Crew Photos – December 2nd
Astronomy Report – December 7th
[category astronomy-report]
Name: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu
Crew: 287
Date: 07 December 2023
MUSK OBSERVATORY
Solar Features Observed: Sunspots.
Images submitted with this report: See attached.
Problems Encountered: I still was not able to bring out the granule details. These will be my last observations at the Musk Observatory since our sim is ending today, and we’ll be receiving a documentary crew on station tomorrow. I have not had much experience on telescopes prior to this rotation, and this has been a valuable experience for me. I will continue to improve my knowledge and proficiency with telescopes from here on out. Special thanks to Peter! Cheers!
Astronomy Report – December 5th
[category astronomy-report]
Name: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu
Crew: 287
Date: 05 December 2023
MUSK OBSERVATORY
Solar Features Observed: Sunspots. Solar flare/prominence—I’m not completely sure which one it is. I’ve had a very good view of it on the live feed of the camera, but I haven’t managed to capture a good image of it as a .jpg file. I’ll try out the other programs tomorrow and get a better look.
Images submitted with this report: See attached.
Problems Encountered: I am not able to bring out the granules no matter what I try. It seemed simple enough looking from the video tutorials. I’ve tried tweaking the exposure, gain, brightness, and the tuners in a variety of ways. I’ve also tried tweaking the focus with each option. Any advice and directions on this?
Astronomy Report – December 4th
[category astronomy-report]
Name: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu
Crew: 287
Date: 04 December 2023
MUSK OBSERVATORY
Solar Features Observed: Sunspots. I’ve spent the morning and afternoon getting used to the observatory. I’m so impressed with the capabilities of the telescope. This was my first time working with SharpCap, and I’ve managed to capture an image of a few sunspots.
Images submitted with this report: See attached.
Problems Encountered:
1. The telescope was not turning at first at all. I’ve changed the motor speed to 7 and it started moving. My guess is that motor speed 5 is not strong enough to move the telescope around, and I may need to loosen some screws first. Requesting support on this.
2. I can’t seem to find the Gamma on SharpCap. It is supposed to be under “Image Controls” but all I see is the Brightness option. Maybe the SharpCap 4.0 is different from what is in the Quick Guide, or I need to add it onto the Image Option from somewhere else. Requesting support on this.
EVA Report – December 7th
EVA # 10
Author: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu
Purpose of EVA: Drone footage; Photo shooting; Portraits;
Start time: 10:20
End time: 13:00
Narrative: This was our final EVA of the rotation. We took some of the promotional photos and videos that were left and spent some time taking fun portraits. Time management today could have been better, but we were close enough to the Hab, and Ben was kind enough to be flexible with time.
Destination: Below Hab Ridge, 500m north of the Hab.
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): (518200;4251500)
Participants: All crew members
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Hab -> South of North Ridge
Mode of travel: Walking
EVA Report – December 6th
EVA # 9
Author: Dulsaikhan “Duluu” Zorig
Purpose of EVA: Geological map hand sketch ;
Start time: 13:05
End time: 16:10
Narrative: The extravehicular activity (EVA) conducted today focused on creating hand sketches of geological maps for Beta mission tasks assigned to geologists. Our destination was Cowboy Corner, marking the concluding EVA within the simulation. Davaa and I engaged in discussions about potential geological tasks for the ‘experience and science takers.’ He provided insights into the fundamental process of drawing geological maps and underscored their significance in a Martian context. It becomes increasingly apparent that specialized tasks for geologists during science activities are limited unless we equip ourselves with high-performance instruments. After that, we head to the Brahi HWY to find a glove that we lost last EVA. And we got it.
Munkh-Erdene ‘Muggi’ Altankhuyag was at CapCom and taking care of us in terms of rover battery level and EVA crew safety and whether we have reached our destination.
When we got back to the hab, Elephant Hill caught the eye of our journalist’s phone camera.
Destination: Cowboy Corner
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): (518000,4254000)
Participants:
CapCom: Muggi (Engineer)
EVA #9 Leader: Duluu (HSO)
Co-operators: Davaa (Geologist) and Sunny (Journalist)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Hab -> Cowboy Corner-> Hab
Mode of travel: Spirit and Curiosity
EVA Report – December 4th
EVA # 8
Author: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu
Purpose of EVA: Reconnaissance; Drone testing; Photo shooting;
Start time: 13:40
End time: 16:30
Narrative: The EVA for today was an out-of-sim EVA and all crew members participated. It started almost two hours later than planned because our lunch preparation took a bit longer—we had lasagna. We have been trying to visit Lith Canyon for some time now, and the only way to reach there was to take the crew car. Taking this opportunity, we’ve decided to go altogether, taking 2 of the MDRS suits, 2 of MARS-V suits, and one MARS-V helmet. We arrived at our destination with no problem, and the view on the way was awe inducing. We did drone footage, some photo shooting for public outreach, and explored around the canyon for a bit. Ben served as the Capcom for us, and he did a great job at sharing information along the way. We arrived at the Hab just in time—30 minutes before sunset. All in all, it was a successful and energetic trip. We might take some time to work on our research reports in the following days and put a hold on doing EVAs until the Netflix crew arrives on Sol 12.
Destination: The area between Lith Canyon and Whitehouse.
