[category astronomy-report]
Astronomy Report
Name: Léa BOURGELY
Crew: 293
Date: 03/02/2024
MLC-RCOS16
Robotic Telescope Requested: MLC-RCOS16
Objects to be Imaged this Evening: NGC2268 and NGC2525
Images submitted with this report: Example of wrongly stacked NGC2525
Additional Notes:
I tried to process the images but it seems like there are calibration issues with the star tracking : I am not able to stack them with the WCS. I sent an e-mail to ask Peter about it.
Crew 293 Operations Report 02-03-2024
SOL: 13
Name of person filing report: Leo Tokaryev
Non-nominal systems: the tunnel leading to science dome
Notes on non-nominal systems: there’s a hole in the tarp and the metal grid is also damaged, all because of the wind. We’ll try to figure out a solution once there’s less wind. For the moment it is too dangerous to go to the science dome or try to fix the grid.
ROVERS
Spirit rover used:no
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Opportunity rover used:no
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Curiosity rover used: Yes
Hours: 269.6
Beginning charge:100
Ending charge:76
Currently charging:yes
Perseverance rover used: yes
Hours:284.7
Beginning charge:75
Ending charge:55
Currently charging:yes
General notes on rovers:
Summary of Hab operations: put notes here
WATER USE: 18.7 gallons
Water (static tank): 301.8 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off):On
Static tank heater (On or off)On
Toilet tank emptied: yes
Summary of internet: none
Summary of suits and radios:
Summary of GreenHab operations: put notes here
WATER USE: 8 gallons
Heater: On
Supplemental light: 22h-2h automatic
Harvest: none
Summary of ScienceDome operations: none
Dual split: Heat or AC, On
Summary of RAM operations: none
Summary of any observatory issues: none
Summary of health and safety issues: none
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: apart from the front door of the hab and the tunnel that were damaged, the station seems sensitive to the wind but for the moment everything works fine.
Crew 293 GreenHab Report 05-03-2024
GreenHab Officer: Mathurin FRANCK
Environmental control: (heater, fan, door open?) Heater/fan turning on automatically
Average temperatures: between 70°F- 90°F
Hours of supplemental light: 10pm-2am
Daily water usage for crops: 6G (but 4G before tank resupply)
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: None
Water in Blue Tank (200 gallon capacity): 198 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops: 10:00am 7:00pm
Changes to crops:
None
Narrative: /
Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams): None
Support/supplies needed: /
Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 05-03-2024
Sol: 16
Summary Title: Sometimes you need to know how to start again…
Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary:
Today, the Crew Scientist and GreenHab Officer, responsible for the photogrammetry study, realized that the map generated yesterday was not of sufficient quality to help the EVA teams locate the checkpoints. Rescheduling a photogrammetry EVA to Candor Chasma was no easy task, but in the end, we managed to rearrange everything in a way that would not impact our other studies too much.
As a result, this was a relatively quiet afternoon. The photogrammetry team developed a new strategy for tomorrow’s backup EVA, while the rest of the crew concentrated on keeping the station and experiments up and running.
Look Ahead Plan:
We are planning to perform a second photogrammetry EVA at Candor Chasma to map the area on Sol 17, and to reschedule the two follow up EVAs to Sol 19 and Sol 20.
Anomalies in work: EVA Suits 3,4,5,7,9, Solar Observatory offline
Weather: Mostly cloudy, low 0°C, high 15°C
Crew Physical Status: Nominal
EVA: NA
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Request
Support Requested: NA
[category astronomy-report]
Astronomy Report
Name: Léa BOURGELY
Crew: 293
Date: 03/05/2024
MLC-RCOS16
Robotic Telescope Requested: MLC-RCOS16
Objects to be Imaged this Evening: NGC3597, NGC1952, Orion Nebula
Images submitted with this report: M42
Additional Notes:
First try in processing, I am not sure that the colors are right, and it is a bit blurry.
