Crew 272 Sol Summary Report 09-01-2023
Sol: 8
Summary Title: Rendezvous with the Kissing Camel Ridge
Author’s name: Kshitij Mall
Mission Status: All nominal
Sol Activity Summary: After getting well rested and watching one-third of the Bollywood movie Lakshya (Objective), the crew woke up early to see a beautiful Martian sunrise. HSO Megan led the morning exercise session today for warming up the crew. The Mission Support approved of the EVA for the sol, so the crew was excited to explore another side of Mars: Kissing Camel Ridge. After a delicious Choco-chip pancake breakfast prepared by Crew Journalist Kenneth assisted by me, the crew was briefed on the EVA for the sol. The mission was simple yet important for the Crew Geologist Adriana to study paleo currents in the Martian world. Adriana was supported in this EVA by me, Crew Engineer Mason, and Kenneth. Mason and I also planned to use this EVA to scout sites at the Kissing Camel Ridge area where a Search and Rescue (SAR) operations can be safely and easily conducted. After being helped onsite by Hab crew comprising the Greenhab Officer Madelyn, XO Arly, and Megan. Oppy and Curie were our rovers for the beautiful expedition to the Kissing Camel Ridge.
Upon reaching the Kissing Camel Ridge, Adriana noted some sites for her research to be done in her upcoming EVAs. Mason and I conducted two brief scouting missions using Garud the drone, on the East side of the Kissing Camel Ridge, to identify areas of interest for Adriana and to also look for safe and simple locations to do a simple SAR activity in the upcoming EVA. Along with Kenneth, Mason and I were also asked some simple questions regarding geological activity around the west side of the Kissing Camel Ridge. Our answers as a non-geologist did satisfy the expert geologist on our crew. Adriana and the remaining crew also collected a lot of rock samples to bring back to the Hab. We return 30 minutes prior to our requested EVA return time. A big shoutout to the Mission Support for getting the crew new radio headsets shipped to us by interplanetary cargo ship.
After returning from the EVA, everyone had lunch and filled in the personal survey and completed the perception tests requested by Arly. The EVA crew also completed an additional survey requested by Arly pertaining to human performance during an EVA. Madelyn also tested the shelf-life and welting of the samples. Madelyn was kind to the team by getting some green beans and preparing Dill garlic bread for the crew. PIMA, our 3D printer, had a hiccup printing a big rock hammer for our future expedition. Megan is relooking in the 3D printing setup and got a rock hammer already ready for field testing. Adriana and I also shared with the crew about all the upcoming planned EVAs and took everyone’s opinions to finalize the remaining mission plan. Tomorrow, we plan to conduct our first SAR operation and run a comparison between the effectivity of humans vs. drones for such SAR operations. The dinner for tonight is mostly the leftovers and a pot of ramen prepared by Kenneth and assisted by Megan. Mason and I are also troubleshooting one-piece suit #7 tonight. We plan to get a good night rest and have a successful SAR activity tomorrow.
Look Ahead Plan: Conduct first simple Search and Rescue activity comprising human vs. drones south of Kissing Camel Ridge
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Overcast, 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: None