Author: jburk

Crew 188 Journalist Report 05FEB2018

Inspiring people using different language

SOL-8 Author’s Name: Tatsunari Tomiyama AHFP

[English]

The primary objective in this report is to educate and advertise our mission, crew 188, using different language(s). Our crews are mostly English speakers. I am the only crew member who can use an official space language other than English. By writing down English and Japanese, we are trying to educate other people who do not know English in Japan. As a secondary objective, the report is trying to inspire the Japan Mars Society. This report is the first time. Therefore, I would like to introduce our research projects while in the simulation. This report is written in English first for mission operation to help what I am writing and Japanese is followed.

Crew 188 is consisting by the International Space University (ISU) alumni. This is why Crew 188 is called Team ISU. I am also the alumni of Space Studies Program 2015 (SSP15). Other crew members also graduated with their masters and/or participated a program hosted by ISU previously. All of our member hold doctoral degree or a certain professional type of certification. Although I do not hold doctoral degree, I myself have Associate Human Factors Professional
certification by Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics even though I am still studying for master’s degree.

Our crew member brought multiple research projects for the future space pioneering activity. The research is focusing on the Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) and creating infrastructure at the station. Some of research is assigned by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and significant aerospace research universities such as Embry-Riddle University. We brought over $30,000 for research equipments. In addition to research experiments, our team is trying to perform some public events. Before this report, super blue blood moon has been completed by Dr. Sarah Jane Pell.

We have spent about 1 week of missions while I am writing this report at the station. So far, we are doing well. Crew member statuses are good and there is no major issue on their health. All crew members spent time to complete their work or research and we are trying to be productive. In other words, we are very busy under this extreme environment at the Utah. My research has been accepted during this mission and collecting data on time. I do not know whether it is due to my research settings or not, our team situational awareness is relatively higher than other crew members in my opinion because everyone knows what we suppose to do, but we are recognizing other statuses at the same time.

[Japanese]

このレポートは、我々Crew188任務の宣伝ならびに、火星探査や宇宙関係に興味がある人に向けた事柄を英語以外で伝えることを主目的とする。Crew188は全員英語を何不自由なく使用することができるが、クルーの中で私だけが英語以外の言語を使うことが可能である。このレポートを通して、英語がわからない人でも我々Crew188の任務が理解できてもらえればと思っている。副次目的としては、日本語のレポートを通して日本火星協会をより応援することを期待している。今回は初めてのレポートであるため、クルーの構成と大まかな研究および実験の説明をする。サポートチームとの関係で、日本語でのレポートは最初に英語、そして日本語といった構成になる。

Crew188は国際宇宙大学（ISU）の卒業生で構成される。Crew188がチームISUと呼ばれる所以はこれから来る。私自身も実際にISUのスペーススタディプログラム2015の卒業生である。他のクルーメンバーもISUの大学院ないし、ISUが主催したプログラムに参加した経験を持つ。さらに、メンバー全員が博士号ないし、何かしらの専門家認定証を所持する。私自身はこれを書いている時点では大学院の生徒であるが、ヒューマンファクターズ（人的要因）を専門認定委員会から認定されている。

我々クルーメンバーは複数の研究、実験を持ち込んでおり、すべて将来の宇宙技術やそれに関する活動の創造するためのものである。そのため、Crew188の研究内容は主に船外活動（EVA）や火星探査を支える生活環境整備に関わる内容がほとんどを占める。いくらかの研究自体、米国航空宇宙局（NASA）やエンブルリドル航空大学(Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University)のような航空宇宙を研究する重要な研究機関からの実験、研究依頼であり、実験及び研究するための備品費用でおおよそ＄30,000ほど掛かっている。実験や研究活動以外にも教育及び宣伝活動を行っている。実際、先日の月食（スーパーブルーブラッドムーン）ではSarah Jane Pell教授が基地で月食を撮影し、その様子がインターネットに公表された。