Crew 293 EVA Report 02Mar2024
EVA #010
Author: Erin Pougheon (Leader)
Purpose of EVA: Changing batteries of the atmospheric instruments and protecting them from the wind
Start time: 7:58
End time: 09:23
Narrative: The goal for this EVA was to change batteries of the atmospheric instruments near Marble Ritual. We had difficulties retrieving some data from the instruments but in the end, we succeeded. We turned off LOAC to bring it back to the station due to the weather. We turned off and protected the field mill with protective foams. The wind started to blow hard when we decided to go back to the station because our goals were achieved.
07:53 Beginning pressurization
07:58 End pressurization
Perseverance: 284.7h, 75%
Curiosity: 269.6h, 100%
08:00 Rovers loaded
08:03 Leaving campus
08:05 Arriving on site
08:07 Beginning data retrieval
08:11 LOAC data and LOAC itself retrieved
08:15 Issues with Mega Ares not recognizing USB
08:21 Turning Mega Ares ON/OFF: no result
08:30 Retrieving Windmill data
08:36 Windmill data dumped, safely turned off
08:40 Protecting the instruments
08:43 Changing the batteries
08:44 Mega Ares working again
08:45 Retrieving data, second try
08:46 Data dump is working
08:47 Protecting the instrument
09:01 Mega Ares data successfully downloaded and measuring again
09:12 Rovers loaded
09:14 Leaving site
09:17 Back on campus
Perseverance: 55%
Curiosity: 76%
09:18 Pressurization starting
09:23 Everyone is back safely. End of EVA
Destination: Between Marble ritual and the HAB
Coordinates (use UTM WSG 84): 518500,4251000
Participants: Erin Pougheon (EVA leader), Marie Delaroche, Lise Lefauconnier
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road, North direction
Modes of travel: Curiosity Rover and Perseverance Rover and walking
Additional notes: None
SOL 13: Winds in the East, Mist coming in
“So, once again, the world had demonstrated its many languages: the desert only moments ago had been endless and free, and now it was an impenetrable wall.” – The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
When we woke up, the Crew heard loud wind gusts against the Hab’s walls. But we were not surprised: we were advised yesterday that today’s weather wouldn’t be nice. This is why we rescheduled the EVA to the morning, even though it was initially planned for the afternoon. Originally, this EVA was designed to be an easy EVA, just to change batteries of the atmospheric instruments. But, with the wind speed and the rain announced, we had no other choice than to retrieve some instruments in the station, and protect others from the wind. LOAC was loaded in the back of Curiosity rover, brought back to the station, and the Field Mill packed with foams and duct tape in case the mast tips over and breaks because of the wind gusts. We heard the wind blowing harder and harder throughout the day, and we were glad to know the atmospheric instruments were safe.
Winds didn’t stop blowing all day, wind gusts even blew open and nearly broke our principal airlock’s door. Once the problem was solved, winds damaged a part of the connecting tunnels which enable us to go from one module to another. We evacuated the Science Dome right before the tunnels became dangerous to move through, and decided to close it off for the time being. While the Crew was working in the Hab in the afternoon, we were glad to be comfortable inside the station, instead of outside on an EVA as initially planned!
We had some other little issues during the morning, especially with the experiments led by high school students. The plants we were growing with them were nearly dead… But we found solutions to still have data for this experiment! Léa also tried all morning to fix the 3D printer, which could be useful for plenty of applications. She has been working on it for various Sols, dealing with each problem, one after the other. Today, she found some solutions, but she thinks it will be complicated to make it work…
For lunch, we wanted to innovate for our dehydrated meals by cooking a quiche, with homemade dough. We were afraid to leave the table still hungry, so we made a large quantity of it. A very large quantity! We were unable to finish it entirely, and nobody felt hungry all afternoon!
Just before the meal, Leo showed us the mid-rotation video, which he finished editing earlier. We were all very happy to see a summary of the first half of our mission. Indeed, today, Sol 13, marks the halfway point of our mission on Mars! We can say that this mid-mission Sol was memorable and quite eventful for the Crew!
