Crew 272 Sol Summary Report 06-01-2023
Sol: 5
Summary Title: First Taste of Chasma
Author’s name: Kshitij Mall
Mission Status: All nominal
SolActivitySummary:The crew woke up after having seemingly delicious Black Magic birthsol cake from the previous night. The HSO, Megan, and I conducted a brief warmup exercise session to physically get ready for the EVA. The breakfast of the day, Egg Quiche, was prepared by our XO Arly assisted by Crew Engineer Mason. The EVA preparation commenced after a quick briefing session to let each member know the objectives and responsibilities of EVA for the sol. Crew Geologist Adriana, Crew Engineer Mason and Crew Journalist Kenneth joined me for this Martian voyage. The crew headed to commence the EVA in the front air lock, but soon after I had some finicky comms issue where the crew could barely hear me out. The Mission Support immediately came to rescue me out of the LOS situation. Shannon from Mission Support advised to recheck the audio jack connections and that actually resolved my comms issue.
For the EVA, checkpoints were defined and the two EVA subteam marked these checkpoints off. Also, the crew went super slow to test the batteries on the Martian rovers. Opportunity rover that I was driving performed the best while Spirit rover was not far off. We have significant SOC savings by gong very slowly. However, we noticed that the rovers consume more charge while going toward Gateway to Candor than while coming back. The comms issue resurrected when I parked Opportunity at the intersection of Cow Dung Road and the Gateway to Candor, but it got resolved over time without any major issue. My Crew then had a small hike to the BTS at the boiler ledge (next to the Galileo Road on the map) to turn on Transmitter #2 that we placed in EVA 3. I then requested Habcom to turn on transmitter #1. The Yagi Uda antenna receiver system was then tested at the boiler ledge near the BTS. In the meanwhile, Adriana (Rocky) hammered down some rocks and collected some samples. When everything appeared nominal the crew went back to the rovers and got the drone. Another spot was chosen for testing the Yagi-Uda antenna system and success was reported but only after hiking to a higher elevation spot to the right of the gateway to candor. This proved that the receiving system works only when transmitters are in line of sight. On the side, Garud the drone was in action and took some amazing video shots of Candor Chasma for scouting purposes. The range of the drone significantly increased today when it was flown at 400 ft (121.92 m). The range increased from around a 100 ft (333.33 m) to around 2600 ft (792.5 m). We eventually reached the Candor Chasma area where Adriana tested the geological abilities of Kenneth by asking him questions regarding the geological processes around that area. The EVA turned out to be a success as all the objectives were met.
This became personally my toughest EVA, even more so than the Yagi Uda antenna-based EVA that I did with my previous crew commander, Max Fagin, when my suit started fogging after the air vent and cooling unit in my suit started having issues and eventually stopped. My precious experience with suits without any air venting system came handy today. I was happy that I was still able to get everything done in time. The air venting system on my suit was nominal until I was driving the Opportunity rover. Mason and I will be checking it and will report Mission Support about our findings. The EVA crew quickly debriefed the EVA to Arly upon return. As if the EVA was not enough, the EVA crew was then summoned by Arly to complete her daily personal survey and cognitive performance tests. The EVA did impact the performance of the EVA crew, but personally I scored high on many of those tests due to post-EVA adrenaline that made me quite awake and attentive. The Greenhab officer, Madelyn reported to me and Mason about an anomaly at the Greenhab. The cooling system became non-nominal and the temperature of the Greenhab rose to 90 degrees Fahrenheits (32.2 degrees Celsius). Mission Support told us not to worry about it as it was a very sunny day and the temperature rise was boind to happen. A minor issue with the 3D printer was also fixed by Megan while the EVA crew was out. The crew’s water saving abilities and strategies led to a record low usage of only 13 gallons. I have awarded the crew their first quick shower as a reward for this record. During the evening, I gave a Bollywood 101 quick course to the remaining crew who heard/saw some of the Bollywood dance songs from India. Kenneth has been practicing some Bollywood dance steps too in his free time to destress. The dinner tonight will be on me and Adriana, as again, as if the EVA was not enough for the two of us. But we both happen to be the major foodies on this crew. So, the crew will be having some Japanese delicacies including ramen and miso soup. I stole some recipes from my wife from Japan, Sawako, and that is going to save the sol for the crew, at least for tonight. Quiet hours will kick in from 10 PM, but some crew members have been quietly playing Space Chess and solving crossword puzzles.
Look Ahead Plan: Venture further into the Candor Chasma to document Trough Crossbedding
Anomalies in work: None
Weather:Very foggy in the morning but very sunny during EVAs, winds calm
Crew Physical Status: Good
EVA: One
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Journalist Report, EVA Report, EVA Request, Greenhab Report.
Support Requested:We wanted to know if there is a possibility of having resources shipped to us during the rotation
Thanks
Kshitij