このレポートを書いている時点でシミュレーションが始まって約1週間がたったところである。現時点での経過は総じて良好であると言える。各メンバー自体の体調や健康状態も良好である。メンバー全員がそれぞれの役割とデータ収集を行い、科学者として、ないし、一、プロフェッショナルとしての仕事をこなしている。言葉を言い換えれば、クルー全員がユタ州の人が生活していない場所で生活していながら非常に多忙であるといえる。しかしながら、個人の見解として、組織としての状況判断能力は他のメンバーと比べて高い判断している。というのも、たった数日ないし、1週間足らずの間でしか顔合わせをしていないのにも関わらず、メンバー全員がこなさなければならない事柄を行い、同時に他のメンバーの仕事や研究を認識しているからである。

MDRS Crew 188 Journalist Report 04FEB2018

Crew 188 Science’s the Shit Out of MDRS

SOL-7 Author’s name: Julia DeMarines

The theme for this report is Science. It is the third report in a short series responding to the MDRS “Safety, Simulation, and Science” priority of operations.

BACKGROUND:

In the wise words of Mark Watney in The Martian, “in the face of overwhelming odds, I’m left with only one option. I’m going to science the shit out of this,” and that’s exactly what crew 188 plans to do during our residence at the Mars Desert Research Station. Collectively, we have brought over $30,000 worth of research equipment in hopes to advance scientific knowledge. MDRS provides a unique space in which scientific research can be conducted as if a crew of explorers were carrying out experiments on Mars. Crew 188 offers a diversity of backgrounds and expertise that, collectively, would support groundbreaking discoveries, and innovations, if we were truly on Mars, and aim to tackle the big questions.

These big questions we will be tackling include: how a crew will maintain the health and performance of astronauts living and working in isolated conditions such as on Mars and overcome difficulties; what an optimum extra vehicular activity (EVA) suit and glove design would be for ensuring protection and functionality for its user in extreme conditions; mitigation of dust contamination from EVA’s; optimum crop production with minimal resources in reduced gravity situations; experimental and immersive astronautical performance following a journey that transcends through Earth’s atmosphere and beyond; a 360º camera will capture performance astronautics to give observers a complete and immersive perspective of living on Mars; collection of micrometeorites to add to a worldwide database aiming to yield clues to the solar system’s formation; and last but not least, using in situ chlorophyll detectors to detect signs of life as if on a Mars rover. For a more information please find a more detailed description of our research plans below, and in the meantime, stay tuned for scientific updates!


SCIENCE: 
Summary of Research Experiments

1. Increasing Spaceflight Analogue Mission Fidelity by Standardization of Extravehicular Activity Metrics Tracking and Analysis 
Spaceflight analogues include human simulations that attempt to match as many variables of a real mission as possible, but here on Earth and at a fraction of the cost. Each analogue has unique environmental and human performance testing conditions, but they all have limitations. The goal of this Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Spacesuit Utilization of Innovative Technology Laboratory (S.U.I.T. Lab) research is to improve simulation fidelity through Extravehicular Activity (EVA) data collection, analysis, and feedback, which will help humanity prepare for destinations such as the Moon or Mars. The investigation of human performance data with respect to workload expenditure will help identify energy limitations, thus training explorers to maximize their potential.

2. Remote Video Capture Analysis of Spacesuits for Spaceflight Analogue Expeditions
The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Spacesuit Utilization of Innovative Technology Laboratory (S.U.I.T. Lab) is designing protocols for the recording of analytical videos for analogue spacesuit performance. This approach derives how to communicate effective instructions to a remote crew, and then analyze simulated spacesuit performance. The protocol development has future applications for distant diagnosis of spacesuits, for example a crew on Mars may need expert technicians on Earth to troubleshoot range of motion (ROM) limitations. Key results and recommendations will be presented in this paper aiming to help advance analogue expeditions and missions to the Moon and Mars.