[category science-report]
Crew 293 Mid Rotation Science Report 02Mar2024
Name of person filing report: Yves Bejach
Crew293 has been in the MDRS for two weeks now, conducting experiments while simulating life on Mars. We have done everything we could to make this simulation as accurate and relevant as possible. The current report aims to give the reader an understanding of what has been achieved and what is yet to come.
This report is organized as follows:
– Overview of all the experiments conducted during our mission, as found in the Mission Plan sent on Sol1, reminded here for clarity, and updated with the experiments’ current status.
Physics
Two experiments from the French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS) have been performed at the MDRS for several years already. We are planning to gather additional data for this season as well. These activities will require EVAs.
· LOAC (Light Optical Aerosol Counter): LOAC is an optical aerosol counter, measuring the concentrations of different particles in the air and classifying them by size.
Related EVAs: Two EVAs planned for the first week to install the device. Every two days, the batteries will have to be changed and the data will have to be collected. The latter procedures can be part of other EVAs.
External points of contact: Jean-Pierre Lebreton and Jean-Baptiste Renard, CNRS.
Point of contact within the crew: Lea Bourgély.
· Mega-Ares: Mega-Ares is a sensor precisely measuring the electric field and the conductivity of the air. It is the little brother of Micro-Ares, the only payload of the Schiaparelli lander (ExoMars 2016). This year we also installed a wind-mill that will give us additional data.
Related EVAs: Performed simultaneously with the EVAs planned for LOAC. Two EVAs were planned for the first week to install the device. Every two days, the batteries will have to be changed and the data will have to be collected. The latter procedures can be part of other EVAs.
External points of contact: Jean-Pierre Lebreton and Jean-Baptiste Renard, CNRS.
Point of contact within the crew: Lea Bourgely.
Status: The instruments have been installed north of the Station, between the Hab and Marble Ritual. They have been collecting data since then. These data are retrieved every two days or so, when we change the batteries that power them. This will go on until Sol 26, when the instruments should be brought back to the station.
Technology
Technology demonstrations are planned, one of them being the continuation of the two last missions of ISAE-Supaero (Crew 263 and 275). They are based on technologies developed by the French Space Agency (CNES) and its health subsidiary (MEDES).
· AI4U: AI4U is an AI tool designed to help and assist astronauts in their daily tasks (environmental measurements, voice recognition). The aim is to test this AI assistant in real or close-to-real scenarios.
Related EVAs: None.
External points of contact: Gregory Navarro and Laure Boyer, CNES.
Point of contact within the crew: Mathurin Franck.
Status: The first week was dedicated to the setup and troubleshoot of the software. Crew293 has been able to test it daily since Sol8. We’ll continue running these daily tests next week, and the fourth week will be dedicated to data handling.
· Echofinder: Onboard the ISS, ultrasound scanners are teleoperated by trained specialists. As we travel further away from Earth, communication delays will increase and teleoperated devices will no longer be usable. The goal of Echofinder is to enable autonomous ultrasound acquisition sessions without any knowledge in medicine and any communication link with an experienced sonographer. The Echofinder tool uses augmented reality and an AI to help the operator capture usable imagery of the subject’s organs.
Related EVAs: None.
External point of contact: Aristée Thévenon, MEDES.
Point of contact within the crew: Yves Bejach.
Status: Acquisition sessions have started on Sol 2 and have been conducted approximately every two Sols. The crew member conducting the session is taking notes on everything that goes well or not with the software, and the setup and is taking ultrasound images that are to be analyzed to see if Echofinder is efficient.
· Photogrammetry: Re-conducting an experiment started by last year’s crew (Crew 275) which aims to determine how a 3D map created thanks to drone photogrammetry could improve an EVA crew’s performance during an outing.
Related EVAs: Three EVAs per week, starting the second week. The first one’s goal is to create the 3D map and decide where to position checkpoints on a designated area (one area per week). For the 2nd and 3rd ones, the EVA team will go to each checkpoint, having prepared the EVA using the standard 2D and 3D map respectively.
