Author: jburk

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Operations Report – January 3rd

Crew 202 Operations Report 02-JAN-2019

SOL: 5

Name of person filing report: Kasey Hilton

Non-nominal systems: Spacesuit charger

Notes on non-nominal systems: One of the Tenergy brand spacesuit chargers stopped working. It looked like the inside of the charger plug had been burnt. It was replaced with a PeleusTech charger. There are no more back up chargers in the suit supply box in the RAM.

Generator (hours run): 1hr 34min; Turned on last night (02Jan2019) at 17:45 until 19:19 when the power system program malfunctioned. The generator did not run overnight.

Solar – SOC 83%

Diesel Reading – 73%

Propane Reading – 50%

Ethanol Free Gasoline – Not in use

Water (auxiliary tank) – Not in use

Water (static tank) – About 75%, about a foot and a half below the top; 430 gallons

Auxiliary to Static tank transfer – No

Gallons transferred: Not applicable

Water in GreenHab – About 80%; 240 gallons (assuming that the tank is 300 gallons)

Water (loft) – At level marker 10

Static to Loft Pump used – Yes; At 10:00 to refill the tank

Water Meter: 01397842 units

Toilet tank emptied: No

Deimos rover used: No, still not functional

Hours: Not applicable

Beginning charge: Not applicable

Ending charge: Not applicable

Currently charging: Not applicable

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR

Hours: Not applicable

Beginning charge: Not applicable

Ending charge: Not applicable

Currently charging: Not applicable

Spirit rover used: Yes

Hours: 64.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 68%

Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: No; Still out of brake fluid

Hours: 45.4

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: Yes

Hours: 62.4

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 50%

Currently charging: Yes

Notes on rovers: Nothing to report

ATV’s Used: None (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3)

Reason for use: Not applicable

Oil Added? No

ATV Fuel Used: None

# Hours the ATVs were Used today: None

Notes on ATVs: None

HabCar used and why, where? Not used

CrewCar used and why, where? Off site

General notes and comments: A power strip added to the EVA room to make all the chargers reach the suits.

Summary of internet: Nothing to report

Summary of suits and radios: One of the suit chargers stopped working and was replaced with a backup charger that was in the RAM as mentioned above in “Non-nominal systems”. The replacement charger was the last backup that was in the spacesuit supply box.

Summary of Hab operations: Hab is out of power conservation mode. Power is now nominal.

Summary of GreenHab operations: Nothing to report

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Nothing to report

Summary of RAMM operations: Nothing to report

Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing to report

Summary of health and safety issues: Nothing to report

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: Nothing to report

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Greenhab Report – January 3rd

Crew 202 Greenhab Report 03-Jan-2019
Greenhab Officer:
Jake Qiu

Environmental Control:
Heating
Cooling w/ ambient air (1hr)

40% Shade Cloth on
80% Shade Cloth on

Average Temperatures:
Low: 22.9°C
High: 40.0°C

Hours of Supplemental Light:
5

Daily Water Usage of Crops:
16 gallons

Water in Blue Tank (lbs):
86%

Times of Watering for Crops:
1014
1855

Changes to crops:
* 7 growth trays of daikon radish micro-greens prepared
* Sunflowers Growing very well
* Some of savory mix greens failing to sprout
* Radishes growing very well
* Tomatoes still lacking growth

Narrative:
Finished preparing the 7 growth trays for control condition. Placed all of the plants in its original location.
Placed the 80% shade back on in its original location as well. Watered all of the plants as needed and some of
the plants are showing good progress.

Experiment Results:
Date: SOL5 Crew 202 (SOL14 overall)

Prepared 7 growth trays as control condition. Sampled the micro-greens for grey water and soil conditions.
Watered all 21 trays as needed.

Watered previous crew 201 experiments

Harvest: N/A

Support/Supplies Needed: N/A

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Science Report – January 3rd

Science Report
3 Jan 2019
Crew 202 – MartianMakers
Submitted by GEO Ellen Czaplinski

Analysis of mineralogy and regime of sand dunes and fluvial processes: The crew collected geological samples from six sites during their EVA near Kissing Camel Range. Samples included whole rocks, rocks separated from a larger parent body, and sand samples. Initial sample analysis consisted of classifying the rocks based on texture, grain size, sorting, and color using a hand lens and microscope. The samples were primarily sandstone, clays, shale, and sand from fluvial features like channels. Further analysis will need to be carried out in order to determine the mineralogy of the samples with the TREK portable spectrometer, and eventually compared to IR spectra of the samples taken in the lab.

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EVA Report 4 – January 3rd

Crew 202 EVA Report 3-Jan-2019

EVA #4

Author: Denys Bulikhov (EXO)

Purpose of EVA: Collection of geological samples and ambient radiation readings

Start time: 10:50

End time: 12:44

Narrative: EVA 4 crew took Cow Dung Road down to the Kissing Camels Ridge. Crew went to the west side of the Ridge first collecting samples from fallen rocks and river beds and collecting ambient radiation readings. Then they went to the East side of the Ridge collecting samples and readings, made a circle around the valley and came back to the rovers.