3. Dust Abrasion and Operations Investigation of Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment (TMG) Gloves 
Dust on planetary bodies in a known problem for equipment and astronaut health, as the extreme abrasiveness can cut through the layers of a spacesuit. Dust particles present health risks to astronauts and exposure must be mitigated before sending crews to Mars and beyond. One of the most intricate parts of a spacesuit is the glove. The gloves must have an extremely high range of dexterity to enable astronauts to complete their tasks correctly and efficiently. Wear and tear on the gloves will be recorded and analyzed after the completion of the MDRS analogue mission.

4. Martian Dust Filter Tests
As humans venture further into space more issues correlated to space travel are being discovered. While the perils of dust particles may not be widely recognized, it is one of the major issues astronauts will face on the surface of the Moon and Mars. Dust particles present a problem for both astronaut health and equipment. Dust particles cling to spacesuits, which upon ingress would begin circulating throughout the spacecraft or habitat. An astronaut’s health is compromised by the dust particle’s potential to stick to the lungs and cause respiratory illnesses. Data collected from this research will further facilitate the mitigation of astronaut’s exposure to dust particles on the surface of celestial bodies.

5. In-situ testing of VEGGIE prototype plant growth hardware: Orbital Aquifer System for VEGGIE (OASYS)
We will bring a GreenHab experiment to test a new prototype vegetation system, invented by NASA KSC scientists, for watering plants in reduced gravity environments. Salad bar style lettuce is an ideal vegetable for this demonstration as it is quick to grow and easy to germinate from seeds. The purpose of this research project is to further test candidate crops that need to be performed through an analog study prior to being grown aboard ISS.

6. Performing Astronautics
Dr. Sarah Jane Pell’s MDRS research forms part of an Australia Council Fellowship project titled Performing Astronautics. Performing Astronautics explores the bodily practice of navigation beyond Earth’s atmosphere as an Experimental and Emerging Art. Explored in parallel phases combining: 1) instrumental/speculative and 2) operational/performative experimentation and exploration through participation in space analogue training and human spaceflight mission simulations.

7. Bending Horizons 360 
“Bending Horizons 360” is supported by Monash Immersive Visualisation Platform [MIVP] with the provision of the Insta360 Pro Camera. The aim is two-fold: firstly to support collaborations with fellow crew researching EVA spacesuit validation [in partnership with
Final Frontier Design FFD], environmental interactions, science and engineering engagement, human factors and performance research. Secondly, to produce speculative fiction short films, new 3D artifacts and novel expressions of video data to capture the range of human-environmental interactions on the Mars Analogue environment supporting a future collaborative partnership between Dr. Sarah Jane Pell and A/Prof David Barnes.

8. Potential Human Activities to Improve Quality of Life on Mars
This research project is looking for how the quality of life can improve during Mars simulation as a case study. Currently quantitative data shows that the human activity should be regulated. However, because of long-time requirement for Mars habitat mission, identifying how astronauts’ quality of life can improve during Mars mission need to develop is very important to maintain mission efficiency and space activity as well. This research project is primary looking for what available human activity can improve the quality of life during Mars habitat mission in the future.

9. Project Stardust
This collaborative meteorological investigation of micrometeorite samples collected from field sites all over the world now includes samples taken from MDRS. These types of analyses on Earth help us understand how the solar system was formed as we venture out to explore it.

10. In-situ Chlorophyll Detection
“Are we alone?” is a fundamental human question that is shared by humanity. The answer may be right around the corner or perhaps never come but we will never get closer to that answer if we don’t search for life. Researchers from NASA and Robotics Everywhere LLC (www.f3.to) have collaborated on a handheld Chlorophyll detector that can be operated in the field, indoors, and hopefully, underneath a rover using Chl-florescence.

11. Mars-to-Mars Hangout: Connecting Mars Basecamps Across the Red Planet
The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah, will gain communication and opportunity benefits during its two-week mission period by live video connecting with the AMADEE-18 analogue simulation simultaneously running a Mars research mission, located in Dhofar Region, Oman.