Laude (United States)

Crew Engineer/Health and Safety Officer: Sergii Iakymov (Ukraine)

Crew Journalist: Sarah Treadwell (United States)

Mapping Technician: Benino Blanco (Mexico)

Mapping Technician: Isai Licea (United States)

MDRS Crew 265 is a diverse group of individuals selected from individual applications. Two members (Levesque and Laude) have been part of previous missions at MDRS, while all others will be at MDRS for the first time. The mission’s primary objectives will be to improve operations and media awareness of MDRS. Projects will include testing a new radio communications system, updating the EVA planning map, tracking energy consumption, testing station device batteries, and increasing social media presence. The crew’s daily priority will be to maintain all MDRS facilities, vehicles, and equipment in a safe and operable condition.

Below is a detailed summary of planned projects during the mission.

Radio Communications Project

Marc Levesque

The Mars Desert Research Station is situated in a secluded area surrounded by low hills. Radio communications between the Hab and EVA teams use small handheld radios on a UHF frequency of the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) band. These handheld radios are limited to five watts of power and rely upon line-of-sight communications. Previous MDRS crews have noted communications issues between the Hab and EVA teams, however. Of significance is the loss of communications between the Hab and EVA teams when the latter have traveled into areas beyond hills that block transmissions and reception, a common issue with UHF frequencies and line-of-sight communications in such terrain.

This problem has been noted by Station Support personnel and other crews. In 2016 Bernard Dubb offered solutions to improve communications at MDRS using a more powerful radio system retaining the handheld GRMS radios but adding a more powerful base station radio inside the Hab with an outside antenna. An alternative solution was the installation of a small repeater system away from the Hab.

During MDRS 216, the crew identified a location through geospatial analysis for the installation of a small radio repeater to potentially extend the range of communications between the Hab and EVA teams. This location on North Ridge was reached on foot during an EVA to determine the feasibility for the installation of a temporary repeater at that site, as well as for any maintenance required during its period of operation.

During MDRS 265, a small repeater will be installed on the North Ridge. It will operate in cross-band mode that allows a UHF signal to be re-transmitted to a VHF signal and vice versa. This will permit the Hab to transmit line-of-sight to the repeater on the currently-used GMRS UHF channel. EVA teams will then use dual-band VHF/UHF handheld radios programmed to transmit to the repeater using a VHF frequency licensed to Western New Mexico University. Because these project radios will transmit on a VHF frequency to a repeater located on a high point, it is expected that EVA teams will be able to travel much farther while still remaining in radio communication with the Hab.

The project radios will include the currently-used GRMS UHF channel, providing the ability to talk directly with the Hab, rather than through the repeater if necessary. These radios will also use longer antennas than the current MDRS radios and can transmit up to five watts.

During MDRS 265, EVA teams will travel to sites normally visited by EVA teams and beyond. Teams will carry an existing MDRS radio and a project radio to test the signal strength and voice clarity of each with a Hab communications operator. These indices and location coordinates will be noted on a project map to capture the difference in communication between the two radios. The intent is to determine the value of a new communications system using a VHF frequency for enhancing crew safety during EVAs.

EVA Planning Map

Marc Levesque, Benino Blanco, and Isai Licea

Prior to entering sim, the crew cartographer and mapping technicians will meet with the Station Director to review and assess needed changes to the current EVA Planning Map. During sim, the mapping cadre and other crew members will then conduct several EVAs to collect or ground truth via GPS various features, points of interest, road conditions, and other desired changes to provide the needed edits and additions. This work will build upon the GIS files developed by Henrik Hargitai and others from 2006 to 2016 to create the current EVA map. To leverage time in the field, the mapping project EVAs will run concurrently with the radio communications EVAs that will capture radio signal strength and clarity. After a review of the collected data by the Station Director, a map will be generated post-mission and submitted for approval and final printing.

