Journalist Report 15-11-2023 Crew 286 by Liz Cole
SOL: 3
Morning:
The bacterial growth experiment started in the science lab early in the morning.
Over the crew’s morning meeting, we reviewed yesterday’s activities, stated what we wished to accomplish today, and began planning the day’s activities.
Following breakfast we reviewed videos on the EVA communications protocol. The crew members who have knowledge of and working experience with radio communications protocols such as are used in military, fire, aviation and law enforcement gave a thorough review to the rest of the crew, including points on vocabulary and proper operational behavior for radio communications in the field.
Afternoon:
After lunch the crew divided into two teams and enacted different scenarios of issues that EVA crews might encounter in the field. Taking positions in the science dome and the observatory, crew members alternated positions as EVA team members, EVA leaders, CapCom, and Missions Support, and improvised scenarios over live radio that demonstrated appropriate radio communication protocols for nominal circumstances and problem scenarios. These exercises prioritized clear communication and brevity. Overall the crew enjoyed engaging in these exercises and concluded them with enhanced knowledge of proper communication protocols.
Evening:
Our crew scientist successfully took his first bacterial samples from the bag photobioreactors where the purple bacteria are being grown. More hydrogen gas was produced from the water electrolysis system the crew scientist set up, which will be used as an electron source for the growth of the bacteria. The photobioreactors are an exciting proof of concept of the possibility of mass-production of space food in altered gravity, as well as in terrestrial applications.
We then planned EVAs for the next day, and continued work on our projects to be attempted and completed during the rest of the mission. We also discussed how to receive video from the planned Starship launch later in the week.