Author: jburk

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Science Report – December 26th

26 December 2018
Crew 201 – Mex-1 Crew
Submitted by Federico Martínez, Crew Astronomer/Scientist

1. The Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory: The crew is responding to a questionnaire every day, and creating a database for its future analysis.

2. Crew Wellness Experiment: Between 7 am and 8 am, every member of the crew has been measuring its weight and pressure, and taking notes of water consumption when the day is over. All of the crew members have lost weight, between 500gr and 1.5 kgs.

3. Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) Pointing: The spaceship that carries on the Satellite system has been lost; a new mission has been launched to deliver a new satellite system, awaiting confirmation to receive the new system.

4. 3D Printing in space exploration: 3D printer it’s been used to make tools and the prototyping of a Rover. The cold weather makes the correct functionality of the printer in the RAM difficult, so we decided to move to the first floor of the Hab.

5. Engaging space to the people: Material has been recorded on each one of the MDRS modules. To complete this project, we just need to record the personal videos of each member.

6. Validation of electronics architecture and communication protocols for an exploration rover: Waiting for the transmission module to arrive at the station, so we can test next Friday with the mechanical prototype.

7. The behavior of Artificial Vision algorithms for Autonomous Navigation: The necessary images to train the algorithm have been taken, but we are having trouble with software settings.

8. Prototype and mechanical testing of Exploration rover: The rover has been 90% assembled and we are printing the last pieces so we can fully test on Friday around the Habitat.

9. Martian Soil Analysis for usage on Greenhab: Categorization of soil based on colors and grain size, tomorrow will proceed with CO, Ph, and salinity measurements.

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Greenhab Report – December 26th

Crew 201 Greenhab Report 26-DEC-2018
Greenhab Officer: Walter Calles

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

40% Shade Cloth on

Average Temperatures:
Low: 20.4°C
High: 33°C

Hours of Supplemental Light: 5

Daily Water Usage of Crops: 10.5 gallons

Water in Blue Tank (lbs.): 40%

Times of Watering for Crops: 1120

Changes to crops:
Re-planted salad beds (mix and blend) keep growing good
Sunflowers showing good progress
Sugar Peas growing good

Narrative:
General review of the progress of all plants: Onions and spinaches still not showing progress.
All plants in good shape. Cucumbers are still looking bad. Changed the sticky papers again.

Experiment Results:
Date: SOL6 (SOL11 overall)
Control Pot: 3 sprouts in good shape
Soil Sample Type 1
@10%: OK, 3 sprouts
@20%: OK, 3 sprouts
@30: OK, 2 sprouts
@40%: No progress
@50%: No progress

Soil Sample Type 2
@10%: OK, 2 sprouts
@20%: OK, 3 sprouts

Soil Sample Type 3
@10%: OK, 1 sprout
@20%: OK, 1 sprout

Harvest:
NONE

Support/Supplies Needed:
Any recommendations regarding cucumbers? Should I replant them, or choose a different plant?
On the other hand, I’d appreciate some guidance to perform these Martian Soil analysis techniques:
-Composition of clay, sand, and organic (loam) content
-CO measure
-pH
-Salinity
-Content of N2, PO and other chemicals

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Sol Summary – December 26th

Sol: 11

Summary Title:

Author’s name: Tania Robles, Commander

Mission Status:

Sol Activity Summary: Today Crew worked on their projects, cooked some Mexican food (quesadillas) and recorded videos for our projects and a news channel in Mexico.

Look Ahead Plan: Keep working in the technical projects. Tomorrow the antenna will arrive during the evening and we will have an installation workshop in the Hab with one of our crew members.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Heavy fog during the morning

Crew Physical Status: Mentally tired, laughing a lot and with deep sleeping during the night.

EVA: N/A

Reports to be filed: Operations Report
EVA Request
Greenhab Report
Journalist Report
Commander´s Report
Pictures

Support Requested: N/A

[end]

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Green Hab Report Dec 25th

Hi all,

Here is today’s Christmas Greenhab Report:

Crew 201 Greenhab Report 25-DEC-2018

Greenhab Officer:

Walter Calles

Environmental Control:

Heating

Cooling w/ ambient air (1hr)

40% Shade Cloth on

Average Temperatures:

Low: 24.7°C

High: 34°C

Hours of Supplemental Light:

5

Daily Water Usage of Crops:

18.5 gallons

Water in Blue Tank (lbs):

42%

Times of Watering for Crops:

1300

Changes to crops:

Re-planted salad beds (mix and blend) growing good

Tomatoes in better shape, specially on 2 pots

Baby greens showing excellent progress

Sunflowers showing better progress

Peas keep growing good

Lettuce growing good

Narrative:

General review of the progress on all plants. Onions and spinaches not showing progress yet. Hopefully will see first sprouts tomorrow.

All plants in good shape, except from cucumbers. Will think about re-planting tomorrow

Experiment Results:

Date: SOL5 (SOL10 overall)

New results observed! First checkpoint tomorrow.

Control Pot: Progress observed.

Soil Sample Type 1

@10%:First radish leaves

@20%: First radish leaves

@30: First radish leaves

@40%: No progress

@50%: No progress

Soil Sample Type 2

@10%:First radish

@20%:First radish leaves

Soil Sample Type 3

@10%:First radish leaves

@20%:First radish leaves

Harvest:

NONE

Support/Supplies Needed:

Merry Christmas!