Smart Home Technologies for an Analog Mars Habitat

Sergii Iakymov

Space exploration is hard on systems, and all manned spacecraft are automated. Automated technologies do most of the routine procedures on their own and only notify crew and ground control if something is wrong. No doubt future habitats on Mars will be very smart to free up time for the crew to do research. Analog astronauts at MDRS also require extra time for research. That time can be gained by implementing Smart Home technologies that will take over some routine procedures.

The project goal is to implement Smart Home technologies during an analog simulation at MDRS. We will study how automated technologies can improve daily life at the station, how much time it will free for the crew, and how it will help ground control to collect data from the station.

For this engineering research, currently available Smart Home devices will be used. Main points of this approach include:

1) Analog simulation at MDRS is relatively short, up to two weeks. Therefore, simplified setup procedures are necessary.

2) The approach will not interfere with station construction.

3) In case of a malfunction, any device will be easily replaced from inventory.

4) There is no need to design new devices.

5) Minimizing system development time by using existing free tutorials.

6) Research will show how this system will improve analog simulation.

7) Using plug-and-play devices where possible.

8) In some cases, where plug-and-play devices cannot be used, permission to wire into the power circuit will be obtained.

The type of Smart Home devices to be used include a Raspberry Pi server, control terminal, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, air pressure sensors, door sensors, smart plugs, smart light control, and remote controls.

The proposed engineering research will have two main phases:

1) The first phase will observe daily crew routine and how different electrical equipment is being utilized. Every day meetings will be conducted to survey crew requirements for the Smart Home system. At the same time, a Smart Home server and environmental sensors will be installed and configured.

2) The second phase will install Smart Home technologies based upon crew recommendations. After installation, crew training will be conducted, and the devices turned on. During phase two, all systems will be monitored daily, and crew feedback logged.

At the end of the project, all Smart Home devices will be unplugged and collected. Later, a project report will be submitted to the Station Director.

Battery Testing

Dave Laude

The many portable devices at MDRS use batteries, all with finite life and various ages, resulting in some device failures for nearly every crew. For this project a battery analyzer will be used to test all suspected failed EVA suit and all operating radio batteries. All batteries installed in EVA suits will be tested in parallel by charging to full and then running the fans continuously, checking battery voltage at time intervals for up to four hours. Following the tests, labels will be attached to each radio battery and suspect EVA suit battery indicating a test serial number, date of test, battery capacity, and “good”, “fair” or “failed”. All results will be sent to mission support.

Social Media Presence

Sarah Treadwell

This project will document the MDRS experience in a journalistic style, conducting interviews and issuing daily reports. Of particular interest will be to look at the human condition, examining the mentalities and psyches throughout the course of the crew’s mission. The project will utilize modern social media methods to share the experience for promotional purposes and to educate the public via YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others. A connection to Blue Marble Space platforms will also help promote coverage of the experience and connection between the organizations. Permission to be interviewed and filmed will be obtained from each crew member prior to project commencement.

Submitted by:

Marc Levesque

Crew 265 Commander

Sol Summary – April 25th

Crew 265 Sol Summary Report 04/25/22

Sol: 1

Summary Title: Starting Sim

Author’s Name: Marc Levesque, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Crew 265 met with Station Director Rupert this morning to review the mapping project and its objectives. Chief among these will be to collect new feature points and determine the condition of roads used for EVAs. This information will be used to update the current EVA planning map at MDRS. The crew then completed their training on handheld radios, EVA suits, and Rovers before starting sim at 1200. The afternoon was spent conducting battery checks on the EVA backpacks and preparing the equipment for the radio communications project.

Look Ahead Plan: Two EVAs are planned for tomorrow. The first will set up the radio repeater on North Ridge in the morning to begin the communications project. The afternoon EVA will undertake a mapping project objective at The Peanut and then start communications testing and road mapping from there to the Candor Chasm.

Anomalies in work: None

Crew Physical Status: Good.

EVA: None

Reports to be filed:

Sol Summary

Operations Report

HSO Report

Crew Journalist

EVA Requests

Pictures with Picture of the Day

Support Requested: Large quantity of white flour (Previous crew did not accurately record its quantity in their concluding food inventory.)

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