External point of contact: Alice Chapiron, ISAE Supaero student (Crew275)
Point of contact within the crew: Yves Bejach
Status: Started on Sol8 with an EVA aiming to create a 3D map of the East flank of North Ridge. Once the map was successfully created, two teams went out on different EVAs to go through designated checkpoints as efficiently as possible, having prepared with the 3D map and a classic 2D map respectively. Data collected has started to be processed. The same process will be iterated again on Week3 and Week4 of our mission.
Human factors
Human factors experiments are arguably the ones that benefit the most from taking place during an analog mission.
· Orbital Architecture: Measure of the stress of analog astronauts and of the influence of environmental parameters on the stress using Polar bands bracelets, sleep monitoring using Dreem headbands, questionnaires, evaluation of the position of the analog astronauts in the station, and environmental measurement (temperature, humidity, etc.).
Related EVAs: None.
External point of contact: Michail Magkos, KTH.
Point of contact within the crew: Lise Lefauconnier.
Status: The Crew has conducted cognitive assessments regularly since the beginning of the mission. In parallel, we are carrying Polar bands that monitor our heart rate, and location tracking chips that have been successfully installed early on during the first week. This will continue until the end of our rotation.
· MELiSSA: The MELiSSA project (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) is a European project led by the European Space Agency (ESA) aiming at developing a highly circular and regenerative life support system for space missions. The ALiSSE methodology (Advanced Life Support System Alternative) was developed as part of the project to provide an impartial evaluation tool of each technology system, including mass, energy and power, efficiency, crew time, crew risk, reliability, and durability. The proposed activity within the MELiSSA project focuses on the operational aspects of preparing recipes from higher plants and aims for a preliminary evaluation of the "crew time" criterion.
Related EVAs: None
External point of contact: Blandine Gorce, ESA
Point of contact within the crew: Mathurin Franck
Status: Every recipe that was planned for the first two weeks has been prepared. Resupply should allow us to continue as planned.
· Trace Lab: The purpose of this research is to better understand the role that emotion and coping strategies have on team dynamics within ICE (Isolated, Confined, Extreme) teams. The findings from this study will aid in the understanding of the role of affect within teams operating in ICE conditions – something that has been highlighted as being important by researchers, Antarctic expeditioners, and astronauts. Experiment conducted in collaboration with Trace Lab, University of Florida.
Related EVAs: None
External point of contact: Andres Kaosaar
Point of contact within the crew: Marie Delaroche
Status: The Crew has been filling out daily and weekly questionnaires since the beginning of the mission and will continue to do so until the end of the rotation.
· AMI – Anomalies Monitoring Interface: Software allowing random anomalies to occur within the station to simulate problems that could happen in a real environment and see how we could react. The main goal is to improve the simulation.
Related EVAs: Potentially emergency EVAs in case of depressurization of ammoniac leak. It is worth noting that such emergencies cannot be mistaken for real ones as it is not a problem that can occur within our earthly MDRS.
External point of contact: Quentin Royer, ISAE Supaero student (Crew275)
Point of contact within the crew: Marie Delaroche
Status: After some troubleshooting and last-minute adjustments during the first week, the beta version of AMI is now running. The Crew can now monitor the power distribution of the station and training anomalies have already occurred, enabling a deeper immersion. The interface is a work in progress; it will continue to run as we test new functions. We are expecting a new iteration of the software to be sent to the Crew as of tonight.
Outreach
· Media: Several articles and interviews in French newspaper and on radio
· Scientific mediation: We, like all Supaero Crews that came before us, try to share our passion for space and science in general by engaging in intervention in middle and high school. This year, we developed with high-schoolers a 3-step project around growing food on Mars.
Related EVAs: One as early as possible to retrieve some martian soil in which to plant radish seeds.
External point of contact: None
Point of contact within the crew: Mathurin Franck
Status: The plantation has been made early on; it is steadily growing under the advised care of our GreenHab Officer. Updates are regularly sent to the students that helped us create this experiment.
NB: In an effort to feel as immersed as possible, we asked Mission Support to play along with the simulation when communicating with us, which they did. For that Crew293 says thank you.
You must be logged in to post a comment.