Best regards,

Walter A. Calles

Greenhab Officer & Co-Journalist

Crew 201

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Journalist Report Dec 25th

Crew 201 Journalist Report – 25DEC2018

The Martian Chronicles

[SOL 10] – 50 years later…

50 years ago, three brave astronauts witnessed, for the first time in humankind history, one of the most amazing and breathtaking events of space exploration: the “Earthrisig”. On December 25th 1968, Apollo 8 crewmembers Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders spent Christmas inside their tiny Command Module… flying around the Moon. One of the greatest milestones of the Apollo program was accomplished that Christmas day; the path to land on the surface of the Moon was traced that day… what an amazing time to remember them, isn’t it?

MDRS Crew 201 – MEx-1

Christmas day has been definitely different for all of us this year. Spending the holidays on Mars is something that none of us expected. However, we couldn’t be happier right now. We’ve been here for 10 days, only 5 more to take-off back to Earth; to re-unite with all our beloved ones. Maybe nothing much has changed since we left. But let me ensure you, dear reader, that we have. I mean… how can you be the same after this experience?

There’s an interesting phenomenon that some astronauts have reported after their spaceflights known as “The Overview Effect”. It’s a change in consciousness caused by the observation of the Earth from outer space, realizing that we’re an entire species living in the same “pale blue dot” in the universe, where the boundaries between nations just vanish in front of our eyes… and makes us realize that we all share a special place among the stars.

During our time, Mars has become the final frontier for human exploration. For our parents (or grandparents) that frontier used to be the Moon. It’s been 50 years since we managed to send the first manned crew all the way to our closest celestial body. And it was on Christmas day, when the Apollo 8 crew made history by becoming the first human beings to travel that far from our home planet. Astronauts Borman, Anders and Lovell set the road that would take us to the Moon less than a year after their mission. And today, we dedicate this entry to those real life heroes. Ordinary people, like you and me, dear reader, that decided to become extraordinary in the most unique and fearless way.

During their mission, the Apollo 8 crew also witnessed an Earthrising. What is that? Well… imagine yourself looking at sunrise on the horizon during a beautiful morning. Beautiful picture, right? Now, replace the horizon with the far edge of the Moon; and the sun is not rising. It is the Earth instead. That was, without a doubt, one of the greatest events in human history. Today, the MEx-1 crewmembers remember this moment with excitement. 50 years later, the only thing we can say to those who took us to the stars and beyond is… thank you. Thank you for being our inspiration. Thank you for giving us hope. Thank you for making us believe. Merry Christmas, planet Earth!

MEx-1 continuará informando.

Walter A. Calles Glass, MDRS Crew 201 Co-Journalist

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Astronomy Report Dec 25th

Astronomy Report

Name: Federico Arturo Martinez Espinoza

Crew: Crew 201 MEx-1

Date: Dec 25 2018

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY

Robotic Telescope Requested MDRS-WF

Objects Viewed: Andromeda Galaxy

Problems Encountered: None, I used the image in Photoshop to give it color, used RGB filter to take 3 images with an exposure time of 60 s.

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Operations Report Dec 25th

Crew 201 Operations Report 25-Dec-2018

SOL: 10

Name of person filing report: César Augusto Serrano Baza

Non-nominal systems: Generator Autostart

Notes on non-nominal systems: None

Generator (hours run): 17:05 yesterday until around 8: 06. Today started at 18:26

Solar— SOC 79%

Diesel Reading – Around 75% (We saw that we had a wrong measurement the last 2 days).

Propane Reading – 72%

Ethanol Free Gasoline – N/A gallons.

Water (Axillary tank) – 0 gallons

Water (static tank) – Medium level, around 185-gallons

Axillary to Static tank transfer– no

Gallons transferred: 0

Water in GreenHab – Medium level (43%)

Water (loft) – Static to Loft Pump used – yes

Water Meter: 01394934

Toilet tank emptied: NO

Deimos rover used: no, still not functional

Hours: 0

Beginning charge: –

Ending charge: –

Currently charging: no

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging X :

Spirit rover used: NO

Hours: 63

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: YES

Opportunity rover used: NO

Hours: 44.8

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: YES

Curiosity rover used: NO

Hours: 61.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: YES

Notes on rovers: Yesterday we sent a bad information with the Curiosity info. It was 71% at the end of the EVA.

# Hours the ATVs were Used today: Nothing to report.

Notes on ATVs : Nothing to report.

HabCar used and why, where? Not used.

CrewCar used and why, where? Not used.

General notes and comments: We realized that we have 2 water leak in the kitchen comming from the extractor. This because of the rain .

Summary of internet: Nothing to report.

Summary of suits and radios: Nothing to report.

Summary of GreenHab operations: – Nothing to report.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: – Nothing to report.

Summary of RAM operations: Nothing to report.

Summary of any observatory issues: Musk Solar observatory – Nominal. RObotic Observatory – Nominal.

Summary of health and safety issues: Nothing to report.

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

Thank you!!!

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Sol Summary Report Dec 25th

Crew 201 Sol Summary Report 25-Dec-2018

Sol: 10

Summary Title: A Red (and a little white) Christmas

Author’s name: Genaro Grajeda, HSO

Mission Status: Projects moving along as expected. A little Christmas cooking for a nice meal. Santa Claus showed up at the hab

Sol Activity Summary: Different methods of 3D printing, machines and filaments. Methodologies to do lasagna.

Look Ahead Plan: More 3d printing and programing, more planting, video making for educational purposes back on Earth.

Anomalies in work: Water leak due to rain informed in operations report.

Weather: Cold, some snow showers and rain.

Crew Physical Status: A little tired but everyone ok.

EVA: No EVA performed today.

Reports to be filed: Operations, Green Hab Astronomy, Photos.

Support Requested: None

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