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): (518000,4257000)
Participants: All crew members
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Hab -> Marble Ritual -> Pooh’s Corner -> Cowboy Corner -> Overlook -> Sea of Shells -> White House -> Lith Canyon -> Sea of Shells -> Overlook -> Cowboy Corner -> Pooh’s Corner -> Marble Ritual -> Hab
Mode of travel: Crew car.
Crew Photos – December 6th
Sol Summary – December 4th
Sol: 8
Summary Title: Settling
Author’s name: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary: The day started today around 8:30 AM for the crew. We had the best sweet rice with milk for breakfast which is a Mongolian traditional meal. HSO Duluu and I got promptly to work in the morning since we had a long trip planned for the afternoon. She tended to Green Hab, and I started my work as the newly appointed crew astronomer. Tungaa, Davaa, Sunny, and Muggi performed our usual morning routine, starting the Sol with energy and vigor. Muggi has been appointed as the trainer/coach for the crew, and he has been leading the morning exercises.
Lunch was prepared by Sunny and Davaa, which took meticulous preparation—Martian lasagna made completely from a freeze-dried recipe. It was made with beef, potatoes, penne, and cheese. Nutritious, delicious, and groundbreaking. It has been chosen as the second-best meal we’ve had since coming to Mars. Competition is fierce in the kitchen.
We had our first and only 6-person out-of-sim EVA today with the crew car and headed out to Lith Canyon and Whitehouse. The view is amazing, and we managed to perform extensive drone footage and photo shooting. Capcom was Ben, and our communication was cut off somewhere around Whitehouse, but all went well.
We had a warm and nutritious soup for dinner and got to work immediately afterwards. We have now gotten completely accustomed to Mars, and it is hard to believe we’re already beyond halfway through our rotation. Our work efficiency is going up day by day as we get more and more adapted to our new lifestyle, environment, and workflow. This could be how it feels to actually settle on Mars. It’s invigorating.
Look Ahead Plan: We are now planning to hold off on doing EVAs for a while and focus on our research reports in the 5 priority areas we’ve been working on. Tungaa and I are the appointed chefs for tomorrow, and we plan to hold our own amongst the culinary skills of the crew. We have T-bone steak menu for Sol 10, but we are planning to save that for when the Netflix crew arrives, and the crew is very much looking forward to their company on Mars.
Anomalies in work: None.
Weather: Sunny. Almost no clouds. Very warm.
Crew Physical Status: All healthy.
EVA: Successfully completed one EVA.
Reports to be filed: Sol summary, Journalist report, Operations report, Greenhab report, EVA report, Photos.
Support Requested: None.
Sol Summary – December 3rd
Sol: 7
Summary Title: Momentum
Author’s name: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary: The day started a bit late today around 9 AM. We had oatmeal breakfast, exercised, and meditated together and started the EVA preparation around 10:50 AM. The EVA #7 crew headed out to the field at 11:25 AM, visited White Rock Canyon, and returned to the HAB 20 minutes after 1 PM. Lunch was prepared by Duluu, who made a delicious full course meal for us. Dinner was prepared by Muggi, and we had a delicious spicy penne soup. At the time of writing, the crew has had dinner and are working on the research report we plan to compile at the end of the mission.
Davaa has started his testing on the mud samples. Duluu is intently caring for the Greenhab. Sunny is keeping up the public outreach work. Muggi is becoming more and more proficient at drone operation. Tungaa would have started her microbiological work, but she needs petri dishes, which we can’t seem to find around the station. Any support on this from Mission Support would be greatly appreciated. I still haven’t heard from Peter regarding opening the Musk Observatory. Hopefully I’ll get to have some telescope time before the end of the rotation.
Each day brings us closer to the culmination of our research, weaving together the individual threads of our work into the rich tapestry of this mission’s legacy.
Look Ahead Plan: Today, we’ve started focusing more intently on our goals and the results we want to achieve by the end of the rotation. Our goal is to have one comprehensive file elaborating on each of these areas which will lay the foundation for MARS-V analog station in the Gobi. These are, respectively:
· Improving the development of the MARS-V training program.
o Challenge Takers;
o Science Takers;
o Experience Takers;
· Experimenting with the freeze-dried Mars analog food.
o How to improve the packaging, cooking instructions, variety, and quality.
· Testing out the MARS-V analog suit.
o How the helmet can be improved. What the simulated LSS should include. How to make it ergonomically comfortable.
· Developing and improving the general structure of a Mars analog station.
· Learning from the operational structure of MDRS.
o Protocols. Mission support system.
Anomalies in work: We had a bit of a mishap with the charging of the rovers today, but Ben promptly mended the situation. No anomalies to report otherwise.
Weather: Sunny with abundant cloud cover. It was quite warm today with the warmest part of the day showing 16 degrees Celsius.
Crew Physical Status: All healthy.
EVA: Successfully completed one EVA.
Reports to be filed: Mid-mission report, Sol summary, Journalist report, Operations report, Greenhab report, EVA report, Photos.
Support Requested: I want to request the crew car for tomorrow if possible. Our destination is beyond Overlook and Sea of Shells, to the area around White House and Lith Canyon. This will be an out-of-sim trip for the crew for the purposes of photo shooting and drone videos.
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