Destination: Kissing Camels Ridge

Coordinates: N518500, E4249300

Participants: Denys Bulikhov (EXO), Kasey Hilton (ENG), Alexandra Dukes (JOU)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road, then walk along the Kissing Camels Ridge.

Mode of travel: Driving and walking

Vehicles used: Spirit and Curiosity.

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Sol Summary 5 – January 3rd

Crew 202 Sol Summary Report 03-Jan-2019

Sol: 5

Summary Title: After a low-power night

Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello

Mission Status: The crew is continuing work on all research project. The morning was spent in power conservation mode, during which half of the crew performed an EVA and the other half stayed in the habitat to work on various projects. The power is now nominal.

Sol Activity Summary: After a good morning stretching and some light exercises, half of the crew went on EVA #4 while the rest worked on projects (and some origami) in the habitat. The afternoon was spent resting and working on research projects, including microbiology, geology, and astronomy. The crew is doing great, and every little difficulty or tiredness is overcome with laughter and a cohesion among crew members which is a joy to the eyes!

Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will have a geology EVA in areas of sand dunes and continue our projects.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Sunny and cold with melting snow on the ground

Crew Physical Status: In perfect health

EVA: The Executive Officer, Crew Engineer, and Crew Journalist had an EVA to the region North of Kissing Camel Range, to collect clay and shale samples and identify sandy regions.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, EVA report, EVA request, Geology Report, Journalist Report

Support Requested: None

Cesare
Commander, MDRS 202

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Astronomy Report – January 2nd

Crew 202 Astronomy Report 02-Jan-2019
Crew Astronomer: Cesare Guariniello

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY
Robotic Telescope Used: MDRS-14
Objects Viewed: Messier 33 (Triangulum Galaxy)

Problems Encountered: Due to the problem with centering, the offset was set at -10.8 minutes RA, -3.5 arcmin Dec.

Cesare
Commander, MDRS 202

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Astronomy Report – January 2nd

Crew 202 Astronomy Report 02-Jan-2019
Crew Astronomer: Cesare Guariniello

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY
Robotic Telescope Used: MDRS-14
Objects Viewed: Messier 33 (Triangulum Galaxy)

Problems Encountered: Due to the problem with centering, the offset was set at -10.8 minutes RA, -3.5 arcmin Dec.

To get the precise offset for that object, I did a 30 seconds exposure in the visible and used the position data to correct on the long take.

Cesare
Commander, MDRS 202

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Operations Report – January 2nd

Crew 202 Operations Report 02-JAN-2019

SOL: 4

Name of person filing report: Kasey Hilton

Non-nominal systems: Spirit rover battery; Power system

Notes on non-nominal systems: Spirit and Curiosity were used today in EVA and Spirit returned with far less battery than Curiosity even though they traveled the same distance in the same conditions; The power system was malfunctioning when the generator was being turned on.

The system inside the ScienceDome was making noises indicating that there was an issue and the system could not switch from the batteries to the generator. As of 19:18 the generator shut off and we are left on battery power until morning. We are limiting the use of electricity until the morning when the sun comes out to recharge the batteries.

Generator (hours run): 16hr 56min; Turned on last night (01Jan2019) at 16:19; Turned off this morning (02Jan2019) around 9:15; Attempted to turn on tonight (02Jan2019) at 17:45, but the generator shut off around 19:00. The generator will not be running overnight.

**Note: I had been recording the number of hours that the generator was not run instead of hours run. The corrected numbers are listed below.

30Dec2018 – 15hr 55min; Turned on at 17:05 on 29Dec2018; Turned off at 9 on 30Dec2018
31Dec2018 – 15hr 22min; Turned on at 18:37 on 30Dec2018; Turned off at 9:58 on 31Dec2018
01Jan2019 – 16hr 5min; Turned on at 17:25 on 31Dec2018; Turned off at 9:30 on 01Jan2019

Solar – SOC 64%

Diesel Reading – 73%

Propane Reading – 52%

Ethanol Free Gasoline – Not in use

Water (auxiliary tank) – Not in use

Water (static tank) – Mostly full, about a foot below the top; 480 gallons

Auxiliary to Static tank transfer – No

Gallons transferred: Not applicable

Water in GreenHab – Mostly full; 250 gallons (assuming that the tank is 300 gallons)

Water (loft) – At level marker 8

Static to Loft Pump used – No

Water Meter: 01397619 units

Toilet tank emptied: No

Deimos rover used: No, still not functional

Hours: Not applicable

Beginning charge: Not applicable

Ending charge: Not applicable

Currently charging: Not applicable

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR

Hours: Not applicable

Beginning charge: Not applicable

Ending charge: Not applicable

Currently charging: Not applicable

Spirit rover used: Yes

Hours: 63.9

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 23%

Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: No; Still out of brake fluid

Hours: 45.4

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: Yes

Hours: 62.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 50%

Currently charging: Yes

Notes on rovers: Spirit returned with 23% and Curiosity returned with 50% even though both the rovers traveled the same distance in the same amount of time and in the same conditions. The hours of use for today’s EVA for Spirit from start to finish was 0.5hr while the hours of use for Curiosity was 0.7hr.

