SOL 23: The rover has landed
04:17 PM: This morning was a bit different from the others. We struggled to create the map of Kissing Camel Ridge yesterday, despite the 800 photos that Somaya had taken. The schedule was rearranged at the last minute because Robin and Quentin were unable to study the 2D map last night. Everyone was also very tired, so this morning, the crew woke up a bit later than usual, and Robin and Quentin studied the map during the 45 minutes preceding their EVA. They then left with Célyan, who was in charge of observing their performance, and Somaya, who took more drone photos of the area. EVAs with four crew members are rare, and the HAB was quite calm in the morning. Meddi and Erin took advantage of this to plan the organization of our bags to lose as little time as possible on the last day of the mission when we will leave.
At the end of their exit, the EVA crew members returned to the base to take out the rover from SUPAEROMOON, which was ready for this moment. The ISAE-SUPAERO club could not provide us with a robotic arm for the rover, so we won’t be able to test it fully, but this mechanism leaves a perfectly adapted space for… Didier, our mascot!
After taking refuge in the station and taking a well-deserved break, Quentin went to the observatory. I then heard from my room a message coming from the mission support walkie-talkie. It informs us that one of our rovers, which we use to move during EVAs, is no longer operational for the rest of the mission. This rover was really useful as its battery allowed us to reach distant regions of the station, like the Sea of Shells area. Fortunately, this week, we will stay in spaces near the base, and the remaining three rovers will be more than enough. Suddenly, Quentin also called the HAB from a walkie-talkie and informed us that the tunnels are being damaged again. Meddi and Robin went to rescue our movement spaces to prevent their condition from deteriorating, which would cause another emergency EVA rather unwelcome at this busy time.