Crew 272 EVA Report 04-01-2023
EVA # 3
Author: Arly Black
Purpose of EVA: 1) Placement of the MicroFox 15 transmitter for the radio navigation system and drone scouting of Candor Chasma near Compass Rock (20 minutes) 2) Stratigraphy of Candor Chasma to begin interpreting depositional environments and gypsum sample collection for GreenHab experiments (2 hrs)
Start time: 1056
End time: 1340
Narrative: The EVA got off to a late start because of an issue with Adriana’s comms system which needed to be swapped out for another and troubleshooting of the GPS device. After a 25-minute delay (Madelyn wishes it to be noted that SHE was ready on time!) the intrepid explorers exited the airlock and began their journey… or tried to. Curiosity wouldn’t move – who knew that could happen when it was still plugged in?! Once that was resolved by the very complicated act of pulling out the charging cord, finally they were actually on their way down scenic Cow Dung Road. The snafus continued, however, as the crew soon found themselves lost on the ol Cow Dung. They missed their turn and had to backtrack 0.25 miles to Galileo Road. Their navigation was aided by an alien ship sighting near the destination of interest. About 0.25 miles down Galileo Road, Perseverance hit 60% charge, and while Curiosity was only at 66%, all four explorers parked their vehicles and continued the rest of the way on foot to a ledge that provided a good view of both Compass Rock and the Hab, where Kshitij began to test his transmitter system, known as the Boiler Transmission Station (BTS), as well as the transmitter left in the Hab. The transmitters were set to frequencies of 147 and 146 MHz, respectively. He was able to detect a loud tone from both transmitters using his Yagi-UDA antenna. The full plan was to drive to Candor Chasma and navigate back to BTS, but due to the poor SOC of the vehicles, this aspect of the EVA was unobtainable.
Simultaneously, the drone was tested by Mason. He flew it towards Candor Chasma but had connection issues while flying low to look for areas of interest, and the drone kept trying to return on its own. He will need to check the long-range beacon and try to set up the analog controller which should boost the range compared with using a phone. Mason was able, however, to get a cool orbital video of the EVA crew with the drone. At the ledge, Adriana helped Madelyn collect two containers of sand for her Mars regolith experiments. Although no gypsum was found, the mainly quartz sand and clay should be useful for her research.
Then everyone returned to the rovers, dropped of the drone and sandy samples, and continued along Galileo on foot until they reached the Compass Rock formation. There they found some good powdery sulfates to mix in with the sandy sample (useful as sulfates have been detected on Mars). Adriana collected some samples of petrified wood, sandstone, and some other unidentified minerals. She looked for paleo flow indicators but couldn’t find much evidence of ancient river systems. However, she saw evidence of modern fluvial processes, which could be useful for giving an indication of the ancient processes. The others had fun climbing the Rock! The crew decided not to go to Candor Chasma due to time and vehicle constraints. They returned to the rovers, got back on Cow Dung Road, and headed back to the Hab. On the way back, the EVA crew performed a rover speed test to see what led to increased battery drainage – turns out going slow is better for conservation of battery life. They additionally timed all walks throughout the expedition to make sure they could accurately budget how long they could stay in the field and marked the waypoints of BTS and Madelyn’s samples. They wish it to be noted that the entire EVA they thought and acted like true Martians!
Destination: Ledge near Galileo Road and Compass Rock
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N519750, E4251500 (Boiler Ledge – self-named), N520000, E4252000 (Compass Rock)
Participants: Adriana Brown (Crew Geologist), Madelyn Whitaker (GreenHab Officer), Mason Kuhn (Crew Engineer), Kshitij Mall (Crew Commander)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drove northeast on Cow Dung Road 0.25 miles past Galileo Road 1104. Backtracked to Galileo Road 1104 and followed road for 0.25 miles. Walked on foot along Galileo Road 1104 to N519750, E4251500. Returned to rovers, then walked back along Galileo Road 1104 to Compass Rock N520000, E4242000. Returned to vehicles, drove back to Cow Dung Road and then returned to Hab.
Mode of travel: Driving and walking