ATV’s Used: None (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3)

Reason for use: Not applicable

Oil Added? No

ATV Fuel Used: None

# Hours the ATVs were Used today: None

Notes on ATVs: None

HabCar used and why, where? Not used; Back on campus

CrewCar used and why, where? Off-site

General notes and comments: Spent the first half of the day on an EVA. Radios, rovers, and suits were functioning as they should have. The generator around 19:00 shut off and will not turn back on for the night.

Summary of internet: Nothing to report

Summary of suits and radios: Nothing to report

Summary of Hab operations: There is no power in the Hab due to power conservation mode.

Summary of GreenHab operations: The lights in the GreenHab are not on due to being in power conservation mode.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Nothing to report

Summary of RAMM operations: Nothing to report

Summary of any observatory issues: Musk Observatory – Nothing to report; Robotic observatory – Dome is closed due to power conservation.

Summary of health and safety issues: Nothing to report

Questions, concerns, and requests to Mission Support: Nothing to report

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Journalist Report – January 2nd

MDRS Crew 202

Journalist Report

Sol 4 – 01/02/2018

Name the space movie (or show) given the following quote. Answer at the end of the Report:

If we ain’t out of here in ten minutes, we won’t need no rockets to fly through space!

—

Rejoice! For today, we broke into the Nutella jar, knowing the Great Nutella Crisis of Crew 202 has been resolved by reserves from our wonderful Executive officer. This morning, we carefully spread the Nutella on delicate crepes and topped the dish with a berry syrup made from dehydrated strawberries and blueberries and a dash of sugar. It was a wonderfully sweet start to the morning.

After fueling up, the crew prepared for their first long-duration Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA). The Commander, Executive Officer, Engineer, and I were to trek to an area near the Pleiades Road to investigate geological sites and collect rock samples. We’re in the depths of winter and our EVA suits must protect us from -4 degrees Celsius (i.e. ~25 degrees Fahrenheit); therefore, preparing to shove our heads through the goldfish bowl helmet is a lengthy process.

Each of us bundles up in two pairs of socks, two pairs of pants, a long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, the flight suit… the flight suit’s zipper is nearly bursting at the seams… our hiking boots, gloves, the radio, the microphone to the radio, the bandana over our mouth to prevent fogging up the helmet and hold the microphone in place, and finally the EVA suit carrying our life support systems.

The EVA suit alone weighs approximately 20 – 25 pounds, similar to the weight of a small dog or 104 blueberry muffins. There are two straps around your shoulders and two straps across your chest to support the military grade frame against your back. This may not seem like an enormous weight, but after 3 hours of hiking, it’s amazing the muscles you discover in your back that you never knew were there!

As a Martian, you must stand in the airlock for 5 minutes to allow for depressurization before exiting the habitat. Here are a few suggestions to fill your time during the wait: Charades, Hangman, 20 Questions, and/or Tic, Tac, Toe. Our Executive Officer is the reigning champion of 20 Questions, but it is still early in the mission.

Our geological sites of interest required a 15-minute rover expedition and a 1-mile hike. The drive nearly froze our fingers, but the hike quickly warmed them up again nearly to the point of sweating. Note to future astronauts: triple tie your shoes before going on an EVA. You cannot reach your boots when there is a giant glass dome limiting your reach, not to mention I cannot touch my toes to begin with. You will be forced to waddle in shame to another crew member, attempt to throw your foot on a rover tire, and have them tie your shoes. Like a kindergartener.

The day was beautiful. The sun was shining, the sky was clear and a vibrant blue, and the snow sparkled rainbows as we drove across the Martian landscape. Our geological site used to be an ocean millions of years ago. The evidence of its waters could be seen in the orange hues of brittle rock, beige slabs of clay, and patches of sand. Smooth rocks spotted the hills, as we arrived at our plateau and found some ideal boulders and pebbles to spectra and thermal image before moving onto the next site. With our bag of rocks so large Charlie Brown would be jealous, we “Mars walked” all the way back to our rovers. Mars has 1/3rd of Earth’s gravity and the Moon only has 1/6th.

This means you’re not quite skipping and leaping on Mars, but you’re not walking normally either. You simply have some extra bounce in your step, doubled by the excitement of the crew. Our lovely crew members working CapCom from home base prepared heated bread and warm tea for our return, ending the main excitement of the day… Or so we thought.

The setting: a casual card game between two crew members. Another laid out on the couch reading a book, silently enjoying a sci-fi world outside of our own. When all of a sudden, a flicker. The lights dimmed and brightened… dimmed and brightened… The radio static could be heard at the press of the director’s thumb. There’s an anomaly with the power generator. There were attempts to diagnose the issue, but the sun was dropping quickly and the cold is a greater threat than the malfunctioning generator. It would have to wait til the morning.

We prepared our home to enter low power mode. With 63% of power remaining, the habitat should stay powered through the night. And so, the Great Generator Crisis of Crew 202 began. It’s headlamps and flashlights until we settle in for the night. On the Red Planet, power is essential for survival. It provides heat. It pumps the water. It preserves our food. We wait to see what new personality tomorrow will bring.

—

Movie (or Show) Answer: Alien

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